(Side facing the train depot)
Click on any of the pictures in this post to enlarge.
Before talking about La Castañeda Hotel, I have to talk a little about Fred Harvey. I first became interested in Fred Harvey and his amazing accomplishments when I read An Appetite for American, by Stephen Fried (click the link for a review). Fred Harvey was a brilliant entrepreneur who was responsible for the restaurants, shops, lunch rooms and hotels that were built along some of the railroads that traveled through America’s wild west in the 1800’s and early 1900’s. His greatest fame came from the hotels and restaurants that supported the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad.
In 1876 Fred Harvey struck a deal to build restaurants, hotels and other businesses along the length of the railroad. To support the restaurants through the years, Harvey hired roughly 5000 girls between the ages of 18 and 30 to travel out west, live in group housing next to the restaurants, and serve the travelers who came into the restaurants to eat during train stops. These girls came to be known as the Harvey Girls.
When all was said and done there were 84 “Harvey Houses”, some of which are still standing today. Sadly, many have been torn down. The Fred Harvey Company was operated by three generations of Harvey’s until 1965 (for almost 100 years). It was sold in 1968 to Amfac, Inc. – a Hawaii-based hospitality company.
Thanks to an ambitious and creative couple, a few of these Harvey houses are being saved and reopened. Allan Affeldt and Tina Mion completed the renovation of the La Posada in Winslow, Arizona, in 1997 and it is now a very popular tourist destination in Arizona. In January of 2018 they began renovations on La Castañeda Hotel in Las Vegas, NM. The hotel opened for business in April of 2019. Just down the tracks from Las Vegas, Affeldt and Mion have also renovated the Lamy Railroad and History Museum in Lamy, New Mexico. This renovation included the Legal Tender Saloon and Eating House which is part of the museum.
Recently, Bobby and took a short trip to Las Vegas, NM, and stayed at La Castañeda while doing some site-seeing and eating in and around Las Vegas. We had an extremely comfortable and pleasant stay at the hotel and are already planning on returning in the spring. The restaurant wasn’t quite finished when we were there, but plans are for it to open by the first of November 2019. However, the Bar Castañeda was opened and has great food as well as beer, wine and cocktails. I just couldn’t resist ordering a Fred Harvey Girl libation with some beer battered onion rings. Both were excellent!
Following is a short tour of the hotel and a few of the other places we visited. You’ve already seen the hotel lobby, now we’ll head up to the stairs to the second floor to our suite. As you can see, it’s a beautiful hotel and quite comfortable. It was a pleasant stay with a very affordable price. Actually, cheaper than a hotel.
(Our suite was behind the blue door on the right)
one the hallways to other rooms and suites.
One morning we drove over to the Las Vegas National Wildlife Refuge where we thought we would spend an hour or two. However, because of the fabulous views and all of the birds, including a bald eagle and several types of hawks, we ended up spending over four hours there.
(Hermit’s Peak in background)
While in Las Vegas, we ate at a few of its restaurants. There aren’t many, but we did find a couple that we enjoyed. For New Mexican food, Kocina de Raphael (good red chile, tamales and beans), the Hillcrest for breakfast, and of course, the Bar Castañeda for drinks and dinner.
After leaving Las Vegas, we drove the northern loop back to Albuquerque. This loop took us through Mora, Peñasco, Truchas, and Chimayo, all of which are small villages in northern New Mexico with breathtaking views of the mountains. Entering any of these villages takes you back to another day and time. However, before turning off the highway onto the northern loop, we had to pause and take in the beauty of Hermit’s Peak.
The historical marker for Hermit’s Peak reads “Elevation 10,212: From 1863 to 1867, this mountain was the home of Juan Maria Agostini, an Italian penitent who lived there as a hermit, carving crucifixes and religious emblems which he traded for food. Leaving this area, he moved to the Organ Mountains, where he was found murdered in 1869.” And thus the name “Hermit’s Peak”.
