Kessler’s art appreciation
Taos is an enclave for artists, and so the El Monte Sagrado’s Grand Bohemian Gallery is especially fitting. Grand Bohemian galleries are a feature of all Kessler properties.
At El Monte, the Grand Bohemian Gallery is upstairs, overlooking gardens and the Sacred Circle, thought to have been Native American dancing grounds.
The 784-square-foot gallery can be used as a reception space or a dining area, with seating for up to 60.
Southern Methodist University, which uses El Monte as the base for its Taos Cultural Institute each summer, has used the gallery as a spot for classes to gather and get acquainted.
A nearby library, a handsome room with barn-wood floors, a wall of bookshelves, a working fireplace, a pool table and oversized leather chairs, is often used for pre- or post-dinner gatherings.
“You feel like you are in someone’s home having cocktails,” said Archuletta, who held a fall meeting at the El Monte for two straight years for her employer, the New Mexico Association of Counties.
Below the gallery is a gallery store where guests can admire and purchase jewelry and other smaller pieces of artwork.
Because many come to Taos to learn more about its Native American culture, the resort is happy to arrange Native American dancers or musicians as entertainment.
One meeting group, working with an area destination management firm, had its staff build and decorate two tepees on the grounds. When the project was finished, they celebrated with a barbecue on the grounds.
A man-made oasis in the high desert
Among the unusual features of El Monte is the Living Machine, a wastewater treatment system that Worrell’s Worrell Water Technologies has installed for businesses and public facilities around the country.
The Living Machine cleans wastewater at El Monte, and channels it into streams, waterfalls and pools. Part of the water is used for irrigation.
Coupled with near-century-old cottonwood trees, the water makes the resort feel like an oasis. Its grounds are a place for contemplation and, by request, group yoga classes.
Equally peaceful is the resort’s spa, a short walk from the main building. A number of treatments use ingredients found in the desert. For example, the Sagrado High Desert treatment uses fossilized desert salt to exfoliate the skin.
Hard to match for many reasons
Archuletta’s small annual conference of about 50 people never goes to the same location two years in a row. Because of attendee demand, an exception was made, and the conference was held at El Monte for two straight years.
This year, it moves to a new site, and already, Archuletta is worried about the high bar set by El Monte.
Every aspect of the property, from its art to its Zen-like spa, will be unmatched, she imagines.
“Another thing I’ll have trouble matching is the food,” Archuletta said. “They will miss the food there. They like to remind me of how good things are. There’s not another property like it, where it is luxurious and yet you feel relaxed.”
