Touchstone Inn

That private balcony made a lovely start and end to each day, with a view we really enjoyed. The inn is clean, comfortable, and centrally located, and we felt right at home from the moment we arrived. Bren, the owner, and Joyful and the rest of the staff were so relaxed and welcoming. We fell for the place right away, it’s cozy, charming, and romantic. We’ll definitely return and recommend it wholeheartedly.

After one night, we wanted to leave, but the owner wouldn’t refund the second night we’d paid for, so we stayed. It was quiet, and the bed was comfortable, but this was the oddest place we’ve stayed in all our years of travel around the world. I’ve never left a negative review before. The place felt like faded grandeur, with an owner clinging to what used to be classy and now just feels sad. We never saw or met her, though we think she lived in the room next to ours. My husband had booked it expecting the highlight of our trip. Instead, pulling into the parking lot with its dumpsters and junk made us wonder if we had the right place. We were put upstairs, up three flights of broken, rickety outdoor stairs. I had a bad knee and had to haul my own suitcase. The key box fell off the wall, so we couldn’t get in until we found a groundskeeper who was just starting work on the overgrown lawn. Our room was at the back, looking toward some kind of building stuffed with old furniture. It was tiny, with barely enough room to move around the bed, and there was no AC on a stifling day in the high 90s. The old decor and furniture had an interesting Southwest style, but the heat was unbearable, so they kindly moved us downstairs to a larger, cooler room. The whole situation was very odd. There was no TV because we hadn’t brought a Roku, which we didn’t even own. Going without TV was fine, but our phones had no cell service unless we went outside and walked around the dumpster area. That was manageable, but without a TV we also had no phone service for entertainment.

The mattress and sheets were comfortable, but I’d give this place a pass. The property is run down and doesn’t seem well managed. My “Deluxe Queen” had bad lighting and was crowded with 50s-style decor. The Wi-Fi was poor even with an extender outside the room, and the bathroom tile was lifting, among other issues. The TV didn’t work; after several hours of attempts to fix it, we told them to forget it.

I travel a lot and stay overnight, and this was the worst experience I’ve had. With no AC and windows that wouldn’t operate, the room was like an oven in summer. Bren didn’t mention the heat or the problems when I called to reserve, and I felt lured into paying too much for a room that left me deeply disappointed. I asked Bren, the owner, what one night would cost because her Google Maps ad didn’t show a price. She gave only the base rate and didn’t mention other charges. After she had charged my Visa and I was on my way to Taos, I noticed another $20 in fees, plus tax. The extra $20 was described as bank fees for using Visa or MasterCard, along with other unexplained charges I’ve never seen at a hotel, motel, or inn. This place used to be a B&B but no longer serves breakfast. There were no innkeepers, help, or janitorial services. Bren seemed to be the only person there, trying to do everything herself, and I didn’t see anyone else to help clean the rooms or grounds. I tried the windows since there was no AC, but they were old and inoperable. Only Bren seemed to know how to open them. The blinds were stuck together, and she accused me of damaging them. The aluminum single-pane windows had a broken hand crank too. After I complained, she moved us to another room downstairs. We went out to dinner and came back late; the room finally cooled somewhat with the window wide open. A few neighborhood dogs barked all night without stopping. We shut the window to avoid the barking and barely slept a few hours. I saw other guest reviews mention the dogs too. I noticed what seemed to me to be several health, safety, and building code issues. Our room was separated from another by just a piece of Styrofoam, which seemed like a fire hazard, along with a few other questionable building, safety, and health code concerns. I plan to report these issues to the local Building, Fire Safety, and Health Department, and other licensing and certification bodies, to protect public safety.