Every time we see Hermit’s Peak we remember our very first night in New Mexico. It was 1975. Bobby, I and a friend drove here in our friend’s little Subaru station wagon. We entered New Mexico from the east and ended up camping at the base of Hermit’s Peak. The next morning we hiked a couple of miles up toward the actual peak, but the elevation started to get to us a bit so we came back down. Coming from sea level and heading up to over 10,000 feet was a BIG change. But the night was glorious and the rest of the trip convinced us that New Mexico was the place we wanted to be. The next year we moved out here and have been here ever since.
Continuing north, you travel through Mora, New Mexico, a small town in the heart of the Mora Valley on the east side of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the southern most subrange of the Rocky Mountains. A few miles southwest of Mora is Morphy Lake State Park, a high mountain lake at about 8000 feet in elevation. In the summer it is a popular vacation destination for fishing, canoeing, camping and hiking.
After spending a little time at Morphy Lake, we traveled on westward to Peñasco where we stopped for lunch. We ate at the Sugar Nymphs Bistro, a small bistro in the heart of the village. The green chile cheeseburger was fabulous! Bobby got a cup of vegetable soup as a side and loved it as well. Next time we’re in the area, we will definitely be going back.
Truchas, New Mexico (foregroud)
Turning south from Peñasco, you begin a southern journey down the High Road to Taos. It’s an absolutely beautiful drive with the best views of the west side of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The gray peaks on the left portion of the picture above are the Truchas Peaks. The village in the foreground is Truchas, New Mexico, established in 1754 and rests at 8400 feet in elevation. Can you imagine living in Truchas and waking up to this view every morning?
On one of our backpacking trips in the 90’s, Bobby, his brother, and I climbed to the top of the middle Truchas peak. As you can see from this picture it’s beautiful view from the top!
Truchas, New Mexico, may be a small village, but it has a large artist community and because of that, there are several galleries to visit. We had the intention of visiting a couple of the galleries but ended up spending at least two hours at the Hand Artes Gallery. It is a wonderful gallery with amazing works of art – glass, paintings, drawings, sculptures, textiles and furniture. The curator, having been in the area for over 40 years, is extremely knowledgeable of the local artists and the northern New Mexico artist community. Not only is he knowledgeable, he is also a very interesting person to talk to – thus the reason for hanging out for a while in his gallery among the many pieces of art.
Well, at some point one has to head on home. After leaving Truchas, we finished out journey through Chimayo, then around Santa Fe and back home to Albuquerque. It was a fabulous trip and just another reminder of why we live in the Land of Enchantment. I hope you enjoyed the journey.
Here are a few more New Mexico travel destinations that I know you’ll love.
I’d like to thank my husband Bobby for all of the photography he did on this trip and for sharing it with you. All of the pictures are copyrighted @BobWillis, so please respect this copyright.
I just found your blog and really enjoy it. I lived in Denver for 35 years and went to NM often. My husband worked at the USGS as a geologist and spent spring and fall mapping faults for many years. We have stayed in Las Vegas but not at this beautiful hotel. New Mexican food is the best, but hard to find good restaurants outside of NM.
So I am excited to find your blog with your amazing recipes.
Nancy, thank you so much for your nice comments. I’m so glad you found me! I highly recommend the Castañeda. It is such a beautiful place and the people are so nice. Hopefully things will get back to normal soon so we can start to safely travel again. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy my recipes. Cheers, MJ
Three years back on our holiday to west coast, my daughter and I had visited Las Vegas but it was a touch and go kind of trip since we were visiting as tourists with a tour operator. Would love to visit again and spend more time in and around the city. The hotel looks lovely and a cozy place to stay.
Thanks Taruna. When you say the west coast, I think you are talking about Las Vegas, Nevada. Also, the Las Vegas in New Mexico doesn’t have tour operators. Two totally different towns. 🙂 the one is Nevada is huge and full of Casinos, entertainments and who knows what else. The one in New Mexico is tiny in comparison, very laid back, and more of a place to chill and take in the history and culture of the area. Hopefully you can get there some day and see the difference.
