Hotel Luna Mystica in Taos, New Mexico on March 14, 2020. Photo by Elaine Skylar Neal/Travels and Curiosities

mystical vintage charm in taos, nm

updated December 21, 2020

I’ve recently fallen hard for vintage trailers. Last Spring I returned to Taos, New Mexico to photograph Earthships and hike the Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks. As I was on my own, I didn’t need or want anything fussy or expensive, so I booked a night in a cozy mid-century trailer known as the Yellow Submarine in nearby El Prado. Thoughtfully designed by a sweet-hearted school teacher, this adorable 1954 Silver Dome trailer was my first experience overnighting in a dwelling this small. Unless you count the cramped and moldy 1980s pop up camper I stayed in once when I was a kid, with screening so porous every mosquito from our Indiana suburb was buzzing inside.

So when I decided to return to Taos again with my oldest daughter, I thought it would be fun (or perhaps laughably horrible) to offer her a glimpse into that same quirky, throwback charm. This time I booked a two-night stay at Hotel Luna Mystica, an impressive compound of 19 vintage trailers settled on a grassy plot alongside Taos Mesa Brewing with views of Wheeler Peak and the Sangre de Cristo Mountains to the East.

We found our trailer, a 1954 Spartan Imperial Mansion named Spartacus, clean and modern with amenities you wouldn’t expect in a model of its age like a jacuzzi bathtub and an induction cooktop.

While visiting Taos be sure to check out the cool vintage meets modern finds at Ampersand Old & New, Chokolá Bean to Bar, and Chocolate + Cashmere. And if you’re thinking that stepping into two chocolate places in one day (or in our case, one hour) is two too much, think again, as they are truly separate experiences and are both must-see places when visiting Taos.