Amargosa Opera House Hotel

Alright I feel so confused by the other positive reviews on here that I would be remiss to not tell my experience here too because I don’t think this hotel is safe or up to code for human occupancy at all. First off, every staff member we interacted with was incredibly lovely and warm. So no complaints there. Second, the opera house tour was incredible. Such a fascinating bit of Death Valley history and a pleasure to see in person. However the hotel is another story. The smell of raw sewage is strong and vile throughout the main areas and the hallways. Our room smelled okay for the first night but that was probably due to the massive air freshener that was plugged into one of the only outlets in the room. The second night however the sewage smell came back up through the drains in our bathroom that we had to plug them up with towels to try and mask the odor enough to get through the night. We woke up before sunrise to pack up our car and get out of there. Couldn’t take another minute in that place. The carpets throughout the hotel are filthy….Like caked in mud. We never removed our socks or shoes anywhere in the hotel including our room. And due to recent flash flooding in the hallways carpets were horrible and smelled of mildew and mold (on top of the raw sewage smell). The walls are cracked, peeling apart, and there is about 20 years worth of dust caked in the curtains. Smoke alarm in our room was removed and we had a spider in our bed. Old and lacking typical amenities like tv and phone in rooms is fine with us but filthy, moldy, falling apart, and not up to code? Well that’s not okay and especially when being charged $145 a night. I’ve stayed at hostels that are far better than this and due to the unsanitary conditions sleep was difficult. Just never felt comfortable during my stay. So do yourself a favor and skip staying here. Go and pay for one of the opera house tours but you’re better off staying at the casino up the street. It’s sad that it’s in such bad shape as it has such fun history but I really did feel my health was at risk staying here.

The outside of the building and backstory are charming! The location is great being so cool to Death Valley National Park, but that’s about the only positive things I can say. The room was filthy. The carpet was dirty and pulling up. I turned the heater on and a huge puff of dark dust came out. It didn’t work to warm the room. The bathroom didn’t look like it had been cleaned in a long time. Tiles were stained and broken. It was such an uncomfortable experience that I made my boyfriend leave at 3:30am to sleep in the car. I wouldn’t recommend staying here. Admire the outside and keep driving!

The rooms were clean! The place is old but its so charming. I love the whole vibe! We loved it! My boys too. Taking the tour was worth it as you really learn about Marta. The opera house was beautiful. Go see it! Put your money towards this!

This is by far the worst hotel I have ever stayed at. I understand that it is close to the death valley and the convenience of it but it really needs some renovations asap. The carpet on the room floor was coming off and it was dirty. The tiles on the bathroom were broken. With the price they charge the minimum they can do is to change the flooring. Also, the paint on the outside was peeling of and overall the state of the place was horrible. I understand it is a historic place but that doesn't mean they should let it crumble down.

We stayed across the street in our RV ($10/night paid to the hotel) so can’t rate the rooms. We spent the day at Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge then took the 6 pm tour of the Amargosa Opera House. What a hidden gem in the middle of nowhere. If you hadn’t heard about it you would just drive by thinking the building was abandoned. Great day!!!

Daughter and I stayed for a couple of nights to have a central location in and around Death Valley to sleep and shower. Place has a lot of charm. Keep in mind it is old and kept in pretty original condition. The unlimited free ice and free coffee was a bonus. Very quiet but people do come and go at all hours. Building is old. Painted walls are very cool. Beds were comfortable. Had plenty of hot water. Park right in front of your room which is nice. Wireless was very weak where our rooms were which were the furthest from the office. I assume if you are close to the office you will have a better signal. Location is excellent. We were able to hit all of the DV standards and quite a few not so well known ones. Central to all of the towns. Casino down the street that had solid breakfast and lunch. Tammy was awesome. She normally gives the tours but with the recent flood the opera house was not open. Next time. All in all a great place to stay if you are seeing the sights and hiking the hikes in Death Valley.

