babsjvd

Hinsopa,I hope your stay at Loew's was great- we will be there in 2 weeks. would love to hear your feed back

I am originally from Tucson and has been many years since I lived there. Still get home every year. My folks love Macayo's but since I am staying at Loews for a few days before going to my folks - we are on our own, and will give us a chance to experience something else.

I am looking for some good recomendations for Mexican Food. I now live in the Midwest where taco bell is the norm.

Tomayto

Hello, FTers,

Thanks for all your input for making my 6-day stay in Tucson wonderful and packed-full of touristy stuff.

This post is something I wrote for TripAdvisor about The Azure Gate, the B&B we stayed at while in Tucson:

I found this gem of a place on the Internet. Not ever being in Tucson and knowing no one there, I was taking a chance. What a delight The Azure Gate turned out to be!

Dennis met us upon arrival, after first providing us with detailed, excellent directions from the airport. He showed us around the 5-acre Sonora cacti garden and the main house, including a very-well stocked library of books and DVDs.

He then showed us to our separate 2-story bungalow (does one say "bungalow" in the southwest?). We opted for the Catalina and were quite pleased with our choice. A separate kitchen with full refrigerator, microwave, coffeepot, dishes, towels, everything that one needs in a kitchen. There was coffee, tea, FRESH cream in the refrigerator, a bowl of chocolates and another of mixed nuts. There was also a vase of roses on the white lacey tablecloth which I thought was fake until some petals dropped. And a divine bottle of cabernet. I don't know if the roses and wine are the usual or because I mentioned I was celebrating my birthday when I made the reservations.

The Catalina was tastefully and thoughtfully decorated. Everything from nightlights (two), stationery with pen, current Tucson magazines, hair dryer, terry cloth bathrobes, just everything was provided. We slept in a comfortable bed in a loft which overlooked the living room. There were a lot of windows which gave the bungalow an airy feel.

In the main house, Dennis and Christine had not only binders with restaurant and tourist recommendations, but directions to everyplace turn-by-turn. When we came into the main house in the mornings for breakfast and tell them of our plans for the day, they would give us directions from site to site.

Now the best part: BREAKFAST! I usually get by on coffee and something quick. Well, one does not want to be quick at The Azure Gate. I have traveled extensively and have stayed at the best hotels (Ritz, Four Seasons, blah blah) on six continents (okay, on one of the continents there are no hotels), but Dennis's breakfasts have beat everyplace everywhere. My camera was out all five mornings and took pictures of both courses each morning. (I have ten photos in all.) Michelin should come and have breakfast here. No kidding.

And, Christine set the breakfast table (and dining room) with lighted candles and arranged flowers every morning. Always a colorful dining table runner and placemats and pretty dishes and crystal stems for the mango with lime? or guava with ?, I can't remember because I was in a state of bliss.

I usually don't post on sites like this, but I'm thankful for my time at The Azure Gate and thankful for having met Dennis and Christine.

Antonio8069

TUS had a great United MR offer (out of EWR), so I thought I would bump up this thread....

Staying at the Sheraton for 3 nights in May. The restaurant suggestions (above) sound great! Welcome any sightseeing ideas?

JerryFF

As a supplement to my comments above (#17), I would reiterate the Desert Museum. If you go out to Tombstone, continue on to Bisbee - it's not much further and well worth the extra time.

CMK10

If you have three days and you have any interest in military history, I suggest driving 15 minutes south to the Titan Missile Museum. It's a deactivated nuclear missile silo and the tour they give you is amazing. It's not expensive either and it's a great piece of history:

http://www.titanmissilemuseum.org/

aztimm

If you're going down to Bisbee, I'd recommend leaving early and squeezing in a visit to Kartchner Caverns on the way down. Definitely buy your tickets in advance, especially if over a weekend, as they sell out.

I saw Guadalajara Grill as a recommendation and I definitely second it, and also the mole. Love the fresh salsa!

I didn't see this listed (but I just skimmed the thread), but Blue Willow restaurant is fantastic for breakfast or lunch.

And if you want a quick change in scenery, take a drive up Mount Lemmon, good pie at Summerhaven at the top.

It sounds kinda kitschy, but the last time my Mom visited, we stopped at Biosphere 2 on the way out of town, and I really enjoyed it. We timed it that it wasn't horribly busy. From there we took the back way back to CHD (via Florence), which was a pleasant change from the I-10.

Wally Bird

Mission San Xavier is close and worth seeing if you have an hour or so.