Name: Touchstone Inn
Address: 110 Mable Dodge Lane Taos,Mable Dodge Lane, Taos, Taos, Taos, NM 87571, United States of America
Rating: 8

Smoke-free property

Heating

Garden

All Spaces Non-Smoking (public and private)

General

Bridal suite

Non-smoking rooms

Rooms

Spanish

English

Languages Spoken

Library

Hiking

Fishing

Recreation

Free Parking on Premises

Parking

Spa tub

Pool and beach

Meeting and presentation facilities

Business

Massage

Beauty and wellness

Pets Not Allowed

Pets

Location

At the hotel

Kakawa Chocolate House

Governor Bent House and Museum

Twirl Toystore and Playspace

Touchstone Inn

Taos

child-bed

child-bed-fee

external-private-bathroom

private-bathroom

shared-bathroom

10-beds

11-beds

12-beds

13-beds

14-beds

15-beds

16-beds

17-beds

18-beds

19-beds

2-beds

20-beds

21-beds

22-beds

23-beds

24-beds

25-beds

26-beds

27-beds

28-beds

29-beds

3-beds

30-beds

31-beds

32-beds

33-beds

34-beds

35-beds

36-beds

37-beds

38-beds

39-beds

4-beds

40-beds

5-beds

6-beds

7-beds

8-beds

9-beds

king-bed

queen-bed

limited-time

lounge

treatment

no-window

bay-view

bosphorus-view

canal-view

city-view

courtyard-view

garden-view

golf-view

harbour-view

inland-view

lake-view

land-view

mountain-view

ocean-front

ocean-view

oceanside

panoramic-view

park-view

partial-ocean-view

partial-sea-view

partial-view

pool-view

river-view

sea-front

sea-view

street-view

sunrise-view

sunset-view

water-view

with-view

annex

basement

main-building

1-bedroom

2-bedrooms

3-bedrooms

4-bedrooms

5-bedrooms

6-bedrooms

not-guaranteed

wired-internet-access

smoking

sauna

duplex

safe

mini-bar

breakfast-for-1

breakfast-for-2

pets-allowed

wi-fi

kitchen

We chose Touchstone based on TA's reviews, etc. and discounted the negatives.  Should have listened.  Photos and magazine supports are dated (you can see it's no longer a B&B if you read through the reviews).  It's not unlivable, but the whole place is just run down-- dusty, cobwebby, and just headed south.  Our room was musty-- no way to ventilate, even at night, unless we wanted to sleep with the door open.  Space was cramped, bed lumpy, etc.  For the money, head to Quality Inn, Sagebrush, or the like.

Property Dated Just Like Reviews

From the unkempt landscaping to the dirty rooms, this was an awful experience. We were told upon arrival that we could get coffee and filters at the gas station, because even though there was a coffee maker, they were not supplied. In a suite that slept four, with a refrigerator, microwave, and sink, there were only 2 glasses and 2 cups. No detergent, utensils, towels. 

There was a note asking us to empty our trash to enable them to keep costs down. 

Furniture and drapes were extremely old and stained. Linens were worn.  I wrapped my pillow in a towel, because that seemed cleaner. I cleaned bathroom sink prior using it.

Electricity went out in the bedroom. The person on site did nothing more than check the breaker and disappear. We were without power for the last 12 hours of our stay. 

The pictures  on their website have to be more than several years old for it to have gotten to the current state. If we could have fond another room that did not allow pets (severe allergies), we would never have stayed.  Actually considered sleeping in the car around 2:00 a.m.

Run, don’t walk, from this inn

We chose Touchstone based upon TA’s reviews, the owner’s photos and their claims of high recommendations from magazines. We usually take negative reviews on TA with a grain of salt, but this time we should have listened. We also know it can be tough to run and maintain an Inn, but this place was pretty run down and not especially clean. For the price we don’t think it unreasonable to expect:

Coffee and filters for the coffee maker. 
More than one wine glass. 
A refrigerator that is quiet enough so one can sleep. 
Two ply toilet paper. 
Enough acoustic insulation to prevent hearing every sound from the adjoining rooms. 
A radiant heating system that doesn’t  gurgle and drone all night. 
Enough space in the room to be able to put your bags down and still be able to move around the bed. (Granted we had a small room, but the furnishings were not well thought out).
Enough exterior lighting to be able to find your way from the parking area to the rooms without a flashlight. 

We’ve stayed in all types of places, from hostels to rudimentary home stays to fancy hotels and have had great experiences at all levels. But this time it felt like we got fooled into expecting more for the money, and would not recommend this inn. 


