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Like Staying In A Museum (In A Good Way): Inside the Mabel Dodge Luhan House, Taos

Where: 240 Morada Lane [map], Taos, NM, United States, 87571

If you’re going to northern New Mexico and you have any kind of artistic or cultural sensibilities, you need to stay at the Mabel Dodge Luhan house. As the name would suggest, it’s the former home of Mabel Dodge Luhan – who was not only a writer, but a facilitator and gatherer of art in Taos. This is where pretty much anyone literary or artistic who’s traveled to New Mexico has stayed. DH Lawrence spent loads of time here, and even painted the windows of one of the bathrooms with bright murals (today, some rooms still have access to that bathroom). Georgia O’Keefe, Ansel Adams, Dennis Hopper, Carl Jung – the list of illustrious guests is long and varied. For more details, see the website.

Because it’s more of a museum rather than a swish hotel, we were expecting the worst when it came to rooms. When we had to be towed out of a snowbank, having skidded on ice on the approach, we were even more timorous. But we soldiered on. Here’s what we found.

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Valentine's Day Hotels / Santa Fe Hotels / Rosewood Hotels / Hotel Concierges / → All Tags

Maybe A Romance Expert in Santa Fe Can Help Spice Things Up in the Bedroom

Where: 113 washington ave. [map], Santa Fe, NM, United States, 87501

How's this for romance? The Rosewood Inn of the Anasazi is luring couples with a "Sense of Romance" package that would spark even the dullest flame of desire between a pair of nuns. Yes, dinner by candlelight. Yes, a bed of roses. Yes, those Sangre de Cristo mountains in the background.

And, for fun, an hour appointment with the hotel's Romance Expert, a designated concierge who presides over the Front Desk spouting fathomless knowledge about the ins and outs of true amor. Or, in more accessible terms: where to dine, what spa treatment to book, and where to go stargazing.

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HotelChatter Reviews / Hotel Video Tours / Santa Fe Hotels / Rock Resorts / → All Tags

Sadly, La Posada De Santa Fe Doesn't Rock As Hard As Its Soap Does

Where: 330 East Palace Ave [map], Santa Fe, NM, United States, 87501

The kiva fireplace. The best bit of the room

A hotel that has soap in the shape of a rock has to be good, right? That kind of attention to detail is going to make for a spot on stay. Said soap rock was what we found when we checked into our room at La Posada De Santa Fe Resort recently. Did the rest of the experience measure up? Here goes.

Check in:
Our hopes were high on arrival to the hotel. We’d called in advance, asking whether it’d be possible for a parcel to be sent to us care of the hotel, and spoken to a concierge who sounded charming and efficient. Then our taxi driver told us La Posada was one of the best hotels in Santa Fe. It better had, we thought, since we paid $188 on Jetsetter (our room should have set us back around $300 though).

Check in was quick and easy, with a friendly man assigning us our room. There was free spa handcream at the check in desk – a nice touch in snowy Santa Fe. We walked to our room through cozy wood-panelled corridors, past the restaurant, bar, and a couple of sitting rooms strewn with art. Then outside, through the snowy courtyard and gardens. All atmospheric. Then we hit room 107, a Fireplace King.

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Killer View / New Mexico Hotels / Taos Hotels / Bed and Breakfasts / → All Tags

Checking Out A Room With Four Views In Snowy Taos

Where: 240 Morada Lane [map], Taos, NM, United States, 87571

Spotted in New Mexico today: one of the raddest hotel rooms, view-wise, that you may ever have the pleasure of staying in.

This is the Solarium room at the Mabel Dodge Luhan House in Taos, New Mexico. It's rad for a couple of reasons - firstly, because it's the only house with three stories in Taos, so you can see for miles, and second, because it's the old sun roof when it was an actual house, so it's glass-walled on all four sides. Which makes for some truly killer views of Taos and the mountains around it - particularly when it's snowing, as it is now.

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Bathroom Tuesdays / Hotel Amenities / Hotel Toiletries / Hotel Soap / Santa Fe Hotels / Rock Resorts / Hotel Bathrooms / → All Tags

The Soap Rocks At La Posada De Santa Fe

Where: 330 East Palace Ave, Santa Fe, NM, 87501

We've seen plenty of weird and wonderful hotel soaps in our time, but nothing quite as cool as this: the rock soap that greeted us as we checked into La Posada De Santa Fe Resort last night.

There was a normal, pebble-shaped soap in the soap dish - so far, so normal - but then on the shelf by the basin we spied this lump of rock. Was it a pumice stone to grate your feet? An ornament? A random piece of rock? No, it was indeed a bar of soap shaped like a rock.

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Hotel Hype / Virgin Hotels / New Mexico Hotels / Spaceport America Hotels / → All Tags

Virgin Galactic Wants a Luxury Hotel Near Spaceport America

While we're still waiting on an ETA for Virgin hotels, it looks like Virgin Galactic, the division of Virgin that's pioneering space tourism, is getting in on the hotel game in a way.

Virgin has said the area around Spaceport America outside of Las Cruces, New Mexico--where they plan on putting their sky rockets in flight--is in need of a luxury hotel. The smaller ones already present just aren't up to snuff. After all, their passengers are folks who have forked over $200,000 for the ride to space and will need some luxury accommodations before and after their journey to the final frontier.

