The Beth Lists
  • Homepage
  • Little Bear's Adventures
  • Diverse Dining List
  • 90 Notable Nights
  • Happy List
  • Quilt Adventure Blog
  • Not So Happy List
  • The Texas Twenty List
  • Mom's Picnic List
  • 18+ Dance Adventures
  • 55 Strangers
  • The Barbie Bucket List
  • 60 Celebrations
  • 57 Celebrations of the Fifties!
 90 Notable Nights

#81 Hotel El Capitan

8/14/2015

0 Comments

 

Van Horn, Texas in 2012
​
​
This is yet another example of a Henry Trost designed hotel in west Texas.
Picture
I love the style of El Capitan... and I kind of love the name, too.



Where is Van Horn?
​
The hotel with its fine neon roof sign, sits at 100 West Broadway, two blocks off I-10... somewhere between Big Bend National Park and Carlsbad Caverns.  
Picture
We saw a lot of signs to help guide us to important places, which was good, since there didn't seem to be a person in sight who might have pointed the way for us. 

​Familiar Lobby!
​
​
It's been 3 years since Don and I stayed at El Capitan, but I figured I should write this up since I just finished sharing about Hotel El Paisano in Marfa, TX.  They were both designed by Trost and opened in 1930.
Picture
I usually dislike the lack of surprises in today's chain hotels, but comparing these similar buildings from 85 years ago, is fun. Both are U-shaped structures built around courtyards. Both have glazed tile, stuffed creatures and lots of leather and wood.

​
Hidden Treasures
​
​
It was fun wandering the lobby for hints of the past. Where do you find an awesome tiled water fountain toady?
Picture
Picture
I loved knowing my grandmother would have been charged only a couple dollars, if she had stopped here when she was a young woman. Evidently there are many more treasures... like passages and secret rooms.  

​Our Corner Room
​
​
There are less than 50 rooms and the deluxe ones open onto the courtyard.
Picture
Picture
But Don and I (as usual) were passing through and going for the cheap. Our tiny upstairs, corner room was "right sweet" as my grandmother would have said.

Shiny Clean Bathroom
​
​
And the bathroom was spotless. That's because all new bathrooms were installed in 2007. New bathrooms were needed, since the old ones were removed, when the hotel became a bank in the seventies.
 


Picture
That worked for us since we got a nice vintage-look without the cracks and creaks and dingy stuff that often comes along with things called "Historic".  Plus, they used great hexagon tile on the floor to once again cause me to remember my grandmother... and her bathroom!  ​

​Room with a View!
​
​
Those higher dollar rooms might have had terrace views of the fountain in the courtyard, but lookey here!  We had a view of Broadway, (Which seems to be broader than needed) and a dusty truck...
Picture

... and would that be a peek of the Guadalupe Mountains behind the low buildings?

What's Happening in Van Horn?
​
​
I love a hotel where you can get out and explore on foot.  Well... we had hoped to find a good cafe for dinner, or a quaint shop.  But mostly there were quiet storefronts and a couple water towers.  
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
It's our own fault that we chose to ignore the hand made invites taped to numerous poles and walls. I can't believe we passed up the opportunity to "Get down with the groove" and to "Party and Dance" at the Van Horn Community Center. Shame on us.

Another Fine Courtyard
​
​
We were lazy.  we went back and enjoyed the courtyard before dinner.  
Picture
 
Picture
It was May and the weather was quite decent.  There were fewer people watching opportunities than at El Paisano. In fact we were the only folks enjoying the patio.
​

Good Eats!
​
​
We did find some good food in the dining room. A few were sitting at "The Gopher Bar" which used to be in the basement.  The bank vault from "bank days" had become the wine cellar.  
Picture


Picture
My Pistachio Fried Steak with Jalepeno Gravy (mashed taters & asparagus) was as rich and tangy as I had hoped for! And our waitress had some pretty interesting stories about life in a town of 2,000 when your husband is a border patrol agent.

Fellow Guests at Breakfast
​
​
The dining room had a different vibe in the morning, with no white cloths and a serve yourself breakfast.  
Picture
The biggest addition to the room was a table of cowboy hats.  I couldn't hear their conversation, but their positive tone and body language made me want to pull up a chair!

