Desert Aura: Southwest Adobe & Detached Guesthouse
About this house rental
Nestled in Big Bend National Park, this lovely house for $203 per night is a great choice for your next vacation. Summary: Desert Aura: Classic adobe with detached guest house. The Space: Desert Aura is a classic adobe home with a detached guesthouse. Breathtaking Views of the Chisos Mountains and Terlingua Ranch. Desert Aura offers unique character and charm that can’t be duplicated with modern construction. Lovingly built by hand, over many years, by the family that still proudly calls it home. Thick adobe walls, stone floors, and surrounded by stone patios with unparalleled views of the Chisos Mountains in Big Bend National Park, Desert Aura lives up to its name by emanating the very character of Terlingua Ranch and the Big Bend. You will feel like you are part of the desert as you live like a true local here on Terlingua Ranch. Not many vacation rentals come with their own guest house. The main house will sleep up to four, with two queen beds. The detached guesthouse, with a queen bed, private bathroom, and kitchenette, is automatically included in all rentals for extra space and added privacy. The two homes are separated by a shaded breezeway that is an ideal place to relax outside or even share a meal. Views from the breezeway and the other patio areas are simply breathtaking. Wildlife is abundant and water and birdseed is provided for the birds. Please don’t straighten out the bent “shepherd’s hook” bird feeder holder. The home’s matriarch cherishes that bent hook as a reminder of the time that a Mexican Black Bear dropped by to sample the bird seed and bent the hook. Don’t worry though, the bears are extremely uncommon here. They are very timid and have never threatened anyone in the area. Mexican Black Bears are among the smallest of the bear species in North America, rarely exceeding five feet in length or three feet in height at the shoulder. The main house has an open floorplan with a living room, dining room, and kitchen all open to each other. Perfect for spending time together. There is also a semi-private den with a queen bed. The master bedroom has a comfortable queen bed and antique armoire. Neither bedroom in the main house has an entry door. The main bedroom is open to a hallway that extends to the room with the second bed. The bathroom with a large tiled shower and ample counter space is located between the bedroom and den and opens to both. There is even a utility room with a washer and dryer for use during your stay. The guesthouse has a studio layout with a single room housing a queen bed, dining area, and kitchenette. There is also a private bathroom with a combination shower and tub. Stone floors and southwestern styling create a welcoming retreat. Thick adobe walls and separation from the main house provide guests with plenty of privacy during their stay. Desert Aura is located just two miles from Terlingua Ranch Lodge. The lodge also offers a great little restaurant, The Bad Rabbit Cafe, with frequent live entertainment. Guests can register at the lodge for access to the Christmas Mountain conservation area, a 9,270 acre reserve owned by the Texas State University System. Vehicle access along a narrow jeep trail is permitted for only one vehicle at a time. Hikers can park at the trailhead. Big Bend National Park, Terlingua, and the Terlingua Ghost Town are just a 40 minute drive away. Lajitas and Big Bend Ranch State Park are about an hour away. Adventure outfitters in Terlingua offer river trips in canoes or rafts, jeep tours, guided hikes, horseback tours, ATV tours, Jeep rentals, and mountain bike rentals. Terlingua, the Ghost Town, and Lajitas offer a variety of dining, drinking, and live music venues, plus shopping and art galleries. While here, live like a local. There are ample adventures to keep you busy and leave you exhausted, or just relax around Desert Aura to escape the stresses of “civilized” life. The Neighborhood: TERLINGUA RANCH: Located between Big Bend National Park and Big Bend Ranch State Park and including much of the town of Terlingua, Terlingua Ranch is a private subdivision of over 190,000 acres, divided into 9,500 tracts owned by about 5,000 individuals and crisscrossed by 1,100 miles of dirt and rock roads. Tracts range from five acres to several hundred acres. It is some of the most rugged and scenic land in Texas. Back in the 1960’s, the Ghost Town and much of what later became “Terlingua Ranch” was owned by racing legend and car designer extraordinaire, Carol Shelby and some of his friends. The decided to promote the area by holding a chili cook-off in the then abandoned Ghost Town. That little stunt of a cook-off grew into CASI (Chili Appreciation Society International) which now hosts nearly 500 chili cook-offs around the nation and internationally, all leading up the championship cook-off every year in Terlingua. Shelby and friends later subdivided the Ranch and started selling it off to hunters and rugged naturalists. Over the decades, the area was reborn and an eclectic community of nature lovers, artists, musicians, adventurers, and folks just wanting to escape from “civilization” has grown and started to resettle this rough country. People have come and gone. New buildings have risen while others have fallen, Dreams have been realized and others crushed. Through it all, the land remains. The harsh