Featured Lodging: Elephant Butte
 |
| The inn offers a full-service salon and spa. |
On the Waterfront
Waterfront retreats are rare in New Mexico, but at Elephant Butte Lake one can enjoy 200 miles of shoreline, plus boating, fishing, and waterskiing on the 40-mile-long lake. At the edge of the town of Elephant Butte (population 1,369), the lake is about 150 miles south of Albuquerque on I-25, and four miles east of Truth or Consequences with its healing hot springs and burgeoning art scene.
This month, as many as 100,000 boating enthusiasts will arrive at the lake on Labor Day weekend, September 4–6, 2010; and September 11–12, 2010, marks one of New Mexico’s most distinctive hot-air balloon events: the Elephant Butte Balloon Regatta, in which spectators enjoy a kaleidoscope of reflections as the colorful balloons hover over the water.
After a day of making waves and soaking up the scene, bed down at Elephant Butte Inn and Spa. On weekdays, it’s the ideal setting for couples seeking a quiet getaway; on weekends, it’s a family-friendly choice for outdoor enthusiasts. “We are an enchanting retreat from the ordinary,” says Susan LaFont, who, with her husband, owns the inn. “We are continually refurbishing the inn to provide guests with the best possible experience when they choose to stay with us.”
If relaxation is the goal, book reservations for the inn’s Ivory Spa and Salon, where massages and facials start at $75—or slip into the outdoor, heated pool. For sporting types, the inn often offers packages to get you out and about. Try the golf package for the nearby Sierra del Río Golf Course, or rent a pontoon boat from nearby Marina del Sur.
Come evening, dine at the inn’s Ivory Tusk Restaurant, a favorite of guests and locals that serves authentic New Mexican entrées as well as steaks and seafood. Enjoy a drink on the lively Bamboo Terrace or an intimate meal in the Lakeview Atrium. For after-dinner cocktails, saunter into the cowboy-chic Ivory Tusk Tavern.
And if you’re lucky enough to have a lake-view room, return there at dusk to watch the orange-and-pink sunset reflected in Elephant Butte Lake’s rippling waters.
Elephant Butte Inn and Spa, 401 Highway 195, P.O. Box 996, Elephant Butte, (575) 744-5431, www.elephantbutteinn.com—Brandon Call
