Ruidoso, NM resort or condo? Where to Stay and How to Decide

We have visited Ruidoso, NM several times. It is a popular tourist attraction near where we live in El Paso, TX, because it is an escape from the desert. Either way there are many places to stay. Whether you want to go and be away from it all, or you still want a social atmosphere, just a change of scenery. Here are the pros and cons to both.

Resort - Inn of the Mountains Gods

Inn of the Mountain Gods is a resort in Mescalero/Ruidoso, New Mexico. It offers a Casino, Golf Course, and Event venue for concerts, chefs, weddings. It also includes a spa, and pool. Other Outdoor activities include a zip-line, pedal-boats, fishing, biking, and more.

The resort in town is Inn of the Mountain Gods. This is a Mescalero Apache owned business. It has all the amenities of a resort in which you won’t have to leave the property because you have everything you need for a vacation.

• Casino

• Golf Course

• Restaurants

• Taphouse

• Recreation such as zip-line, pedal boats, fishing, and more

• Spa

• Special events venue for concerts, weddings, and even special presentations of famous chefs.

• Beautiful rooms with a amazing views.

Condo - Tiara Del Sol

The condo we have stayed on more than one occasion is Tiara del Sol. This is a set of apartment complexes, way up in the mountain from where you can see Inn of the Mountain Gods, the nearby town, and a great view of Sierra Blanca, which is the main mountain where they do skiing from. This offers all the things you would have in a home away from home. Our unit was a suite that was 2 floors, 2 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, kitchen, dining, washer and dryer.

• Full apartment/condo (for the most part).

• More isolated (though you do have shared walls) and get see wildlife like deer and wild turkeys.

• Great views

• Can prepare your own meals

• More space.

Pros and Cons

Depending on the type of vacation you are looking for, there are pros and cons to both

Inn of the Mountain Gods - PROS

• Everything is there - entertainment, recreation, food

• Beautiful rooms and facilities well maintained

• Lots to do

• Food

• Atmosphere (depending if you want people around)

Inn of the Mountain Gods - CONS

• Expensive rooms - especially when there is a special event or holiday weekends

• Expensive food - the restaurants are good but it will rack up quickly if you are spending multiple nights there, multiple meals.

• Average size hotel rooms unless you get a suite.

• Atmosphere (depending on if you want people around)

Tiara Del Sol - PROS

• Large condo/apartment to yourself

• Peaceful and serene - watching wildlife go by from your balcony. Read a book with a cup of coffee. See the night sky.

• Affordable - At least way way more affordable than Inn of the Mountain Gods.

• Atmosphere - (depending on if you want people around)

Tiara Del Sol - CONS

• Old Complex - Not as well maintained. Rustic. There may be bugs and spiderwebs.

• Rooms - Rooms are ok also but not as nice of a bed as you would get at Inn of the Mountain Gods.

• Not as much to do - Wish there had been a hiking trail nearby, but its pretty much just the complex and surrounding houses/cabins.

• Thin walls and neighbors - One of the times we went we were a large group and pretty loud. Another time we were a small group and not a lot of noise, and we got a noise complaint… 🤨😅

• Food - You have to make your own or drive into town.

• Atmosphere - (depending on if you want people around)

• The road - Getting up here in the winter if there is snow would definitely be safer with an all-terrain vehicle.

So it is up to you as to what you want. There are ways to make Inn of the Mountain Gods a peaceful getaway like the condo. If you go off-peak and during the week, it becomes affordable and peaceful without having the crowds. Food can still be expensive, but ammenities such as comfy bed and well maintained facilities stays the same. Let us know what you decide and your experience. Or have other alternatives for both.

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Alamogordo Toy Train Museum | Road Trip Gems

There are fun little places you can’t really fly to. You wouldn’t spend/plan a whole vacation just for this one destination, but are definitely glad it crossed your path. If you’re traveling through Alamogordo to get to Ruidoso, Cloudcroft, Las Cruces, or El Paso, Texas, you may want to make a pit stop to the Alamogordo Toy Train Museum. It’s a small little building, but it still fits tons of toy trains. They have several scales/sizes, some running and some not running. It definitely sucks you in to how incredibly patient, time-consuming, and sense of accomplishment that this hobby can bring.

Train Museum - Interior

At the time we went, it was approximately $7 a person which included a tour of the museum, and a ride on their outdoor model train. The tour includes 3 rooms with running displays. They have a train track that is set up high near the ceiling, as well as one that is hanging upside down from the ceiling (not functional but cool to see). One that is electric with the wire overhead like the actual electric trains. And their grand finale is there largest room with a slight replica of the area, representing Alamogordo, an surrounding towns such as Cloudcroft, Carrizozo, Ruidoso, and others. Cloudcroft is a nearby town that is in the mountains. It is about a half hour drive into and up the mountain. You drive through a tunnel and it always fascinates me how much the landscape changes after going through the tunnel, like a portal. Depending which direction you’re going, it transforms from desert to forest. Soon you will be surrounded by pines and evergreens. As you get nearer to Cloudcroft, you will see a trestle. A trestle is a type of bridge or structure to hold something up. In this case it used to be for train tracks. One of the models pays homage to when this used to be a functioning railroad from Alamogordo to Cloudcroft.

About Cloudcroft

Cloudcroft Trestle

As I mentioned, you will be able to see the trestle as you drive in. You can pull over and take pictures if you’d like. Sometimes you will see people at the other end of the bridge and wonder how they got there. If you continue on the road, there will be like a rest area, where there are clean bathrooms. There is a trailhead there where you can get to the “other side” of the trestle. It is a fairly easy hike. There are some steep parts, and is maybe about a mile to get to. The scenery is beautiful, especially during the fall. But fall foliage happens extremely fast. You have about a 1 to 2 week window, about the 2nd and 3rd week of October. They also get snow quite regularly during the winter months. Which is great for all the nearby desert people that rarely get to see snow.

Train Museum - Exterior

Caboose in Alamogordo Toy Train Museum

The other part of admission was the ride on the G scale train, that runs along Alameda park and another set of real railroad tracks. We even got lucky and got to see a real train pass by alongside us as we were riding. It is a round trip that maybe takes 15-20 minutes. Back at the museum there is also a caboose. According to their website, it can be rented for kids parties, etc.

Consider stopping

Alamogordo Train Museum

As mentioned if you are passing through Alamogordo, or if Alamogordo is your destination, I would definitely consider adding this to your itinerary. Check out our video on Youtube of our experience or the gallery of photos taken from our experience.