desert and vast openness encourages positive development and slowly swallows up and recovers from past abuses. The old cinnabar mine sites and ranching outposts persist as relics and ghost towns, some redeveloped, some carefully preserved, and others dissolving back into the desert. Abandoned dreams eventually become points of interests for those of us that stumble upon them decades later. Terlingua Ranch is a bizarre mix of old and new, good and bad, growth and decline, all completely unregulated. Modern homes with high values and stunning designs stand beside dilapidated do-it-yourself mistakes and abandoned ruins of the 1800’s and early 1900’s. The landscape is even more varied than the people and the structures. Rugged mountains, deep canyons, wild arroyos, dry and wet creeks, peaceful valleys, breathtaking badlands, moonscape like mud flats, the remains of ancient volcanoes, and fossilized ancient seabeds. All of it nurturing a vast array of plant life and wildlife. Around every corner and over every hill lies new and unexpected surprises. The Ranch is now home to a few hundred hardy souls. It is also dotted with a diverse array of vacation rental lodging options and campsites. Like the diverse land, they range in quality, style, value, and price. A few are amazing dream destinations. Some are good places to sleep. Others are the stuff of nightmares. (We don’t manage any in the nightmare category.) Big Bend Vacation Rentals started out in 2007 and initially managed three of the first four vacation rentals in the Terlingua and Terlingua Ranch area. We now manage dozens out of a couple of hundred options. We represent dozens of property owners and have hosted tens of thousands of guests. You can trust us as managers, and you can rely on the properties that we manage. We have become very selective about the properties and the property owners that we add to our portfolio.
Amenities
Air conditioner
Kitchen / Kitchenette
Balcony / Patio
Hot Tub / Spa
TV
Garden
Map of Big Bend National Park, TX
Reviews
4.8/5.0
Outstanding(102 Reviews)
5.0
Our Big Bend family adventure was wonderful! This property was a clean and beautiful piece of the whole week long adventure. The best quote from the trip was from the 9 year old that said that this trip was "way better than Disney".
5.0
Very relaxing and beautiful area.
5.0
We really need enjoyed this perfect gem. We were supplied with everything we needed. We had a bit of an adjustment getting use to the distances in and around Big Bend, but coming home to this cute, comfortable hacienda every afternoon was wonderful. Thank you for making our vacation perfect!
5.0
Our first rental had a few hiccups, but Janet and Daryl were on that immediately. They made sure we had a wonderful experience. Big Bend is beautiful, with friendly people (even at over 100-degree heat!) Thank y'all so much!!!! Definitely coming back soon.
5.0
Truly remarkable location if you want to get away and have a wilderness experience and a peek into what it was like to live in this beautifully isolated place. The location provides an incredible view of the Chisos and is in heart of the nearby Terlingua Ranch. The property is in the middle of about 60 acres on a hill at an elevation of about 3800 feet - the same of Panther Junction in Big Bend. This elevation is about 2000 feet above the desert flow and sits below the mountain peaks that surround the area providing an almost constant breeze and is cooler in temps. The North park entrance for BBNP is about 2 miles via Marathon Road but you will need 4 wheel drive to enter the park this way. The property has all the amenities and is an authentic Southwest ranch house. The host for this property is very responsive and will take care of you.
3.0
Overall the property was barely acceptable and the location provided prior to final payment was very misleading. One would assume the mileage information provided for "What's Nearby" would be from the property to the attraction site. Imagine our surprise when we found out the true location was an additional 40 miles to the attraction sites. We would never have rented the property had this information been provided as mileage from the house to the destination site. All the unexpected driving really limited our ability to enjoy all the attractions of BBNP. Also, the property is not being cleaned and maintained as we have experienced in numerous property rentals with VRBO. I will send the property manager an extensive list of maintenance items that should be addressed before the property is rated as 4+ stars. Overall the property was a marginally acceptable experience.
5.0
Delightful hacienda “Desert Aura” has three distinct patios for various moods and times of day. We used both main house and guest house for two couples. Janet said we would appreciate the comfy indoor space and private bedrooms/baths and she was right.
It’s about 30 minutes from Terlingua proper and the road isn’t paved the last about 2 miles so bring a higher vehicle. We brought meals & drinks from home and hosts furnish ample gallons of potable water.
House is in a green valley full of desert flora, much greener than Terlingua itself and west. We loved coffee and happy hours on the three patios. Beds are comfy, adobe walls insulate from extreme temperatures, stone floors & vintage furnishings add to charm. Bathrooms are like mini-spas. Relatively isolated location is authentic Big Bend!
