Some of you may know that my father passed away last January, and in March I had the heartbreaking task of clearing out his storage unit in Arizona. I dreaded having to plan the trip from Northern California to Tuscon, Arizona. Plain and simple it was going to be one of the hardest things I would ever have to do.
As I was looking online for a hotel for the few nights we were in Tucson, I came across a little gem. It was like no other place I had ever seen. Now see, the other hotels the travel site listed were nice with the usual amenities, and hotel rooms that were exactly what you would expect. They were fine, but this one place stood out. With it’s bright colors and retro feeling i was intrigued. A twinge of guilt hit me that I would even consider a fun place on such a solemn trip. Would such a choice be disrespectful? I turned off the computer and walked away. I was still in a fog from my fathers passing, and my brain could only handle so much.
But I could not get that sweet hotel out of my mind. I showed the hotel’s website to my very practical husband, and to my surprise he excitedly said, “BOOK IT! Book It NOW”
Seriously.. look at that picture. How could you resist such a cute entrance? The Hotel’s website boasts “Vintage vibes. Modern perks. Affordable rates.” Yes, yes, and yes. But, the incredible staff is what makes the place such a unique experience. From the moment you walk through the front door to check-in, you realize you are now part of something completely different than the usual hotel experience. You are now with friends. Yes, that sounds corny, but hear me out.
After you check-in and get your room key and instructions on ordering your free breakfast for the next day, you are given free tokens to use at the bar that features a wide variety of local beers and wines. Not sure which to choose? Not a problem, the staff had full knowledge of all the selections and made it easy to choose.
Now, I might be stating this wrong, but from what i understand, the Hotel McCoy is registered as a bar, so you are able to take your drink anywhere on the property, but not outside of hotel grounds. When we stayed there we were not able to drink inside the bar area (pictured above) because of COVID rules. No problem there. Check out the pictures I took the night we arrived. You can see why you wouldn’t want to stay indoors.
As much as I wanted to hang out at the pool, we still had to get settled into our room. We booked one of the smaller rooms because we just didn’t feel we needed much space, but I saw much larger rooms across the way with dinettes and such. Our retro little room was just like the outside of the hotel. Cheery with bright colors, cool artwork, and a nice little bistro set outside the room to enjoy the atmosphere. Below is the painting above the bed, the very nice modern sink (yes there was a shower, but the picture turned out terrible), and hubby enjoying breakfast outside the next morning. He looks a bit grumpy, but is is quite content with the delicious breakfast.
Unfortunately the days in Tucson were hard. We spent the next few days going through my dad’s things and filling the U-Haul that we would be driving back to California. It was a very sad time for me, which made our decision to stay at the McCoy all that much smarter of a choice. I was going through so much emotionally that when I returned to the Hotel McCoy it was a much needed sanctuary for me to decompress.
Nights were spent sitting by the fire pit or the pool, enjoying the tasty local beers and wines from the hotel’s bar, and chatting it up with other travelers. The rooms were comfy of course, but it was hard to resist the very social atmosphere that most of the other guests felt as well. People waved hello as they walked by and you couldn’t help but feel the friendliness of the place.
I could very easily go on and on about the atmosphere, but let’s get to the artwork outside. Below is a gallery of most of the murals you will find outside the rooms and around the premises. I felt kinda creepy taking pictures outside of other peoples rooms, but i quickly realized I wasn’t the only one doing it, so it was all good.
These first pictures you will find around the front office and bar.
This next group of murals are located on the back wall of our row of rooms.
The next set of pictures shows the paintings on the walls between the rooms.
More cool pictures from around the hotel premises.
What a wonderful way to enter the Hotel McCoy 
Front office 
Under the front archway 
A phone booth???? 
Pool and game area 
Tunnel through the center row of rooms 
A portion of the art gallery in the main building
There is also a full art gallery inside the main building for guests to enjoy. I saved my two favorite murals for the end. One can’t help but feel inspired looking at these.
The reason for the trip was a sad one, but the bright spot that I won’t soon forget was the beautiful Hotel McCoy, the amazing staff, and the wonderful other travelers I met. It’s given me a bit of a travel bug feeling. What other amazing places are out there??
If you ever find yourself in Tucson Arizona, check out the Hotel McCoy. (singing in a terrible voice) Living it up at the Hotel McCoy! Such a lovely place. Click here for the website.
April In The Garden
This looks like a perfect place to stay on my next trip out west! Thanks for sharing! I’m really sorry that the trip was for such a sad occasion, but I think having a place to recuperate at night was good for you both. I’m sorry that your dad died, too. When my dad died, I suddenly felt like an orphan, even though I was in my 60’s!
It was a fun place… so much to look at! The hot weather was certainly a bonus.
I’m so sorry about your Dad. Going through all the stuff is just not fun. My Mom passed two years ago so I know the drill. That said, my son just moved to Tucson last October (USAF), so I’m excited to check out ALL THE THINGS!! Including this fun hotel!
I look forward to your emails every day. Thanks for your great sense of humor!
Thank you Dana. It was hard as you know. I loved the hotel so much. It’s not the closest hotel to USAF, but worth the look!