Cool Mountain Retreat – Now Under Renovation Summary We spent a week here to escape the brutal heat at our home near Albuquerque, NM. We enjoyed our stay, and would return, especially in the winter when the ski lift in the resort’s back yard is operating. One side of the building appears to have been renovated, and staff told us that exterior repairs and renovations were scheduled to begin the week following our visit. Our unit, #10, was just renovated, and proved spacious and comfortable. We’ve skied Red River in winter, and this resort is superbly positioned for a great week. The ski area itself is more appealing to beginner/intermediate skiers, with few expert-challenging trails. In summer, we found it attractive for all the hiking trails criss-crossing the slopes. The town is a fun, small place, with several good restaurants, a couple funky roadhouse bars, and an assortment of tourist-oriented shops. Winter or summer, you can have a good, cool vacation here. Unit Features Our unit, #10, is a recently renovated 2BR, with spacious living area and very large deck. The front of the unit faces the street on which the resort is located. The rear faces a narrow strip of river bank across which a paved sidewalk runs. Beyond that is the Red River itself. The opposite bank of the river rises steeply up the mountain on which the ski area is located. The views are both pastoral and majestic. An L-shaped kitchen adjoins the entryway, with a full set of appliances. Dinnerware, crockery and flatware are provided for 8 people, with appropriate pots and pans. Kitchen tools and gadgets were a step above the usual cheap junk. I found I didn’t need the knives I brought along nearly as much as I normally do. The resort even provided some coffee and tea to get us started. The dining/living space extends straight back from the kitchen to the rear wall, where an 8’ sliding glass door leads to an unexpectedly large deck measuring about 16’x32’. The deck extends across the entire rear of the building, with each unit separated by a chest-high dividing wall. Similarly, a balcony, narrower than the deck, extends across the second floor of the building. In the living/dining area, a gas fireplace provides cozy light and warmth, although we used it only a little during our summer visit. A 50” flat screen TV mounted above the fireplace mantel was plenty large enough for good visibility from the pull-out couch and chairs. A DVD player provides the means for movies, and the resort has a small library of films available for borrowing. A rectangular table and six chairs occupied the dining area, while still leaving good traffic space around it. Two entry closets and a bank of closets at one side of the dining area offer plenty of storage for vacation gear. The second BR is just to the right of the entryway, and features two twin beds, a nightstand, and a chest of drawers. A small closet is also included. A 27” flat screen TV provides some entertainment opportunity in this BR. A full bath is situated between the second BR and the master, and is accessed from the living/dining space. It is spacious enough to accommodate a wheelchair, but lacks grab bars and other accessories, so I can’t call it fully accessible. The master BR is located off the living area at the rear of the unit space. It features a king bed, two nightstands, a chest of drawers, and a closet. A pair of windows look out on the unit’s deck, the river and mountain beyond. An ensuite bath with a full tub/shower unit is accessed through a door at one side of the bed. It, too, is large enough to maneuver a wheelchair in, but access is blocked by the king bed, which leaves only a very narrow path around it to the bathroom. Unit Size I estimate our unit to be around 750 sq.ft. or so. The open floor plan in the living/dining area contributes to a feeling of greater size, as does the large deck, which adds at least another 400 sq. ft. I do not know if other units are larger or smaller. Condition of Unit and Property As noted earlier, the unit itself is newly renovated, and was spotlessly clean with virtually no wear showing anywhere. The balance of the property shows a good deal of age, with darkened wood siding and a few sagging railings. Along the roofline, winter snow and ice dams have broken off large sections of rain gutters. This resulted in a significant waterfall onto our deck during a couple of afternoon thunderstorms, since the remaining gutter ended right above the deck. Staff informed us that repairs and exterior renovations were due to commence the week after our visit. Any problems encountered such as check-in problems, room changes, etc. None Any Unexpected Fees None Resort Amenities The resort has a small common deck area with a hot tub. Unfortunately, it appears the tub is used only in winter. A couple of gas grills were noted in the same space. All the units are accessed from open walkways on the street side of the resort. Other than the hot tub space, we didn’t notice any summer amenities, but then, we didn’t go looking for them either. Staff Friendliness and Responsiveness We found the staff to be quite friendly and highly responsive to our questions. Maintenance staff appeared seemingly in moments in response to one or two requests for assistance. Convenience to Area Attractions Red River is a small town, and the resort is located just one short block off the main street. Nothing in town is more than a brisk 15-minute walk from anything else, including the ski area. In fact, one of the ski area’s double chairlifts is located at the back corner of the resort building. Although it is closed in summer, a larger, 4-person chairlift does offer sightseeing rides to the peak. That lift is a 10-minute walk down the path behind the resort. Out of town, numerous trail heads and trails are a short drive away. A 15-minute drive up to the top of Bobcat Pass brings one to Bobcat Pass Wilderness Adventures, which offers horseback and ATV guided tours of the surrounding forested mountains. On certain nights in the summer, it also offers “cowboy dinner” evenings with very good grilled steaks and Western music. Taos Village, home to a significant art traditioin, and Taos Pueblo, the oldest continuously-inhabited dwelling place in the United States, are about a 45-minute drive from the resort. Eagle Nest and Angel Fire are two other small towns not far that are worth a visit. Local Restaurants Worth Mentioning Very good: Sundance (Mexican), Texas Red’s Steakhouse (steak), Brett’s Bistro (American/Continental) Good: Yesterday’s Diner (breakfast/lunch), Shotgun Willie’s (BBQ) Fair: Capo’s Corner (Italian), Vine+Dine (American, expensive), Red River Brewing & Distillery (pub grub, undistinguished beer) Saloons: Bull O’ the Woods, Motherlode (both very good bars with pub grub and weekend music) Suitability of Resort for couples, families, relaxing, partying, etc. Couples – Great! Units are spacious and quiet, and the town’s restaurants and bars are close by. Evenings in the unit are comfortable. Families – Sure! The second BR accommodates two kids, and the pull-out couch will hold a couple more. The deck is partially shielded from rain by the balcony overhead, so even rainy days needn’t find everyone cooped up inside. Relaxing – Sure! We were there in non-holiday summer, and the weather was sunny and cool with occasional afternoon thunderstorms. Although the town was full of tourists on the weekends, it was relatively empty and quiet during the week. The beds are both nicely firm and in near-new condition. Partying – Yes! Between inside space and the deck, the unit could easily hold two or thee dozen people for a party. I wouldn’t try to party hearty late into the night (the resort has a 10PM quiet time curfew) but an afternoon family gathering or early evening cocktail party would be easy to accomplish. Rating: The resort’s location, ambiance, views, and comfort all put it in 8.0-9.0 range. The need for continuing renovations drops that into the 6.0-7.0 range. Overall, I call it a 7.5, with potential to rise as renovations are completed.