My husband and I have long heard about the story of this place, and booked a night as we traveled through the area, and are so glad we did. This is NOT a stay at The Holiday Inn Express! It is a 100 year old building, now run by a non-profit, which very much needs restoration funding. Our room was spacious and clean, but musty with needed repairs. But your room is not the reason to visit: go to have a tour and learn the history of the ballerina and artist Marta Becket who purchased "the town" and painted the walls of the Opera House and hotel, and performed a one-woman show for decades. She died less than 10 years ago. And go to support the non-profit organization who is trying to keep her legacy alive for future generations. I promise that it will be memorable!

Incredible little gem if you're passing by and are into history. It's amazing to think the whole place has been painted by one person. It's run by a non-profit and is 100+ years old so don't expect a 5 star hotel. Although saying this the beds are extremely comfy and the shower was great. No complaints over the rooms at all. The tour was extremely interesting too and well worth doing! Keep this little gem going and help if you're passing through.

The WiFi was slow. Had to turn the shower on for 15 minutes in order to get hot water. There's a musty smell to the carpet. The paint is peeling off the walls. The building is about 100 years old, so that's to be expected. But I could care less about that. This hotel has more character and charm than any that I've been to. The decor, paintings on the wall, and homage to Marta Becket make it so unique. Visiting Death Valley was memorable, but staying at the hotel made it extra special. If I wanted a stay with all the amenities, I'd stay at a chain hotel and spend twice the price - but it wouldn't be as lovely or as memorable as this place. Btw, we visited the beginning of March 2024 and the cafe was closed.

My wife and I took a great day trip from Las Vegas to Amargos Valley, about 30 miles from Death Valley National Park; to see this beautiful floor to ceiling Mural Painted opera house. We took the tour which was $15 a person and I, being an artist, was amazed by the color of the paintings that encompass the whole hotel and especially the opera house. Highly recommended for historical buffs, artists, photographers, and off the beaten path adventurers. The hotel was affected by flooding this past year and are still working to restore a few of the rooms and areas that received over 9" of water. The hotel does show its age with a lot of peeling paint on the exterior and interior of some of the rooms as well as parts of the opera house itself. Check it out , totally worth it, and support this Gem in the desert with a visit.

Go take the tour with Connie. Super fun. Super informative. Learn a little about the amazing life of Marta Beckett. You'll be happy you did!!!

I went for the tour and it blew my mind! Such a talented eccentric who turned this place into a work of art inside! You would never know driving by as it looks deserted. The photos here are just the lobby which is nothing compared to inside the opera house. Well worth the stop!

Fascinating History I have a passion for history and my review here is more focused on the history of the Amargosa Opera House and not the services provided at either the Opera or the Hotel. In October of 2016 I had the opportunity to take a weeklong trip through and around parts of Death Valley National Park with my mother. On the very last day of the weeklong trip, on the way to Las Vegas, we stopped at Death Valley Junction on CA-127 to get a coffee at Armargosa Café (Closed since then). We got curious about the place and ended up getting a short tour of the Opera House. What we saw and heard blew my mind in a good way! The town of Death Valley Junction (Amargosa in Spanish) was established in 1907. At some point its population peaked at a few hundred people, but it started to decline in mid-1900s after the Lila C. borax mine in Ryan, CA stopped operating in 1928. However, only a few years before that, architect Alexander Hamilton McCulloch was hired by the Pacific Coast Borax Company to design a Spanish Colonial Revival whistle stop at the center of which was the hotel, theater and office complex building, which now we know as the Amargosa Opera House and Hotel. As mentioned above, the town started to decline until 1967 when Martha Becket arrived! Martha, an American actress, dancer, choreographer and painter, and her husband were traveling through when they stopped to fix a flat tire. Martha started exploring what was left of the town while her husband was fixing the tire. She ended up falling in love with the place and rented Corkhill Hall (Now the Opera House) and started fixing it! Initially she painted the walls white and when the work was completed had her first performance there in February 10, 1968 in front of an audience of 12! Later that year there was a flood and more fixes had to be done. This time Martha decided to take a different approach to painting. She decided to paint her own audience on the walls and the ceiling! Each painting has a story behind it, but we do not have the space here to go through them. Martha's last performance at the Opera House was in February 12, 2012. She passed away on January 30, 2017, only a few months after my first visit. You can read more about the place and Martha here: Amargosa Opera House http://www.amargosaoperahouse.org Marta Becket, Dancer Who Built a Theater in the Desert, Dies at 92 https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/03/arts/dance/marta-becket-dead.html

