TL;DR
- Historic gem: 1937 Route 66 motel restored into a boutique stay.
- Retro-meets-modern: Pueblo revival exteriors with chic, contemporary interiors.
- Creative spaces: Former guest rooms turned into shops, galleries, and dining pods.
- Local flavor: Perfect stop for art, cocktails, and Southwestern culture.
- Check prices here
Ever wished you could take a nice Route 66 stop in Old Town, Albuquerque to shop for local art and sip cocktails in a restored 1937 boutique motel?
What if we told you it’s also possible to spend the night?
Easily one of the coolest experiments in hospitality in the area, El Vado Motel is the perfect place for anyone who likes to mix retro history and local flavor into their road trip. So, most people we’d hope.
They’ve maintained the pueblo revival architecture from the outsides, everything else sporting a clean, contemporary style.
The rooms are chic, and the rest of the old guest rooms have been transformed into boutique shops, art galleries, and one-of-a-kind dining experiences.
What are the rooms like?
- Number of rooms: 22 in total, intimate and stylish.
- Design: Bright, airy with wood beam ceilings and casual decor.
- Room types: Singles with kings, Doubles with queens, Suites with sleeper sofas.
- Amenities: Mini bars, coffee makers, HDTVs, and refillable growlers.
- Extras: Double rooms with desks, Suites with living areas and glass walls.
- See each room in detail here
Rooms are bright and airy, with wood beam ceilings and casual, friendly decor that belongs in your next apartment, or at least your next Sims house.
It’s light wood and blues and whites and the odd bright green and yellow that makes it all feel super welcoming.
Single Rooms feature king beds, Doubles queens, and Suites have king beds with queen sleeper sofas. There are ADA options available with roll-in showers.
Whatever you choose, you’ll enjoy mini bars with coffee makers, HDTVs, and (our favorite) growlers that can be filled at the nearby El Vado Taproom.
Double rooms have desks, and Suites fully separate living areas and large, full glass walls for the best of the Southwestern sunshine.
What are prices like?
And what’s the food like? Any facilities we should know about?
- Taproom: Local brews from Ponderosa Brewing with a kiva fireplace.
- Dining pods: Rotating lineup of local eateries, Latin flavors, cakes, chicken.
- Plaza hub: Central area with food seating, live music stage, and fountain.
- Extras: Outdoor pool available (unheated in winter).
We’ll start with the El Vado Taproom, but it’s far from the only option. It’s the best place for a local Ponderosa Brewing Company brew and a hang by a kiva fireplace.
The other eateries, called ‘pods,’ feature a changing lineup of the best new local flavors. There’s a heavy dose of Latin American cuisine, but also an international chicken house and an award-winning cake shop.
Everything centers around the Plaza, the central area of the hotel fitted out with seating for the food vendors, a stage for live music events, and a fountain-y ‘water feature’ perfect for kids.
You’ve also got a pool available for guests to use. It’s unheated, so be aware in winter, but in the warmer months it’s just what you need.
How is the neighborhood? Anything interesting nearby?
- Route 66: Right off the legendary highway in West Park.
- BioPark: Zoo, gardens, Bugarium, and riverside trails nearby.
- Old Town: Quick walk or drive for museums, galleries, architecture.
- Day trips: Petroglyph Monument, Sandia Crest hikes, local festivals.
If you want to enjoy some time in Old Town Albuquerque, you can’t find a better place than El Vado.
The hotel is right off our favorite legendary highway, Route 66, on the edge of West Park.
Many parts of West Park aren’t overly exciting, but if you explore the space to its fullest, the natural side of Albuquerque will come alive.
The BioPark, complete with Zoo, Botanic Garden, Bugarium, and walking paths, is an easy and beautiful way to pass an afternoon.
Walk long enough, and you’ll find yourself wandering next to the Rio Grande, which, as long as you watch out for critters, will satisfy even the most ambitious of walkers.
If you’re looking for something more developed, another quick jaunt brings you back to Old Town, where you can check out the architecture or the Albuquerque Museum. There’s plenty of culture to explore.
Up by the Or, Steam Locomotive museum you’ll find a nice group of local breweries. It’s a bit of a long and uninteresting walk, but only a 5-minute drive from the hotel.
Depending on when you visit, the area is full of various festivals. Make sure to check with the hotel or have a quick google to see if anything coincides with your visit.
Even without a festival, nearby areas are worth exploring. The Petroglyph Monument is a 10-minute drive, and a day trip to Sandia Crest provides some great hiking.
And what about the reviews? What did other guests think?
Some things guests liked:
“Very nicely renovated, beautiful and tasteful rooms. We loved that it was part of an ensemble with stores, a bar, a pizzeria (closed at the time of our visit). The beers were brewed in Albuquerque and very nice. Very central location , just 3 minutes drive from the old town plaza….”
“Nicely updated motel from the 50’s. It has a small craft bar with local beers. Perfect location near Old Town and across the street from BioPark. Restaurants close by. Love the updated look and the suite in which we stayed….”
Some things guests didn’t like:
”Late checkin (11pm) was challenging. Person at the desk was lovely. But there was a mixup with the key card, and it took over an hour to sort it out before I could get into my room. If checking in late, CALL and make sure cards work before you get there….”
”I would say the only downside is that it is by central avenue, which is a busy road. In hotels I usually use earbuds so I wasn’t bothered but you can hear the road a bit from the rooms….”
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