Larian Motel — Hotel in Tombstone

On May 7, 2025 I stayed at The Larian Motel in Tombstone, AZ.

There are many good reasons for that: First, it was a repeat stay after staying there multiple times over the past 15 years. We were never disappointed.

Location: One block from Allen Street. We love the idea of being able to walk back and forth to the shops, restaurants and the Crystal Palace (from where we could walk back to the motel after having had a few too many). It should be against the law to visit the famed Crystal Palace and not enjoy a drink at the bar.

Ownership: Gordon couldn't be more accommodating. He's the perfect host. He doesn't bother you with details but is there if you need assistance.

Price is fair

Park in front of the door to your room. (I'm nostalgic about this concept. It's easy to access your car and you can keep an eye on it. There are too few of these motels today.)

Having been in the hospitality business for many decades, I have a trained eye for detail when staying at hotels, motel, lodges, etc. I have not seen any other place I've stayed in the past few years, from the most elegant to the most rustic and quaint, that can compare to The Larian. I could not find one thing wrong with this place.

I try to have realistic expectations regarding lodging while traveling and am usually disappointed. Not this time. The room was immaculate. Clean !! Anything you can think of was where you'd expect it to be. Even the TV could be turned on with the power button on the remote and the programming was already set.

Probably the most impressive discovery was the perfectly made bed. I was there to sleep. What a joy! That just doesn't happen. Across the "board" and the world, the maids have not been trained properly in making a bed. So often they look like the linens have just been haphazardly thrown onto the bed. Even in the fanciest places, the linens are not generous enough, blankets are hidden (do it yourself) and you feel like you need to remake the bed. I've been known to do that with a frown.

The linens, with military corners, were fresh, neat, crisp and secure. The bed also had the right amount of bedding. You would think you were at your grandmother's house. And, the bed was comfortable!

All of the amenities were...

Made reservation 6 months ago for September 20 and 21. I even called about a week before to confirm since we were flying in from over 2000 miles away. The owner called me on September 19 (the day before we were to arrive) to tell me the AC in the room that I was supposed to stay in broke and they had to order a part and didn’t know when it would be in. I asked about moving me to another room and he said he could for the 20th but not the 21st but he assured me he would find somewhere for us to stay. We checked in on the 20th and the guy working the desk knew the situation and said the owner would be in at 5 and he would call. When we did not hear from him by 730 we went to the front desk. He said the part was not in yet and the only thing he could do for the next night was let us stay in the room with no AC and give us fans. This is southern Arizona in September not to mention we would have to sleep with the windows open so close to the boarder with all those issues. Definitely not comfortable with that. He also said we would need to be out of the room we were currently in at regular check out time on the 20th and we would have to move our car to the other side. He did not try to find us another place to stay or even give us names of other motels and he charged us full price for the one night we did stay. When we did go to leave after spending the day in Tombstone, a very nice woman came out and offered to help us by calling around to find us a place to stay. By this time we already had a place heading back to Phoenix. This is how this should have been handled from the beginning not just making us feel like we were being thrown out...

Though I usually book my stays at conglamerate hotels like Best Western and Hampton Inns, the Larian was a risk I took and it paid off nicely. Unlike my prior experience with grungy and hastily refurnished motels, I found the Larian Motel to be a refreshing change and seemingly well maintained establishment. I stayed a night in the Sheriff John Behan room (#1) and was treated to a comfy bed, decent TV channel selection, stable Wifi, an effecient coffee machine set-up, running hot & cold water in clean shower, uncrowded adjacent room parking and a welcoming front desk agent who was attentive and affable. And of course the motel's close proximity to the historic district of Tombstone is a big plus for this establishment which houses tourists like me. However, with this proximity to the town comes the issue of traffic noise. This is par for the course when staying at any motel next to a busy road. Be prepared for the noisey traffic during the day, but the late nights were quietier with haunting coyote howls sprinkled with occasional drive-bys. Though the complimentary continental breakfast is not a feature that comes with the Larian, I was greatly satisfied with my stay at this motel and would happily reserve another night here whenever I plan to...