After driving all day from Tucson to Lajitas, only stopping three times at the Aliens vs. Dinosaurs Museum in Arizona, the Recycled Roadrunner Statue at the Scenic View Rest Stop in New Mexico, and Prada Marfa in Texas, we finally made it to our hotel The Lajitas Golf Resort around 8:30 pm.
We checked in and had just enough time to rush into the onsite Thirsty Goat Saloon and have dinner before the kitchen closed for the night. It took an hour to get our food, which was tough because we were exhausted, but the service was great. Natalie and I had the fajitas and Brian had enchiladas and the food was so good we didn’t even care about the wait.
Later we found out that the reason it took so long for our food to arrive was because there was a fire in the main kitchen and both restaurants were using the tiny back up kitchen while we were there.
The next day, we planned on eating dinner at the famous Starlight Theatre Restaurant in the Ghost Town of Terlingua, but we couldn’t stop thinking about how good our food was the night before. So we hopped back in the car and went back to the hotel to eat the same thing for dinner again. This time we chose the Candelilla Cafe and arrived early to beat the rush. Our appetizers, dinner, and dessert came out fast and our server was super friendly and attentive.
Staying At The Lajitas Golf Resort
Lajitas Golf Resort, nestled in the lowland desert between Big Bend National Park and Big Bend Ranch State Park, is part Texas frontier town and part golf resort.
There aren’t many lodging options near Big Bend National Park, let alone nice hotels. So when Brian found the Old West Lajitas Golf Resort, he booked our room right away. It was in the pueblo-style Calvary Post area of the resort, which was built on the historic site of a remote US military outpost commanded by General John J. “Black Jack” Pershing.
The Pros Of Our Stay:
The Lajitas Golf Resort is close to the Terlingua Ghost Town, gas, and Big Bend National Park, which meant we were able to get into the park early each day. This was really important because we only had two days to spend at Big Bend and wanted to maximize our time. There was plenty of parking, the grounds of the western-themed resort were clean and well-kept, and the Lajitas Boardwalk with shops, registration, and a bakery and general store was super cute and made us feel like we were in a real Wild West town.
Our Deluxe Queen Room was spacious, the large fountain in the courtyard outside our room was beautiful, the food was excellent, the service was top-notch, and we appreciated the the convenient coffee shop that was open in the mornings.
There are also lots of things to do at the resort, including:
- An award-winning Lanny Wadkins designed championship golf course.
- Stand up paddle boarding on the Rio Grande in the basin of the Chisos Mountain Range.
- A zip line adventure in Quiet Canyon with eight stations and over 8,000 feet zip lines.
- Enjoy massages, facials, and body treatments at the relaxing Agave Spa.
- Work out in the fitness center.
- An equestrian center offering half-day, sunrise, and sunset horseback trail rides.
- A variety of outdoor adventure activities including hiking, river rafting, 5-stand sporting clays, and relaxing poolside.
The Cons Of Our Stay
OMG, the beds. The kids got a kick out of the height — we actually had to climb up into them because they were so tall — but Brian and I didn’t get a kick out of the super soft mattresses. We slept terribly, tossed and turned, and woke up with sore backs and hip pain both nights were were there.
Also only the toilet and shower were inside the bathroom. The vanity and sink were out in the main room, right next to one of the queen beds. This meant any time someone had to use the restroom at night or in the early morning, they then had to wash up almost right next to my face while I was laying in bed — it was super weird and we didn’t like it.
With that said, after driving all over the areas outside both entrances into Big Bend National Park and seeing what other lodging options there are to pick from, I’d stay here again. While there are a couple nice rental homes nearby, they are for only two people, so if you’re traveling with kids, this is the best choice hands down.
Know Before You Go
- The Lajitas Golf Resort is located on HC 70, Lajitas, Texas 79852 in Bewster County.
- The resort at Big Bend National Park is expensive, but it’s so far away from any normal city out in the middle of the desert we expected that. Any place that is super remote always tends to be more expensive.
- Be sure to stop in the main lodge, the Badlands Hotel. It is a two-story historic hotel with a grand lobby staircase and opulent Tiffany chandelier.
- The Lajitas General Store has groceries, necessities, and sundries, and provides boxed lunches for day excursions. The General Store is open daily from 8:00 am to 7:00 pm and the Deli is open from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm.
- Gas is available by credit card 24 hours a day.
- The Yates Longhorn Museum at the historic Trading Post building at Black Jacks Crossing Golf Club offers free admission and self-guided tours.
- If you need outdoor gear for your visit to Big Bend National Park, stop in Red Rock Outfitters on the western end of the Lajitas Golf Resort boardwalk, by the Badlands Hotel.
- The walls of the buildings are old and thin, bring ear plugs. If your neighbors watch TV late at night, you’re going to hear it.
- In our room, there was no shower door, so the water leaked out into the rest of the bathroom. When I grabbed a towel to soak it up so we didn’t have to stand in water to use the toilet, the towel turned black from the floor being so dirty. I wore flip flops in the bathroom for the rest of out stay.
