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Located between Española and Ojo Caliente, this inn provides an authentic northern New Mexico desert experience with the comfort of a luxury hotel. It's the passion of architect and chef John Johnson, responsible for the design and cuisine, and interior designer David Heath, responsible for the elegant interiors. The original part of the inn comprises four rooms around a central courtyard. Thirteen additional casitas have been added in the outlying hills. The original rooms are a bit small but very elegant, with European antiques and spectacular views of desert landscapes and distant, snow-capped peaks. The Kiva suite is the most innovative, with a round bedroom and a skylight just above the bed, perfect for stargazing.

Tuesday through Saturday evenings, a four-course prix-fixe dinner is served. The meal ranges in price from $45 per person on up, depending on the wine.

A few minutes' hike from the inn is the Grand Chamber, an impressive shrine that the innkeepers commissioned to be carved into a sandstone outcropping, where weddings and other festivities are held.

© 2005, Wiley Publishing, Inc.