El Monte Sagrado Living Resort & Spa

The Anaconda bar was a highlight for us: we had a margarita, an old fashioned, and a really good salad. The hotel itself is beautiful and Taos felt like a serene, relaxing getaway. Service was exceptional, and we appreciated the complimentary bottled water and lobby coffee, plus the lavender bath salts. We’re looking forward to coming back.

The restaurant food was yummy, and aside from one problem we had a great stay at this beautiful hotel. I especially liked the pool area. At 1am, though, the room’s A/C and heater were acting up and it got unbearably hot. Even our 4 month old was sweating. I texted the 24/7 help number but never heard back, so we slept with the patio door open and the front door cracked to let in cool air.

We booked the Bali room #29 for a special occasion after watching the website’s virtual reality tour. It’s sold as a “premier suite” for $585 a night, and we stayed three nights in late April 2026. We didn’t use the spa. Check-in went smoothly, and valet and porter help at the entrance was useful since some rooms are a long walk away. The grounds are pretty and relaxing, the staff were cheerful and polite, and we appreciated that the resort allowed us to bring our dog. The main restaurant wasn’t open every day, so we ate dinner at the Anaconda Bar on our first night. The food was very good, but service was sparse and extremely slow, so we went elsewhere for other meals. Breakfast there on our last morning was a better experience. The Bali Room was a huge disappointment compared with the tour. The wood floor finish was mostly worn off and the floor sloped badly. The lampshades were torn, wall finishes were peeling, and the towel hooks and toilet paper holders were coming loose. The bathroom exhaust fan was unbelievably loud and shook the whole room. Dead leaves hadn’t even been swept off the concrete patio, and its furniture was filthy and falling apart. This suite has gone well past rustic charm and badly needs restoration. It should be taken out of service until then. I recorded the fan on my phone so I could play it for staff and give feedback at checkout. By chance, the Regional Guest Experience Manager checked us out. After hearing it, he said, “Yea, we’re trying to patch those rooms up, but we’ve been too busy”. That essentially confirmed they’d rented us a premier suite they knew was in disrepair. His apology felt dismissive and insincere. He offered to refund one day’s amenity fee of $35, a resolution he could have kept to himself. We weren’t seeking a refund. We wanted to know he understood the room’s condition so other guests could have a better stay, and instead learned they already knew. Before posting, I found similar complaints about the premier suites from months earlier, and the website still lets people book this one. That’s inexcusable for a Four Diamond resort. We feel taken advantage of and won’t return. Management clearly knows about the problem, so another cut-and-paste “we’re deeply sincerely sorry” response won’t help.

The property is beautiful, and the customer service we received was amazing. My wife booked us a room for our anniversary, and we were excited since we’d never been here before. We stayed two nights with our children in the Texas room after booking a global room. It looked nice at first, had lots of space, and the hotel left chocolate-covered strawberries for our anniversary. Room service from the restaurant was excellent, and the breakfast burrito was to die for. They also gave us a small discount for the problems, though I think it should have been more since we paid over 1k for two nights. To clear up something from a TripAdvisor post, they do offer self parking and ask when you arrive. Saying they don’t is a bit of a lie. We felt the Texas room needs renovation and updated furnishings. The couch and chair were extremely flat and worn, dining chairs were broken and stained, and light fixtures were broken. A shower head came flying off, and the toilet in the spare bedroom was broken too. Housekeeping needs retraining on how to clean properly. The floors were dirty and ants were in our room, though we were next to a pond. We went out for the day after requesting room cleaning, but housekeeping only made the beds and brought towels. The table and floors were still dirty, and the ants were still there. These rooms should be renovated ASAP or the price should come down. We do plan to visit again and hope the issues get fixed.