The Desert Retreat, one of two studios at The Retreats in historic downtown Yuma. Orange cactus door, desert-inspired interiors and murals on the building. King bed and sofa bed, kitchenette with cooktop and toaster oven, mini-split AC and reserved parking. Two bikes and the covered deck are shared by both studios. Walk to Main Street’s restaurants, breweries and coffee shops; ride to the Colorado River and riverfront path. Built for long stays.

Quiet hours are 10 PM to 8 AM. On weekend evenings you may hear some music and street noise from downtown.

One open room with its own bathroom, sleeping up to four: a king bed, plus a double sofa sleeper for two more. The windows are privacy glass, so the light comes in and the street does not see in. A mini-split keeps it cold through a Yuma summer.

The kitchenette has a bar sink, a fridge, a microwave, a two-burner electric cooktop and a toaster oven, with cookware, dishes, glassware and coffee. There is no full range and no dishwasher.

Finding it the first time: the space is not accessible from Main Street. There is an alleyway between the rear of the building and the large City of Yuma parking lot, and the alleyway and lot are reachable from Harold C Giss Parkway, Madison Avenue or 3rd Street. Entry is by keypad code, up a single staircase to the second floor. There is no elevator.

One reserved off-street parking space is included, signed for this unit and separate from the public city lot. Two bikes for guests. The deck outside is shared with the neighboring unit and has outdoor furniture, and a BBQ grill is below the deck. An exterior camera above each entrance monitors the shared deck and part of the adjacent City parking lot; there are no cameras inside. Laundry is downstairs in the building, Monday to Friday 9 to 5, and stays of 28 nights or longer include laundry service once a week.

Stays of 28 nights or longer are discounted. Yuma fills with snowbirds from November through March, and the whole-month booking is what this place is set up for.

The hummingbird-and-cactus mural and the hot-air-balloon mural are painted on this building, facing the deck. Los Algodones is about a 25-minute drive if you are here for dental or pharmacy, MCAS Yuma and Yuma Proving Ground are both an easy commute, and the Amtrak station is nearby. I am a US Army veteran and spent sixteen years in Border Patrol, so if you are here on orders, per diem or a contract, I am easy to deal with. I run a second studio in this building, so if you need two units for the same dates, ask.