Prepare to drive because it’s a big park with the state park near enough and Lajitas and the Golf Resort to visit. We can recommend the Long Draw Pizza place near Lajitas. We stayed “home” our last day just to enjoy the place itself!
On our road about a mile farther is a lodge with the Bad Rabbit cafe. We had beer and they had live music (Gary Gorence) and the barbecue smelled great. Be ready for surprises out here.
For a couple, these hosts also have a quirky awesome airstream/patio they call StarGazer.
5.0
Our family of 6 had a great stay here. The house is beautifully remote. Janet and Darly replied quickly to messages.
5.0
We enjoyed our stay very much. Sunrise was especially beautiful; the location was out there compared to our other activities but it was a great place to “come home to”!
5.0
We stayed for a week. It was so quiet and cozy for our family of 6 (4 adults and 2 children). We saw tarantulas, walking sticks, bunnies, javelinas, scaled quail. No neighbors right on top of you. Very remote! And the stars were amazing to watch at night and we counted falling stars each night. Definitely would recommend this place to everyone!
5.0
Great exceeded expectations
5.0
The place was great. Location was peaceful and the stars at night beautiful
Great exceeded expectations
5.0
This is an awesome Property! I wish it weren't so far away.....
5.0
Big Bend in April
This is an awesome Property! I wish it weren't so far away.....
5.0
The house had beautiful views and was clean. They provided plenty of drinking water given water conservation needs in the desert and well water usage. That took a little getting used too. This beautiful destination will take a while to get to and from since you will travel on dirt road for a couple of miles. Overall, the stay was good.
5.0
Beautiful remote location
The house had beautiful views and was clean. They provided plenty of drinking water given water conservation needs in the desert and well water usage. That took a little getting used too. This beautiful destination will take a while to get to and from since you will travel on dirt road for a couple of miles. Overall, the stay was good.
5.0
The house and guest house are very nice.
It is a little further from Big Bend area than we thought. All in all a very nice stay.
Could not figure out how to get Split unit to work.
May have been operator failure😉
5.0
A bit out of the way, but that makes the views and privacy that much better. Amazing sunrises and sunsets along with beautiful night skies. The main house and guest house are perfect for two couples to have privacy and enjoy the common areas. Really nice patios to enjoy the views with friends.
5.0
Vacay stay
The house and guest house are very nice.
It is a little further from Big Bend area than we thought. All in all a very nice stay.
Could not figure out how to get Split unit to work.
May have been operator failure😉
5.0
Amazing views and privacy.
A bit out of the way, but that makes the views and privacy that much better. Amazing sunrises and sunsets along with beautiful night skies. The main house and guest house are perfect for two couples to have privacy and enjoy the common areas. Really nice patios to enjoy the views with friends.
5.0
This is the perfect place to get away from everything and enjoy the peacefulness and quiet of the dessert. The location is remote but also not too far of a drive from Terlingua and Big Bend National Park. The dark sky is amazing. It is rare that we get to see so many stars.
Highly recommended. We would not hesitate to return to this property.
5.0
Relaxing and Peaceful
This is the perfect place to get away from everything and enjoy the peacefulness and quiet of the dessert. The location is remote but also not too far of a drive from Terlingua and Big Bend National Park. The dark sky is amazing. It is rare that we get to see so many stars.
Highly recommended. We would not hesitate to return to this property.
5.0
We laid out on the porch at night and watched the stars. Main house was very comfortable. Second house the bed was uncomfortable but that was the only complaint. I would definitely recommend
5.0
Great place for star gazing
We laid out on the porch at night and watched the stars. Main house was very comfortable. Second house the bed was uncomfortable but that was the only complaint. I would definitely recommend
5.0
The directions to the property were spot on. We arrived at night and it was DARK. Thank you for the good directions. The location was a little farther out than anticipated but other than that the property was great, clean, and private. I would definitely stay again. The communication between me and the property owner were prompt when needed. Thank you for a great visit to Big Bend National Park.
5.0
We really enjoyed our stay here. As others have noted the property is about 40 mins from Terlingua but it is worth it for the views during the day and the stars at night alone. FYI - You’ll need some terrain tires to get to the property off the main road
5.0
Big Bend National Park Visit
The directions to the property were spot on. We arrived at night and it was DARK. Thank you for the good directions. The location was a little farther out than anticipated but other than that the property was great, clean, and private. I would definitely stay again. The communication between me and the property owner were prompt when needed. Thank you for a great visit to Big Bend National Park.
