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Created in the early part of the 20th century, the Damsite Historic District has been providing lodging and unique experiences for over a century. Guests can choose to stay in any one of our wonderful facilities. The 109 year old Hotel has 8 guest rooms plus a beautiful meeting space. The Historic Civilian Conservation Corps Lakeview Casitas are beautifully remodeled units. Most of the units have full kitchenettes including stove tops, refrigerators, microwaves, dishes and utensils. WI-FI is also available. We also have three large historic vacation rental homes There is staff available on property. The casitas are the closest lodging to Elephant Butte Lake and Spaceport America.
Great staff! They were very friendly And helpful. They provided an excellent print out of local restaurants. They were accommodating. Our family enjoyed the breathtaking views from the Lodge. The rooms were very comfortable and cozy. I would highly recommend the Lodge rooms where you can find a common area with a large area with huge tables and a fridge, sink and microwave.
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Date of stay: November 2024
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Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We stayed at the Casitas as part of a large group for a birthday party. We had a great time- the casitas were well stocked with everything we needed. The casitas were clean and comfortable. My only suggestion is to bring water shoes for the lake as it can be very rocky. After we left we realized my daughter left some of her jewelry in the bedroom. We called the dam site and the manager was able to locate the jewelry and even shipped them to us at no charge. That is outstanding customer service!
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Date of stay: May 2022
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Will Dooley, Marketing at Dam Site
Responded 30 May 2022
Thank You for your kind review. We are so glad you enjoyed your stay. We are very happy that our staff could locate your jewelry.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
I was very impressed with my weekend here (was my 2nd visit) and I will definitely keep coming.
The fact you don't have to drive anywhere at all the entire weekend and can walk to the marina, the bar, to fishing spots, the park, the cabins, bait shop, the lodge and to the restaurant and bar was super relaxing and low stress.
The rates were so reasonable I really wasn't sure what to expect -same with the food here, and it was all great I was very pleased with our cabin as well as all 7 meals we had here (breakfast lunch and dinner)
Beer battered cod and shrimp only $10.99 and the best ever piña coladas.
Service was great, very personable, and the patio is huge and overlooks the Marina and all the boats and Rio Grand River and Large rock known as the elephant coming out of the water is all right there in plane view.
I thought it was neat they had live music on Saturday night & Sunday afternoon free of charge.
The cabins are cute unique stand alone cabin units that look like they're made of adobe mud (very Santa Fe looking-adorable) and are for rent for only $80-95 per night, & they have a lodge too with standard room rentals that are newly renovated, however I liked the cabins better, they are not decorated fancy and don't have TVs but they were clean and quaint, and the view of the rio grand right outside your door is priceless and beats a TV.
Clean, no bugs, hot water, great pressure and best of all we got to pick the one we wanted after a quick tour-some have kitchens in them and private bedroom and one has 3 or 4 bedrooms?
Stayed 2 nights; ate breakfast dinner and lunch at bar and watched the game. The cooks (Thomas and Albert and another) all very personable and willing to substitute - they even made some extra dipping sauces to try for fun and brought them out to us.
The bartenders Randy & Terry were really informative and upbeat as well. Will definitely come back here and do another girls weekend fishing getaway. I can't believe people stay in town at overpriced hotels and miss out on this little tucked away gem!!
Rueben, Jonathan, and Kathy were also very helpful with reserving the cabin & accommodated our late midnight check-in with all smiles. They even let us sleep in I. Sunday and stay all day without checking out at any certain time since no one was checking in after us. Can't beat it!
The restaurant and bar also have a free courtesy shuttle that will take you to town or to the hot springs of your choice free of charge.
I recommend Riverbend hot springs its outdoor beautiful and is nearby- but definitely stay here at the Damsite.
You'll see for yourself that any bad review on this place is absolutely inaccurate.
