It probably doesn't surprise you that Tucson has some funky hotel options.
Whether you need somewhere to put up visiting friends and family or you want to try a staycation that's not at a resort, Tucson has fun options.
You can play tourist and stay downtown or head to the hills for sweeping desert views. We want to stay at all of these places.
Hotel McCoy
The hotel opened in 1970 as the Silverbell Inn. It is named for the McCoy Mountains near the Arizona-California border.
Once the Silverbell Inn, the newly renovated Hotel McCoy on the southwest side at Silverlake Road and I-10 opened in October. The mid-century modern hotel is currently running Staycation Sunday specials for locals, with a new promo each week of the summer until August 25 (excludes July 4 and 27). You can also get 20 percent off in July. Everything here is local — the art in the lobby, the wine and beer, the coffee. Plus, there's a pool. Visit hotelmccoy.com for more information and follow on Facebook for additional specials.
Chuparosa Inn Bed and Breakfast
The Chuparosa Inn in Madera Canyon south of Tucson is your ideal cabin in the woods.
This place looks like the castle-treehouse of your childhood dreams — perfect for a summer escape. A bed and breakfast tucked along a creek in Madera Canyon, the Chuparosa Inn has four rooms starting between $200 and $275 a night. You must book at least two nights. The inn, 1300 S. Madera Canyon Road in Green Valley, has an enormous wraparound porch perfect for bird watching, reading and (iced) tea sipping.
Visit chuparosainn.com for more information.
El Presidio Inn Bed and Breakfast
The El Presidio Inn Bed and Breakfast has a lush garden and wraparound porch where we would love to spend the day.
Stay here and step back into historic Tucson. Just north of the Tucson Museum of Art, El Presidio Inn Bed and Breakfast at 297 N. Main Ave. is a Victorian adobe with four rooms and a garden oasis. Plus, home-cooked breakfast every morning. Room rates start around $140 a night with a two-night minimum October through May. If you've always wanted to live in an old Tucson adobe this is a much cheaper way to do it!
Visit elpresidiobbinn.com for more information.
Hotel Congress
One of the many bars and hot spots along the route of the Tucson streetcar is the Hotel Congress located at 311 E Congress. The photo was taken on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2014, in Tucson, Ariz.
The downtown icon has 40 hotel rooms, plus a club, restaurant and event space. You won't get bored here (that also means it will be loud late, just FYI). This hotel, 311 E. Congress St., also goes way back — to 1919, in fact — and definitely preserves its historic ambiance. The hotel is right on the Sun Link streetcar line, so you can get all the way to the University of Arizona or the Mercado San Agustín without a car. Explore downtown without commuting back to the suburbs. Book any room between July 1-8 for stay dates from July 1- Aug. 26 for just $80.
Visit hotelcongress.com for more information.
Cat Mountain Lodge and Roadside Inn
All rooms have access to open-air community courtyard, which is desert flora-rich, at the Cat Mountain Lodge.
Head out to the desert to stay at an inn owned by the queen of Buffalo Exchange, Kerstin Block. You can choose the lodge with its central courtyard or the smaller inn across the street with its wraparound porch and room dedicated to Frida Kahlo. The inn opened more recently but the lodge has been around for years. Way out on the west side near Old Tucson and the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, this place, 2727 S. Kinney Road, offers a Tucson experience — an eco-friendly property, southwestern decor and desert vistas. Plus, there's also an observatory, vintage and artisan shops and a cafe near the inn.
Visit catmountainlodge.com for more information.
Note: This is an updated version of a story that originally appeared on #ThisIsTucson November 11, 2018.
