The Big Blue House Tucson Boutique Inn

Comfortable Bed, Dusty Room, Dangerous Stairs, Dilapidated Furniture -We stayed in 'Uncle Duke's Room'. The king bed & pillows proved to be one of the most comfortable of any of the hotels we stayed at for the 2 weeks we toured Arizona - including the luxury hotels! (topped only by the bed at Grand Canyon's Thunderbird Lodge - see our other reviews if interested) That's a big plus for this B&B. I was dismayed at the layer of fine dust over every surface - including the tops of the night stands which anyone would be bound to notice. There were a couple of dead flies on the window sills - in plain sight when we went to turn on the air conditioning - which rattled gustily but worked.I was happy to sit in the leather wing chair & prop my feet up on the ottoman with the a/c blasting away but my husband couldn't get comfortable on either side of the room due to the a/c by the chair & the wobbly table & broken lamp sitting in front of the a/c on the other side. He was also turned off by the stuffing showing through the cracked leather. The bare wall facing the bed with the wall mounted fan & large TV & cables stole some of the room's charm too. Despite us both being ~ 6' tall, the bedroom ceiling was fine. We thought our bathroom was across a private hall - ie no one else would see us but its in front of another bedroom & visible to all visitors to the floor. The sharp slant of the shower made taking a shower impossible for either of us. I tried taking a tub bath the first night & the last morning but despite letting the water run for 20 mins - there was NO hot or warm water to be had. The sink's hot water supply was almost instant. My husband's clearest memory is the difficulty navigating the corner of the staircase to our 2nd level bedroom. The staircase has a sharp turn to the left; 3 treads fan from a 2" barely there width to tippy toe only width against the wall - too big a distance to just skip over. The room had a keurig machine altho sparse supplies - which was fine - we travel with our own. The mini frig was a welcome sight. My husband went down to the exterior building that houses the kitchen both mornings for a bite to eat - which he enjoyed. The hostess was friendly & very chatty. We did have trouble finding the house when we arrived after dark - couldn't see any house numbers but a nice neighbor pointed us to the correct house. Parking is on the street right in front. The price was inexpensive at $120/night. Having a comfortable night's rest is so important but there were too many negatives that are management-oriented for us to recommend this hotel.

The Big Blue House has an awesome name and it is indeed a big blue house. It looks awesome from the outside, especially at night, when they have some lights that really showcase the blue exterior. The interior isn't as impressive as the exterior but it was still nice and comfortable. This is a bed and breakfast and our room was pretty spacious. They also have free Netflix which was pretty sweet. In the morning, they'll cook you a homemade breakfast and it was really good! They made us scrambled eggs, breakfast sausage, and blueberry pancakes with fresh blueberries. The Big Blue House is also located in a great area, within walking distance of campus and many bars and restaurants. Hands down one of the best bed and breakfasts' I've stayed at.

We came here for a two-night stay and was very happy with the accommodations. A reasonable walk to the campas and to downtown. The property is wonderful with its very own grapefruit tree in the yard. The owner is pleasant and the price is reasonable for the location.The only thing I can say that would be a concern to some is the shower in the suite we were in, the Elegant Deco Room. It follows the pitch of the roof and has a low ceiling. With the shower head coming from above it will be difficult for tall people to shower comfortably. I am 5'9" and the shower heads is extremely low.Also worth noting, while the owner said the neighborhood is extremely safe we encountered some strange behavior from Tucson residents. While driving back from a concert around midnight I almost ran over a drunk that was laying partially on the curb and partially on the street in front of the house. Very bizarre and I was glad to have missed them on a rather dark street.The room was clean and comfortable with ample room to stretch out. The Kuerig was a nice touch, too. We will stay here again.

The room we had was nicely decorated but very small for 2 people. It was so damn hot I suggested we leave but my husband had a few drinks so driving wasn't an option. There was a window unit that faced another window so it never cooled off enough for sleeping. We couldn't even use the sheet it was so hot. The bathroom was so hot we hurried when using it and still came out sweating. The cold water dispenser wasn't cold at all. MANY things were broken and worn out looking and the bed was hard. We won't go back

Great location, awesome hospitality and the owner is one helluva cook! From the moment we met her, we were happy with our decision to choose this B&B. We were in town Valentine's Day for the basketball game and stayed at Lazslo's home. (Lazslo is the resident kitty cat, and I am certain that it is his house...that being said, he was a very gracious and welcoming host! My husband and I spent a lovely evening of holding him and sipping wine on the beautiful wrap around porch.) I believe each room has a kitchen/kitchenette of its own which is very convenient if you have leftovers or need a bottle (or 2) chilled.Leah (the resident human) was a fabulous hostess and we enjoyed speaking with her about the history of the house and chatting about recipes and travels. She has great stories!The following morning, we indulged in the breakfast she prepared. Almond scones, broiled grapefruit directly from the tree, French toast (made from fresh baguettes! YUM!!!) and a mixed berry compote that is absolutely to-die-for.