Yes its dusty in New Mexico and even just hours after the floors been mopped it can still have a thin layer of dirt in no time but its invisible and certainly doesn't have a dirty feel in these cabins at all.
They have small fridges in The cabins but not in the lodge so if you want a fridge make sure you get a cabin and not the lodge rooms.
Some have kitchens but they don't come stocked with dishes or anything but we were ok with that because the restaurant had great atmosphere and food prices.
Our favorite cabin was cabin #12. All our river front with great view an little patios on them.
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Date of stay: March 2014Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I stayed at cabin seven for two nights this visit. I brought my girlfriend and paid for a slip in the marina so I could leave my boat in the water. This time the cabin had a convection cooker next to the microwave. Pots pans dishes cups utensils I like the cabins, the view from the front porch. This visit the shower did not work properly. I told the office after my first night but nothing was done. The water would get scalding hot and then icy cold, then the water pressure dwindled to nothing. Very frustrating trying to get a hot shower on a cold day. My girlfriend was not happy about the hard bed but I was fine. I really like the place and will go back as I have stayed in the cabins twice before. I think I was not moved to another cabin because of COVID restrictions. I was able to stream on the WiFi, cell service is poor to None. Great view, quiet and mellow place. Cabins are simple with no tv so bring a book or some cards or stream on your laptop or iPad. The nearest store is about a fifteen minute drive so bring what you need. Still not a bad drive to town. I do like this place
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Date of stay: January 2021Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Our recent stay for one night was horrible. When we entered the cabin with the staff member the person had a broom to sweep the "critters" aka cockroachs out of the cabin. Maybe that should have been done prior to our arrival? The overall feeling of the cabin was scary!! Very out dated, poorly cared for. Only 2 burners on the stove worked, the refridgerator was stuck closed. The airconditioner leaked, when we got back from the lake there was water all over the floor. We had to throw towels on the floor. It leaked the entire night even when it was turned off. The beds were very hard, like sleeping on a wood panel. No water pressure in the shower. Did not sleep the entire night, did not feel safe, we even pushed a dresser in front of the door for extra security. When we talked to the office person in the morning the excuse to all of this was, they have no control that the area is owned by the state. PLEASE save your money, stay in a tent or even sleep outside on a cot. The facilities at the lake are much better!!
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Date of stay: August 2014Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Will D, Public Relations Manager at Dam Site
Responded 8 Jul 2019
The facility has been under new management since 2015. We have made significant upgrades and improvements to the facility.
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We found the Dam Site Resort and Marina online, and booked the large cabin. Based on the website we expected a rustic cabin experience; however, we were shocked to see that the place was filthy. It had obviously not been cleaned prior to our arrival. The shower leaked all over the floor, there were giant hair balls blocking the drains in the sinks and showers, years of grease caked on the kitchen walls, and the floors were filthy, but that wasn't the worst of it. After spending the day on the lake, we returned to the cabin for bed. When I pulled back the covers I found tiny white bugs roaming the sheets, a large black beetle, lots of hair, and a spider the size of a silver dollar. To make things worse, the staff in the marina was rude. We will never return, and I hope that you will think twice before booking a room here.
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Date of stay: August 2012
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Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from will d, Public Relations Manager at Dam Site
Responded 18 May 2017
Thank you for your review. Lago Rico, Inc. took over operation from the State Park System in 2015. Since that time, we have made many upgrades to our lodging facilities. I would encourage you to make a return visit and see how nice things are now. We have upgraded several of our Lakeview Casitas with new kitchenettes. All of the casitas have received extensive plumbing and electrical upgrades. The casitas are listed on the National register of Historic Places. they are a truly unique part of New Mexico Culture and we are glad to have saved them for future generations.
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It is very run down, the price is average for the area, I have been coming to Elephant Butte for over 40 years, and this is by far the worst place I have stayed. It smell like urine, the air conditioner only heats the small little kitchen area its in, the beds are hard, the windows do not have any screens, spider eggs on the walls, Check in is very inconvenient, you have to check in at the marina. Very bad experience all the way around, I would have paid anything at any other place if they had an availability.
