It was indeed a dreamy couple of days. We lazed by the pool, soaked in the gorgeously landscaped outdoor Jacuzzi, enjoyed our own private balcony, and went for a stunning hike in the surrounding desert hills. The Copperwynd is built into the side of a mountain northeast of Scottsale and Phoenix and has been cleverly designed so that every room, both public and private, to say nothing of the two swimming pools and the aforementioned Jacuzzi, take full advantage of the view that is spread out beneath it.

Our room, which I booked for under $200 a night as part of the weekly Tuesday sale at hotels.com, had a king-sized bed with those requisite luxury Italian high thread-count sheets, a fireplace with a gas log, and a huge closet. It was blessedly quiet and in the morning the air was full of birdsong. The bathroom was enormous and had a deep tub that we put to good use (so nice to give myself and not anyone else a bath!). The picture at the top of this post is the view from our balcony.

With the exception of the room itself, nothing at the Copperwynd was cheap, but everything was of a uniformly high quality. Both the service and food in the restaurant (where we ate two breakfasts and one dinner) were excellent. I particularly like the breakfast menu, which includes such treats as Grand Marnier French toast and a frittata with chorizo that was so good Matt ate it twice. The wine list is small but interesting with a good range of prices. And the entire wall of the restaurant is made of windows, so even if it’s too chilly to sit outside on the patio you can still look at the mountains while you eat.

The resort offers many things that we didn’t take advantage of, including a full fitness center with lots of equipment and classes. There are also tennis courts (with private coaching) as well as numerous nearby golf courses. I didn’t make it inside the spa (rumor has it there were steam rooms in there) but did sit in the sunny manicure room, where I indulged myself in a manicure/pedicure provided by the cheerful, chatty Edna who hails from San Juan but has lived all over and had many stories to share. After paraffin treatments the skin on my hands and feet felt like silk and I was reduced to a kind of mellow bliss that made it challenging just to climb the stairs and find Matt so I could get to the all-important task of continuing to admire the view while drinking a margarita.

It was easy enough to drive into both Scottsdale and Phoenix from the resort – we went to dinner in Scottsdale one night and to the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix on our last morning. But it would also be very easy just to retreat to this mountainside with some wine and bread and cheese (the room also came equipped with a refrigerator) and not leave for days. You could spend your time reading, relaxing, and exploring the surrounding desert, communing with the ever-present saguaros.

I know that this all sounds wonderful and fantastic and that you’re probably thinking “Thanks a lot Mara, it’s not like I can drop a wad of cash at a fancy resort anytime soon or get anywhere near the Sonoran Desert.” But this post isn’t just meant to be a review of this particular resort. Rather, it’s a call to all of you parents out there, especially the traveling ones who cheerfully take their children every cool place they themselves go. I highly recommend arranging a getaway just for you and your significant other (or, if you’re single, for you and a friend or even just for you alone). It doesn’t have to be as expensive and hedonistic as this one was – if pitching a tent in your local state park or staying at a motel in a nearby city are more your style, go for it. The idea is simply to get a little bit of travel time away from the kids, time where you can be completely on your own schedule and don’t have to think about all the kinds of logistics that this blog traffics in. A time away from home when you can eat what you want when you want it, sleep as much or as little as you want, and just generally do what feels good to you. It doesn’t have to be a long time either – just two days and one night will do wonders. (Although I heartily recommend two nights if you can swing it. There’s something magical about that second morning of waking up on your own schedule.)

I know how challenging it can be to find a way to get away. I don’t have any family members living super close by, and between my kids and my  job and this blog and various other sundry projects I’m pretty busy. But let me assure you, it is worth the bother and the expense to arrange for this kind of time. And neither of my children is ever any the worse for it. In fact, they’re better off for having two refreshed and happy parents. The effect lasts for weeks – whenever I find myself getting stressed out, all I have to do is remember those two glorious mornings when I dozed for hours, listening to those desert birds.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to close my eyes and imagine I’m sitting in that outdoor hot tub. Oh yeah. That’s the ticket.

[One quick family-travel note: I actually do think that this would be a great place to bring the kids. The family pool is perfect for children of all ages and there is a Kids Club with planned activities, which judging from our experience with all of the staff and the other amenities there, is probably super. About five minutes away in Fountain Hills, there is a fabulous playground right by the large fountain and the hike that Matt and I did would be manageable for kids of all ages. But I honestly don't think I'm ever going to find out first-hand if this is a family-friendly place because we have already decided that this little getaway needs to become an annual tradition for us.]