Dream Manor Inn is located at 1 Dream Manor Drive in Globe. For more information, call 928-425-2754 or visit www.dreammanorinn.com.

© Nick Berezenko

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Like a Dream

By Maryal Miller

Globe Life in any metropolitan area can get a little redundant. Especially when it comes with bumper-to-bumper traffic and ridiculously high temperatures — the kind that compel even Hell's inhabitants to head for the hills. Fortunately for city slickers in Phoenix and Tucson, there exists a respite so remote yet so easily reachable that neither heat nor haze can touch it. This otherworldly haven is known as Dream Manor Inn, and it's an ideal stop for those seeking refuge in the worldly town of Globe.

When Dream Manor owners and former Las Vegans Carl and Rebecca Williams purchased the '60s-built property in 2005, it was meant to be a hilltop château where the couple could retire on two-and-a-half acres of sequestered bliss. But all of that changed when the Williamses, who had plenty of extra rooms, untouched land all around and an affection for entertaining, were hit with a vision: Let's create an intimate B&B with a distinct desert feel. So, with Rebecca's hospitality background and Carl's aptitude for engineering, they gave the compound a facelift — updating with Tuscan décor — and opened for business as Dream Manor Inn in the summer of 2006.

At first glance, the idea of opening an inn in Globe might seem a little risky, but the Williamses knew better. Globe's location on U.S. Route 60 is a kind of middle ground between Arizona's two largest cities, Phoenix and Tucson, and it's ripe for business meetings and nuptials. Plus, away from the inn, the Globe area offers plenty of opportunity for exploring Arizona, including hiking, biking, white-water rafting, boating, golfing, antiquing, a casino and, even more novel, a vintage yet fully functional drive-in movie theater, which is located just down the hill from the inn. If you ask Rebecca, she'll tell you the drive-in is a charming attribute that's representative of the town's appeal.

Regardless of what you do away from the inn, at some point, you're going to want to kick back and relax, and that's where the inn's accommodations come in. With four rooms (all with private baths) located in the main house, two rooms that can be booked as one in the 1,200-square-foot guesthouse, which has a four-story observation tower, and five villas with kitchenettes and living areas, the options go well beyond a typical B&B. For heavenly views, the main house's Sunrise and Sunset suites offer perfect balcony seats for watching their namesakes over the Pinal Mountains.

Beyond the bedrooms, the grounds are perfect for banquets, midsize weddings and receptions, thanks to a gorgeous oleander-bordered lawn, a flowing waterfall and a vast Sonoran Desert backdrop. Carl even had the road along the villas paved so that brides won't dirty their dresses. Genius.

For such a soirée, plan on booking several months in advance — the inn typically functions at 98-percent occupancy. Whatever your reason for visiting the inn, chances are, you won't be disappointed. One guest liked the place so much he stayed for two years. How's that for customer satisfaction?

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