Inside View of an El Cosmico Vintage Trailer

One of my favorite things to discover when traveling is unique lodging that doesn’t fit the cookie-cutter four-square-walls type of hotel or motel. Sometimes I discover these places while on the road, and other times from various media sources.

I happened to be reading the latest issue of the DIY magazine ReadyMade when I saw an article about a new lodging offering that opened recently in West Texas and I thought it was so cool I needed to share it with the readers of this blog.

Called El Cosmico, this unique property opened in the fall of 2009 and sits on 18 acres of land in the tiny town of Marfa, Texas. Basically head east on I-10 from El Paso, then after about an hour, turn south-east on Hwy 90 (as if headed towards Big Bend National Park). After about another hour, you should be in Marfa.

El Cosmico itself is comprised of five vintage 1950s trailers, a few yurt-like structures they call eco shacks, a number of tent campsites (to roll your own) and one 22-ft diameter Sioux teepee. As I said, not your normal-type of lodging offerings. These are all laid out communal-style around amenities like an elm grove full of hammocks, an outdoor kitchen/dining space and seasonal wood-fired Dutch hot tubs. For those that still need to be connected, they even offer WiFi in the lobby lounge.

Stay in a Sioux Teepee at El Cosmico

The trailers range in price from $90 to $125 a night. The yurts are $60 a night; the teepee is $75 and comes with a firepit; and the tent/camping area is only $20 a night per space.

I could totally see this as a great artistic getaway place. In fact, according to the website, they plan on adding workshops and retreats focusing on the arts and DIY crafts. They also plan to hold film, music and cultural events on property, like last year’s Trans-Pecos Festival of Music and Love, which featured headliners like Ben Kweller and Patty Griffin.

I plan to add it to the itinerary of my fall cross-country road trip, but if you get there before me, feel free to leave comments as to how you enjoyed (or not) your experience there.

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El Cosmico
Hwy 67
Marfa, TX
Phone: 877-822-1950
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[Images courtesy of El Cosmico]