Charles Motel and Hotsprings — Hotel in Truth or Consequences

Ok, so good & bad. Good - service is amazing. The hot spring baths are wonderful. Great location (across the street from grocery store & dispensary). We really enjoyed the stay.

Cons - this place is very dated. The room we stayed in has been updated but it's still an old property & is quite run down in areas. The room was advertised as "full kitchen" however, stove refrigerator & sink were there but NO Microwave (we brought microwave breakfast sandwiches we couldn't eat... what hotel with a "full kitchen" doesn't include a microwave), or coffee maker (they provide a "French press" which I had to look up on YouTube to use & still burnt myself and made undrinkable coffee... Fortunately a convenience store is a block away with coffee...but not convenient.... we literally went to a thrift store & bought a coffee maker for our second day). Although it was a working kitchen, there were practically no pans, dishes, silverware and zero condiments or anything else needed to cook. Our plan was to cook in the room but it just wasn't possible with the items provided. This should be very clear on their website that if you plan on cooking you need to bring EVERYTHING. They provide a cookie sheet, small sauce pan & small frying pan (big enough to cook 3 eggs). The pans were junk & not "non stick" so you are stuck scrubbing a pan for 20 minutes to clean it. Also, the room is listed as 4 person occupancy - there were 3 of us - but the dining table only had 2 chairs. So we had to move the table beside the bed to sit & eat or play cards. A folding chair in the closet would have been nice. If you had 4 people someone would have to stand. Also, the dinnerware consisted of 4 plates, one soup size bowl (yes, 1), 4 forks & 1 knife (we had to share) and 3 small (like 6 oz) coffee mugs. (To the owners - check that thrift store across the street - we got a coffee maker there for $10 & they had tons of dishes & dinnerware. You could properly equip all your rooms cheap... it may seem like a small deal to you but we spent the first 10 minutes of dinner talking about the lack of basic kitchen needs....time better spent enjoying our vacation).

Minor complaints were no smoke detectors in rooms (thought that was the law) and they really need a sign in their parking lot telling you the street out front is one way. We arrived at night & I didn't realize it was one way & nearly drove head on into a truck because I didn't know I couldn't go that direction. I bet if they called the city they would put a sign up for free. Also, the drapes blocked practically zero light so if you need dark to sleep during the day (like take a nap after a soak) you are out of luck. It would also be very nice to have a better lock on the door. It's just a standard locking knob - no chain or deadbolt.

Anyway, if you lower your expectations to a 2-star experience you will enjoy the place. We would definitely go back because for the price it's a great deal. But we will know going back to not plan on being able to cook meals in your room unless we bring everything (never knew how much I miss salt & pepper & cooking oil). Also, kind of weird but in our room the TV was behind the beds. We moved the bed across the room so we could watch TV (oh yeah - had to buy a $6 pack of batteries for the remote because they were gone & the office didn't have any).

I'm of course nitpicking & focusing on the negatives. I want to stress we had a great time there & if the point is to just enjoy the hot springs this is the place. We would definitely stay here again (already looking at dates for our next trip) but just temper your expectations.

On a different note - we really wanted spa services like a couples massage but in the entire city we couldn't find anyone available. The resort offers massage, but the only person doing it was running the front desk & wasn't available. This is something you should definitely plan in advance & book...

It's been 3+ years since I've stayed at the Charles so it's time for a new review. Things have changed as there is a new owner and many changes for the better. We had an extended stay in Room 5 (the "Mid century Mystic"), a lovely, quiet room. There is a very comfortable king sized bed, a sofa and two comfortable chairs for watching TV. There is also a large walk-in closet (with a bureau) along with the kitchenette with a full sized stove and a smaller, two door fridge and a dining table. The room has a french press coffeemaker, a kettle and a basic set of dishes/cooking supplies. The bath has a deep tub (though NOT using the hot spring water) and a rainfall shower head. This is a dog-friendly room. There is coffee at the front desk also.||The motel has grass and nice trees in front of most of the rooms and a nice little grove of trees behind, which the dogs enjoyed (very clean-please pick up your dog's deposits!) Two minutes walk is Outer Edge Pizza. Their Marguarite pizza is quite tasty. Conveniently across the street from the motel is Bullock's, a full service grocery store. It's a very short walk to Truth Or Consequences Brewery and other restaurants.||Now the reason why we go to the Charles is the hot springs. There are two sides, East and West. They've redone the baths on the East side. Since the baths are all gender neutral, on the new side the dividers between the baths go to the floor and there are solid, latching wood doors with lovely tile work. The West baths are still the original ones, almost a century old. They will be refurbished also. I like the older side since there are handicap handrails on both sides of each tub-safer for me. The baths are cleaned after each use and immaculate. ||As I mentioned above, parts of the Charles are almost a century old and the property does show its age, but the owner has already made many improvements with more on the way. There is now a resident artist program where artists can stay in exchange for twenty hours of creativity a week. There are also yoga classes, massages and other services available, along with a darling gift shop. Good wifi, also.||But what really makes the Charles shine are the people, especially Marilyn, Avi, Joanna and Bill! This is a charming small town with super nice folk and we so enjoyed...

It's been 3+ years since I've stayed at the Charles so it's time for a new review. Things have changed as there is a new owner and many changes for the better. We had an extended stay in Room 5 (the "Mid century Mystic"), a lovely, quiet room. There is a very comfortable king sized bed, a sofa and two comfortable chairs for watching TV. There is also a large walk-in closet (with a bureau) along with the kitchenette with a full sized stove and a smaller, two door fridge and a dining table. The room has a french press coffeemaker, a kettle and a basic set of dishes/cooking supplies. The bath has a deep tub (though NOT using the hot spring water) and a rainfall shower head. This is a dog-friendly room. There is coffee at the front desk also.

The motel has grass and nice trees in front of most of the rooms and a nice little grove of trees behind, which the dogs enjoyed (very clean-please pick up your dog's deposits!) Two minutes walk is Outer Edge Pizza. Their Marguarite pizza is quite tasty. Conveniently across the street from the motel is Bullock's, a full service grocery store. It's a very short walk to Truth Or Consequences Brewery and other restaurants.

Now the reason why we go to the Charles is the hot springs. There are two sides, East and West. They've redone the baths on the East side. Since the baths are all gender neutral, on the new side the dividers between the baths go to the floor and there are solid, latching wood doors with lovely tile work. The West baths are still the original ones, almost a century old. They will be refurbished also. I like the older side since there are handicap handrails on both sides of each tub-safer for me. The baths are cleaned after each use and immaculate.

As I mentioned above, parts of the Charles are almost a century old and the property does show its age, but the owner has already made many improvements with more on the way. There is now a resident artist program where artists can stay in exchange for twenty hours of creativity a week. There are also yoga classes, massages and other services available, along with a darling gift shop. Good wifi, also.

But what really makes the Charles shine are the people, especially Marilyn, Avi, Joanna and Bill! This is a charming small town with super nice folk and we so enjoyed...