As my wife--and to a lesser extent, I--are becoming increasingly more and more reactive to chemical scents and odors, we are finding it difficult to travel and stay in hotels. More than once, we wake up in the middle of the night in a hotel room with her eyes on fire and my throat swollen and burning from cleaning chemicals. We have actually checked out of hotels at midnight to find a less stinky alternative elsewhere. As hotels are always a hit or miss (more often miss) proposition, we have begun to turn our attention to B&Bs.We were taking our daughter to a concert recently in Tucson and needed a place to stay. Not far from the venue was The Big Blue House, so I made a reservation.This will happen again on our next visit to Tucson. Lea bent over backward to accommodate us and it really made a difference. I was all discombobulated from having driven through a wild storm in order to get to our destination, but once I stepped on to the property, I was able to de-stress and leave it all behind me. I don't often get a good night's sleep when I sleep in a strange bed, but this place had the comfort of home. I was actually able to relax, and sleep well. VERY low odor, and it was nice to see the smile on my wife's face from this. The room, like the whole house, was exotically furnished with a mix of antique and modern furniture and accessories.In the morning, we were treated to an excellent breakfast of fruit, yogurt, bacon, eggs, and french toast by Lea, mixed with great conversation. It was the perfect way to finish up a weekend trip south. Seriously, if you're staying in Tucson, skip the Holiday Inn and the instant pancake machine, pay a couple more bucks, and reserve a room with a REAL breakfast here. There's no comparison, and no substitute for real hospitality.

Final update: After talking with the staff, they already had breakfast waiting on us but we just couldn't get ahold of anyone and we're in a rush to get home. I honestly believe they tried every effort to make us feel welcomed. As previously stated, we will highly recommend this hotel to friends and family. The room we stayed in is called the Hemingway and is decorated in an explorers theme from around the world. Very clean and I really like the mini kitchens and wonderful decorations. The B&B is close to all sorts of fun shops and restaurants that we walked to. I'm excited about breakfast as I know it will be great! If we are ever in Tucson, we will be staying here. Update:::: we are in our car at 8:31 am. We walked around back to the breakfast cabin and no one was there and there was not any breakfast left and no coffee. We pushed the button for service and no one came. We walked around to the front and pushed the button on the main door and no one came. They may need to hire another person if she is going to be too busy to help all her guests. Hope we don't have to check out with any one because we already left.

As our daughter is now a freshman at UA, we've stayed at The Big Blue House twice. We love the charm and character of the historic home, the individual mini kitchens so we can have our own leisurely breakfast, and how close it is to the campus. the owners are friendly and pay great attention to detail. they offer up fluffy towels, comfortable beds, and bath products (but bring your own hairdryer as I couldn't find one in the room -- and I didn't want to bother anyone at 6 a.m.!)as our daughter probably will be in tucson for the next five years we're happy to have found a home away from home.

Thank you so much for a wonderful stay as I brought my first born child to The University of Arizona. The room was perfect. Big. Quiet. And the seven foot ceiling wasn't a problem because I'm short. The inroom water for refilling my water bottle multiple times was appreciated and thanks for immediately fixing the fusebox since I triggered it from the hairdryer. I made sure to enjoy the patio in the rocking chair before leaving. Thank you for a wonderful establishment.

The owner, Lea, was very welcoming and hospitable, The wrap around porch was lovely. However, we were very disappointed in the accommodations. I have no problem with dated furnishings as that is what is usually most interesting in a Bed and Breakfast but the cleanliness left much to be desired. There was dust everywhere including the overhead fans, floor, furniture, etc. There were two rolls of TP in the bathroom when we arrived - both down to less than a quarter remaining. We left a message for Lea about needing more and received no response so we purchased our own. We stayed one day of our original three and moved to a hotel.