Marfa, Texas may be a tiny town and several hours away from an international airport, Wal-Mart or even a Burger King, but its multiple claims to fame draw everyone from ultra-hip art scenesters to film geeks to UFO enthusiasts. The town itself is home to Donald Judd's Chinati Foundation, was the place where James Dean, Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson filmed Giant and is home to the mysterious, possibly supernatural Marfa Lights.
Right smack in the center of town, The Hotel Paisano isn't just a place to stay. It's part of the fabric of the town. The lobby, chocked full of enough leather furniture and Mexican tile to make any cattle baron feel at home, runs Giant on a loop and sells all sorts of ufo, art and James Dean memorabilia. There's a gorgeous, tiled swimming pool, a courtyard and a fountain and best of all, a sense of history. The rooms may not quite evoke the same sense of luxury as the lobby, but they are comfy. And my room had a balcony that was perfect for having breakfast. From there, I watched a group of black-clad art collectors head off through the courtyard to see Donald Judd's work and heard a couple of guys in the next balcony bemoan not seeing the lights.
There is a restaurant, Jett's, named after James Dean's character in Giant, and the food isn't bad and isn't overpriced. And dogs can say, if you negotiate properly.
I recently spent a night at The Hotel Piasano. Driving from the Midland airport it was extremly hot and I was tired. Checking in to The Hotel Piasano was cool, inviting and wonderfully charming. I also had dinner that evening at the hotel and ate outside on the patio. I will go back again.
Posted by: Paula Nurczynski | July 25, 2007 at 09:35 PM
I do love this hotel. . .I read a review in Texas monthly that described the lobby as "Moorish". I wish I had thought of that.
Posted by: Honeybee | July 26, 2007 at 11:24 AM