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St James Hotel
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5 reviews for St James Hotel
We stayed in the St. James during a summer 2007 trip to Philmont and the surrounding area. We spent three nights in the Pancho Griego room and found the lodging acceptable given the age of the property. As history fans we appreciate the stories others have alluded to in their reviews and hope the hotel is here for many years to come. We would be pleased to lodge here again.
We ate in the Carson-Maxwell Dining Room once. I thought the food was okay but not spectacular for the price. We ate in Vera's Cafe several times (and also in 2008 even though we stayed elsewhere) and found the food and service fine. We will certainly come back.
I spent more than a few evenings in Vera's in the early 1980s (back before it was a cafe, yo), and have fond memories of Vera's hospitality and of friendships made at the St. James.
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This hotel is very creepy, spectacular, small town charmy, historic and all that. It's one of those historic hotels from the old west days.
"Lucien Maxwell and Carlos Beaubien, Buffalo Bill Cody and his cohort, Annie Oakley, Kit Carson, Frank and Jesse James, Wyatt Earp, Billy the Kid and Blackjack Ketchum. The notorious gunman, Clay Allison, allegedly danced naked on the bar,* once part of the present dining room which still has bullet holes in its pressed tin ceiling." -From their website
A bunch of us went up there one night for a "ghost hunting" experience. Well, we got what we went up there for. We started out dining in the bar, because the dining hall was packed. The food was alright. Then after dinner we went on a guided historic walk. We learned about all the hauntings that went on as well as historic facts. We went into the old jail which is really old like late 1800's old. That was too much for me. It was also still the town jail up until the 60's which was really creepy. (leaving out all the tour gems not to spoil it) After the tour we played ouija and many creepy things happened there. We then went to stake out more haunted areas and got really spooked. Not one of us could really sleep through the night. The next day we learned we had a "bad" room where spirits supposedly make a unrested stay for the guests. Lots of cool ghost stories. Look it up or just GO.
Only a four or five hour drive from Denver. Totally fun and worth it. I'm sure in the summer there's probably more going on like horseback riding and things of that nature. It's also close to a ski resort.
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You have to appreciate history and vintage to be at all comfortable here, but chances are you won't be comfortable anyways. Despite the nice inn keepers and quaint accommodations, the place was still a bit eerie; I know I didn't get much sleep. Try to get there before the sun goes down, driving the road out to the quiet town at night isn't fun, it's worrisome with the chances of hitting Bambi. Had breakfast in the cafe downstairs and it was decent. Very nice views of the mountains from Cimarron.
Where else can you stay for under $100 where Buffalo Bill, Annie Oakley, Kit Carson, Frank & Jesse James, Wyatt Earp, and Billy the Kid all stayed?
Only here.
Ask to see the video about the hotel if you don't already know the history, it outlines coverage from Unsolved Mysteries and some other news coverage in regards to hauntings, ie, room 18.
The staff is friendly, the town is quiet, and this is a cool historic place to stay if you're exploring New Mexico at all, a definite stop.
The rooms themselves are not deluxe-- they're old. It's a historical place, that's the draw. You have to *get* that before you show up, otherwise, you might be disappointed.
If you're just rolling through the town of Cimarron, I'd advise at least allotting 30 minutes to check out the ground floor open rooms. If no one is staying in them, you can peer past the velvet ropes and see where these bad ass dudes stayed. Cool.
Keep on drivin', keep on drivin', keep on drivin', almost there, keep on drivin'.
It'll take you awhile to get to the St. James Hotel but that's why God invented mixed tapes and the travel version of Jenga. The trip is worth it (and quite scenic, I might add). In a country where anything older than 10 years is ripped down, it's nice to see some old stuff that keeps on keeping on.
The staff was very nice to us as we peered around the first floor rooms that were open to see. They even suggested a video that explains the history of the hotel and covers the ghosts that are said to remain in the hotel. Unfortunately my date and I didn't have enough time in the schedule to stay here but I would've loved to have done so. Even if you can't stay the night, a 30 minute visit is definitely worth it.
If you want Ritz Carlton-like rooms then go there; however, if you want a taste of the old Wild West and a potential ghost sighting or two, you can't beat the St. James.