Consistently Good Resort I wrote a full review of this resort on 8/19/2023. Our visit this year was earlier in the season, with delightfully cool mornings and comfortable afternoons. This year we observed the hot tub in operation, although we didn't use it. Out unit, #11, was recently renovated very comfortable. We enjoyed the spacious living area, large deck and close proximity to our car. The fireplace wasn't working on arrival, but maintenance fixed it promptly when requested. We enjoyed ourselves and would return.

Quiet, relaxing, enjoyable stay in Red River We stayed for a week in April in the low season so it was quiet. The maintenance staff went out of their way to supply items that we forgot from home that are not typically provided, such as extension cords and an HDMI cable and pretty much anything else we needed. He also provided some very good fishing tips. One morning, we were out on our balcony when the manager of our hotel plus other Worldmark hotel managers and the regional director. One of the managers offered fishing advice recommending the local worms and the regional director proceeded to dig up worms for our fishing excursion that day. Yes, hilarious but going the extra mile as well. Love you guys!

wonderful We came from IL and the resort is worth the 942 mile trip. The buildings are clean and spacious. Staff is extremely friendly and helpful. Even to showing their holes.private fishing holes. The location for wildlife is unbelievable. The Red River trout and ducks are 50' off our deck. A herd of Mule deer come to drink every evening. Between Red River and Questa herds of Mountain Sheep wander the roadside. We are going to try to get back every couple of years. MaryLynn D

Nice stay with the arrival of snow! Room was smaller than normal, but good for just the 2 of us. Room was upstairs which was tiring to us (66 years old, high altitude), but was only an issue on the first and last days. Very clean, everything worked, polite staff. Hot tub was out, but they were trying hard to get it fixed. Oh, had to pay $15 for internet... not a lot of $$, but in this day and age!?