Featured Lodging: Ratón
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| Aficionados of the Victorian Era will appreciate the dining room of this 1885 home-turned-inn. |
Rosy Outlook
Except for the decidedly 21st-century flat-screen TV, I might be in a luxurious hotel room in the heart of Ratón just as the railroad’s arrival has made the Santa Fe Trail obsolete. The modern-day Heart’s Desire Inn is a delightful B&B in an 1885 Victorian house on a quiet intersection in this town of about 6,300 people, a stone’s throw from the New Mexico–Colorado state line. The landmark Ratón sign stands atop Goat Hill, just above.
Barbara Riley bought and renovated the house in 1997, adding a new furnace and solar heat but keeping the antiques and the elegant, vintage feel. She gave each private room its own theme: There are the Victorian, the Blue Willow, the Patriotic Room, and, up another staircase, the Hunting and Fishing Lodge, with its own kitchen, bath, and scenic views over the treetops.
The inn was constructed as a boarding house by Marion Littrell, an enterprising rancher who was also Colfax County’s first sheriff. In the old days, boarders kept their horses in the stable that’s still out back; when the jail filled beyond capacity, Littrell chained extra prisoners to posts in the stable. Since she opened her inn, Riley says, many old-timers have stopped by to share tales and photographs of the building’s storied past.
The entire first floor, its sitting and dining rooms furnished in antiques, is available to guests, some of whom arrive by train; others are on dining tours of the Santa Fe Trail. Many visit nearby Capulín Volcano National Monument, the Philmont Scout Ranch, or the National Rifle Association’s Whittington Center. A walking tour of the inn’s own historic neighborhood is a must.
After a silent night’s rest, I breakfast with a young Oklahoma couple on a two-day getaway who are as delightful as the meal we share: fresh-ground coffee, cranberry muffins, crispy bacon, a sublime fruit parfait with French cream, and egg puffs with sundried tomatoes, artichokes, fresh basil, and Parmesan cheese. The breakfast compares favorably with any I’ve had at B&Bs in Santa Fe or Taos. I feel I’ve found a real treasure.
From $78 nightly; 301 S. Third St., (866) 488-1028, (575) 445-1000, www.heartsdesireraton.com—Tim Keller
