ABQ Hotel near station

[iPat09]

As part of our upcoming trip, we will be spending 2 nights in ABQ. The main reason is to visit the hot air balloon museum at balloon fiesta park. We were planning on staying at America's Best Value Inn near the museum, but now I am wondering if it would be best to stay at a hotel closer to the station. We are NOT renting a car, and with the hotel and museum being further away from town, I am a little worried about finding places to eat without having to get a cab everywhere we go (not counting breakfast at the hotel, we will be having 4 meals in ABQ).

I say all this to ask if there are any reasonably priced hotels somewhat close to the station?

We would get a cab to go to the northern part of town and back regardless, but I would like to have more variety of where we can eat and what we can do while not at the museum.

 

[Steve4031]

There is a Hyatt and and a doubletree downtown. Not exactly cheap. But by the time you add the cost of a rental car maybe reasonable.

Its easy to rent a car at the airport. You take a taxi to the airport when you arrive. And take a taxi back.

If renting a car us not an option, then downtown is best. Maybe there is a tour that goes to the balloon places.

 

[VentureForth]

To answer your first question first, the Hotel Andaluz can be a bit pricey, but is walking distance from the station and is extremely nice. I recommend at least one meal (probably lunch) at Tucano's Brazillian Cafe, right across from the station. You won't need to eat dinner. Lots of places to see, entertain, shop right in that area.

Balloon Fiesta Park is certainly North of town and not a lot to do around there. An aquaintance of mine was a contractor on the nearby Sandia Resort & Casino. If you like Vegas and want an atmosphere similar with some nice food & gaming, I would highly recommend it. This isn't your typical tribal video poker casino, it's a full blown resort with golf, and every Vegas game available. It's only 2.5 miles from Balloon Fiesta Park. You can get there from the ABQ station by taking the NM Railrunner to Sandia Pueblo where you can get a ride to the resort.

Central Avenue was part of the Historic Route 66. Many of these motels are renovated from the days of the old Mother Road, and many are still up but NOT renovated! I would probably take Trip Advisor's advice on these. The Nob Hill area (East of I-25) is a trendy area that caters to the college life of the University of New Mexico. It's only about 1-2 miles from the Amtrak Station and there is GREAT dining & shopping nearby.

Do some research on the Transit system in ABQ. There are Rapid Ride busses that ply Central Avenue and Bus 10 takes you close, but not quite to Balloon Fiesta Park. Even the basic busses will get you close to somewhere, but not necessarily where a cab is waiting.

The Alvarado Transportation Center will be your friend as nearly ALL city busses, Greyhound, direct-to-Mexico busses, Amtrak and the Railrunner all stop there.

Places I like to eat along Central Ave include Kelly's Brew Pub - an eclectic restaurant which used to be a Route 66 service station, Korean BBQ House (with an all-you-can eat sushi place in the back), IL Vicino's Italian which is higher-end, and Saggio's - a college town favorite with great prices and huge servings and an incredible atmosphere. And it's next to Frontier Restaurant which is a diner that is much larger than it looks from the outside - a good 24-hour joint.

For a flair of the more laid back New Mexico, I would also recommend the Old Town area, which is about a mile or two West of I-25. It is a beautiful Spanish-influenced part of town that will have you feeling like you stepped back 300 years in time. Literally. The Church Street Cafe was built in 1706. I'm not quite as familiar with this area, as I've only eaten there a couple of times. The shopping is very fun in that area. Transit is probably not quite as good, but the Rapid Ride Red Line (Central Ave) does have a stop there. The Econolodge seems to have good prices AND good reviews.

Almost everything I have described can be found from the following websites:

ABQ-Ride (Bus System)

New Mexico Railrunner Express (Commuter Train)

Trip Advisor (Restaurant/Hotel ratings)

If there is anything else I or anyone else can help you with, please don't hesitate to ask!

The state question of New Mexico is "Red or Green?" This refers to the chili peppers you want on your food. Both can be mild or spicy. Even McDonald's - Can I get that Big Mac with Green Chili? Remember, Chile is a country in South America. Chili is a pepper.

 

[iPat09]

VentureForth, thanks for the response! It really helped. After sitting down with my brother and looking at our options, we made reservations for The Hotel Blue. My brother is a big fan off all things Route 66, so he is really excited about it, as am I. Thanks again for the help!

 

[tomfuller]

My wife and I did stay at the Route 66 Hostel for 2 nights. The room we stayed in was Pepto pink but at least it had an ensuite bathroom. They also have the dorm room bunk beds. http://www.rt66hostel.com/

My wife said that she would go back there rather than paying a lot for a fancier room.