Every bit of your post is fascinating. I’ve read that book about the Fred Harvey company, and I’m delighted to learn about the restoration of a few of his hotels.
Las Vegas, NM sounds like a much more authentic place than the one in Nevada! I have been to that area a few times and love it there. I hope I will some day follow in your footsteps on the beautiful trip you described.
Best…. mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Thank you Mae! Wasn’t that a great book? I didn’t know much about Fred Harvey until I read it and ever since then, I’ve been on a quest to go to the “houses” that are still standing. 🙂 Oh yes, the NM Las Vega is definitely more authentic and much more laid back and enjoyable place to go. I hope you do return here some day and do more traveling. For this part of the state, autumn is best. The colors are amazing!
What a lovely trip, MJ! My cousin went to the US last year and visited also Las Vegas. She was surprised to see it was not all kitsch and casinos and she loved it. Your hotel looks wonderful! Thank you for sharing once more your wonderful travels I love the photo from the 90s!
Thanks Sissi! The hotel was wonderful and as one can see, the surroundings are just gorgeous. BUT, Las Vegas, New Mexico, is NOT Las Vegas, Nevada, the city where you cousin obviously went. Las Vegas, NM is a very small town in northern NM, with no casinos and a handful of restaurants. The population is about 13.800 whereas Las Vegas, NV has a population over 500,000. Believe me, you aren’t the first person to get it mixed up. Years ago after moving here I would tell my family that we were headed to Las Vegas for the weekend, then I had to explain the difference because they thought we were driving to Nevada. 🙂 The town has a very traditional Spanish Colonial style to its buildings and layout. It was a land grant from the Mexican government in 1835, so many of the families there have a Hispanic heritage. It’s actually quite and interesting place. Enough of a history lesson. 🙂 Thanks for your comments Darlin!
Oh wow! It looks beautiful. I need a vacation!!!
thanks Adina! Don’t we all need a vacation. Life should be a vacation. 🙂
Fall is the best time to explore NM ! Loved hearing about your time in Las Vegas and beyond. That sunset was absolutely beautiful, what a lovely picture of you! Were the fall colors beginning when you were there? Don’t think we will be able to get up north to see them this year but one day . . .
Thanks Jan. Yes, the fall colors were just starting to turn. If you enlarge the pictures of Truchas you can see them. The oaks were red and the aspen were just starting to turn yellow. We ended up having to back to Truchas a week later and the colors were still not a their peak, but more brilliant than just a week prior.
Absolutely beautiful place to stay. I really hope to visit and stay there for a while; it looks like a great place to rejuvenate and relax… with all those colours. Thank you so much MJ !
Thanks Davorka. Aren’t the colors nice and yes, they are very relaxing colors as is the whole hotel. Hope you get to visit some day.
MJ, I love this post in every way! I love the photos, especially the one of you in the bay window looking at the sunset, the one of the fence with the prairie flowers, and the one of the two of you at the top of your mountain hike. I remember my first visit to New Mexico and totally fell in love with it. There is just something so mysteriously spiritual about it on top of its physical beauty. I need to return in the worst way, but know that I’d love to move there which would be close to impossible with all 4 of our kids so close to us here. But I have my bucket list, including driving more through the west and stopping at preserved old hotels such as this place. I can’t believe the beautiful furniture inside! What a gem! Thanks for sharing this travel experience MJ! Love it!
