National Parks Highway is a convenient place to stay if you are going to visit the caverns. It is nearly 25 minutes away from the caverns and close to shopping and restaurants. Although the 25-minute ride may seem too long for some, it gave us an opportunity to observe some wildlife. We ran into jackrabbits, ringtail, and some bats when driving to our hotel after the bat show at the Carlsbad Caverns National Park.
We didn't make any prior reservation to keep our options open. When we were at the area we decided that with limited budget Days Inn offered us the best value. It was nice and clean and looked new. (The Best Western Hotel in the White's city, on the outskirts of the caverns, asked for $100. Although some other hotels near Days Inn offered much lower prices they looked old and outdated.)
Our room was decorated in a Southwestern theme, with borders, pictures, and bed covers reflecting Southwestern designs. The theme reminded me I was in New Mexico if I woke up the next day and forgot where I was. The room had a small refrigerator, which comes in handy for keeping the drinks cold for the next day, and a microwave to warm leftovers. We also had a hair dryer, iron, and a small ironing board. One of our disappointments was the towels, which were old and worn out. However, the shower had a strong pressure which massaged my aching muscles (due to hiking in and around caverns).
We had free breakfast served in the lobby that included toast, jam, danishes, cereals, coffee, orange juice, and milk. It wasn't the best, but it was what I needed to start a new day. There was an enclosed swimming pool near the lobby but we didn't use it. The brouchure of the hotel also mentioned a fitness room, but I didn't see where it was located.