Old Town has several museums that might interest you. Central Avenue all the way through town was the old Route 66.

You could also ride the RailRunner if you wanted to visit Santa Fe.

 

[AG1]

The Blue Hotel is OK but out dated. I stayed there two days. The shuttle car picked me up on calling and brought me anywhere I wanted to go in the city, on ten minutes notice.

 

[iPat09]

RRRick, the shuttle car is the main reason we decided to go with them. And the price was affordable for their location.

How long ago did you stay there? From the pictures on the website, it doesn't look too outdated to me. Then again, I'm just a college kid from Mississippi living on only what he needs, do what do I know?

 

[Skim]

When I was there two weeks ago, the transit was excellent, even on weekends. My hotel was in Uptown near a rapid ride (express) bus. Day passes are $2 and can be bought in advance at the transit center next to the Amtrak station.

I don't know whether buses will take you to the city's fringes. They worked for our needs.

 

[VentureForth]

This is on the fringe of Downtown and close to the Arts district. You should have a comfortable stay.

The 777 Rapid Ride will be your friend. You will have to hoof it about two blocks East and one block South to Gold St between 5th & 6th. Take it to go East to the main spots of Central Avenue. Get off around the University of New Mexico for good food & fun. Keep in mind, though, the Rapid Ride only stops every mile. This was supposed to be a "temporary" bus until they could get a streetcar running. That fell through.

Interesting things about where you'll be: There's a cool little bar about a block down called the Launch Pad. Even though you're no where near Roswell, ALL of NM likes their alien roots. About half way between your hotel and the train station is the Historic KiMo theater. It's GORGEOUS inside. Check out the link to see if there is anything affordable being shown while you're there. Near there (I think on Central) part of the Tim Allen movie Wild Hogs was filmed.

Several ways to get to the museum. It'll be around a $60 cab ride round trip for two (plus tip). Bus will be 777 East to San Mateo and 140 North to Jefferson & Watercress which will put you in walking distance for a total time of an hour and a half. It only works on weekdays, though. If you do this, just before you get off the bus at San Mateo, you'll pass the Desert Sands inn on the Right. Part of No Country of Old Men was filmed at this motel. I would never stay there - it really is a run down place, but it's pretty cool. There's a Carl's Jr. across the street where I had lunch one day and was wondering what that old brown cop car was doing at the Motel...

On weekends, you'd take bus 10 from ATC to Alameda for a 1.5 mile hike, or the Railrunner to Los Ranchos Journal Center for a two mile hike. Both are only $2, though. I don't think you can find a cab at Los Ranchos, but there could be. You can always call one. The 2 mile cab ride plus railrunner will be a lot cheaper!

 

[AG1]

RRRick, the shuttle car is the main reason we decided to go with them. And the price was affordable for their location.
How long ago did you stay there? From the pictures on the website, it doesn't look too outdated to me. Then again, I'm just a college kid from Mississippi living on only what he needs, do what do I know?

I used Priceline and received the Hotel Blue for about $65 plus tax. I had studied the possible hotels in the Priceline "city" area and knew the Hotel Blue was a possibility. The other members of the group paid double that for the Doubletree and Hyatt. The shuttle was great ! I used it to be picked up at the RR station, go to in city restaurants and visit "Old Town". I also walked all over the empty city on a 90 degree Sunday. I saw plenty of buses as mentioned by VentureForth. The bus fares are low, also. I would use the hotel again. The outdoor pool was inviting. The corridors to the rooms are outdoors. The room I had needed refurbishing, that's the only negative I had. Enjoy your trip.

Hotel Blue,

http://hostthenpost.org/uploads/52ce4c800e17d8bcc39f22759703f8ba.jpg

Panorama view from fourth floor,

http://hostthenpost.org/uploads/1f7f2c709b157ed5d1d6826a553b96df.jpg

 

[iPat09]

I want to say thanks to all! Ever since my dad decided we should stay two nights in ABQ (he is one who bought the rail pass and did all the booking for us) I have been dreading getting everything set up. The main reason we are staying there is to visit the museum and it's just so far away from anything else to do. I have my own personal reasons for not wanting to rent a car, so that just added even more to it.

But you guys really helped and now I am wishing we were staying in ABQ longer! Thanks again!

 

[phk]

There's something like a 30% ripoff tax on rental cars at the airport. A little more hotel money is a nicer way to go.