Filed under: Activities & Attractions, Family Camping, Family Day Trips

How Do You Top Off a Day at the Spa?

October 21, 2012 by Diane Berry · Leave a Comment

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With a gourmet meal, of course! As a follow up to my recent posts on Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs Resort in New Mexico (see posts from 9/02/2012 and 9/09/2012), I must add that we returned on my birthday to again enjoy “soaking our bones” in their delicious waters as I was given free admittance that day. However, we could not leave without treating ourselves to an early dinner at their world class Artesian Restaurant on site, which we had been unable to do on our last visit.

We arrived in early afternoon and spent several hours enjoying the Arsenic, Iron Soda and mixed springs, though the Arsenic Pool remains our favorite. Once we had finished, we showered and dressed, enjoying their entire line of spa products, including body wash, shampoo and conditioner. As it was only 4:30, we were still had a bit of time to kill as the Artesian Restaurant opens for dinner at 5:00 pm, so we decided to visit the wine bar next to the restaurant. Both are located in the former hotel building, now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The bar was also a very relaxing place, containing a kiva fireplace, which thankfully was not lit as it was over 80 degrees that day. The wooden bar and booths appeared to be made of a rich cherry or mahogany wood. We enjoyed a superb glass of wine and excellent service in the perfect atmosphere as we waited to go on to dinner. Reservations were not necessary on this day, but we were able to make one right from the bar.

The Artesian opened promptly at 5:00 pm. We were ushered to our table, next to a window overlooking the beautiful grounds. The service was excellent and we ordered, then spent time relaxing while awaiting our food. We both ordered the same entrée, a heavenly combination of wild mushrooms, spinach, sherry and cream over shrimp and house made gnocchi. As our waitress commented, you could make an entire meal from just the broth alone. Though the serving was plentiful, both of us finished the entire meal. Of course, that left no room for dessert, but with that kind of a dinner, neither of us missed it.

If you are looking for a place worth planning a vacation around, I cannot recommend Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs Resort and Spa highly enough. While they do have rooms and casitas (small cottages) to rent, they also have a full service RV Park and Campground which, personally, sounds like an ideal way to enjoy this natural wonder. Reservations for sites and rooms and spa services can be made at www.ojospa.com.