Ciao,
Roz
Thanks Roz! I am thrilled that you enjoyed the post! I’ll share your comments with Bobby since he was my photographer on this trip. Yes, New Mexico is a very mysteriously spiritual place. That’s probably why we went into the mountains every chance we got while we you young enough to do it. 🙂 Now we sleep in comfortable hotels or vrbos rather than on the ground. Much better! I do hope you find your way out here again sometime and if you do, I’d love to meet you personally! I have the feeling we would never stop talking. 🙂
Good post and an interesting read with Fred Harvey and all! The hotel looks splendid and I bet it was something back in the day too! I would love to visit there, the scenery is incredible too! We’ve been over most of the west, except for NM and WY, have to change that esp after reading this. Sounds like 1975 was a great time for you guys. Woo hoo!!!
Thanks Pam! Oh, you should come to New Mexico! There is a reason it’s called the Land of Enchantment. It enchanted my husband and I so much that we just couldn’t leave. 🙂
MJ, so cool reading about Fred Harvey and the Harvey girls. Such beautiful landscape in New Mexico. I didn’t realize there was a Las Vegas there, too!
Thanks Kelly. Glad you enjoyed the post. Yes, we do have a Las Vegas. 🙂
What a nice trip. I bet the altitude was an issue. The hotel looks like a very special place. As usual, Bob’s shots were terrific. I’m so glad you were able to get away and do this.
Thanks Darlin! The hotel is a very special place. Just wish the beds were a little lower. I to climb in. 🙂 Bobby took all those shots on his new iphone. I had almost no editing to do other than to resize. Yay! And yes, the elevation was a issue. 8000 ft. used to be my limit but now I think it’s 7000- 7500. XOXOX
What a beautiful retreat! And thank Bobby for the stunning photos – makes you feel like you’re right there. 🙂
Thank you Judy! And I did rely you message to Bobby and he was very appreciative. 🙂 Can you believe those were all taken on his iphone?
The refuge looks absolutely beautiful! What magnificent views!! That’s a place we’d love to visit.
Thanks Amy! Oh the refuge was breathtaking. When we are there we saw a HUGE flock of yellow-headed blackbirds sitting in a cluster of dead trees, on fences and stumps. They must have been over 500 birds. It was amazing, but we were too far to get a good picture.
Our grandkids live in Monticello and Orem. My husband and I are from IL. Have driven around Salt Lake when going to Oregon but have never ventured in the area that you have written about. Appreciate you sharing your trip. Will look forward to venturing out and enjoying the new territory! Thanks for sharing!
Love your recipes. We order Hatch green chili every year and roast them on our grill.
Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving a comment Carolyn. I’ve been to the Orem and Provo area a couple of times and driven up in the mountains. I gorgeous location! I hope you do venture into northern New Mexico some day. It’s a enchanting part of New Mexico. 🙂
I’m so glad you are enjoying my recipes! Nothing better than a dish with some good Hatch chile.
i have explored northern new mexico and driven “the loop” in the past. truchas was one of the locations that was used for filming The Milagro Beanfield War years ago. the two things that i remember most about the whole area were the scenery and the food.
This is going to sound strange but as I was reading your comment, I had The Milagro Beanfield playing in the background. I’ve seen it several times, so it’s a movie I can just listen to now. 🙂 It’s a beautiful loop isn’t. When we drive to Taos we take the high road either coming or going. And yes, the food is awesome! Thanks for your comment!
Great pictures! And such a fun read. By coincidence, I was reading about Fred Harvey a couple of weeks ago — not so much about him, but about his restaurants and hotels. Fascinating business. Wonderful post — thanks.
thanks John! If you are interested, I would highly recommend the book “Appetite for America”. It’s a great read and I learned a lot about the southwest that I didn’t know.
Those views are so blue and beautiful! I love that hotel bedroom..gorgeous warming colour.
Thanks Angie! Oh yes, NM skies are BLUE and when they are filled with puffy little clouds, it’s breathtaking. But then it’s always breathtaking. 🙂 I’m with you. I love the colors used in the hotel.
Beautiful! Makes me want to get there soon.
Thanks Cheryl. I do hope you take a trip there. It’s a beautiful small hotel and is only getting better. Once the front patio is finished and the main dining room, it’s going to be a unique place.