Bubble Terlingua — Hotel in Manuel Benavides

Update: I was in contact with Aja from the bubbles who did agree to issue a refund and then decided against it. On 1/13/2024,an email was sent saying my account had been refunded. I waited until 1/21 and sent another email inquiring as to where the refund was. I missed the previous email Aja sent out. He sent another email almost duplicate to the previous email. He told me that it was against their policy to refund due to viruses. The first cancellation happened because of an emergency surgery 2 days before we were booked. I provided the proof.The policy did state that if there was a provable emergency, a refund could be issued. This was the direction the conversation was going. I told them that I would be calling to reschedule, and I was asked if I wanted to just reschedule at that time. So, that is what I did. I called to confirm my appointment and was charged an additional "upgrade" fee. He also stated their policy, "We do not issue refunds or make exceptions to the policy for Covid or other viral sicknesses, city power or water outages, weather in your area or ours, nature, Wifi outages, park closures or other issues that are beyond our control". It is true we were offered a casita. We did turn it down because the whole point of going was to "sleep under the stars." I am truly disappointed with this outcome. Really. It isn't about the money. It is the principle of the situation. I advise you to go at your own risk and know that if you die from a collapsed tent...they are not "responsible."

My experience with this establishment began originally around February of 2023. The day before we were supposed to embark on our vacation, one of our accompanying travelers was rushed to the hospital. The bubbles are paid for in advance, and their policy clearly states no refunds after a specific date without there being an emergency. I did call the day we were to arrive to notify them so that they would not have to hold the bubbles for the whole 2 nights we paid for. To my suprise, I was allowed a raincheck. After a few formalities, we later discussed a feezable date and scheduled new reservations with them.

This entire process was handled with supurb customer care. There was an increase in price upon the new reservations, but we had decided the best time to go (according to the luner almanac) was the 10th -12th of January. We wanted to go during the new moon to better see the stars.

The first night we were there was so cold, but we were able to set out and watch the sun go down and enjoy a few shooting stars. We were able to sleep with a beautiful view of the sky over our heads.

We did reserve 2 bubbles. One for my husband and myself. The other for my mom and kid. Mom took the bed, and my kid took the couch. After the first night, we learned (from one of the books they had setting out that the couch would unfold to a pretty comfortable queen bed. Wish we would have looked through that as soon as we got there. :) The views from the bubbles were amazing. We really enjoyed our stay.

The last night at the bubbles, there were high winds. It was terribly frightening. I received an email stating the bubbles were very secure, and that helped to ease my mind. Just as soon as I pulled the covers of that super comfy bed, I heard my kid yell out in a serious and scared voice, "Mom! Mom! Help!" In a complete pancic, I threw on my shoes and went as quickly as I could to their bubble, which had completely deflated.

I will leave out the long ordeal of moving all of their belongings to our bubble. I called the after hours number to tell them what happened. The maintenance person was there within 10 minutes. I was very impressed. He offered to put my mom and kid in a different rental that was not a bubble. I thanked him and told him I would rather we all stayed together. We learned the next morning that the seam in the bathroom opened. The force of the air blew seam at the top out of the tent and...

Unsafe Experience – Not Recommended, Especially with Kids We booked a 3-night stay (April 4–7) in Bubble 6, and unfortunately, it turned into a nightmare. Night 1: Around 10:40 PM, I noticed blood stains on the duvet as we were getting ready for bed. Then, at around 11:10 PM—while my 2-year-old was sleeping next to me—the entire bubble collapsed on us in about 10 seconds. It wasn’t some light plastic sheet either; the structure was heavy and really hard to hold up. Meanwhile, my husband was brushing his teeth when the lamp fell into the sink with the power still on. We panicked and ran to the entrance area to call the emergency number. I also emailed them at 11:20 PM, but didn’t get a reply until two days later, on April 6 at 12:53 PM. Someone finally came and told us we could move to Bubble 9. So there we were, walking across the site in our pajamas at midnight, in the cold, leaving all our stuff behind. We had to go back the next morning to grab everything, which totally messed up our plans for the day. Night 2: We got back from the park around 9 PM—and Bubble 9 had collapsed too. We called again, and were told we could move to another spot. I asked the staff member to actually come and show us, instead of just telling us directions to a random place in the dark. My husband had to gather all our stuff under a collapsed bubble—using his neck, back, and a phone light to support the structure. We finally got to the new place—thankfully not another bubble. My toddler didn’t even eat dinner until after 10 PM that day. Day 3: While we were out at the park again, they finally emailed us (at 12:53 PM) saying we could stay at the new place until the 7th. A couple hours later, they offered a refund, but refused to offer any additional compensation. Honestly, I’m really disappointed, especially as a parent. This whole thing felt totally unprofessional and unsafe. Two bubble collapses in two nights? That’s not okay. I’ve asked for compensation, and they said no. So this is my honest review—and I’m looking into legal...

Do you want to melt in the heat while the wind flaps the roof over your head for 6 hours after a long day of hiking in a so called bubble tent? If so, this is the place for you. The bubble tent is where form stays far away from function. Don’t be fooled by Instagram Influencers and misleading photos. Staying here was like sleeping in a hot trash bag. Apparently their fine print states that the AC may not overcome the heat (after you check in btw). So are we supposed to flash fry in 93 degree heat? We were appalled at how rundown, and cheaply made every little part of this experience was. The roof is literally tattered, dirty and falling apart. See photos. The WIND made it impossible to have a conversation inside much less not get slapped across the head from the bubble deflating. Absolutely not acceptable. Put a structure in and secure guest safety and security. The audacity to charge hundreds of dollars for something that barely exceeds a second hand tent is wild. The “soap” bottles are so worn down and watered down you can’t read the Labels anymore. The shower is literally a single pipe nailed to a plank of wood. The floors were not cleaned and there were exposed nails and hardware everywhere. We absolutely did not feel rested here. Thinking about driving 1.5 hours to Alpine. Save your money and time. I was so excited to stay here based on Instagrams glorious pictures. It was easily the worst part...