The land is part of what you are coming for
Solstave sits on about an acre and a quarter in Mesa, Arizona. It is not a venue that happens to host a retreat. It is a home that has been holding people for twenty years, and every part of it has a story.
A place built so people would know they belonged
This property was chosen with one idea in mind. Children would grow up here, their friends would gather here, and anyone who came through the gate would know they had somewhere to belong. Every part of the yard has a place to sit down with someone.
That was true for two decades before it was a business. It is the reason the place already feels the way it does.
The Fountain of Hope
You come in past a garden of twenty-nine planters, each built by hand by the owner's father, each one given a theme. At the front is a fountain named the Fountain of Hope, in memory of the owner's grandmother.
Guests tend to slow down here without being asked to. Moving water does that.
Lush grass and mature trees
In the middle of the desert there is a lawn and a canopy of trees that have been growing for decades. Guests who stayed here when the property was a rental described the same thing over and over: they felt peaceful the moment they walked in, before anyone said a word to them.
That is the shade doing part of the work, and the quiet doing the rest.
The citrus grove and the treehouse
Toward the east is a grove of citrus trees and a treehouse the owner's father built for her children. Its purpose is changing. It is becoming a place where grown women climb up, sit down, and remember what play felt like before it became one more thing to schedule.
Near it is a sitting area tucked under mature trees, out of sight of everything, in full shade.
Four ash trees
More than fifteen years ago the owner planted four ash trees, one for each of her children, in order from oldest to youngest. They are large now. She will tell you which is which if you ask.
The memory garden
Under the mesquite tree near the treehouse there is a memory garden, made by the owner's sister, for remembering people who have died. Small rocks carry the names of the ones this family misses most.
Women who are carrying grief often end up sitting here. Nobody directs them to it. It is simply a place where remembering is already happening, and joining it is allowed.
The pine tree
Near the spa is a large pine with a shaded place to sit beneath it. The owner describes the tree as a grandmother. Large, old, wise, entirely unbothered by your schedule.
It is a good place to sit after a conversation that went somewhere unexpected.
LOVE on the back wall
Large cutout letters spelling LOVE hang on the back wall, made by the owner's father. They are a reminder of how simple the whole assignment actually is. Love yourself, and love one another.
Where is Solstave?
Solstave is in Mesa, Arizona, in the East Valley, roughly a half hour from central Phoenix and close to Gilbert, Chandler, Tempe, and Scottsdale.
Because the property is also a private home, the exact address is shared when you book. The map on the contact page shows the neighborhood so you can judge the drive.
Come sit under the trees
