Comanche Motel & Hostel

It was ok, but I really liked the owner at the time.
My husband and I travel with his company and when we didn't have the money for an expensive motel, the owner there let us stay the night and pay the next morning when my husband got his check. The motel is old and very rustic. We have been guests there for over three months now and even though we have had a few problems with the room and such, the owner has tried her best to make everything good for us to be able to remain there. In Fort Stockton, there are few motels and the prices are outrageous, but here, the price has been fairly reasonable and I have enjoyed being here. Being from the country life myself, living here has been almost like home for me and my family.

I read good reviews about this hostel, so I was optimistic. When I arrived, I saw it is more of a compound than a hostel. Anyway, I parked my car and there was a man who greeted me. I asked him where is the reception area and he asked me what do I want. I asked him whether he is the guy in charge. After a few seconds of thinking, he said that the owner passed away three months ago and he and another girl are taking care of the place. I told him I'm looking for a private room for the night. He thought for about ten seconds and finally said that they really rent the place for a week or so. I told him I want it for one night. As it took him more than ten seconds to think, I said thank you and went back to my car. When he saw this, he said that there is a room for $40 a night. I said no thanks and continued walking to my car. He then said there is another room for just $23 with a refrigerator. Although I haven't stayed here, I don't want any business to do with people who don't want their customers business and try to do them a favor by giving them a room for the night. The place didn't seem like a blooming business anyway and I believe the guy just tried to squeeze a buck out of me.

I loved this place. I went in 1998 with my buddy. We were on a month long roadtrip from FL to CA and back. i had a private room for 23 bucks, after a thirty-second negotiation with the manager. I love Americana and this is a piece of it. If you are not worried about high class and just want a cool place to meet real people, this is it. We spent a week in Big Bend Park and if you get a chance go there.The hot spring is awesome, we met some modern day hippies who were a week into a two-week fast from all toxins, smoke, food -- that was, until they saw our cooler full of beer. All in all, if you can hang with low cost quarters to stay in, you will usually have a better time and better stories when it's over. How many times have you ever had a really cool, non-boring story after staying in a Marriott? Never.

Stayed here on my way through Texas (there are very few budget options). Owner was friendly and the location was close enough. It's basically a tiled motel room with three bunk beds, TV, and a fridge. The best thing about the room is the self controlled gas heating, which you can turn up very high. There were no other people in the room when I was there (owner said this had been the case for most of Nov and Dec). Beds were clean enough but person on front desk said someone found a scorpion in their room a few month early (I checked my bed very carefully). The negative would certainly be the disgusting bathroom area which is very, very unclean. I had a shower wearing shoes and still felt dirty. So maybe avoid it if you're a clean freak. Most of the guests seemed to be travelers and not long term renters, which was good.

I visited this hostel in the first week of January 2006. For pictures of my visit see: http://photos.yahoo.com/quiquecamacho The room I stayed in had 3 bunk beds and a single bed, a TV with cable/remote on a dresser, a nonworking old TV console, an unplugged refrigerator in a puddle of water, a desk, and a nightstand. What was good: Only $18 including taxes for one night compared to $30 for a single room. I could turn the gas heater as hot as I wanted to since the knob was accessible at the bottom of the heater. All the beds had a sheet,blanket,pillow. The man at the office was very nice. What was bad: Condition of the bathroom was fit for any horror movie of your choice. See pictures. I found rat/mice 'pellets' under a pillow. The office reeked of cigarette smoke (luckily my room did not). So, needless to say, I did not take a shower after a day of driving and having another day of driving ahead of me. I liked the cable TV, I liked having the gas heater. I was lucky in that no one else was sharing the room (others looking for friends might not like that.) That's all I can say about this place. I was able to park my car outside the room and keep an eye on it, which I appreciate. If I was to come to this town again and stop, I'm pretty sure I would pay the extra $$ and find a different motel instead of this motel/hostel.

I stayed in this motel for three days in 2001. My girlfriend and I had the greatest time over there and there is no trip story that goes by without mentioning John the owner, who showed us another way of life. Don't cross Texas without visiting there.

I stayed at the Comanche Hostel a while back on a month-long, cross country road trip. We got off the exit so tired and in awe of a beautiful sunrise after driving all day and all night into the early morning from New Orleans to this place. We were pleased to see a hostel as we usually have such terrific experiences. We ended up staying some extra days also and sang Kareoke under the stars in the middle of the desert. It was so romantic and memorable! The facilities were clean and extraordinary in the intricate painting and beautiful internal woodwork of each room that when we inquired was hand crafted by the hostel manager. Pretty cool stuff! Definitely the stuff that memories are made of.

After driving all day in the scorching heat the Comanche Hostel was a much needed oasis!! It was great to hop into the shower and then plop into a comfy chair under the air conditioner and watch a little TV to unwind and plan out the next days travels. In the morning, the managers had a cup of coffee waiting for me in the office. Yep, I'd go back here again!!

This is one of the cleanest hostels I have stayed at. The manager is friendly & flexible. He really made me feel welcome. There is nightly Karaoke available. Sheets and towels were available for a small fee. My stay was in December but a/c and a ceiling fan are also available. The TV with remote & cable in the dorm room was a nice added feature and the refrigerator & microwave helped to keep my food costs down. The hot shower was helpful after hiking. And having the bathroom in the room was convenient. I would highly recommend this hostel and will definitely stay here on my return trip across country. I had intended only to stay 1 night in Fort Stockton, but ended up staying a week! I used this hostel as my home base for exploring the Big Bend region. I didn't realize how much this part there was to explore.