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We were on a cross-country road trip from Florida to California and wanted to stop by White Sands National Park as we made our way through New Mexico. We were traveling with Kuma (Crystal’s pup), so we needed to find dog-friendly accommodation.

We also wanted to stay as close as possible to the national park and our best option was The Classic Desert Aire Hotel in Alamogordo.

FIRST IMPRESSION

We pulled into the parking lot right before sunset and the property had an adorable vibe to it with desert-style art painted on the buildings.

Check-in took a little longer than expected as there were a couple of people ahead of us and only one attendant was on duty to help the guests. Although it took a little more time than expected, the staff behind the desk was very friendly and helpful.

THE ROOM

Our room was located on the second floor, which is the highest floor. There are no elevators, so you will have to carry your luggage up the stairs. We were okay with this since we requested the second floor. We wanted to avoid any noise that could happen in the room above us just in case the walls were thin.

The room was pretty spacious, but very dark since the lighting in the room was very dim and barely any natural light coming into the room. We like staying in brightly lit rooms, but we understand that there’s only so much you can expect from motel-type accommodations.

We booked a room with two queen beds that were fairly comfortable. It wasn’t the best, but it’s definitely better than an air mattress. We loved the design of the bedspread. It had a classic New Mexico vibe to it. There were plenty of pillows on both beds and they were all fairly soft.

There was a nightstand in the middle between the beds with a standard phone and alarm clock. There was an outlet behind one of the beds, but it was not working properly.

Most of the outlet access was provided on the side of the dresser on a power strip. We would have used this, but did not notice it until later when we were about to leave. Instead, we used the outlet above the refrigerator.

The TV had plenty of channel options that sat on top of a dresser. We used the open shelving units of the dresser to place our hats.

Right next to the TV and dresser was a working desk and mirror which Crystal used to work on her laptop to transfer photos and videos.

To the right of the entrance, there was a small dining table with two chairs. We sat here multiple times since we ordered carryout for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

An open closet was available with a shelf sitting right above it. We used this area to store our duffle bags and Kuma’s dog bag. There were also multiple hangers that we only used to hang towels since it was sitting right above the air conditioning unit.

Speaking of the air conditioning unit, it does not work very well. We stayed here during Thanksgiving week and the temperatures were pretty low during the night in the low 40s. We had the heater set to 70 degrees, but it never set at that temperature.

Instead, the temperatures were all over the place and it would feel like it was 85 degrees at point in the night and then down to 60 degrees at another point, so we were either hot or cold throughout the night. As a result, we had trouble getting a good night’s rest.

Bathroom

The vanity area had plenty of space for both our toiletries and directly behind it was a small fridge and microwave. We always appreciate rooms with these amenities as we always are in need of a fridge to keep our water and leftover meals fresh.

There was also a coffee machine with to-go cups on top of the microwave. We did not use the coffee machine in the room since we got a complimentary cup of coffee from the cafe.

The bathroom was fine, but had a bit of a draft from the window that was next to the toilet. Luckily, the shower provided hot water although the shower head was very low. We're both pretty tall, so having a low shower head isn’t ideal, but we would take that over lukewarm water or a shower that doesn’t drain properly.

The amenities were very basic. A bar of soap and one bottle of shampoo were provided. Surprisingly, the bottle of shampoo was from another hotel called the Kimpton. It almost felt like it didn’t belong and that it was left behind by a previous guest. There were plenty of towels and extra toilet paper was provided as well.

DOG-FRIENDLY

The fee for pets is very reasonable at $15 per stay. Just be prepared to bring your own dog bowls and dog bed. There is a nice little pet relief area to the side of the hotel with a waste bag station. This was appreciated since the property did not have any grassy areas except here.

AMENITIES

There is a fitness center and a seasonal pool located next to the lobby. If you need to give your pup a wash, there is also a dog wash station available.

All guests receive a $5 voucher for breakfast at The Launch, which is located right next to the lobby. Many of the items on the menu are less than $5 and only a few things were above $5, so you basically get your meal for free.

They give you a decent amount of food, but unfortunately, the only thing we enjoyed was the mini pancakes, so we decided to grab breakfast elsewhere on the second day.

LOCATION

The location is absolutely perfect if you have plans to visit White Sands National Park. There is also plenty of fast food and restaurant options nearby. Our favorite restaurant was right next to the hotel (walking distance) called Bangkok Tokyo.

Candy ordered the Chicken Phó and Crystal ordered Hibachi Chicken. We both really enjoyed our meals and were looking forward to ordering from them again the next day but they were closed. Luckily, we had plenty of other options.

PARKING

There was plenty of free parking on the premises and we were able to self-park very close to our room. We always prefer self-parking over valet.

FINAL THOUGHTS

We would give this hotel 3.5 stars out of 5. The staff was great, but the room was very average. We didn’t get the best night’s sleep with the fluctuating room temperatures and thin walls. Staying here for a couple of nights, we were able to get average sleep to continue on to our next destination on the road.