Tubac Country Inn

The Tubac Country Inn is located in the center of Tubac, Arizona. The inn is open year-round and reports that the busiest time of year tends to be January - May. The area is a few miles north of the Mexican border, meaning that the area is rich with southwestern and Latin American cultures. Guests have the option of choosing from six distinct rooms at the inn, with one of them being a casita, which is a larger room arrangement and a couple of minutes away by car. The property could be described as a small hotel due to the apartment-like layouts of the units.

About

Described by its owner as "a small hotel," the Tubac Country Inn rests in the deserts of southern Arizona, in a small town from which the inn derives its name: Tubac, Arizona. Tubac Country Inn is a two-story building with five distinct units. Additionally, there is a "casita" that acts as a sixth unit a short drive away from the main house. The main building is sandstone-colored with orange roofing. Cacti and Mesquite trees are dotted across the premises, aptly highlighting the desert elements of the region. Bright yellow flowers provide more color to Tubac Country Inn's garden area. There is a small porch overlooking the garden with a few chairs. A small fire pit and some chairs are located outside, providing an atmosphere where guests can gather and socialize if they desire.

The five units inside of the main home do not have personalized names, but they vary in decorations and bed quantities/sizes. The decor—as described by one of the current owners—is "an expression of Tubac itself." The styling is best described as southwestern, accented with antiques and art pieces from indigenous cultures. Each room has a private entrance, a private bathroom, and a kitchenette. The Superior Suite is the one exception to this, considering that it has a full-sized kitchen instead of a kitchenette. Other general amenities in the main house and the casita include coffee makers, microwaves, small refrigerators, WiFi access, flat-screen televisions, dishes, and utensils.

The casita acts as a sixth unit, which is roughly a two-minute drive from the main house (or 12 minutes walking). The word "casita" means "little house" in Spanish, accurately describing the quaint 500 square foot space that makes up the unit. The casita contains the same amenities as the other units at Tubac Country Inn and is connected to the outside border of the owners' private residence. Breakfast at the inn has traditionally been a small basket brought to the guests' rooms. The owners describe it as a "deluxe continental" breakfast.

The Tubac Country Inn is two minutes from the Tubac Presidio State Historic Park and a few miles north of Tumacácori National Historic Park, the latter of which was designated by U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt. The inn is open year-round, though occasionally the owners close for a few weeks in June in order to take a small break. Their busiest season typically runs from January to May. This is likely because Arizona has moderate temperatures during the winter months of the northern hemisphere.

Culture

The innkeepers at Tubac Country Inn strive to be accommodating, open, and trusting regarding their guests. Specifically, they try to minimize the amount of "rules" at the property, hoping that their guests will feel relative freedom to do as they please. The idea that visitors can vacation at their own pace is made possible by the layout of the city of Tubac. One of the owners describes Tubac as "a walking village." Guests can walk comfortably to any part of town in the span of a few minutes.

There are ten local restaurants, and somewhere between 60-80 shops. Many of the shops highlight the southwestern art of the indigenous peoples. This same art is one of the driving cultural forces of the area and one of the draws for the region's tourism. One of Tubac Country Inn's owners explains that the art centers, monuments, and general art culture of the town are what "put the town on the map." He also says that Tubac as a whole is "the destination," rather than the inn specifically.

That being said, guest reviews of Tubac Country Inn frequently emphasize the relaxed nature of the property, the decor, and the convenient location. One visitor to the inn said, "Peaceful. Our hosts were very accommodating and friendly. The casita was beautiful and quiet. We very much enjoyed our stay." Another guest stated, "Clean and attractive suite. Small kitchenette with microwave, refrigerator, Keurig machine. Owners very pleasant and helpful." The region also occasionally draws in women's groups and wedding-goers. Bird watching, golf, and visiting vineyards are all common activities in Tubac. Golfing is notably accessible; a 27-hole course is only a few minutes north of the inn.

History

The main building at the Tubac Country Inn was first constructed in 1989. Its first purpose was to act as a multi-family location with retail services. The families put retail stores and services on the first floor, and they made the upper floor their private residence. Only three years later, in 1992, the facility was converted into a bed and breakfast. The Tubac Country Inn was the first bed and breakfast in Santa Cruz County.

In 2005, the inn came into the ownership of Ivan Drechsler and April Earickson. Ivan has been in the lodging industry since he was a teenager. His family owned a destination restaurant outside of Baltimore, and he started working there when he was 14 years old. He would go on to attend the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration. April studied at Oregon State University, putting emphasis on landscape and interior design. Afterward, she worked for years in the foodservice industry. Ivan and April were married and have used their complementing skills to manage the Tubac Country Inn for over 15 years. As a town, Tubac was founded in 1752 by Spanish military forces, marking it as one of the earliest western settlements in what is now known as the United States.