Who would have thought that in the middle of the vast, barren, red Texan desert there would be a design masterpiece.
The town of Marfa is so remote and so small (it only has 2,500 inhabitants) that most Texans don't even know where it is. From El Paso or Dallas airports, pick up a luxury convertible and hit the highway through Big Bend National Park (where they filmed No Country for Old Men) to see some of the world's most unique and isolated iconic art installations.
Donald Judd's seemingly real Prada shop sits at the edge of desolate ranching land, far away from civilization. Love it or hate it, you have to see it before reaching your home for the night: the funky, boutique luxury motel the Thunderbird. A hip oasis in hundreds of miles of nothingness, here cacti and honeysuckle vines from the surrounding landscapes form the hedge around the light blue pool, which is overlooked by wire egg chairs.
The airy, minimalist rooms are carefully decorated with works from local artists and the neon lights above the entrance provide a charmingly 1950s feel to the newly re-vamped destination hotel.
Spend your weekend admiring nearby Texas town square, where you'll find Donald Judd's starkly modern aircraft hangars-turned-galleries: The Block and the Judd Foundation. His minimalist artworks, which emphasise the 'purity of colour, form, space and materials' have been said to have changed the course of modern art.
Top off your sun-drenched day with a refreshing cocktail at Jett's Grill in the Spanish-colonial Hotel Paisano, followed by hearty dinner at Maiya's down the road. And then, as the sun sets, watch out for the legendary Marfa lights: unexplained globes of light seen floating above the horizon, which some say are UFO sightings over the desert.