The Shady Dell — Hotel in Bisbee

This RV park is a fabulous idea! My husband and I stayed in the Spartan Royal Mansion for our anniversary and had a great time.

The gorgeous birch paneling, faithful vintage decor, awesome appliances, and lots of fun details like the original working doorbell all combined for a very immersive experience. We particularly enjoyed playing games at the dinette table while listening to old 50's rock n' roll records. We got so in to the spirit of things that we even dressed the part! Unfortunately the vintage black and white T.V. was a little finicky and we couldn't get it to work. Although, we're in our mid 20's and have never used one before so that may just have been our own inexperience. Instructions would be nice. The bed was surprisingly comfortable and the area was quiet and peaceful.

I've read some complaints about wiggly light switches, difficult latches, etc. It's important to keep in mind that these are 60+ year old travel trailers so there will be a few imperfections. However I really appreciated that the trailers aren't over restored. There's been a real effort to keep things as original as possible, even if that means there's a few bumps and dings. I love that!

The whole park is really cute and a lot of fun to walk around. The manager was very friendly and let us freely look in the unoccupied RVs. We fell in love with the yacht and would love to stay there in the future!

I only have 2 real complaints. 1 is that the security is rather lacking. We got in late in the evening and found instructions for us taped to the office door. The instructions announced that the gate (which has a keypad on it) isn't locked and neither is the trailer. It even gave the trailer number and said the keys were inside! I know this is only Bisbee, but I still feel this could be handled better. It wouldn't be hard to program a PIN into the gate keypad and then just email the code to guests before they arrive.

The second problem was that the cleaning wasn't up to par. The floor needed attention with a lot dust, hair, and crumbs around the edges, especially in the bathroom and around and under the bed. There were cobwebs behind the toilet and in some of the light fixtures and the couch needed to be vacuumed. It wasn't filthy and the bedding and linens seemed very fresh, but a good deep cleaning would do a lot for it. Oddly, some of the other trailers we saw seemed cleaner.

That said, the whole idea and execution was so fun and novel that I would probably stay again. If the cleaning and security were improved I would rate it a solid 5 stars. If you can overlook a few flaws a stay at The Shady Dell is a cute, memorable, and very worthwhile experience at a...

Pros- Unique and nostagic experience.|The RV we stayed in had a record player with old time records, DVD player on the tv to view old time movies, old time coffee percolator which we did not use because we drink caffeine-free coffee. It had two sleeping areas and a working shower. It was fun to see the quality of that time era. In its day it was the top of the line luxury and very well made. There are many different RVs to choose from.||Cons- Kids are not allowed in the one we stayed in to preserve the RV. We went in Feburary, which is their off season. This means that there is no one onsite to help you find your RV or to ask questions. They do not pick up the pone when you call. They returned one of my two calls about questions I had. The WIFI would not connect. Yes I had the right password. It was cold. The bedding had a set of sheets and an old time bedspread which was very thin. The extra 1 blanket was a small throw. I did not sleep well. The pillows were flat. There is a modern wall heater in the living room, but no fan to push the warm air to the back where we were sleeping. ||Be warned- if you are a large or extra large person, you will not fit in the bathroom or shower. People were thinner and smaller in the 50's! Do not go in the cold months. I am sure our experience would have been better if we were there during the normal season. That being said, I feel we should have at least had a person to meet us and at minium, a couple of warm blankets for winter for the $140 we paid for the...

Stayed in a retro 1950s airstream trailer in this vintage park next to antique car lot. It was decorated Hawaiian style and had a old record player to play 45s and memorabilia articles and retro coffee pot, and refrigerator. The furniture was retro and all non smoking, non cooking is allowed. Certain days there are alcoholic cocktails and live music some days and parties. There is an air-conditioner and electric lighting and plumbing connected. Surrounded by old time lawn furniture and vintage cars. There is a non contact check in and the Elie Street has a great Bisbee Breakfast Club open morning til 3 p.m. and the food is amazing. Such a great experience but there are no showers or they didn't tell me. Be prepared this is a retro trailer so there is no wifi. It was fun and comfortable beds and tropical curtains and Hawaiian wall decor. I would recommend you search for other different styles of trailers as there is even a yacht made into a place to bunk. Have a great experience, there are Bisbee 1000 steps, hike or tour Juniper Flat Loop and learn the history of the town and about Geronimo, mining and tour Queens mining tour. There are ghost tours, live music at the Quarry, great taco at Taco Outlaw, Bisbee Royale, Bisbee Table and Le Cornucopia and fresh ground coffee, art galleries, markets and explore Bisbee. Start out on a day the festival or live music is there. Artsy and funky...