The SnowMansion

Stayed here one night for a weekend of skiing at Taos. Great location, not in downtown Taos but still near everything you need. Seemed pretty clean. Rooms were warm and fairly comfortable. Not too noisy. Towels provided at no charge. Most of the staff were friendly. The dinner prepared looked good but we opted to go out for dinner instead.
We booked a ‘cabin’ but were upgraded b/​c so few guests were there. We greatly appreciated this excellent customer service. We did, however, ask to see the cabin that we had booked before we accepted the upgrade and were pretty shocked at what they considered a cabin. Be warned, the pictures are misleading although the description is 100% spot on. It’s a 10“x10″ cubicle with a double bed on the floor and a twin above it. Nowhere really to stand and you have to walk 150 feet to get to the outhouse (through 4 inches of snow at the time). It’s strictly a place to sleep. Again, this is all in the description but the pictures are very creatively shot. Just an FYI b/​c I was still taken aback and I’d read the whole thing. I think $ 60 is insanely steep for what you get when you book these. You’d be much better off in the dorms or paying $ 5 more to be in a private room in the main building. The other prices are much more reasonable.

SnowMansion is filled with super amazing and wonderful people. Very nice atmosphere suitable for all types. They have tipis, camping, privates and dorms and two kitchen to use. The views are so beautiful. I really enjoyed camping next to the garden and waking up to those beautiful mountain everyday :) It is magical and enchanted and a wonderful place to be, especially for solo travelers.

I have actually stayed here before, and loved it, and was looking forward to another stay. So we booked a room for a night, and were made totally aware of the cancellation policy (no refunds).
Then, we were caught in the severe flooding that took place in Boulder earlier this year. For obvious reasons, our travel plans changed. But when we called to see if they’d make an exception to their refund policy for flood victims, we were told no. I was pretty baffled, but preoccupied with other things, so I followed up later with a phone call and email. Still haven’t heard any response.
It’s only $ 28 bucks, and really it’s the least of our worries. But it was extremely disappointing and left me with a really bad taste in my mouth.

This place is awesome. We have stayed here two times and if you’re looking to stay somewhere unique, friendly and all around cool, this is the place.
It’s hard to describe what makes this place so cool but one thing I love is that so many people are at home here. It’s not just for people in their twenties (though we and many of the staff are); there were also lots of older folks around, places for kids (though we didn’t see any) and everyone feels free to mingle (or not). The main hostel area has a cozy living room type space and a big kitchen where they cook yummy food from the organic garden (and you’re welcome to cook for free and eat theirs by donation). There’s also a large separate summer kitchen as well as the extensive grounds for you to wander, build campfires, and just enjoy. Their garden is huge and wonderful and many of the staff are WOOFers learning to work in it. We ate cucumbers, beets, grapes, herbs, spinach, peas and bok choy (a small sample of what there was) that we picked ourselves and left a donation in the jar in the kitchen.
We have stayed in both the tipis and the cabins. The cabins are cozy (not a lot of extra space) but they’re warm and there’s so many different areas to be in at the hostel that I don’t think the size is a big problem. The tipis ($ 55/​night) are something special. They have four beds in each one so they’re super roomy and it’s just pretty cool to have that be your room. There’s also a light with plug in there for your electronics. Cabins ($ 45/​night) have heaters so they’re year round but tipis are seasonal since it starts getting pretty chilly and too wet for the canvas (though it’s worth noting it rained while we were there and we didn’t get wet in the tipis). There’s also an area for camping, as well as private rooms and shared bunk rooms in the main area. Bathrooms are shared but were clean.
This place is a hostel so it comes with some dirt and character but it never felt unclean and the staff is really friendly though not in your business if you want to do your own thing. Arroyo Seco is definitely a small town but we loved browsing the shops there and the Taos Cow has awesome food. There’s a few other resturants as well as a small market walking distance from the hostel and it’s an easy drive to Taos.
Pro tip: bring some ear plugs if you stay in a tipi. People were pretty quiet but the birds in the apple tree next to us weren’t!

Cheap and clean. The times I have stayed here I booked ahead and was able to reserve a private room which was comfortable for the whole groups with a couple of full couches and a queen size bed. The decode was right out of 1973, but that is a small price to pay for such a good deal one clean place. There is a flow of back packers moving through here all the time, and there are also dorm style rooms with multiple beds per room, and a pot luck system as to who your room mates may be.
The location is great, just a little ways from the ski resort, and a short distance from the small area of down town Taos.
Outside of the actual ski resort area there are not a large number of places to stay, and I feel this is the best deal going in the whole area. Note you can walk to multiple little restaurants, including Michael’s that I reviewed just a few reviews back. Call way ahead because space is limited.