Wonderful tour, Connie did a great job. I had been here long ago when Marta was still with us. Connie gave an interesting history of some things I never knew,, not to be missed.

We just moved from Dayton, NV to Pahrump, NV. Wen't on a drive to view the surroundings and just drove by the Amargosa Hotel and Opera House. The place looked empty and deserted. Saw signs saying Open, turned around, opened the door and was greated by Sammie (worker). Sammie gave us a tour and was very informative and passionate about the Hotel and Opera House. WE HIGHLY SUGGEST TAKE THE TOUR!!! When we have friends visiting, we surely will take them here to visit.

What a place!! From the outside it looks like something from an old Western, and inside it has fewer amenities than the resorts in Death Valley itself, but we loved our stay at the Amargosa Opera House, and will never forget the story behind it. It was originally a barracks for workers at the borax mine nextdoor, but things connected to the war effort for WWII resulted in the mine closing, the barracks being abandoned and Death Valley Junction becoming a ghost town. Until in the 60's, when a dancer from New York named Marta Becket came through and had a vision -- she would turn the forgotten structure into a theatre, where she'd put on shows for whoever might pass through this desert wilderness on their way to who-knows-where. Marta was a fascinating figure, and the Amargosa gives a tour every morning to any guests interested in this odd place in the upper Mojave that she turned into a world of her own making. So glad we went here!

I have seen Marta Beckett's "sit down" show twice. She is a gem! What wonderful tales she tells and what a great talent she is. The Opera House is stunning. When you think that this one lady painted all the murals inside to be her audience, if no one came to see her dance, is astonishing. After the show, the Music Room a few doors down, is usually opened and the player piano with added instruments is played. It has excellent sound. I plan to return during this winter's season to see the new show, If These Walls Could Talk. I'm sure it will be fantastic, too! Don't miss a chance to get to Death Valley Junction and see the Amargosa Opera House and enjoy Marta's dream that she made a reality!

I hope Marta is ok and still kicking up her heals. I am sure she is! It looks like she is no longer performing the show. I am glad I got to see her. The website now lists the show as: "IF THESE WALLS COULD TALK" Inspired by Marta Becket Created & performed by Sandy Scheller

If These Walls Could Talk is a delightful show that has Marta in it but on video. It is a live show performed and created by Sandy Scheller using the murals that Marta Becket created. The show has mime, flamenco, gypsy, ballet, dancing and music is in 5 languages. It truly is an inspiration to Marta and you will feel and see Marta. The show is Saturdays at 7:00pm and Sundays at 2:00pm. You will not be dissapointed. It is a great show for the family. Go to youtube type in Sandy Scheller amargosa to get previews of this show.

Reminiscing the hayday of Death Valley, Marta is so improperly proper. Marta tells the story of the Opera house and how she and her husband ended up at the Junction. She is quite the entertainer and a great dancer in her more youthful days. Funny, candid, great story teller, and charming Marta is. Refurbished to its early days, one of the most fascinating part of her life is the faith that she had that if they put on the performance, people would come. When they initially didn't, Marta spent several years painting motifs and wall art of imaginary audiences. What a vision. A truly must see and enjoy the show. Meet the world famous Marta Beckett in person, before the old gal kicks out - so to speak. Well worth the desert drive to Death Valley Junction.