room was not ready, there was a band playing in the bar downstairs all night and the train runs right by the hotel about every half hour.

If you are looking for a sterile, every room the same hotel, don't stay here. The Holland has an old time, Texas frontier atmosphere and charm that will carry you back to before your youth. Yes, there are a few things that need upgrading and improving. Some of the rooms could use better mattresses. The room I had needed more lighting, both in the bedroom and the bathroom. However, when I mentioned this upon checkout, the desk clerk reduced my room rate by 10%.

The Holland is in the midst of slowly upgrading their rooms and some of them are gorgeous. This was the third time I have stayed here and each time I have enjoyed it more.

A choice of four different full breakfasts is included in the price of the room and and all are excellent. No layout of rolls, cerel boxes, etc. Lunch and dinner are very good, and normally there is a special of the day. The selection of beers from the brewhouse, located on site, is very tasty, and the Texas Black Gold pleases my palate most of all.

I've always found the staff helpful and informative. I will stay here again, and I do recommend the Holland to all my friends. Oh yes, the trains do make noise,but I consider that to be a part of the experience. The hotel does provide its' guests with earplugs

My wife and I stayed here so that I could run the M2M Marathon between Alpine, Texas and Marathon, Texas. FIRST, THE GOOD. This is a restored historic hotel in downtown Alpine, which is a college town at the edge of the Davis Mountains. It is within reasonable driving distance of Big Bend National Park, the Rio Grande, Davis Mountains State Park, and the McDonald Observatory. The room was clean and comfortable and everything worked. The staff was uniformly polite and helpful. The lobby is a great, laid back place to just sit and relax and people watch or read a book. There is a German Restaurant and microbrewery on the ground floor, which you don't expect to find in West Texas, and which seems to be very popular with the locals. It's not the Ritz, but if you like old hotels, which my wife and I do, you will probably enjoy staying here. And it's certainly hard to beat the price. SECOND, THE BAD. The hotel is located right across the street from train tracks, and a train went past at least a couple of times every night. It's loud. Since it is an old building, the walls are thin and we could easily hear the people next door. Again, since it is an old hotel, the bathroom and bathtub are smaller than what one is used to in a modern hotel. The hotel seems to be short-staffed. Service at the restaurant is slow and frazzled. There is no desk clerk in the evening. The food at the restaurant is O.K., but not great. Parking is a bit of a hassle on Friday and Saturday nights. THIRD, THE UNUSUAL. Since there is no desk clerk in the evening. When you check in, you grab an envelope which is taped near the front door, which tells you your room number. You then go into your room, which is left unlocked, and find your key. I know Alpine is a small town, but I have to assume that there is some crime. It seems a little strange to let the entire world have access to your room. In fact, when we tried to check in, another guest had already mistakenly wandered into our room and locked the door behind him on the way out. We had to make a phone call in order to arrange for staff to get us a spare key. OVERALL, NICE, KIND OF FUNKY PLACE TO STAY IF YOU LIKE HISTORIC AND LAID BACK. BUT DON'T EXPECT LUXURY AND BE PREPARED FOR SOME MINOR ANNOYANCES.

We arrived after 9 p.m. in Alpine and expected little or no activity at the Holland House. We were wrong. The hotel has a good restaurant specializing in German food and a microbrewery, along with live music every night. The restaurant had an old Texas feel, with friendly people and enjoyable local musicians. The staff was great, making sure we got dinner although the kitchen was closing. The microbrew was very good, with four selections. They also had a nice wine selection, including some very good Texas wines. According to our waitress, the bar stays open until the last customer leaves. She also provided great insights in response to our questions about the area, including the Marfa Lights. We actually enjoyed ourselves so much at the Holland House that we never made it to out to see the Lights.

We stayed in the Crow's Nest, which is a short flight of stairs above the third (and top) floor. The room is small and the shower is tight, but it is furnished nicely and had a good air conditioner. What makes the Crow's Nest special is a roomy rooftop deck from which you can see the town and mountains in all directions. We really enjoyed sitting out there in the cool summer air of Alpine. About the only thing which may be a negative is that trains come by the hotel during the night and often blow their whistles, which could bother light sleepers. We found that the air conditioner pretty well drowned out the train noise and the hotel does provide ear plugs in each room. We would also recommend that the hotel install a darkening shade to keep early morning sunlight out as it shines directly in your face if you are still asleep. The room includes a free hot breakfast which - like dinner - was very good. We loved the ambiance of an old, unique and historic hotel and would certainly stay there again.

Our friends stayed in Room 306 which had a comfortable king size bed and a large bathroom. The room was very nicely furnished and they were very pleased with it.