I recently came back here for a 5 day stay after remembering the great time I had the last time I stayed. The ski season quite had not started yet in Taos, so it was a pretty quiet time of the year and Mouna graciously gave me the best room at Snowmansion.
A few things have changed, guest still have full use of the kitchen but the garden is no longer free. If you want to pick your own veggies, it’s now $ 2/​day. Wifi is about the same rate.
Saturday nights is Thai noodle soup night where $ 5 gets you a whole bowl of fresh noodles and veggies with either pork or chicken in a great broth. We also had a great bonfire out back and once again I ended up meeting some really cool folks here.

Great place. There is definitely magic in the air at this hostel. Makes me wish I was a 19 year-​old on road trip again.

Probably the best hostel I’ve stayed at so far. They have tons of lodging, including tipis, which were very comfortable. Two kitchens, multiple bathrooms and showers, and lots of awesome outdoor areas. Staff was very friendly. Will return.

I’m giving the SnowMansion 1.5 stars, but to be nice I’ve rounded up to 2. As a disclaimer, my perspective is from someone who slept on a top bunk in the women’s bunkroom, and who has quite a bit of experience staying at various hostels around the world.
My fiancé and I stayed here in separate bunkrooms (mens/​womens) because they quoted us a whopping $ 200 per night for a private room, and we opted instead to pay $ 25 plus tax per person for 2 nights instead, which came out to about $ 111.
Well, we didn’t stay the second night, mostly due to him having to put up with two large men who «snored like chain-​saws» according to him. Also, I didn’t get but probably 2 hours of sleep due to the REALLY LOUD stomping of feet from the room above me in the middle of the night and some even louder Peruvian women who felt the need to talk in the bunkroom from 11:30pm until 1am and at various other times during the night. And trust me when I say I usually sleep like a freaking log.
In addition, the bathroom was absolutely atrocious. With hostels usually people are pretty good about cleaning up after themselves, and the staff usually does a good job of checking the joint to make sure people are doing so, but neither was the case here. After talking to some of the women staying in my bunkroom, as nice as they were I found out many of them were staying there «for the entire (ski) season» which means they’re going to treat the place like their house, not someone else’s. And this results in their clothes lying all over the place, messiness everywhere, and them not getting to sleep until 1−2am (I’m okay with those late-​to-​bed, but don’t be loud!!!).
Hidden treasure? I’ll contest that. Maybe, but only if you’re staying in a private room on the SECOND floor or in an individual building. This hostel was not built for multiple people who have varying sleeping patterns. The floor is not insulated or nailed down well, let me tell you.
Good things: the staff, they are very friendly. Also, since I’m a cat and dog lover, they allow both of these and have some house cats who live there too. I think the cute cat sleeping peacefully on my bed when I arrived was my favorite thing about my entire stay.
But like I said, we didn’t stay the extra night. We opted instead for a Motel 6 down in Santa Fe, which was only $ 46. So if you’re a couple who’s looking to stay somewhere close to Taos Ski Valley but doesn’t want to break the bank, go to Motel 6. I’m sure if I were younger (hell, I’m only 31) and single and not needing but 2 – 3 hours of sleep, this place would be that treasure. But under my circumstances, it was not.

Taos, New Mexico is a beautiful city that comes with a painful price tag. Fortunately, there are some real hidden treasures that not only help save money, but, also, offer more than their overpriced competitors. One of these gleaming jewels is the Abominable SnowMansion.
The SnowMansion is the only hostel (near) Taos. It’s in Arroyo Seco, which is 8-​miles outside of Taos proper and about a 2-​hour walk with a fully-​loaded hiker’s pack. With how many people hitchhike in and around the area, it’s easy to get a ride out there.
The «Mansion» part of the title is no joke. This place is one huge, comfy, cozy fortress filled with travelers… and cats. There’s a pool table, WiFi, a library, an endless series of paths to explore and wall after wall of tips on what can be done for free (or for cheap) in the area. When you wake up in the morning, there’s breakfast to be had.
The SnowMansion, for the 4-​month Ski Season, rakes in $ 22 bones outta your pocket. The rest the year it’s only 18. Because of how busy they can get, reservations really are the best way to go… if possible. When hitting up Taos, however, don’t miss the chance to stay at the Abominable SnowMansion. It’ll change your stay entirely.