Tag Archives: Marfa

While planning a trip to the artsy town of Marfa, Texas, you’ll find plenty of interesting accomodation options. Stay in a yurt at El Cosmico? Opt for the historic Hotel Paisano? In my case, the decision was pretty easy to make: I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to stay at the retro-fabulous Thunderbird Hotel.

Where to begin? The hotel offers a vinyl library, sweet-smelling Malin + Goetz bath products, and old-fashioned room keys. The pool is small but clean, and the rooms are furnished in a style that I can best describe as “Donald Judd meets Texas.”

We stayed in a standard room that consisted of a queen bed, desk and chair, and a large bathroom.

The hotel first opened in 1959, but was redesigned and renovated in 2005. It maintains the retro vibe, but with a modern twist. There is an attention to detail that can be seen in the pad of paper, pencil, and postcards that sit on the desk in each room. The light blue, orange, and white reflect the West Texas world that sits outside.

Overall, we enjoyed our stay. The only problem was the overly-sensitive smoke alarm. The first morning, it went off after I took a shower. I informed a hotel emloyee, and someone showed up quickly to remedy the problem. However, it went off again the next morning.

The hotel website states, “The Thunderbird is everything a small hotel should be, providing privacy, hospitality and stylishness without pretension.” I consider this a pretty accurate description. Thanks for a great stay, Thunderbird Hotel!

Note: I paid the standard price for our room, and I did not inform anyone at the hotel that I planned on writing this review. All opinions are my own.