Vegas to Austin Road Trip. Need some help.

[Independentthinking]

Originally Posted by centralaustinite

Our hotel in Van Horne was okay, think it was the Hampton Inn, but not cheap and you need reservations ahead of time.

But we had the worst time getting served in the restaurants there! Ignored and not seated, finally seated, then long delays before service, mixed up orders. Took over two hours, also had issues at fast food restaurants there! It was unreal. Very unfriendly. (FWIW we had Texas plates on our car, 20 years in the state, and white). I have friends who experienced the same type of unfriendly treatment but we thought it was a fluke. We will never stay there again, which is too back because it is perfectly placed. I will say that the 200 miles from El Paso to VH are a bit challenging, heavy truck traffic, elevation changes, can be iced. I think it is safer to tackle those miles in the morning when you are fresh and not at the end of a long day.

Maybe you will be lucky!

I will truly heed your warning on this one. That sounds terrible! I'm thinking we will try to pick up something at a grocery store along the way and basically eat in our room when we get there so we can pretty much avoid experiencing that town.

[hound 109]

Originally Posted by Independentthinking

I will truly heed your warning on this one. That sounds terrible! I'm thinking we will try to pick up something at a grocery store along the way and basically eat in our room when we get there so we can pretty much avoid experiencing that town.

Our family has stopped and spent the night twice in Van Horn. (Both times on trips to Tucson)

One time we had reservations at a Best Western and it was NOT nice. We actually pulled out of the place & paid extra for the Holiday Inn on the I 10 (which was nice).

Second time we went ahead and stayed at the Holiday Inn. (& again, it was nice). Also it appears that Van Horn also has a Hampton in town. (which in my experience Hampton's are almost always nice). So I wouldn't hesitate to stay at either.

I don't remember having any issues with our family eating. I think one time we must have just picked up fast food & ate in our room. I know the other time I we ate at a kind of funky/kitchy - but also pretty good Tex Mex joint (looked it up.....it's called Chuys......but not to be confused with the Chuy's in Austin). The Chuy's in Van Horn was famous for being recommended by John Madden.

Typical family Tex/Mex joint, not fancy but we snagged a good Combo or Enchilada plate. I do remember liking it.

[cBach]

It's worth staying in El Paso for the better hotel selection and much better Mexican food. The last leg will just be long.

[Independentthinking]

Originally Posted by hound 109

Our family has stopped and spent the night twice in Van Horn. (Both times on trips to Tucson)

One time we had reservations at a Best Western and it was NOT nice. We actually pulled out of the place & paid extra for the Holiday Inn on the I 10 (which was nice).

Second time we went ahead and stayed at the Holiday Inn. (& again, it was nice). Also it appears that Van Horn also has a Hampton in town. (which in my experience Hampton's are almost always nice). So I wouldn't hesitate to stay at either.

I don't remember having any issues with our family eating. I think one time we must have just picked up fast food & ate in our room. I know the other time I we ate at a kind of funky/kitchy - but also pretty good Tex Mex joint (looked it up.....it's called Chuys......but not to be confused with the Chuy's in Austin). The Chuy's in Van Horn was famous for being recommended by John Madden.

Typical family Tex/Mex joint, not fancy but we snagged a good Combo or Enchilada plate. I do remember liking it.

I booked the Holiday Inn this morning. It was the most expensive of all the hotels but I'm not sweating it based on the comments here. Looks like there's a free breakfast included.

Originally Posted by cBach

It's worth staying in El Paso for the better hotel selection and much better Mexican food. The last leg will just be long.

Not doing that. I'm more concerned about safety and 576 miles is much too far for us. We're both driving solo in our own cars and I'm not taking the chance of us getting fatigued and then having an accident.

[CptnRn]

I've driven the route from Phoenix to Austin numerous times via I-10. I have also driven the route from Denver to Phoenix mostly via I-40. I'd stick with I-10 most of the way, it avoids the possibly snow and ice conditions you will often encounter in winter on I-40. Also, the legal speed limit on I-10 increases to 80mph once you get into Texas. As you near Austin I have always split off of I-10 and taken Hwy 290 the rest of the way into Austin. The roads are decent but you do need to watch the speed limits.

Overnight stops:

Las Vegas to Tucson is 414 miles.
I've always had good experiences with Holiday Inn Express for decent rooms and they offer a free breakfast. But verify what time they start serving breakfast, last time I stayed at one, the breakfast started much later than we wanted to wait before getting on the road again.

Tucson to Van Horn, TX is 440 miles.
Unlike centralaustinite, everyone treated us fine in Van Horn. The last time I made that trip I stopped overnight at the Hotel El Capitan. It is a nice old historic hotel on Broadway Street (I-10 Alt) which also serves a great breakfast. Everyone treated us fine there. They started serving breakfast very early in the morning so that was not a problem. They also have free wi-fi. There are also numerous other chain hotels in Van Horn. Dinner - I think we ate on the road before we got there. There is a Chuy's in Van Horn, which is a pretty popular Austin based chain for Mexican food.

Van Horn to Austin, TX is 447 miles via I-10 to Hwy 290. Once you take Hwy 290 into West Austin/Oak Hill, my neighborhood, there is both a Hampton Inn and a Residence Inn (Marriott) on West Hwy 290. This Oak Hill areas is less than 9 miles from downtown.

Restaurants in Oak Hill area (look them up on Google maps):
Jim's Restaurant (reasonably priced breakfast, lunch or dinner).
Mexican food nearby: Hecho en Mexico (Mexican food), or drive a couple of miles South to Santa Rita Tex-Mex, both are good.
Pizza: Via 313, Austin Pizza Garden. Mangeries delivers pizza, salads, and Italian dishes.
Jack Allen's Kitchen has excellent food, but there is often a wait for dinner.

[Independentthinking]

Just like to say thanks for the Holiday Inn Express recommendation. It was exceptionally nice and a pleasant surprise. We arrived in Austin at 230 today and booked a Hyatt in Round RocK for the next 8 days. Thanks for all the help.

[C24L]

Originally Posted by Independentthinking

Just like to say thanks for the Holiday Inn Express recommendation. It was exceptionally nice and a pleasant surprise. We arrived in Austin at 230 today and booked a Hyatt in Round RocK for the next 8 days. Thanks for all the help.

Netime......enjoy the ATX.