Margo

I have been setting up an itinerary for West Texas and Southern Arizona and New Mexico. So far in Texas our itinerary is (from El Paso):

2nights Fort Davis, Indian Lodge

2 nights Big Bend, Chisos Mts. Lodge

1 night in Marfa on the way from Big Bend to El Paso.

Now two questions: Where to stay in Marfa. In tripadvisor, the Hotel Paisano is number one hotel. It was where Rock Hudson, Eliz. Taylor and Jimmie Dean stayed while filming "Giant". That means it is rather old. If it has been kept upto date then I would like to consider it. Husband does not like "creaky" old hotels! SO, has anyone stayed there, or been by it lately?

Any suggestions on places to stay in El Paso? Or places to eat there? Someone suggested Gunther's Edelweiss which is a German restaurant east of El Paso. Maybe a German restaurant will be a good change from Tex-Mex and BBQ. So any other suggestions?
Thanks, Margo

Margo

Any help for me on these questions?
How about the Cattleman's Steakhouse at Indian Cliffs Ranch? If we decide to eat at Cattleman's what place, probably off I10 at Fabens, is a good place to stay?
Thanks, again. Margo

swisshiker

Hello Margo
I am having lunch today with a friend who goes to Marfa each year to see the Marfa Lights. I will ask her about the Hotel Paisano.

swisshiker

Hello again Margo

According to my friend, the Hotel Paisano is the best hotel in Marfa. The rooms are older but it is "the" hotel there. She did say that you should be prepared to have a non-functioning elevator. They say they have one, but she said it usually is not working.

She also said a nice B&B is Arcon B&B.

Other tips:

Casual eateries:
Pizza Foundation
Food Shark (tables by railroad tracks)

If you're going thru Alpine on your way there, be sure to stop at Shirley's Burnt Biscuits (a bakery).

Hope this helps.

Happy travels!

jayne1973

Hey Margo,

I was just in Marfa and stayed at the Paisano. It's really a neat place. They have a good restaurant, too. There's also a beautiful indoor pool and a workout room.

You will find Marfa totally different from the other towns. There are about 500 artists living there now and there are a number of galleries. If you get a chance you might want to take a tour of the Chinati Foundation, which is sort of an artist colony established on on a former Army base. I think it was Fort Russell.

The front desk of the Paisano has a great notebook of information about the town, and also restaurant menus. They are very helpful.

We also spend two night at Chisos Lodge if you have questions about that.

Margo

Thanks so much, swisshiker and jayne1973. This is info that I can use. In fact I am going to reserve a room at Hotel Paisano.

Swisshiker--What time of year does your friend go to see the Marfa lights? I just checked Wikipedia and it is rather skeptical of this phenomenom thinking that the lights may just be distant traffic headlights. And where does your friend come from (El Paso area?) to have lunch with you? If she is from EP, does she have any information on Cattlemen's Steakhouse near Fabens exit on route 10? Or other recommendations in or near the east of El Paso.

Jayne--What did you do around Chisos Mountain Lodge for sight seeing or hiking? I got some really good advise from another poster, WhereWeAre, for sights around the area but would also like your thoughts. We will have one full day and parts of two days in travel to see something of Big Bend. Not much I know, so I want to see the high lights.

Thanks, Margo

jayne1973

Margo,

Wherearewe gave me advice, too, and it's right on. The main thing to keep in mind is how much driving time it will take to get to the different hikes. Lost Mine Trail and the Window trails are the near the lodge, which was good for us on our first day. The window is a favorite place to watch the sunset.

You can do a lot on the full day; We started with Ross Maxwell Drive, stopping for several hikes. Our hands-down favorite was the Burro Mesa Pouroff. Very cool, and goes into a neat little box canyon.

There are two booklets (about $3 each) in the ranger station that helped us a lot. One is about roads and the other is about trails in the park.

There are also ranger programs;we caught a fun one on the retaurant patio on our last night. The schedule is at the ranger station.

Here's a little tip: On the far wall by the buffet area of the restaurant, there's a book exchange shelf. Also, there's no TV in the room, so a deck of cards or a good book is nice.

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Margo

Thanks, all, for the advice. Still no recommendations for El Paso. Surely there are Fodorites out there! Need recommendations for places to stay on north or east side of El Paso as we will be going to Fort Davis from there.

Also, what about eating at the Cattleman's Steakhouse? Worth the drive?

Interesting things to see in the area?

Thanks, Margo

Dukey

If the "cattleman's steak house" you mention is the one east of town that has the two-pounder then it is DEFINITELY worth the drive.