Readers of Condé Nast Traveler rated Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain the No. 1 resort in the country last year, one of many accolades showered on the resort since it opened in 2002. Set on 53 scenic acres, five minutes from Scottsdale, the boutique resort generated a buzz from the very beginning for its discreet service, swank design, first-class facilities, and magical, almost Zenlike ambience.

Groups quickly discover the resort’s meeting space merits honors of its own. Discreetly housed in a separate building, the facilities center on The Views, a room with floor-to-ceiling windows and a wraparound terrace. In its largest configuration, the venue hosts 200 for banquets or divides into five spaces for smaller groups. Two boardrooms round out the indoor options. Terraces, lawns, patios, and a pool deck accommodate affairs outdoors.

Planners can break up their meetings with a choice of 15-minute rejuvenating sessions, including chair massage and guided stretching, rhythmic breathing, salsa dancing, and the Power Punch, a vigorous workout of kicking, hitting, and punching designed to wake the senses.

Team-building activities reflect a similar imaginative spirit. For a heavenly evening event, planners might opt for the Celestial Delight stargazing dinner or dessert reception attended by local astronomers. Each takes full advantage of the resort’s secluded mountain setting, high above the city lights, where groups experience an extraordinary brush with the cosmos. Other add-ons to the agenda might include cooking lessons in the teaching kitchen, photography workshops, croquet tournaments, and aura readings.

The Sanctuary experience finds its fullest expression in the 98 casitas. They include such standard amenities as spacious baths, top-quality linens, flatscreen TVs, and Internet connectivity. Suites provide fireplaces and private terraces. All lodgings achieve a magical quality through personal touches like silk throws on the bed, original artwork, and velvet sand bags to signal housekeeping when guests are in residence and when they are not. Six individually designed mountainside homes provide exceptional space for entertaining complete with pools, Jacuzzis, and wraparound terraces.

Stone walkways meander about the property, eventually leading to two central destinations: the Asian-inspired Sanctuary Spa for individual and group wellness programs and Elements restaurant, led by celebrity chef Beau MacMillan. Here groups dine on cuisine made from the freshest seasonal ingredients. The communal- style table centering the room brings participants together to reflect on a day well spent in Paradise Valley.