Dallas Morning News
You may be surprised by Abilene’s Sayles Ranch Guesthouses
By JUDY WILEY / Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News
Published 07 March 2010 02:30 AM
ABILENE – Accommodations that feel more Aspen than Abilene are an upscale surprise in lodging choices here.
Sayles Ranch Guesthouses, five minutes from downtown and a few blocks from McMurry University, are in the fine, old Sayles Boulevard neighborhood, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The four properties (a fifth will open soon) are the work of owner Terry Browder, whose eye for interior design has bestowed a posh, high-end feel.
The largest is Sayles Ranch ($425 per night, plus taxes), a three-bedroom, two-bath home. While the exterior is welcoming enough with a small porch, you wouldn’t know that you’re about to step into a rich, Ralph Lauren-style Western abode complete with touches such as an antlered chandelier over the long wooden dining table, and log beds in one of the bedrooms. The bathrooms, one with a shower, the other with a Jacuzzi tub, are stocked with fluffy designer towels; the beds are dressed in high-thread-count sheets and luxurious comforters.