We stayed at Bubble Terlingua, the new 10 bubble complex that just opened in July. Our expectations were not met, but based on the literature and pricing, our expectations may have been inflated.
The view of the stars from bed was incredible. Watching the stars will keep you awake, because it is amazing. Being able to see the stars while lying in bed is the major selling point of Bubble Terlingua.
Seeing the stars from bed is exciting, however, if you like sleeping in the dark, then you will soon discover that day follows night, and with the sunrise, you are now in a lighted room.
A bubble at Bubble Terlingua is a sealed, inflated vinyl tent. Yes, it has a shower and toilet and WiFi and all, but it's a tent. So, if you are a camper, this could be a luxury tent. If you are not a camper, and made assumptions based on the rather extravagant cost, this is a hot room with very thin walls and windows with no curtains.
Because it is sealed to stay inflated, there is no way to get a breeze, if one is required. With the clear roof in the bedroom and a picture window in the den (that can't be covered at all), it can actually be hotter inside than it is outside. You are at the mercy of the outside temperature and how quickly the staff replace the cover over the bubble in the morning.
If you are a camper, this may be normal, except with most tents, you could open the flap to get some breeze inside. I am not a camper. I was annoyed.
Our first morning, I found out that staff were planning to replace the cover on our bedroom sometime after 10am. At 9am, the A/C quit.
When I called to report the outage, it was 91 degrees in the bubble and it hit 105 degrees before the cover was replaced. (Guests are allowed to remove the covers at night but only staff are allowed to replace them in the morning.) The bubble started cooling down slowly after the cover was replaced, and eventually, I tried turning on the A/C and it started.
We live in Dallas. We are used to heat. We are also used to having A/C that keeps up with the heat. So, when I read "$449-$529 per night" and "air conditioning", I made the leap that the A/C could actually cool the bubble.
Maintenance checked the A/C unit even after I got it restarted, and I think their expectation was that we had set it below the minimum (68 degrees) and the unit froze. Maintenance told me other people had set the A/C to 62 degrees, so that tells me that we were not the only ones feeling the heat. It was in the nineties inside the bubble during the day. It would make it into the high seventies at night, long after sundown.
Be prepared to live out of your suitcase, because there are no closets or drawers. Al the walls are vinyl, so there is no place to hang anything. Again, if you were only staying one night, no big deal. We were staying four, so we really needed a closet or drawers or a hanging rack. If you live out of a backpack, you may be used to this. If you are used to packing and unpacking, it's an issue.
Be prepared to hang your towels and reuse them, although the only towel hooks seem to be by the outside shower. If you only take one shower the morning after stargazing in bed and then you leave, you can probably just drop them on the counter - with multiple nights and no housekeeping service, be prepared.
Be prepared to empty the trash, since you will probably overflow the trash cans in a day or two - there's a large trash can outside, so you can empty the small trash cans as you go - just hope the large can doesn't blow over (ours did but it was mostly empty.) There are replacement trash bags conveniently located in each of the trash cans in the bubble, so you can replace the bag after you throw your trash in the big can outside.
So, reuse your towels indefinitely, clean your own trash, and please strip your bed before you leave. As was actually mentioned in the preparation correspondence, bring fire wood if you want to use the fire pit and bring plates, glasses and utensils if you want to eat in the bubble.
This is ridiculous. I have stayed at hotels worldwide. I have never been asked to be my own maid.
The worst issue with the shoddy construction was the front door of our bubble consistently blew open in the wind, even when we had locked it shut - and had to enter the keypad code to reopen it. So, it was closed and locked but it would not stay closed.
Our second night, we checked the door was locked and went to dinner. When we came back, the door was wide open. The front door is the only door with a lock. So, the bubble is not secure.
My wife and I have been traveling together for over 22 years and this is the first time we left a place early. If you want experiential travel, it might be a bad experience. read more