New Mexico's rugged southwestern beauty offers a picturesque environment for outdoor enthusiasts looking to rent a vacation cabin. About 7.8 million overnight visitors come to the Land of Enchantment each year, many who wish to ski the Taos Mountains, fish the Pecos River or explore the forested canyons of Ruidoso on horseback. These areas often have a wide selection of cabins from which to choose, with a select handful emphasizing eye-catching aesthetics that are meant to complement the cabin’s rustic style.
Prime Locations
Many of New Mexico's most attractive cabins can be found in upscale resort-style communities with scenic mountain vistas and alpine woodlands, where wealthier outdoor enthusiasts come for summer and winter recreation. Historic towns such as Pinos Altos and Cloudcroft offer easy access to the Gila and Lincoln National Forests, respectively, which offer hiking, biking and ATV trails that are popular in warmer months. During the winter, cabin renters flock to Taos Ski Valley and Red River Ski Area, boasting a combined 167 trails between the two of them. Ruidoso, a resort town in south-central New Mexico, has more luxury cabins than just about anywhere in the state thanks to a plentiful combination of skiing and hiking trails, while more urban areas such as Santa Fe and Albuquerque have a dearth of choices.
Architecture & Decor
Some of the state’s most beautiful cabin architecture ranges from Swedish Cope to Western-style craftsman to the rustic log structures that regained prominence in the early 20th century. Round log chink style and broad-axe hewn log style are two of the most fashionable rustic log sub-genres, where the former uses round logs with gaps for chinking while the latter has flat logs with compound dovetail corners. Most of these cabins are either one or two stories high and can range in size from a few hundred square feet to more than 2,000. Full-sized kitchens and bathrooms with tiled floors are common, while bedrooms and living spaces often feature polished hardwood flooring. Interior elements such as cathedral ceilings, wood beams, stacked stone walls and knotty pinewood accents tend to vary from cabin to cabin.
Amenities
Modern indoor amenities such as satellite television, VCRs, DVD players, CD stereos and telephones come standard in most high-end cabins unless the renter explicitly asks for the removal of such things. Many units also offer high-speed wireless Internet access and individual climate controls. Kitchens are usually stocked with dishware, cookware, glasses and utensils, and beds almost always sport their own pillows and linens. Premium amenities such as washers and dryers, gas or wood fireplaces, hot tubs and game rooms with pool or foosball tables will vary between cabins and will inevitably be found in the pricier options. Outdoor amenities might include covered or wraparound porches with swings, play areas, picnic tables, barbecue grills, fire pits and piles of firewood. Most also have parking for two regular-sized vehicles.
Standard Policies
Policies will vary from cabin to cabin depending on the management; however, certain trends seem to persist throughout most of New Mexico's nicer cabins. Two-night minimum stay requirements are fairly standard and may be longer on holiday weekends. Discounts are often given during non-peak seasons or for a stay of five nights or more. Most cabins do not allow smoking anywhere on the premises due to the flammable nature of the cabin's wood construction and the lingering odor that might repel subsequent renters. However, clean well-behaved pets are welcome at a majority of locations thanks in part to the fact that many outdoorsmen are also dog-lovers. Cancellation policies usually require at least fourteen days notice for a full refund, while security deposits and additional cleaning fees may also be assessed.
Mark Heidelberger - Mark Heidelberger has been writing for over 17 years, with recent articles appearing on web sites such as eHow, Trails and Golflink. He ...
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