Big Bend Resort & Adventures

We camped here for four nights in our RV.

Let’s first address some previous reviews. No, this is not a resort. Most “RV Resortss” are not resorts. Yes, there is dust and dirt. You are in a desert; by definition, there is dust and dirt. Yes, the power can be unreliable, but that is not their fault. When we were here the power was out for 8 hours and it was a regional issue. It’s my understanding, the problem originated in Alpine. The same thing happened last month. The regulars just flow with it. But power outages do result in water outages and that they can fix.

The good news is Big Bend Resort and Adventure is under new management: Aramark. Rumor has it, Aramark will be making improvements that include a backup generator for the well which means power outages will not result in water outages. I would also suggest a backup generator at the gas station so gas and diesel can be pumped during power outages. They supposedly will also install site-wide WiFi. I would hope they would remove the coin-ops in the showers and instead put code-keyed locks on the bath/shower rooms to keep transients out. I’m paying to stay. I should be able to use their showers for free.

In general, this was a good base camp for exploring Big Bend National Park and Big Bend Ranch State Park. The sites are level and easily negotiated. The only current drawbacks are lack of WiFi and coin-op showers. These issues were mitigated with a T-Mobile hotspot and, with full hookups, showers in our RV. We never encountered the smell that some people reported. The staff is friendly and helpful. The location is great with gas/diesel out front, a grocery nearby, numerous restaurants within a few miles radius, 9 miles to the Maverick Entrance to the National Park, and 21 miles to the State Park.

Absolute rip off, other than location. They're quite pricey, for little included. Check in was very confusing, no direction given, no signs posted. They basically said give us your money and figure it out. $2 for 6min shower, which would turn out to be the most unpleasant shower ever. They timed out early at 5mins 40 sec. They're filthy dirty and no way to pre or post wash them out. Half the time the machines take your money. And the water is scalding hot! Sinks have dripping water pressure. Laundry area is awful and closed 10mins early, locking our clothes inside, electricity turned off with our wet clothes sitting there overnight. We missed our hike the next day since we had to wait for the laundry to open. WiFi is only in the front office. Gas lines are ridiculous. Needless to say we were very disappointed in this place.

We stayed at the RV park, not the motel. The sewer pipe at each site REQUIRES an elbow on your hose. There is no way to put a hose in the sewer pipe without one.
Sites are close together but do have water, electric and sewer hookups. All worked fine with the exception of the sewer noted above (not an issue for many, but it was for us).

Price, price, price. Over $150.00 for a room that is smaller than the smallest bedroom I've ever been in. Small TV(24"?), noisey AC wall unit, small bathroom with undersize tub, no fridge, no microwave, no breakfast in the morn, the only real amenity is a coffee pot(only reason for the scond star). I now know why they would not let us review the room beforehand, should have been my clue to move on. "Resort" is not really close to anything relevant, we are headed to Big Bend National Park, signs near here say the park office is 40 miles away.

No hot water. Under new management. Working on improvements. Manager was very understanding. She was the best thing the place has going for it. It should be better in the future.

The facility itself was very nice, and it has a cute little gift shop attached to the lobby. It was very easy to get to both Terlingua and Big Bend. Unfortunately the gentleman running the front desk was very unhelpful for anything outside of checking us in. The first afternoon we checked in I asked about setting up for a late checkout, and the last day I asked for help mailing some postcards. Both times he immediately said ‘no’. When I tried to ask why he told me he was to busy to help me and that was the end of the conversation. It was very surprising and offputting. I wont be staying there again.

This review is for the RV park. I took off three stars for reasons I will list below.
There are a few ok things but not many.
1) Full hook ups
2) Staff in the cafe and check in are fine. I would give the place 5 stars because they found my purse that I left on the back of a chair in the cafe and had the office securely lock it up till the next morning when I realized what I had done.
3) Closer to many attractions in Big Bend itself then the The Village campground in Big Bend.
Now the downside.
1) overpriced for a dirt parking lot with NO amenities.
2) no cable at campsites
3) water quality ok but 20 to 25 pounds of pressure is ridiculous.
4) laundry facility is big but virtually all machines are broken and to be honest I would not wash anything in the machines that work.
5) $2 for a 6 minute shower in a dubious shower stall is wayyyyyyy overpriced. I did not test the showers out in full disclosure and had no desire to.
6) Our picnic table should be used for kindling.
7) lastly but most important - sites need some serious leveling.

Others have posted about power and water interruptions. Power runs their water pump so when the power fails so does the water. We did have one power outage maybe 6 hours long due to ice on the wires. The office was given an estimate by the power company for the restoration and we got it back a half hour before. Remember people, you are in a remote desert like area with a low population. That puts all of Big Bend on the lower tier for power restoration. So carry plenty of water and be prepared for the unexpected everywhere these days.

Visited Big Bend National Park. Tried to book the Chisos Mountain Lodge in the Park but they were full. Big Bend Resort & Adventures is also run by Aramark who currently holds the operator franchise for the park hotels. So we booked there. Location is excellent, right outside West entrance to the park in Study Butte/Terlingua. But the property itself is in extremely poor condition. We had a room in the main lodge for four nights. The room was just old and beat up. Door would barely close, Mattresses and pillows were awful, sheets thin, box springs uncovered. Furniture falling apart, upholstery on chairs filthy. Carpeting shot. Sink and fixtures shot. Just really run down and I think so far gone that don't think a refit would fix it. I think main lodge needs torn down and rebuilt. They have a second building across the road that looks newer and could be better but I didn't see inside. All that said, the staff were very nice and helpful , hardworking people. The issues I'm mentioning are management issues. So, owners of the place or Park Service or Aramark should be ashamed of this place. I've stayed in quite a few other National Park properties and there simply is no comparison. I would stay anywhere else when we return to Big Bend.

Nice enough for me. Everything worked and was clean. Not fancy but I don't care about that. The bed and pillows were very nice - I do care about that. Nice people at the desk, too.

After reading other reviews I was wondering if I made a mistake booking here. But my room wasn't that bad. It was roomy, beds were comy, and service was friendly. No free breakfast. It was close to big bend and next to a gas station that has a Cafe inside.
Will it be the same next time? I don't know, I hope so but only time can tell.