Well I decided to make a run on a whim to Panamint springs so that I could recon the nearby dunes in Death Valley for some photography. After a very long day of driving and poor weather, I was trying to decide if I would stay the night at the Campground in the resort and get up early to catch the sunrise at the dunes. So after a slow but pleasant drive of 6 miles into the desert, came back and went looking for some food for the belly. Stop at the Panamint resort and went inside to get something to eat. Whoa nelly, limited menu with basic dinner (well very very basic dinner with limited menu) type food. Order a bowl of chili which was like $9, it came and well the best way to describe is go to grocery store and buy a can of very basic Hormel Chili, not the fancier deluxe stuff, the good ole basic $1 can stuff, add some onions and a little bit of graded cheese and you have their chili. Hell I would even put goo money that if it wasn't Hormel's, then they nailed the recipe for it. Safe but nothing special by any means. I know like Ramin noddles is noodles but not the same as you get at say Noodles and Company. Well a boy still as to eat, so order a fish sandwich, so it comes and basically a basic hamburger bun with what appeared to be the frozen type of fillets (including the triangle shape) that you get when you go to dinner with the Gordan Fisherman!!!! They basic battered fish fillets at that. I would even bet more that it the old Gloucester fisherman was their chef. The service was good and the waitress was very nice and prompt, the cleanliness was good and overall, just basic food at a very high price-like $16 buck for the sandwich. So my nearly $30 cup of chili and fish sandwich still went down and filled the belly and I left a little lighter due to the cash that flowed out. Summary on food, best in Panamint Springs for it is the only in Panamint springs. Now they do have a nice campground and tents sites were $10 so it seemed reasonable, but due to bad weather and nothing looking better for the following morning, decided to head back to Lompoc. But figure I might want to top off gas first, they had pumps and about ready to fill up the tank but then I saw the price of $4.59 a gallon basic unlead. Wow that is some very high grade gas for that price especially since I had bought some early that day near Bakersfield at $3.29 a gallon. No decided that the fine meal would see me through as I headed back and prayed I could find some on the road back, which I did in California City as I limped in on sail boat fuel at 11:00 pm at $3.40 a gallon. Enough to get me back to Lompoc Ca and final top off of tank at $2.89 a gallon. So Panamint Springs was a interesting place and the people are nice and the site is clean, but if you go, top of the fuel tank, maybe put a Jet Boil stove in the vehicle and some cup of noodles and then go enjoy the beauty of Death Valley.

The campsites were quite close together with little privacy but that's typical for an arid environment. The restroom and shower facilities were certainly in need of work. In the men's room there was a single working toilet. The urinal was covered and apparently out of order. Of the two showers, only one worked. The entire rest room had a very tired look and needed some basic maintenance to get it to reasonable standards.

We stayed in one of the motel-style twin rooms with private bathroom. This motel is brilliantly located in the edge of Death Valley National Park, meaning you can maximise your time in the park with early starts and late finishes. There is a general store, gas station, and restaurant onsite. The breakfast is good and includes a waffle maker, fresh fruit salad, and pastries, as well as the usual continental items. The rooms are very basic and worn, which is accurately described on the hotel website so we knew what to expect. (This hotel is about location rather than room amenities). The hotel staff were really helpful and we especially appreciated their help in getting the shower to work (there are three different things you need to turn on!). Overall, if we were in the area we'd stay at this motel again - the location is excellent and it's great value for the price.

The rooms are tiny, but they are comfortable, clean and renovated with a sweet balcony. The service here was awful, bring your own breakfast as they over charge and are unwilling to be flexible in any way. This is not a must visit place, other options are better.

Rustic. Yes, very. But at least it is a place stay overnight. Very, very basic room, like a 1930's place. So, just be happy that it seems safe, and enjoy the dark skies! The self-serve breakfast was quite OK. Cost was steep (USD$120, September 2018), but again we were so happy to find a room. But it's no Motel 6!