5.0
Great location north of Terlingua
We really enjoyed our stay here. As others have noted the property is about 40 mins from Terlingua but it is worth it for the views during the day and the stars at night alone. FYI - You’ll need some terrain tires to get to the property off the main road
5.0
I've been to the area countless times and this was the best experience I've had. The night sky is something to behold away from Terlingua. The amenities were nice and we enjoyed a few short hikes around the property. Can't wait to come back soon.
5.0
First visit for the family
I've been to the area countless times and this was the best experience I've had. The night sky is something to behold away from Terlingua. The amenities were nice and we enjoyed a few short hikes around the property. Can't wait to come back soon.
5.0
We took my in-laws on a trip for their 70th birthday and this place was perfect! My husband, two children, and I fit perfectly in the main house, and they had their own comfortable space off the guest house to get some rest from us. The place seems bigger in person and sits in such a grand location. Terlingua was a wonderful place to visit- so unique and the stars at night are amazing! Cell service is really spotty, so be careful. I wrote a review for this place a long time ago right as we left and thought it posted, but just now I saw it hadn’t. I think it was because we hit a dead zone on our drive out.
5.0
Everything was great, we brought food to cook and had plenty of supplies to cook with. Beautiful surroundings, but very remote.
4.0
Being from WI, we enjoyed the warm and sunny patio and desert vistas. We made several visits to Big Bend National Park, but be aware it is almost an hour drive to the park entrance. The home could use some upgraded cooking utensils.
5.0
This was a really great place to stay with another couple. They stayed in the main house and we used the guest house. I had some questions prior to our arrival and Daryl was very good to return my call promptly and answered all my questions and gave me some tips on which route to drive from Marfa. While some other reviews and my title indicate, it is a 40 - 50 minute drive from the house to Terlinqua, but the seclusion of the house, the amenities, and the wonderful outdoor spaces to enjoy coffee in the morning or a cocktail in the evening are well worth the drive.
I would certainly recommend this property and if it does not fit you needs, check out the many others that are managed by Big Bend Vacation Rentals.
5.0
Awesome place, but a little further out than we thought.
Everything was great, we brought food to cook and had plenty of supplies to cook with. Beautiful surroundings, but very remote.
5.0
We really enjoyed our stay at this property. It was very secluded and quiet we sat outside most of the time watching the many types of birdsthat came around. Nice nice desert storm rolled in one night that was beautiful to watch. The drive to Big Bend was a little far, but the remote quietness is wonderful to have.
5.0
Some distance from the Park entrance, but worth it
This was a really great place to stay with another couple. They stayed in the main house and we used the guest house. I had some questions prior to our arrival and Daryl was very good to return my call promptly and answered all my questions and gave me some tips on which route to drive from Marfa. While some other reviews and my title indicate, it is a 40 - 50 minute drive from the house to Terlinqua, but the seclusion of the house, the amenities, and the wonderful outdoor spaces to enjoy coffee in the morning or a cocktail in the evening are well worth the drive.
I would certainly recommend this property and if it does not fit you needs, check out the many others that are managed by Big Bend Vacation Rentals.
4.0
What a beautiful time of year at Desert Aura! Every kind of cactus was blooming all over Terlingua Ranch.
5.0
Secluded and Relaxing
We really enjoyed our stay at this property. It was very secluded and quiet we sat outside most of the time watching the many types of birdsthat came around. Nice nice desert storm rolled in one night that was beautiful to watch. The drive to Big Bend was a little far, but the remote quietness is wonderful to have.
4.0
The Desert in Springtime
What a beautiful time of year at Desert Aura! Every kind of cactus was blooming all over Terlingua Ranch.
FAQs
How much does this house cost compared to others in Big Bend National Park?
The average price for a rental in Big Bend National Park is $186 per night. This rental is $17 above the average.
Is parking included with this house?
Parking is not specified as an available amenity at Desert Aura: Southwest Adobe & Detached Guesthouse. For more information, we encourage you to contact the property about where to park.
Is there a pool at this house?
We didn’t find pool listed as an amenity for this house. It may be worth double checking if a pool is important for your stay.
Is Desert Aura: Southwest Adobe & Detached Guesthouse pet friendly?
Unfortunately, this house is not pet-friendly. Try searching again and filter for "Pets Allowed"
What amenities are available at Desert Aura: Southwest Adobe & Detached Guesthouse?
We found 6 amenities for this rental. This includes air conditioner, kitchen / kitchenette, balcony / patio, hot tub / spa, and tv.
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