Best Western Royal Sun Inn & Suites

Most guests choose the motel-style Best Western Plus Royal Sun Inn & Suites for its location near downtown Tucson and the University of Arizona, and for the budget-conscious price point. The hotel sweetens the deal by offering a free hot breakfast made to order in the Royal Sun Restaurant. The restaurant is showing its age, but the food is better than your typical free breakfast.

Another perk is a free drink coupon at the Royal Sun Lounge. Karaoke nights here can be fun, with hotel employees sharing in the revelry. However, the lounge is dingy and smells like it needs a deep cleaning.

The hotel’s central courtyard features a large pool and Jacuzzi that attract many return guests for the sunning and soaking under blue Tucson skies. An adjacent fitness center is sizable and well-equipped. Much of the hotel is dominated by the parking lot and exterior passages to the rooms. However, there is a small fountain and fish pond with seats for enjoying the sunny weather. The tiny hotel lobby features a few seats, and one computer with printer in lieu of a full business center.

The immediate area is frequented by homeless people, especially the park across the street. It’s best to keep valuables out of sight in vehicles overnight, although the hotel grounds are kept safe by an attentive staff. Guests may find the passing trains (tracks are located nearby) either romantic or interruptive, but they can be noisy.

The Best Western Plus Royal Sun Inn & Suites is located on Stone Avenue, about one mile from downtown Tucson and the University of Arizona. A park across the street has a playground, and several nearby businesses can be reached on foot. Self-parking is free. Shuttle service is offered for a fee.

Tucson is the second-biggest city in Arizona and perhaps its most culturally rich. Though officially founded in 1776, Tucson was first settled in the late 1600s by Spanish missionaries (most notably at the beautiful Mission San Xavier del Bac, the region’s most iconic structure), and 4000 years earlier by Hohokam Indians. It is said to be one of the longest continuously-inhabited cities in the USA, known since its inception as the “Old Pueblo.”

Sitting at 2,400 feet in a broad valley between five different mountain ranges, Tucson enjoys on average 350 sunny days per year and an arid climate that produces one of the most diverse desert environments in the world. The Sonoran Desert features the stately saguaro cactus, which is celebrated at Saguaro National Park on the city’s outskirts, and many other varieties of cacti and unique wildlife including a few notable desert dwellers, such as rattlesnakes, Gila Monsters, and Giant Desert Hairy Scorpions. There was even a 2009 sighting of a rare jaguar. The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum has wildlife and flora on display, and is the best place to learn more.

With all that sunshine, Tucson is an outdoor lover’s paradise. Scores of golf courses dot the city. Hiking possibilities are limitless and year-round in the Santa Catalina and Santa Rita Mountains nearby, with Sabino Canyon Recreation Area being a local favorite. Mountain bikers come to Tucson by the thousands for the miles of single-track trails in the desert. Bird watchers can explore some of the richest avian populations in North America in nearby secluded canyons. And there’s even a ski area among fir and pine trees atop Mt. Lemmon, which has an elevation of more than 9,000 feet.

Tucson’s Hispanic community is woven into the fabric of everyday life in the city, and is reflected in the Mexican restaurants, the Spanish place names, and the arts and culture that play a large part in forming Tucson’s identity. The arts abound in Tucson in dozens of galleries, such as the Etherton Gallery or DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun (celebrating the work of Tucson artist Ted DeGrazia). The University of Arizona houses the Creative Center for Photography, the nation’s largest repository of photographs by notable artists such as Ansel Adams and W. Eugene Smith.

As a desert city, Tucson gets hot in the summertime with temps ranging in the 100s from May to mid-September. Winter is the busy season, when many visitors succumb to the temptations of 75-degree days and pleasant evenings around a fireplace. Summers can be enjoyable too, by sticking close to a pool or indulging in shopping -- just remember to pack extra water and avoid exertion in the midday sun. Locals might suggest taking a siesta -- “nap” in Spanish -- during midday hours.

It’s important to realize that freeways are nonexistent in Tucson, save for I-10. Driving times can vary depending on time of day, as rush hour creates a twice-daily snarl on surface streets.

• 20-minute drive to Tucson International Airport
• 5-minute drive to the the Center for Creative Photography at the University of Arizona
• 10-minute drive to Reid Park Zoo
• 15-minute drive to Pima Air and Space Museum
• 20-minute drive to La Encantada shopping area
• 20-minute drive to Mission San Xavier del Bac
• 25-minute drive to the De Grazia Gallery in the Sun
• 25-minute drive to Old Tucson Studios
• 25-minute drive to the Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum
• 35-minute drive to Sabino Canyon Recreation Area
• 35-minute drive to Saguaro National Park East
• 90-minute drive to Mt. Lemmon Ski Valley
• 2-hour drive to Phoenix

The Best Western Royal Sun offers 79 rooms that benefitted from a 2011 renovation, with updated decor, flat-screen TVs, and new furniture. All rooms are accessed by exterior entrances. Shades of green, yellow, brown, and tan give the rooms an earthy feel. Decor includes framed photos of Tucson scenes and stained wood furniture. The walls are thin, so sound can be heard from adjacent rooms.

• 32-inch flat-screen TVs with DVD players and premium channels
• Free Wi-Fi
• Coffeemakers with free coffee
• No in-room safes, safety deposit boxes are available at front desk
• A few rooms have outside chairs on the passageway.
• Pet-friendly rooms available (fees apply)
• Upgrading to the 400-square-foot Mini Suite King gets you more space, a wet bar, and a mini-fridge.
• Upgrading to the 470-square-foot Jacuzzi Suite gets you the most space and two separate rooms that include a pull-out sofa, one king-size or two queen-size beds, and a Jacuzzi tub.

• Free self-parking
• Free Wi-Fi
• Sizable pool is heated and has adjacent Jacuzzi
• 24-hour fitness center
• Airport shuttle service available for a fee
• View Full List of Amenities

• A free, daily hot breakfast is offered in the Royal Sun Restaurant. It’s a made-to-order breakfast, with choices like French Toast and eggs with bacon.
• Two-for-one drink coupons available for the Royal Sun Lounge, where live music and karaoke are held weekly. The lounge can be fun, but could use a thorough cleaning.
• Room service is not available.