A trip to west Texas should be on everyone’s bucket list! The scenery is simply picturesque, straight from a Cormac McCarthy novel, a dry cracked desert, small mountain formations and yes, a tumbleweed or two!
Despite living in Texas most of my life, and besides just passing through on a few road trips, I have never really “been” to west Texas. I was so happy that we took this into our own hands and headed out there for a visit last year. We had a number of things on our must see list, with a visit to the infamous Marfa, Texas at the top!
Marfa is known for it’s modern art and for the mysterious paranormal lights along U.S. Route 67. In recent years, music festivals, art shows and other special events have drawn people from all over the world to this tiny west Texas town. In addition to the art and rustic west Texas charm, El Cosmico, a 21 acre nomadic hotel and campground, has become a popular tourist destination for anyone passing through the area.
El Cosmico, part of the Bunkhouse hotel company, opened in 2009 and was founded by a local who partnered with renowned architects to carefully develop the campground. According the the El Cosmico website, they gathered inspiration from a long American history of hippies, nomads, bohemians; which is evident in every detail of the property from the hammocks, to the tepees and yurts nestled under the west Texas starry night’s sky.
The property has an assortment of lodging from yurts, to tepees, safari tents, restored trailers and even campgrounds available for your personal tent; thus truly glamping with a dash of Marfa style. All of the lodging (including the tents and tepees) have beds, additional seating, lighting and electrical outlets. The tents, tepees, and yurts share a bathhouse, while the trailers have individual bathrooms. Keep in mind that even with the private trailer bathrooms, some trailers have outdoor showers or outhouses. The trailers also include sinks, kitchens stocked with basic cooking utensils, mini fridge, radio, minibar, A/C and heaters.
Other property amenities include, Lobby House and Provision Co with basic supplies, snacks and beverages, wifi, library and free morning coffee. And a community outdoor kitchen, bbq pits, picnic tables, hammocks, and bikes for rent.
The property also has an assortment of special events throughout the year, including cooking and art classes, Movie Mondays at the Lobby House (featuring an assortment of classic movies), live music, team building workshops and is home of the annual Trans-Pecos Festival of Music + Love. When we stayed it happened to be movie night, which was fun to meet and mingle with other travelers and locals, plus there was small snacks and drinks! 🙂
I always dreamed of visiting and staying in one of the tepees or yurts, but these are a little on the pricey end (definitely luxury camping) and since we went last winter in the middle of a snow storm (obviously that part was not planned), we opted to stay in one of the adorable, refurbished trailers which was absolutely perfect! Note: Since this is a popular place with limited lodging, it is advised to book as far in advance as possible.
We have now stayed in two Bunkhouse properties and have nothing but good things to say. The staff goes above and beyond, and the lodging is clean and super eclectic, which is what I look for when I am looking for fun or unique lodging.
El Cosmico lived up to the hype, and it is totally a bucket list item. I can’t wait to go back and maybe next time, visit at a time when it’s not 20 degrees out so that we can stay in a tepee or the yurt!
For more information about El Cosmico, see below:
Address:
802 S. Highland Ave.
Marfa, TX 79843
Phone Number: Texas: (432) 729-1950
Outside Texas: (877) 822-1950
Lobby Hours: Wed-Sat 8am-10pm and Sun-Tues 8am-8pm
You can also follow El Cosmico online here:
Website
Instagram
Facebook
Disclosure: This post is in no way sponsored. We just had a great visit to El Cosmico, thought it was really cool and had to share! 🙂
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