Places to stay in Texas

Big Texan Restaurant and Motel

Big Texan Motel, Amarillo

To discuss the Big Texan Motel without mentioning the adjoining restaurant would be to miss the big picture - the two go hand in hand as an all-round experience known as The Big Texan Steak Ranch. The motel itself is designed to look like a main street in a Wild West town, complete with shuttered windows and an actual area for the horses! The rooms are not huge but are clean and comfortable. However: you don’t visit The Big Texan to spend a lot of time in the rooms. Which brings us nicely onto the restaurant… where else can you get a free 72oz steak?

Entertainment at the Big Texan

There is, of course, a catch: it’s only free if you can eat it within an hour! This pretty much sums up the entire attitude of the Ranch - big, extravagant and over the top! From the brightly painted exterior to the boot-shaped beer glasses, the Big Texan revels in it’s Texan heritage whilst embracing the tourist-pleasing tackiness. I stayed here on a Friday night and the place was buzzing with excitement: there were games and exhibits while you waited for your table, live music while you ate, and of course the occasional announcement that someone with eyes bigger than their belly was going to attempt the 72oz challenge. The food was great including the “mountain oysters”, a dish not often served outside of the American West - look it up! Unless you’re expecting an intimate, low-key evening, a night at the Big Texan is a must for all Route 66 road trips.

www.bigtexan.com

Ambassador Hotel, Amarillo

Voted Amarillo’s best hotel for 9 consecutive years, the Ambassador Hotel offers guests free wi-fi internet access, an indoor heated pool and spa, an on-site fitness center and two on-site restaurants. Often used by Route 66 holiday makers.

“This is the finest accommodation in the Panhandle of Texas and one can get a ” Roadie Rate ” of $66.00, if you show them their ad in the Route 66 Pulse. It is less than a mile from the Historic San Jacinto District where places to eat, drink, antiques and live music abound.”

Kindly recommended by Crocodile Lile, US

www.ambassadoramarillo.com