Every mountain town has its premier lodging facility. These tend to be large, luxurious, expensive, and usually overcrowded.
Not so in Cloudcroft. Matching the laid-back, rustic atmosphere of the village, The Lodge is the embodiment of the concept of "retreat."
Built in 1899 by the Alamogordo and Sacramento Mountain Railway to house guests escaping the heat of the desert, the Lodge's architecture retains the flavor of its European designers, a cross between Bavarian castle and Victorian country mansion.
The interior is cozily decorated in rustic southwestern style with occasional but readily apparent European flair. It's like Santa Fe meets Versailles, but it WORKS!
The common area is warmed by a large and roaring fireplace, and the rug-accented hardwood floors creak a song centuries-old as you stroll along the halls.
The main Lodge building houses only 61 rooms, each entirely unique in its decoration. From the regular guest rooms to the Honeymoon Suite, each room is so romantic you can just barely stand it.
Ask the front desk for the old skeleton key to "The Tower" and you can climb the winding staircase high up above the main Lodge to the observation room at the top of the tower. Here you are granted a vista across the mountains to the White Sands basin, almost a vertical mile below you.
The Lodge has recently completed a couple of additional buildings, one which houses groups, and another which is operated as a Bed and Breakfast. Each has rates a bit lower than the main Lodge.
Rates vary according to season. Obviously summer is considered high season, as is fall when the aspens turn gold. Regular rooms start at $105 per night, up to the Honeymoon Suite which will run you $239 in high season.
The Lodge is host to Rebecca, a beautiful young woman who died nearly 70 years ago, but whose ghost still quite visibly roams the halls. Sightings occur with rather alarming frequency here, but Rebecca isn't there to scare you. Most people are more intrigued or saddened by an encounter with her.
The award-winning restaurant at The Lodge is named after her, and you can dine sumptuously on cuisine featured in worlwide culinary magazines. See the restaurant entry entitle Rebecca's for more info.
The Lodge also owns the highest elevation golf course in America, along with Cloudcroft's ski area Snow Canyon. See their respective entries, as well.
I can hardly recommend an alpine resort anywhere in North America more heartily than The Lodge. It sits atop a mountain high above the sleepiest little German alpine village imaginable, and offers its guests a luxurious and eclectic getaway unmatched by anything I've yet encountered. Just ask Judy Garland, Clark Gable, or Pancho Villa. They've all stayed here, and I'm sure their ghosts wander back to the rustic charm of this perfect mountain getaway.
Go.