I must share this with whoever is looking for a special place to stay in Tucson. I just returned from an incredible stay at La Zarzuela B&B. It's on 15 quiet acres on the west side of Tucson, away from the traffic we encountered on our drive around the north and east sides of town. Everything about the stay was perfect. Great views of the desert, mountains and the city lights from the beautiful main house as well as our private balcony. Some of my favorite food that I ate on this trip was there, at breakfast and the evening wine reception. The hosts are wonderful. They really thought of everything.

It's relatively close to the Desert Museum, West Saquaro NP, and Tucson mountain park. Actually there are mountain park hiking trails within walking distance from the property. But once you're there, you may never want to leave the place.

We are planning a trip to Tucson later this year. Coincidentally, La Zarzuela and Cactus Cove are the two B&B's we've narrowed it down to. Any reason you chose LaZ over the other? Is there anything you didn't care for at LaZarzuela? Which room did you stay in? Did you find it large enough/suitable for your needs? How are the patios off of the rooms? Are there views from the patios? Sorry for all the questions, but we are torn! Thanks in advance for your reply.

I'd be interested to hear what price range this one falls into. Do they take single night bookings?

We also had our choices narrowed down to La Zarzuela and Cactus Cove. We chose LZ mostly because of location and the patio.I wanted to look out my window to views, and the tall walls at the Cactus Cove patios, while looking very private, might not have been what we wanted. Without having been to Cactus Cove, I can't really compare but I will help to answer your questions.

We stayed in the Palo Verde room. It had a nice fireplace which was great in the evenings in early March. The patio looked out over the desert and mountains. I was very happy with the view. I'd open the blinds in the morning and watch the sun rise from inside our room. The room is the closest to the main house, and part of the patio also overlooks the pool, but it still felt very private. I think they designed the place very well in that respect. The room was comfortable. It had a small refrigerator with bottled water that was nice touch.

All 4 of the rooms have small patios which overlook the desert and mountains. The Palo Verde, as I describe, is at one end, and the Rose Adobe at the other. The views from Rose Adobe looked like there were quite nice as well just judging from walking around the place. However Rose Adobe is closest to the small parking area and hiking trails around the place so maybe not quite as private. But I will say that the whole place felt very private so that's splitting hairs.

The price of the room was $250/night, but it was a great value. No tax because of their location; it included a fabulous gourmet breakfast which was delicious and plentiful. We didn't need to eat lunch. The evening wine/hor d'ourves hour was also very nice. Once you factor all of the little things in, the price was good. It's also all done with alot of class.

I liked the location on the west side of Tucson. It was really preferrable for us, because it was away from the stop and go traffic, yet a close enough drive to restaurants.

I don't know if they take one night bookings. The hosts are great and I'm sure would be happy to talk with you about that.

I've stayed in alot of B&B's, and this is by far my favorite. I'd go back again in a hearbeat.

Just a plug for MY favorite Tucson B&B, Mi Gatita (My Little Cat). It is 20 minutes south of Tucson, actually in Sahuarita, but it's worth every minute of driving. The hosts are wonderful and you can choose from a very large bedroom (with fireplace, I think), or two rooms joined by a bathroom. We liked the latter because my husband stays up late watching TV and we used one of the rooms as the living room.

It's a lot less expensive, in the area of $125 per night. The website is www.tucsonbirdinginn.com

syd, thanks very much for your detailed responses. How bad is the traffic on the east side of Tucson; any idea?
Just out of curiosity, has anyone stayed at Cactus Cove? It looks beautiful on the website but I haven't seen mention of it in any travel books (ie Fodor's), nor on any travel websites/message boards. Can anyone give details?

Anubis,
Re: traffic on the east side of Tucson. This was my first visit there, and we happened to drive through Tucson from the northeast part of town on a Friday afternoon. It seemed to take forever, and it felt like we hit every red light. I'd be curious to hear what someone who lives in Tucson thinks about traffic.

About Cactus Cove, check out www.tripadvisor.com and do a search for the place. There were some good reviews posted there.

Have a wonderful trip!

Re: traffic in Tucson. I think it depends on your perspective. It's nothing compared to Seattle, Boston, etc. However, there is no good way to get thru Tucson. The interstate goes around Tucson from the NW to the SE. Sometimes that is the fastest way to go someplace, but typically you will have to drive thru Tucson. Try to avoid rush hour. Tucson is an easy town to navigate, but be prepared for stop and go travel.