Poet and Wife
​
​
As we loaded the car before heading off, we got to talk with one of the fellas with hat and beard.  He and his wife and friends had just attended a Cowboy Poetry Fesitval, which we had evidently missed the night before.
Picture



Shame on us twice!  We missed the Community Center Dance AND  the Poetry Festival.  We stood and talked for at least 20 minutes and were pretty much convinced to attend next year. Well, we would have...had it been closer!

​
What is Notable?

Unlike Paisano, this building has the smooth adobe look of the real southwest! There is something about this fabulous, balanced  ​​structure, sit-in non this wide road in the middle of sort-of-nowhere!
Picture
The isolation of this gem of a hotel is what makes it special to me.  I wish we'd stayed longer to get a feel for the travelers who come through.  That could be just as interesting!
​
Update in 2024!


Don and I finally returned for another stay. 12 years after our first visit!
Picture
The most noticeable change, was seeing all the growth in the courtyard!
Picture
This time, we stepped it up and got a room overlooking the courtyard and foundation.
Picture
Actually we couldn't see the fountain from our balcony. The trees were too dense.
Picture
But we could very clearly see the neon letters on the building! I loved our little balcony.
Picture
At night the balcony was even more entertaining, with glowing neon. And full-ish moon. And the sound of a train horn, that startled Don!
Common Areas

The lobby and the sitting room, (off the restaurant) were much as I remembered. But I were much more aware of the curious guests coming and going, on this visit. (Although I show no one in my photos)
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Don and I hung out near the fireplace before and after dinner and chatted with quite a few guests as they passed through. Some paused to work on the puzzle or browse at books in the "Book Nook". There were travelers like us and locals enjoying the evening. No one seemed in a hurry. 

What's Notable about our Second Stay?

I'm so glad to see the old hotel being used and appreciated. I believe it felt even more welcoming the second time.
Picture
So glad we got to enjoy the little oasis in the middle of nowhere, once again! 
​
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Picture
    Ninety Notable

    ​       Nights


    My New Year's Resolution for 2014 was to start documenting some of the memorable overnights I've had in some very odd and curious motels and hotels. Like the adventures in my Dining Blog, I have learned to enjoy the surprises that happen when you step out of the comfort zone, far away from the well-known chains.    

    I began with a few entries recalling my very first home away from home memories from my youth.  Then, I started sharing about some of the quirky and unforgettable motels, hotels and inns that my husband and I have discovered in recent years.

    ​The best part about this challenge was making some lists with Don and getting on the road in search of new overnight adventures.  I gave myself a 2-year goal to write up 90 stories and the goal was met. Now we just keep on adding!

    Archives

    March 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    May 2023
    March 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    March 2022
    January 2022
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    March 2021
    September 2020
    February 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    December 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    September 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    000 Unusual!
    00 The Blog's Beginning
    0 Foreign Bermuda
    0 Foreign Chile
    0 Foreign Curacao
    0 Foreign France
    0 Foreign - Guatemala
    0 Foreign Italy
    0 Foreign Japan
    0 Foreign Mexico
    0 Foreign Roatan
    0 Foreign Thailand
    0 Switzerland
    Alabama
    Arizona
    Arkansas
    California
    Colorado
    Florida
    Georgia
    Hawaii
    Idaho
    Illinois
    Iowa
    *Lodges
    Louisiana
    Michigan
    Mississippi
    Missouri
    Montana
    Nevada
    New Mexico
    New York
    North Carolina
    Oklahoma
    Oregon
    South Dakota
    Tennessee
    Texas
    Utah
    Vermont
    Washington
    Wyoming

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Homepage
  • Little Bear's Adventures
  • Diverse Dining List
  • 90 Notable Nights
  • Happy List
  • Quilt Adventure Blog
  • Not So Happy List
  • The Texas Twenty List
  • Mom's Picnic List
  • 18+ Dance Adventures
  • 55 Strangers
  • The Barbie Bucket List
  • 60 Celebrations
  • 57 Celebrations of the Fifties!