Shaffer Hotel - Mountainair, New Mexico

In the middle of a travel day where the wind was gusting to close to 60 mph, grass fires were all around us, smoke and dust were in the air, and we were low on fuel, we found a gem. When we finally found a fuel stop we were in Mountainair, New Mexico. It was lunch time so I asked a man filling his car if the restaurant across the street was any good. His answer "yep, but the best food in town is at the Shaffer" and he proceeded to tell me how to find it. As it turns out it was easy to find and only one block off our route through town, but we would not have seen.

Here is the hotel from the front. Built in 1923 by a blacksmith named "Pop" Shaffer, apparently a real character for the times. The hotel is very art deco and mostly restored, not renovated. Pop said no wooden building for me and proceeded to use cast concrete. Very unusual for the time and place.


Pop was in to art deco, but with his own twist by adding Indian motifs. Much of the furniture and the ceilings are original, having only been carefully cleaned and touched up.


Above you can see the amazing combinations of colors and design of the ceilings, which is carried to much of the rest of the hotel dinning room. Like the lunch counter below.


Or the dining room fireplace.


Outside Pop built a fence, and signed it. It is hard to make out, but that is Pop's name on the third rail up from the ground in the first full span from the left side of the picture.


The current owner (effective 4/1/2011) found the place while out on his motorcycle. He now is not only the owner but the cook as well. His brother is a waiter and books tourists into the hotel. The owner's wife and daughter both work in the hotel as well. They were all very friendly and the food is really good.

Now, for the kicker. This hotel is not only on the National Historic Registry, it has been featured on the SciFi channels Ghost Hunters TV show. It is haunted (if you believe in ghosts) and there were plenty of people willing to tell us about their experiences.

Want to know more, try these links:

The Shaffer Hotel>>>>>>>>>> hotel's website

Haunted>>>>>>>>>> more about

By the way, we were not accosted by ghosts, the food was very reasonably priced, and our hour there was very enjoyable, mostly because of the owner and his family. I go there for a meal anytime (except after dark when the ghosts come out).