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Date of stay: July 2011
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Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We live in El Paso, TX and wanted a nice one day trip. T or C is one and a half hours from El Paso but I have never been there. I went with my two daughters, 8 and 11 and my Dad. Great little quaint town. It's got the usual McDonalds and so forth but if you venture in the town you will find great antique shops, a rare book store and nice restaurants. We were going to stay in a hotel in town but they were sold out. We went further up the road, and went to see the Dam, kept going and found this hotel. Not technically in "town" and family run. The rooms where great, they also have cabins but those are a little run down, if you stay at the Lodge it's much better. They have a great restaurant the food was good a nice bar, pool table. They have a patio that overlooks the lake. The best part for everyone was the fact that overlooking the lake there are a lot of rocks and those rocks are filled with Squirrels! The squirrels are so friendly, a nice man had a bag of peanuts and the squirrels where coming right up to him to take the peanuts. He was nice enough to give my girls peanuts, and we spend hours feeding the squirrels. There are great hiking trails and stairs that you can walk to the marina and look at the lake or rent a boat, kayaks, pontoon. The man who runs it super nice. We also drove to Spaceport America, you can pay for a tour of the inside facility at $29 - $59 bucks per person, but you can drive to the place and just look at it. It's pretty cool. In the middle of nowhere, it's 30 miles from T or C. We will be back when it's not as cold.
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Date of stay: March 2014
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Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Â Rooms with the balcony on the lodge are nice.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from will d, Public Relations Manager at Dam Site
Responded 18 May 2017
Thank You for your kind words. Lago Rico, Inc. took over operation of the area in 2015. Since then we have made many upgrades to the facilities. We hope you will return to see us soon.
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We have been going to Elephant Butte for 26 years. We stay at the cabins most of the time and expect the showers to leak and the place to have bugs. This past weekend we where surprised because it was the cleanest it has ever been. They have new management and are starting to fix the place up. My only complaint would be that they need to be easier to reach when you want to check in. We called on our way there because we knew that we would arrive after office hours. We had to leave a message because no one answered the phone. When we got there no one was in the office and there was a note to go to cabin 15. We could not find anyone at the cabin either. We ended up going to town and coming back later and finally where able to check in after leaving three messages. If the cabin hadn't been nicer than past visits and if we didn't enjoy the lake so much this could have made been more upsetting.
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Date of stay: May 2013
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Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
this place is not really a resort...it is simply a lodge above a marina on Elephant Butte lake. That said, if you want to be away from it all (not that T or C is not already away from it all) and like a well put together rustic setting, this is an interesting place to stay in the area. The lodge is a substantial building built originally to house the engineers who built the dam back in the 1920's (?). It is beautifully situated above the lake and marina amid terraced landscaped grounds. The rooms are basic but esthetically quite nice in a back woods cabin sort of way. There is no front desk or lobby and no amenities except for internet access--only guest rooms--but that is part of the charm. There is a huge southern style covered porch for sitting, reading, visiting, drinking wine, etc on the front of the building facing the lake. In boating season there is a cafe down the way; the marina also has a rudimentary store. We stayed here in both the winter and just now in late May. Both times we were in the only rooms occupied in the lodge (privacy!). In the winter it is austere and a little surreal in its isolated beauty and silence. T or C is only about 10 minutes away; cost is about $80 per room
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Date of stay: May 2012
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Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Â not for culturally mainstream folks
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
There are more places to choose from in the Elephant Butte area.
PRICE RANGE
S$175 - S$206 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
United StatesNew MexicoSierra CountyElephant Butte
NUMBER OF ROOMS
31
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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Yes, it offers wheelchair access, reduced mobility rooms, and facilities for disabled guests. For specific enquiries, we recommend calling ahead to confirm.
