By Roger Naylor
While every season holds a special appeal, only summer means freedom. It’s a feeling embedded in our DNA since early childhood: the final bell rang on the last day of school, the doors swung open, and blissfully long summer days waited just outside as the whole season stretched before you.
Now, you can experience that untroubled joy all over again when you make a summer visit to Castle Hot Springs. Here in this quiet corner of the Arizona desert, the possibilities truly are endless.
Take a morning hike. Try some paddleboard yoga or spring water aerobics. Hop on an eBike for a scenic cruise. Go for a swim. Learn to create refreshing cocktails with a mixology class. Enjoy a soothing spa treatment. Snooze in a shady hammock beside a crystal-clear creek. Play a few games of bocce ball on the lush green lawn. Take a nighttime dip in the mineral-rich springs beneath a canopy of glittering stars.
Even more importantly, Castle Hot Springs offers an old-fashioned summer escape where guests experience the real world, not a virtual one. This natural retreat offers an invitation break away from many of the devices that rule our lives, thanks to intentionally missing televisions in the cabins and bungalows and limited cell service and Wi-Fi by design. This is your chance to tumble off the grid for a while, and land in a place renowned for natural beauty and comforting luxury. Live in the moment, just like the summers of long ago.
Summer is also the season of overflowing gardens. Tomatoes ripen on their vines, fruit hangs heavy on the trees, and butterflies wobble among the herb beds and edible flowers. Everything just seems fresher in summertime, and these wonderful flavors are put to good use by the chefs at Castle Hot Springs.
With so much seasonal bounty on hand, the chefs create an array of enticing dishes at both Harvest and Bar 1896. Of course, during these warm languid days, the emphasis is on recipes that are light and refreshing.
One of the signature summer dishes enjoyed by guests at Castle Hot Springs puts a unique spin on gazpacho. Adding an extra zest of garden freshness to their version, almost all the ingredients are grown right there in the resort’s gardens. (They aren’t producing their own agave syrup yet — but that’s coming soon.) The gazpacho served in the restaurant features a hybrid lambkin melon, a gourmet melon with sweet, aromatic, juicy white flesh.
Even if you aren’t able to visit the resort this summer, you can enjoy this classic cold soup at home. The Castle Hot Springs version is beautifully simple, delicious, and good for body and soul. And if you don’t have access to lambkin melons, it’s not a problem. Honeydews will work just fine.
So invite a few friends over for a summer backyard party, set up your own bocce ball court, and mix a few cocktails you remember from your class at Castle Hot Springs. Finally, bring out the gazpacho and then don’t be surprised when the compliments start flying around like hummingbirds on a nectar bender.
From there, just sit back and relax — after all, it’s summertime.
Cucumber Gazpacho Recipe
- 1 honeydew melon (peeled and seeded)
- 1 cucumber
- ½ jalapeno (seeded)
- ½ cup cilantro leaf
- ½ cup mint leaf
- ¼ cup lime juice
- ¼ cup agave syrup
- 1 cup water
- 1 pinch sea salt
Directions: Rough chop all ingredients and blend in a blender until smooth. Taste and add salt as desired. Pass through a chinois and serve chilled. Can be stored up to 3 days in the refrigerator.