#277 - Trinity Hotel in Carlsbad, NM

​First Stop - Carlsbad

In June, Don and I spent the first night of our 18-day road trip, in Carlsbad. Mostly, it was a convenient stopping point. But we got lucky, when we found out there was an interesting hotel to try!

We booked a night at this lovely hotel in an historic building. Originally it was built as the community's first bank, in 1892.
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Our First Choice... La Caverna

If we'd had more than good luck, we could have stayed at La Caverna, built by Trost & Trost. We've stayed at a number of Texas hotels, designed by the Trost brothers.   

It would have taken more magic than luck, to have stayed at this wonderful southwestern style hotel. It was torn down a few decades ago.

Today!

La Caverna is long gone, but years ago it sat right next to the First National Bank. (our hotel) Today, you can see O'Reilly Auto Parts, sitting to the left of the Trinity Hotel. Not a very impressive replacement. 

To the right of Trinity, you can see The Post Time Inn. It was once part of a 1960's motel complex, that was added to La Caverna.    

Historic Corner

There's a lot of history around this intersection of Fox and Canal. The old bank on the corner, came close to meeting the same doom as La Caverna. Luckily, 3 business partners were concerned about losing another historic Carlsbad building. They bought the dilapidated bank building in 2007. 

They took a couple years renovating the building into a hotel and restaurant. They did a pretty amazing job.

Renovation Stories

I read about the state of the bank building, when renovation began. One of the windows had been shot out. There was no air-conditioning, heat or running water. Today the building shows no signs of those dark years.

The exterior looked immaculate. I wish I had some scoop about the unusual brickwork, though. With a close inspection, I was suddenly reminded of when I played with modeling clay as a kid... and drew brick patterns with a toothpick!

So Similar!

​I found an old photo for comparison. The image was too dark to show the brick clearly.

But I was amazed at how little has changed with the building, in 131 years. The lobby entrance is still on the corner. The entrance to the stairs, is on the left. I wonder how much glass is original in all those tall windows?

​Easy Arrival

​We arrived before 3, on a Friday. There was lots of parking available, on the side of the building.

Right away, I wondered about the odd piece of art, near the entrance.

More Parking!

Besides street parking, there was a private lot in the back of the building.

I love small towns and cities where parking is free and and easy. However getting to our room up the fire escape stairs, was a little tricky with bags.

Lots to Love

I love buildings on corners. And I love how boldly, this hotel sat on the corner.

I loved the wonderful afternoon light. I loved the grapevines growing up that brick. Grapevines?

I loved all the glass in the doors and windows. And I sort of loved that odd  glass Christmas tree near the entrance. Those were actually wine bottles. Would that artsy tree light up at night? (sadly no)

Check In

We headed for the door, but paused to see the message painted on the window. It was a good message, but a sad sign of the times.

The lobby was quiet at 3. The tall ceilings and old fireplace helped me imagine the old bank. Mostly the space felt more like a small gift shop, than a hotel lobby. Not much lobby lounging space. But we were at least able to check in early.

The Vault

We peeked around a bit before heading up. We noticed a vault in the back. It was a reminder of the old bank days.

The vault had become a humidor for cigar sales. We didn't get to see the second vault upstairs. It now connects to a guest room and evidently holds a couch and TV. Odd!

​Holy Hallway

The second floor was accessible through a door at the top of the "fire escape". There was also a door off of Main Street, that opened to a staircase.
Seven of the nine guest rooms, were upstairs.

After climbing the stairs, I was aware of 3 things in the hall. There was a powerful cleaning fragrance. It was very dim, despite lots of fancy chandeliers. And there seemed to be a lot of crosses. I guess I hadn't stopped to think about the name of the hotel, until I saw all the crosses. Trinity... The unity of Father, Son & Holy Spirit? Hmmm? 

Room 202

Our room was quite lovely for $169. A luxurious king bed and double doors to a huge bathroom...

...and we had our own cross on the wall. Again, I wondered. We've stayed in a few hotels with crosses on the wall. But they were playing along with a convent theme or the old mission theme, whatever the building had originally been. What was with this Trinity name anyway?  Are we attracting Christian travelers? I hope there's a better reason than that.

​Great and Not Great

​The room was wonderfully clean and comfy, but there were a few things that just didn't fit. The framed art was not my favorite. Purchased at Kirkland's at the mall?

The bed and linens were heavenly and I loved having a decent ceiling fan.  But the drapes were heavy and odd. They covered those beautiful windows, so awkwardly.

