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Española is a small city in northern New Mexico. It’s located a short drive from both Los Alamos and Santa Fe.
Introduction to Española
Española has a long history. It was founded in 1598 by Spanish conquistador Juan de Oñate (1550-1626) as San Juan de los Caballeros, at the site of the present-day Tewa pueblo of Ohkay Owingeh. The settlement was the first capital of Nuevo México under the Spanish Empire, and it’s considered by some as the first capital city in the United States.
A settlement at the current site of Española was established by 1751 and was known as La Vegas de los Vigiles. The name changed to Española in 1880, just prior to the arrival of the railroad. It was officially incorporated as a city in 1925.
Plaza de Española
The first place we visited was Plaza de Española, which is a cultural area in the heart of the city. Admission to all the attractions is free. Unfortunately, they were all closed because we visited too early in the day.
The plaza contains a replica of a Spanish mission church built in 1598. It includes traditional church decorations from the 16th through 20th centuries as well as a gift shop and visitor center.
A long walkway from the church leads to a veteran’s memorial depicting the names of over 2,100 Española Valley veterans. The memorial includes a walk of honor, reflecting pool, fountains, and a garden.
On the other side of the memorial is the Bond House Museum, which is a historic home built in 1887 by Canadian entrepreneur Frank Bond (1863-1945). It highlights the transition of Española from frontier outpost to commercial center and also displays local works of art. The museum is open Monday through Friday from noon to 4pm.
Chimayó Trading Post
After the plaza we stopped by the Chimayó Trading Post, which sells Native American art and jewelry. The original trading post was built in Chimayó in 1917 and moved to its current location in Española in 1924.
The Chimayó Trading Post has been operated by the Trujillo family since it first opened. It too was closed when we drove by.
Where to Stay in Española
We stayed a few nights but didn’t spend too much time in town, using it mostly as a base to visit Los Alamos and a some other nearby places.
Rodeway Inn
I can’t tell you where to stay in Española, but I can tell you where NOT to stay. The Rodeway Inn was perhaps the worst hotel experience I’ve ever had in my life.
Always check your hotel beds before you settle in. This occurred on October 25, 2015.
I got into bed at 10:30pm and immediately felt something wet. Immediately, I jumped out of bed and ripped the sheets off. I found a yellow stain and the smell of urine on the mattress pad. The guest before me clearly peed the bed and the housekeeper who turned the room over changed the sheets but not the mattress pad. It was easily the most disgusting thing that has ever happened to me at a hotel. I was ready to vomit.
The Hotel’s Response
I got dressed and ran to reception. They offered to change the sheets. I refused, demanded a whole new room, and asked to leave a note for the manager. My friends (one who was sick) who were staying in the room with me had to be woken up to move to the new room. I took a 2nd shower in 30 minutes to clean off again.
24 hours later, I still hadn’t gotten any response from the manager. I asked the receptionist how they would resolve the problem. She copped an attitude with me and said they already fixed it by moving me to another room. She then kept asking what I REALLY wanted and I asked when I could speak with the manager. I was told the manager was “busy with a family emergency” and wasn’t coming in for a while.
15 minutes later the receptionist rang the room and offered a $30 credit. I countered by promising to post the experience all over social media and contacting the state Health Department. I also contacted Choice Hotels corporate customer service but NEVER received a response.
What would you expect the hotel to do if this happened to you? Is a $30 credit on a $56 room enough to rectify the situation? For me, that would’ve amounted to paying $26 to sit in someone else’s urine! What’s your worst hotel experience and how was it resolved?
