The Local Chapter, Big Bend — Hotel in Manuel Benavides

I recently had the pleasure of staying at The Local Chapter, located just under a mile from the entrance to Big Bend National Park. My husband and I chose this spot for a three-night getaway to celebrate his birthday, and honestly, it couldn't have been more perfect.

Before booking, I was torn between The Local Chapter, Willow House, and an off-the-grid Airbnb. But after experiencing what The Local Chapter offers, I'm thrilled with our choice. Nestled on a mesa above the quaint town of Terlingua, Texas, the yurts here offer a magical blend of seclusion and accessibility. It's like being off the grid, yet the town's amenities are just a short drive away.

The location's real charm is its proximity to the dark sky preserve in Big Bend National Park. For the first time, my husband and I saw the Milky Way with our naked eyes. The Local Chapter provides a professional-grade telescope and a cozy outdoor setup with stargazing chairs and a fire pit. We spent every evening under the stars, wine in hand, using the Sky Guide app to spot constellations.

As for the yurt, it's a haven of modern comfort. We loved the air conditioning, the king-size bed with its fluffy down comforter, and the convenience of a microwave and coffee maker. The design is so stylish, like something out of a home magazine. Plus, the throws available for chilly nights were a thoughtful touch.

The proximity to Big Bend National Park is unbeatable. We overheard some hikers mentioning they couldn't see the Milky Way from their Airbnb in central Terlingua – a reminder of how fortunate we were to be just outside the light pollution.

The highlight, though, was the exceptional hospitality. Our host coordinated a birthday cake delivery, which was waiting for us in the fridge upon arrival. It was these little details that made our stay at The Local Chapter an unforgettable experience. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a unique and comfortable way to experience Big Bend and its stunning...

Horrible experience with booking this place! I booked a trip here and noticed AFTER I booked the trip that they do NOT allow dogs. I reached out and asked if they would refund it if I cancelled even though their policy said No Refunds and that they would charge $1000 if they found out any animals were on the property. They replied and said yeah, no problem which was cool. I dug a little more and realized that many places in Big Bend do not allow dogs so we decided not to cancel the reservation and paid to board our dogs. They followed up with me a couple days later and asked if we still needed to cancel or if we found a place for our dogs. I replied that we are going to find a place for them. They replied and said we absolutely do NOT allow dogs. I replied and simply said "understood". Great, we are all of the same page. Well 1 day before our arrival they reach out and send me this lengthy message about dogs and now they are going to charge me $5000 if I bring a dog and so on and so forth. I'm annoyed at this point so I replied "Dude- I told you I understand! We are NOT bringing our dogs. Jesus". Well shortly after they cancelled my reservation 1 day before and said " Given the topics and tone in the message thread, we are not comfortable hosting Matt." I'm not sure what planet these apes are living on but whatever. Ultimately, we found a much nicer place for ONE THIRD of the cost of this place. This place is WAY OVERPRICED and terrible customer service. DO NOT...

I am very sad about this place. I was very much looking forward to staying here, but unfortunately they only book through AirBnB. I didn't know anything about AirBnB, never used it before, but I thought, why not, I'll give it a try, because I saw a glowing review about The Local Chapter on the Earth Trekkers travel blog. I opened an AirBnB account and made reservations, which were accepted the following day. Sadly, they were then canceled a few more days later, with AirBnB claiming I was responsible for "damages". Obviously this was an error on AirBnB's part, considering I had never even really known about AirBnB before, let alone stay in one of their host properties. But when I tried to contact them about it, they were very unfriendly and stated I need to respond to emails from a "claims" department. There were no emails from a "claims" department. Why would there be? I've never used AirBnB before. Buyer beware! AirBnB does not want your business, and they are very unfriendly to work with. I was not even allowed the opportunity to stay here to give it what I hoped would be 5 stars, but 1 star is earned, because of the nightmare AirBnB is. So if you are reading this to decide about The Local Chapter, I cannot speak of the property itself. But the booking process is part of the experience, as is the fact that I've tried to send several emails directly to The Local Chapter about the situation and they haven't responded to...