Bait and Switch

This could be a very nice property however it really needs some sprucing up.  There are pots where there were once flowers on railings, the whole area just needs some attention.  The room I rented was clean but the size of a postage stamp with an excess of tacky furniture.  There is NO internet or TV it gives you a internet password but I tried all 7 of the netgear sites and it did not work on any of them, heard the same from other guests.  For the $165 per night I would of thought things could of been done right.  The sheets on the bed were so worn and nappy I got up in the middle of the night and flipped them which helped a bit but for $$$$ one would hope for decent sheets.  You climb up a stairway to get to the room and there is definately some repairing needed there rotted banisters and railing.  The tub/shower would be a challenge for many I found it a bit hard to climb over and into so I could take a shower.  Perhaps a step(which there would be no room for) or even a solid hand rail would be in order.  Also be sure and down load your instructions prior to arrival as even cell phone service is sketchy and I was unable to download the attachment giving me the code to get in.  Fortunately the young lady who was VERY nice and VERY helpful was there and able to get me in.  ALL in all for the money I would look else where as the location is really not that great and a lengthy walk to things!

Needs some care

Had a pleasant 5 night stay in the #1 room at this place. Upsides are a great location and a very private and relaxing balcony overlooking some beautiful trees with the mountains in the background. Downsides are a pretty dated decor, a fairly worn bed and a large bathroom that has much of the room consumed by giant jacuzzi tub. No air-conditioning, but we had no trouble with that as the evenings are cool and there are enough windows to create a nice breeze. I would guess that this property was at one time state-of-the-art and quite beautiful, but time (and possibly a COVID year) have taken their toll somewhat. Without some capital investment in the next few years the property will begin to really suffer. 

Overall, not a bad value for the price, but probably would try something else the next time we visit.

Mixed review

Wow, was this place disappointing! The rooms were probably a reasonable size, but they're so crammed with furniture and useless gewgaws you can barely turn around. And I'm sure it's been years since they were properly cleaned. We stayed in 2 rooms: the first required a long walk up (and down!) a strange, awkward outdoor staircase, with wood so rotted in spots that you could feel the step giving way beneath you. I don't mind stairs, but these were so scary we asked to change rooms. Our new room had no wi-fi service. The owner was invisible, and rather testy and unpleasant when reached by text. Several electric appliances were plugged into a bizarre, jury-rigged system that surely violated code. The mattress was old, the bedding smelled odd, and honestly, it was a relief to leave.

Stay somewhere else

Wow what a beautiful place to stay . Every room is beautiful and differnt . This is the most beautiful place I have ever stayed. If you really want to get the feel of taos , I reccomend staying here . The owner has the most beautiful paintings . She is sweet and delightful to be around. I will never stay anywhere else in taos again . What a magical property with beautiful landscape. We were so thrilled to have stayed here.

Wonderful place

My husband and I stayed 3 days this last week at the Touchstone Inn in Taos, NM.  We stayed in the Frida Kahlo themed room.  The room has a king sized bed, two lounging chairs and a coffee table in the room, a large two person tub with shower, coffee in the room, a microwave, small refrigerator, television and WiFi.  This is a second floor room with a balcony with chairs and a table - it overlooks the beautiful backyard and you would be able to completely see Taos Mountain except that the adjacent property on the back side has let their trees become overgrown.  We got to tour the entire facility as well.  Some rooms are small but still comfortable, but all room are lovely.  This is an INN with breakfast optional, which we prefer -we like to get breakfast on our own and not have to adhere to the schedule that is necessary for the cook, so please understand that this is NOT a complaint!  It was great to have the OPTION to have breakfast or not - we are frequent B&B visitors and have never had the ability to OPT OUT of breakfast at a lower price and we loved having this choice.  I've seen negative reviews here about this subject even though the website VERY CLEARLY states that breakfast is extra, and that this is now an INN, not strictly a B&B.  PLEASE NOTE that this is a structure from the late 1800s, so if you want something brand new where everything is bright and shiny and sterile, this Inn is not for you.  This is a wonderful OLD structure.  AND it is definitely WONDERFUL.  I've also seen complaints about the WiFi not working, but both my husband and I took multiple devices and never had a minutes trouble the whole time, no matter where we were on the property.  It connected easily and was very fast.  Bren's paintings adorn the building; the bathrooms all have different but beautiful saltillo tiles and each room is decorated in the traditional southwest style you should expect in an old adobe mini-mansion.  Quiet, peaceful, beautiful.  We also enjoyed the tour conducted by Joyful, and found her to be a sweet addition to our adventure at Touchstone.  BE SURE to ask for a tour of the gallery, especially.  Brin's work is exquisite.  While I've answered 'not sure' to the SPA question below, you can book a massage and enjoy it in Brin's art studio.  I also wanted to expound on the 'are there meeting rooms' - weddings and events are held on the property and the fabulous living room/den are available for use.  Truly an exceptional property and a great value for the privilege of staying in such a special place.

A Step back in Time!

Breakfast here is unique and delicious. Room was comfy and clean. Great time in Taos. Close to town. Bren is a fabulous host, not to mention an amazing cook. Its definitely a place I would visit again. 

Cool place

Beautiful room with our own veranda and hot-tub!.  Very quite and out-of-the-way.  A bit hard to find, but worth it!  A B&B option is available, but with so many good breakfast options in Taos, I opted out.  Will definitely stay here again.

Touchstone Inn

Main amenities of the hotel

Location

Available rooms

Location

Description of the hotel

What other amenities are there?

Policies

Check-in terms and conditions

Additional information

Payment