St. George—Exploring Southern Utah and the Mighty 5 doesn’t just appeal to the rugged outdoorsman. For those who want to see the red rock vistas of St. George and stay a stone’s throw away from unbelievable outdoor recreation—as well as play golf on one of the best courses in Utah, luxuriate in an outdoor pool or get a massage—the Inn at Entrada is happy to offer itself as their home base.

“We’re a special place. There’s nowhere else like it between Salt Lake and Las Vegas, at least for the moment,” said Timothy Mahoney, resort manager for the Inn at Entrada. “I call it your home away from home for exploring the wonders of Southern Utah. It’s more than just a hotel room.”

In fact, the Inn’s lodgings couldn’t really be simply called ‘rooms’ at all. They’re more like duplexes, villas, casitas.

“We need a new vocabulary for it,” laughed Mahoney. Visitors stay in half of a stand-alone villa, which can be one-, two- or three- bedroom. Each unit has a private garage and patio out back, and most have water features, as well. The rooms are decorated in contemporary southwest style—everything features natural textures and stones, all in earth tones. Bathrooms feature a wide natural stone shower and a deep whirlpool tub. Living rooms have large flat-screen televisions and fireplaces. All the one- and two-bedroom suites have full kitchens and washer-dryer setups. The villas are built along a few winding streets, each with a view that either goes out onto the golf course or the natural beauty of St. George.

The way that the Inn offers chances for luxury, activity and relaxation is part of what makes it unique. Visitors can go 15 minutes down the road to Snow Canyon State Park, to enjoy hiking and seeing the red rock formations, lava flows and extinct cinder cones. An hour away is the beauty of Zion National Park, and two and a half hours away is Bryce Canyon National Park. After long day-trip to any of the parks, visitors can take the next day off to relax at the Inn, avail themselves of the spa and the pool, or play golf or pickleball.

The Inn at Entrada uses the facilities and course of Entrada at Snow Canyon Country Club. The Johnny Miller Signature Design 18-hole championship course is over 7,000 yards from the back tees, and three holes—15, 16 and 17—run through a lava field. Golf Digest has named the course the best year-round course in the state, but Andrew Hopkin-Payne, head pro at the course, said that players of all skill levels can enjoy playing.

“Our members range from pretty good players to a lot of recreational golf,” he said. “There are a lot of retired folks who are just here to have fun.”

The recreation facilities also offer pickleball, a rapidly-growing sport that’s something of a cross between ping-pong, badminton and tennis, played out on a court with paddles. ““Pickleball is huge. We have more pickleball courts than tennis courts now!” said Mahoney. “We have four pickleball courts and two tennis courts—St. George is one of the world centers of pickleball.”

New to the sport? No worries. Entrada offers the opportunity to take a class or seminar with Tim Finger, a former No. 1 ranked player in the nation for the sport, as well as an eight-time gold medalist at the Huntsman World Senior Games.

“[St. George] was primarily a golf destination for a long time, and it turned the corner in the past two years. People are discovering us as: ‘I can stay here and I can go to Zion for the day or I can go to Bryce for the day or go to Snow Canyon State Park for the day,’” said Mahoney. “Instead of hopping from hotel to hotel, they can come back here and see it as a central place for exploring southern Utah.”