But instead of building their own Virgin Galactic-branded hotel, Virgin is looking to partner with third parties to build the luxury digs. Dear Richard Branson, et. al., Please don't build a Ritz-Carlton or a Four Seasons near the spaceport. Please.

Not much else has been confirmed about the hotel except that it will be located halfway between Las Cruces and Truth or Consequences. But hotels in the area, who are frequented by hot springs lovers, needn't get too worried. Virgin Galactic won't be blasting off until sometime in 2013.

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The Eldorado Santa Fe Wants You To Get In On Its Birthday

Where: 309 W. San Francisco [map], Santa Fe, NM, United States, 87501

Yay, another hotel anniversary that gives us gimmicky discounts! Today it’s the turn of the Eldorado Hotel & Spa in Santa Fe which is celebrating its 25th birthday next month.

To celebrate – here’s the really gimmicky one – they’re offering anyone who stayed at the hotel during its first ever month (April 1986) to return for a night at the original rate they paid – which ends up at around $30 per night (it’s called the Turn Back The Clocks deal). Sadly, there’s no cheating the system – the onus is on you to provide proof, such as a photo of you there, “dated receipt” (uhh, surely nobody is that anal as to keep a receipt for 25 years?) or “other proof”. And, if you’re thinking that that’s unlikely, think again – the offer has already received several takers (we guess the days of scrapbooking your every photo, food bag and receipt from your holidays has to come in handy at some point).

But never fear, because the hotel also has something up its sleeve for those of us who didn’t have the fortune to stay back in those heady days of 1996: a straightforward 25 percent off rates throughout April, bringing rates down to $169. Tempted? They’re throwing in a free box of chocolates with every room. Now you are, right?

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Inside the Hotel Parq Central in Albuquerque

Where: 806 Central Ave. SE [map], Albuquerque, NM, United States, 87102

We headed out to Albuquerque and just missed out on the state's biggest festival, the International Balloon Fiesta. Luckily, we found plenty to keep us busy, including checking out the newest hotel in the city, Hotel Parq Central. The hotel will have its official opening in November, but we decided to get a sneak peek. We already told you about the rooftop bar and its delish housemade chips, but we'll give you the scoop on the rest of the hotel.

Check-In: We arrived a little before check-in time, but we were able to get a room. When we inquired about the gym, a staff member offered to give us a tour of the property. She told us that the hotel used to be a hospital and showed us around.

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HotelChatter Reviews / Santa Fe Hotels / Heritage Hotels / Free WiFi / → All Tags

Inside the Hotel St. Francis in Santa Fe

Where: 210 Don Gaspar Ave. [map], Santa Fe, NM, United States, 87501

We gave you the lowdown on some hot—as in red-chile hot—drinks at Secreto Bar in the Hotel St. Francis in Santa Fe. But of course, we had to check out the rest of the hotel, which is on the National Register of Historic Places.

How did the hotel stack up? Find out after the jump.

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Hotel Bars / Rooftop Bars / Albuquerque Hotels / New Mexico Hotels / → All Tags

Get Free Lime-Pepper Chips with Your Drink at Hotel Parq Central's Lounge

Where: 806 Central Ave. SE [map], Albuquerque, NM, United States, 87102

We love sidling up to the bar with a cocktail and munching on some nibbles—especially when they are free. But forget peanuts or some other trifling snack. We're digging the complimentary spicy housemade potato chips at the new Hotel Parq Central's Apothecary Lounge in Albuquerque.

We visited the fourth-floor rooftop lounge on its first day of food service and couldn't put down the thick-cut chips. Our favorite of the addictive snacks were the lime-pepper chips. The chips are very peppery with a punch and would pair well with a margarita.

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Hotel Cocktails / Hotel Bars / Santa Fe Hotels / → All Tags

A Red Chile Cocktail at Hotel St. Francis' Secreto Bar Will Give You a Kick

Where: 210 Don Gaspar Ave. [map], Santa Fe, NM, United States, 87501

In New Mexico, chiles—the unofficial state fruit, yeah, fruit—are piled on every dish, from burgers to enchiladas. And at the Hotel St. Francis' Secreto Bar and Loggia in Santa Fe, it's even used in cocktails.

The Spicy Secreto sports a rim of housemade red chile salt that adds a little fire to the drink. The savory cocktail is also made with Cabana Cachaca, St-Germain Elderflower liqueur, cane syrup, lime and jalapeño juices—in case the red chile rim wasn't enough heat for you—with a fresh cucumber garnish.

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Hotel Openings / Boutique Hotels / Albuquerque Hotels / → All Tags

Albuquerque's Hotel Parq Central Will Open September 23

Where: 806 Central Ave SE [map], Albuquerque, NM, United States, 87102

Yesterday we turned to luggage tags to get our minds off all the hotel delays that were bumming us out. Today, we're continuing the optimistic outlook by looking at some of the unexpected gems opening up in places that are not New York (where it's all drama, drama, drama...)

First port of call: Albuquerque, New Mexico, where the delightful looking Hotel Parq Central is set to open on September 23.

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