Overview of the JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort & Spa near Tucson, Arizona. (QMI Agency)

Tucson, Arizona -- "Daddy, do it again!" our eight-year-old Rachel giggles, radiant in the sunshine, urging me to chase her around the resort's lazy river.

"Pick me, pick me!" call kids in bathing suits, begging to be slimed at Spongebob's poolside party.

Meanwhile, just beyond the pool fence, serene desert and mountains stretch for miles around us. As I leap into the water, I know for certain: This family vacation truly has it all.

Tucson's JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort is like visiting a different world. As we first wound our way up the mountain and around the emerald golf course, there it was: A sprawling hacienda-inspired resort, seamlessly carved into the mountainside, implausibly surrounded by thousands of saguaro (sa-wore-oh) cacti in full bloom. All enveloped in the quiet scents and sounds of otherworldly flora and fauna.

Vast terraces and manicured gardens twinkled softly as its human inhabitants -- clinking their glasses beside glowing firepits and chimineas -- forgot all their earthly cares under the Crayola-blue desert sky.

The luxurious Starr Pass Resort takes care of every imaginable human comfort, yet offers the rare chance to inhabit the world's only saguaro cactus forest from within 8,000 hectares of protected natural splendour known as Tucson Mountain Park.

This desert oasis thoroughly quenched our city-folk thirst for nature. Our hikes -- both professionally guided and on our own -- literally took us from the resort driveway to a magical landscape where ancient saguaros reached skyward 15 metres or more, its rocky pathways lined with prickly-pears, Palo Verdes and the "jumping" cholla cactus.

Like mountain lions curled up and ready to pounce, giant red boulders among the peaks and rock formations created a scene reminiscent of backdrops from Warner Brothers' Roadrunner cartoons. Later, a trip to the outdoor Sonoran Desert Museum revealed mysteries about the plants, animals, birds and reptiles of the area's delicate ecosystem.

"This is like Mother Nature's theme park," my wife told Rachel. And she was right. We took exhilarating rides on horseback, up and down through rocky-rolling terrain and fascinating vegetation. We met some of Rachel's heroes, Roadrunner and Coyote -- only they were the real live ones!

We played in the two swimming pools, including the lazy river with colourful rafts and waterslide, and consumed Mexican delights on the poolside. And with Marriott's Nickelodeon weekends, we were part of a huge, wacky weekend-long party hosted by the uber-cheerful SpongeBob SquarePants and his skilled handlers. No travel itinerary is complete without "getting slimed" or being tucked into your Spongebob or Dora the Explorer bedding, with a bedtime story, plus backpack to take the adventure home.

"You're guaranteed 350 days of sun (each year)" according to one of our drivers. The warm sunshine and refreshing breeze accompanied us each day, from the minute we stepped through the resort's open-air lobby and out onto its seemingly endless multi-level patio, where, at nightfall, guests sampled margueritas and roasted Smores by the fireside.

We thoroughly enjoyed all Tucson has to offer. The Starr Pass Golf Course where PGA pros improved our swings. The funky 4th-Avenue shopping district, where my wife found "perfect" turquoise earrings. The Mission San Xavier where the faithful pray for miracles. Old Tucson Studios -- where Hollywood Westerns are filmed and gunfights are recreated almost daily.

Fuelling our adventures were cowboy-style breakfast buffets at Marriott's Signature Grill. Mexican inspired omelettes (with miniature Tabasco bottles and a virtual trough of fresh guacamole), the yummiest pancakes my daughter's ever had, and more.

Catalina BBQ Company's Executive Chef Chris Brown taught us tricks of southwestern barbecue cooking.

"Just because it's called a rub doesn't mean you actually rub the meat," he laughed, shaking dry spices over a slab of backribs.

Then he let us eat our homework: Heartbreakingly delicious brisket and ribs. Sipping Gruet champagne on his Primo garden terrace while munching oven-fired pizza and scrumptiously zesty salad was a nice touch, as well.

Several pounds of belly fat and three large bottles of sunscreen later, we are back from a week of blissful family fun in Tucson, Arizona. I know we'll probably work off the excess weight, but the memories will last a lifetime.

jonathan.kingstone@sunmedia.ca

If you go

To Tucson, Arizona

WHERE TO STAY

Nickelodeon getaways at JW Marriott Starr Pass Tucson Resort & Spa include a character breakfast with SpongeBob SquarePants and Dora the Explorer plus

poolside games, shows and "sliming" events. Rates start at $199 per night. See jwmarriottstarrpass.com/Tucson-Arizona/Nickelodeon-Getaways-13.html.

WHAT TO DO

For details on nearby activities, contact the following:

-- Old Tucson Studios, oldtucson.com.

-- Guided hikes and mountain bike tours with Southwest Trekking, swtrekking.com.

-- Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, desertmuseum.org.

-- Biosphere 2, b2science.org.

-- Fourth Avenue Shopping District, fourthavenue.org.