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Sandia Mountain Hostel

Albuquerque (Cedar Crest)

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Address
12234 Highway 14 North, Albuquerque (Cedar Crest), New Mexico, USA   Map
Price
dorm rooms - $14 private rooms - $32
Location/Contact
Details
Online booking is not offered for this hostel, contact them for availability and reservations (any contact info we have is listed above).
Their Description

Features

  • Kitchen
  • Lockers
  • Phones (public or in room)
 
The Hostelz.com Review
Sandia Mountain Hostel is nestled east of the Sandia Mountains and is a nice place to relax and hang out after skiing or hiking the nearby trails. It's a great place to meet people, as it's quite small with a very friendly atmosphere. The place looks like a chalet with wooden walls and cathedral ceiling and a wood burning stove in the middle for cool evenings. The staff are friendly and the hostel has five donkeys and a burro so you are more than welcome to save vegetable peelings and rest for them (it's the local recycling way).

The Location

Closeby are several local and rustic restaurants as well as a trendy one that does dinner with wine tasting, gas station, galleries, and a well stocked supermarket. There is a parking lot and the hostel is wheelchair accessible.

Rooms and Bathrooms

There is a door code at night on the main door and individual lockers. Two dorms (one for each gender) are in the main building with eight beds each (four bunks). Some private rooms are in another building further right and common area down there has a TV. Bathroom is equipped with a double sink -- toilets and shower. There is only one wide shower without curtain for privacy but still protected from other eyes.

Common Spaces

Common area has a well equipped kitchen, with fridge, stove, microwave, and sink (pots, pans, and cutlery are available). There is a huge wood table with benches so that everybody can sit together. A wood burning stove is just behind to warm up chilly evenings. There are reading lights. There are a lot of brochures and trail maps available. Quiet hours are from 11 p.m. until 7 a.m., as this is more a mountaineer's heaven than a party place.

Summary

The atmosphere there is friendly and relaxing and you can meet a lot of people with whom to exchange trail or road experience. In addition, this is only a twenty-minute drive from Albuquerque, so for those who want to avoid the city, this is the place. We are planning to stop by again on our way down from Taos to Lincoln.

— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
March 2009


Ratings & Comments

4.4 Average from 12 Ratings

This is an open forum, and unlike other hostel guide websites we don't censor out the negative comments.
We can't validate the legitimacy of comments posted on this site—so take what you read here with a grain of salt.
Comment by Benjamin Burns, USA
June 2009
4 Great Experience!
What a great little place off the beaten path about ten minutes east of Albuquerque! The accommodations were very clean, the caretakers extremely friendly, and the donkeys even friendlier. This is the place to stay if you are traveling through Albuquerque, it is well worth the short drive from town.
Comment by te quila, australia
December 2008
4 Quiet and comfortable hostel with friendly hosts
Enjoyed my time here. It was very quiet and was a good place to chill out for a couple days and have some time to myself. Helps if you have a car so you can see some of the surrounding attractions like Sandia Crest, but I believe many people visit here without a car. the hostel owners are welcoming and friendly. the donkeys are cool. Not a party hostel, but it is a great place to relax.
Comment by Wendy, USA
April 2007
4 I thought this hostel was excellent. The manager was very friendly and hospitable. The accommodations were the expected hostel type. The cleanliness of the kitchen could have been a bit spruced up but other than that it was wonderful. The horse Maria was hilarious. She was a horse with a dog's personality. It was a quiet time of year when I stayed so there was just myself and two others in the hostel. I recommend staying here. There is a great thrift shop down the road to pick up a good book at a bargain to fill your spare time.
Comment by L
May 2006
4 Fond memories! Recommended for those interested in getting about a half-hour out of the city and into the mountains (for hiking, fresh air, views). We stayed in a building separate from the main hostel, in a cool, quiet, private room with door to sunny back porch facing the hillside and donkey/burro stomping grounds, surrounded by many unique sculptures in the shape of old cars (which don't seem to rust due to the arid mountain air.) Clean facilities, excellent use of limited energy/water resources. Kind fellow travellers, and both the owner and David the innkeeper, who lives his nights by candlelight, gave us a most hearty welcome. Very pleasant experience staying here, overall!
Comment by sd
April 2006
5 I highly encourage anyone to stay here instead of in Albuquerque. The views are spectacular, it's cooler in temperature and it's a cute little community. It's also the scenic route to Santa Fe with many funky interesting towns along the way. I lived in Cedar Crest ten years ago and this hostel has not changed since then. It's still wonderful. I stayed here Sept. 2005. I was the only one in the female dorm room and there was one man staying in private quarters but I never saw him. It's very clean and beautiful with all the natural wood. The women's shower room is very spacious! I was greeted very warmly by the male manager, the owner (and the beautiful donkeys!). The manager was very accommodating and allowed me to come bother him at seven a.m. the night I stayed, he invited me to go with his friends to a performance and we had a wonderful night.
Comment by Julia
October 2005
4 One of my favorite hostels in New Mexico (and I've been to ALL of them). It has a very relaxed and super-friendly atmosphere in a beautiful location that invites you to take various hikes in the Sandias. Dave is one of the most welcoming and most friendly managers of all the NM hostels, and he makes you feel right at home. It's the alternative to the downtown Albuquerque hostel, if you have a car to get there. I will keep coming back for sure, even if it's just to marvel at the beautiful artwork that decorates the walls of the common room/kitchen.
Comment by Anonymous
April 2005
3 This hostel was good but not the greatest.
Comment by Jon Williams
November 2004
5 I stayed here most of 2003 while working on a contract job. It has the best of locations and it's a natural meeting place for interesting travelers. I had a terrific time, and I am certain that most others do here also. Most travelers were sad to leave when it came time.
Comment by Robert Seamons
October 2004
5 I have been here twice and I enjoyed it. It has been a good place to stay, and very quiet. Also, I met some nice people here.
Comment by Rachel Tarpey
June 2004
5 A relaxing atmosphere with plenty of exploring opportunities in the beautiful surrounding Sandia Mountains. I stayed there frequently one summer when I was working a job, and was always readily welcomed by the kind people and quiet expanse of the hostel.
Comment by Jeff Sciortino
May 2004
5 I stayed here back in 1993 on a cross country trip. It's the best youth hostel I have ever stayed at, and I've been to quite a few.
Comment by Lynn Lipari
December 2003
5 Cool, refreshing breezes blow gently through the windows of the Sandia Mountain Hostel. Large comfortable sturdy bunks, crispy clean sheets, and fresh air make sleeping here a dream! In the morning you can have breakfast at the rustic long wood table in the immaculate kitchen or sit outside under the tree and have a cup of coffee with fellow hostellers and/or the hostel manager/owner. Make sure to close your car window so the curious and friendly resident burro's "Chiquita & Matilda" don't empty your front seat! The surefooted burro's are adept at carrying passengers up through the mountains. The Sandia hostel is also a good place to stay if you would like to take a few day trips to Santa Fe, Los Alamos, and Chimayo.
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