Jonquil Motel

About Jonquil Motel

The Jonquil started as a service station and motor lodge on U.S. Route 80 in 1937, built by John Quill, whose name the motel still carries. Bisbee at the time was one of the largest cities in Arizona, riding the copper boom that had transformed the Mule Mountains into an improbable industrial hub. When the mines shut down in the mid-1970s, the Jonquil went quiet too, then reopened and changed hands more than once. Steve and Marijane Relth purchased it in 2005 and undertook major upgrades. Sterling and Eva have been running it since 2018. The motel sits at the concentrated center of Old Bisbee, with Brewery Gulch, the Mining and Historical Museum, and the Queen Mine all within easy walking distance.

What Jonquil Motel Is Known For

The Jonquil has been operating in some form since 1937: through copper booms, mine shutdowns, and the full arc of a small Arizona border town. Sterling and Eva have maintained it as the kind of place where repeat guests turn into regulars and the mural out front keeps getting photographed. No pool, no breakfast, no resort additions: just a clean, character-rich motor court with an outdoor fireplace and nearly nine decades of Bisbee in its walls.

Amenities

• Pets Welcome
• WiFi
• Outdoor fireplace
• Lush courtyard with seating
• Color-changing phone booth
• Private carport (Casita units)
• Neon signage

The Room

Rooms on a single ground level, each with a pillow-top queen bed, private bathroom with shower, mini fridge, TV, and free WiFi. queen room rooms are simple and well-maintained. Deluxe rooms add a sitting area, hot water kettle, coffee, and a microwave, and are positioned more quietly away from Tombstone Canyon. The Casitas are the most private setup: two beds with a living area, private carport, and a fully separate feel from the rest of the motel.

The Grounds

The Jonquil's courtyard is the heart of the property: a lush, shaded outdoor space with ample seating, an outdoor fireplace, and a backyard area set against the rising hillside. Drive up, park outside your room, and you are done. The Casita has its own private carport. Out front, Rose Johnson's hand-painted mural wraps the side of the building and functions as a de facto Bisbee landmark. The color-changing phone booth in the courtyard is another fixture. The neon signage lights up the canyon at night.

The Experience

Staying at the Jonquil means being inside Old Bisbee rather than adjacent to it. The walk to Brewery Gulch, the Queen Mine, and the Mining and Historical Museum is a matter of minutes. The courtyard fireplace is the evening's destination once the local bars have run their course. Long-term guests and weekend road trippers overlap here in a way that feels organic rather than engineered. Bisbee runs on its own clock, and the Jonquil is where you set yours to match.

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Things to Do Near The Mule Mountains