I was happy with how the TV was hidden in a wardrobe. That's always a classy move.

The desk and chair were decent. There was no microwave, coffee maker or fridge, but there was a wine cooler! The wine glasses and pretty ice bucket added a nice touch. I was beginning to see a wine connection with our hotel.

The Doors!

I absolutely loved the wildly tall double doors, even if they didn't close well. The woodwork and transom helped me imagine the past. What was this space used for a hundred years ago?

I assume the floors were all wood, back in the banking days, but I liked the fresh carpet and bathroom tile. The floors probably creaked back in the day, like back in 1924, after the bank closed. Who worked up here, then? Who filled this building when it was later used to produce the local newspaper or when  famed Sheriff Pat Garrett had an office in the building. Did Sheriff Garrett work here, before or after he shot Billy the Kid? 

Spacious Bathroom
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Surely these double doors are original? What did they open up to? I'm guessing it wasn't a glamorous bathroom.

I was very excited about the soft towels & robes, the double sinks and enormous shower!

I was less excited about those dangling drapes, near the toilet. I was glad for privacy, but I was frustrated by how our 3 tall windows were covered. 

Views 

At least in the room we were able to pull the drapes back. The view wasn't spectacular, but I do love looking out to check on the weather. I watched a storm brewing at one point.

We could also keep an eye on the Lucky Bull Grill across the street, to see when the crowds thinned. It looked like a popular place.

Dinner at the Trinity

We ended up eating at the hotel's restaurant. The reviews sounded too good to pass up. Earlier when I peeked in, I was impressed with those high ceilings. High enough to add an extra level of dining, past the bar.

It was crowded when we arrived at 6, but the owner Dale Balzano got us seats at the bar. He invited us to enjoy a complimentary wine tasting. 

We sampled a few wines from the Balzano Family's vineyards. (the wine connection) We each ordered a glass of Malbec and browsed the menu with some good Italian choices. The lasagna and Caesar salad was excellent. The cheesecake to-go, was yummy but on the small side. ​

The conversations ended up being the most entertaining part of the evening. The staff (wearing colorful bowties) all seemed in good spirits. We got some fun scoop on the hotel and the area from our bartender and other guests. One remembered coming to the old bank building, when it held a resale shop for Red Cross. A nearby couple told us they met 20 years ago, at the bar next door. The (evidently) very lively bar, had been part of the old El Caverna hotel complex. It felt wonderful to be back talking with others on the first night of our trip! 

After Dinner Walk

After finishing up, we chatted with Dale, (the hotel's sole owner now) on our way out. He suggested we walk along the Pecos River. He pointed us in the right direction, right past the old train depot.

It was a lovely night after the rains passed. We spotted a geyser-like fountain and some swans and numerous families settled into lawn chairs, with fishing poles and picnic food.

We followed a family on bikes, crossing over a walking bridge. The air felt warm and breezy, like a summer in my childhood... back when people used to come outside to enjoy the cooler evening temps.
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Back Again

We were back to the hotel by 9:30. Earlier before our walk, I took this photo. I could see our room with its arched corner window on the left, just above the restaurant. Oops. We left that light on!

When we returned an hour later, we peeked through the glass at the restaurant. The guests had all cleared out and I knew our room above would be quiet... unless we heard noises from RUBY, the ghost who evidently haunts the hotel.

​Morning

No ghosts woke us, but the sun did at 5:49 am. The rounded section of window above the drapes, welcomed early daylight to our room. But I was happy to shower early and get down to our complimentary breakfast treat.

The Trinity Restaurant had already welcomed a few locals before we arrived at 7:30. I recognized some staff from the night before and wondered how they could be cheery all over again. Our server Dee Dee, greeted us with lots of enthusiasm and invited us to choose any specialty coffee and pastry item, as guests of the hotel. As you can see, the cinnamon roll and scones came with artwork! My scone was perfectly delish.

​What's Notable?

We'd chosen this place mostly because of the location. It was a good stopping point on our drive. But we got so much more. 

Historic hotels in small towns are rarely so nicely remodeled or run. During the pandemic we've learned to lower expectations, especially in smaller communities. We didn't need to here. The room was spotless and luxurious. The restaurant's food had big city flavor, but the atmosphere had a small town, busy-but-relaxed-vibe. It seemed as if the guests and workers were all happy to be there. The location in town was another pleasant surprise. I will always remember that after dinner walk! We could have happily stayed another night.