Taking it Easy at La Posada

113 thoughts on “Taking it Easy at La Posada”

1. Hi, Janis – I’ve never been to Winslow, Arizona before but now you have very much made me want to go!

   Beautiful photos and descriptions!

   1. Thank you. Winslow has seen better days, but The Corner is quite popular in a kitschy way, and La Posada is well worth a visit.

2. Thanks for the review, I love staying in places like this.

   1. I do to! I really loved all the history. There was so much more to write about regarding the railway hotels, but I didn’t want to get too wonky. 🙂

3. I’ve been to Arizona but never to Winslow. Looks like a great adventure. Applause on your door badge contest submission – it’s perfect!

   1. Thank you, Judy. We enjoyed our Route 66 road trip back in 2015… so much wonderful history along the way. I’m so happy that we were able to make it back to La Posada and book a room.

4. wonderful photos, Janis. Looks like you had perfect weather during your visit.
   Shelley

   1. Thank you, Shelley. We experienced all kinds of weather (except snow) on that trip. By the time we got to Arizona, it was lovely.

5. kinda makes me want to go!

   1. Oh, I hope you do. So many hotels are soulless, cookie-cutter chains, it’s nice to be able to experience something unique, and beautiful.

6. Summer 1972. On a road trip before I started college in the fall. We drove through Winslow – and it didn’t look like your photos, I can tell ya! Used the restroom at a ‘nicer’ looking gas station (you know when you had to ask for the key to the back outside entrance?) and the wall separating men’s and women’s cubicles had holes in it PLUS I got the surprise of my life when I flushed and up sprouted a stream of water from the open toilet tank!!! Now epic memories and more in keeping with the Winslow AZ as experienced/sung about by the Eagles…
   Just sayin’…
   🙂

   1. Haha! It sounds like you might make a return trip. I can’t promise better gas stations (holes in the walls???!!!), but you can now stay at the gorgeous La Posada.

      1. Sounds like a plan!

7. Love it. Such an interesting and artistic spot. Your Route 66 trip must have been amazing.

   1. I recommend taking a Route 66 road trip to anyone! There is so much to see and it follows roads not heavily traveled. It’s also slowly disappearing. I wonder if younger generations are still interested?

      1. I’m not sure that today’s younger generations take as much pleasure in driving as previous generations did, generally speaking. For the younger crowd that grew up in an era where traveling by air was common and technology provided pleasure instantaneously, I don’t think the slower pace of a road trip holds much appeal for most of them. Without continual stewardship, Historic Route 66 may eventually be lost. They’ve already paved over most of the section with the grooves that allowed tires rolling at 45 m.p.h. to “play” “America the Beautiful.” Such a difficult loss for those of us who grew up with a love of the open road. If Route 66 is on anyone’s bucket list, sooner is better than later.

         1. I absolutely agree with everything you’ve written, Mary! Get your kicks on Route 66 NOW!

8. I enjoyed this so much! My husband loved trains, so we often went to places where trains were featured. Both of us would have loved to stay here.

   1. Any train enthusiast would love La Posada. They also had a vintage Pullman Pleasure Dome train car that they hope to turn into a museum.

9. Maybe it was my monitor but the room called the turquoise room was actually orange! Southwestern architecture is beautiful and serene even with the vivid colors.

   1. Well, you are right that the wall outside of the restaurant is a mustard color. Lots of touches of turquoise inside though. 🙂

10. Janis, there would not have been too many women architects back in the 1930s. Mary Colter is extremely talented to have worked on big projects like the Grand Cannon accommodation. Looks a very interesting place to stay and well described by yourself.

    1. I had remembered learning a bit about Mary Colter when I visited the Grand Canyon, but I wasn’t aware of her other projects. A woman, Julia Morgan, also designed Hearst Castle (in California), in the 1920s.

11. I’m such a fan of history, travel, and finding unique places. Well done to you two!

    1. Me too! So much is cookie-cutter these days. It’s nice to see something that has a unique story.

       1. Definitely agree.

12. These are beautiful photos, Janis. I’m glad you got to stay there. I stayed in a refurbished hotel room at the train station in Minneapolis. It’s fun to step back through time. I’m glad they kept this place from being demolished.

    Good luck in the contest.

    1. I love it when someone with vision (and money) decides to save an old building and preserve its history. If I ever get to Minneapolis, I’ll try to stay at that hotel.

       1. At the time we stayed there, the room was a bit more expensive than the other rooms in the hotel, but they gave us a $50 restaurant gift certificate. My brother and I put that to good use at the bar.

13. Oh my gosh, those doors and gates are spectacular, as is the whole place. I can see why the idea of staying there stayed with you all that time. The Husband has always wanted us to “do Route 66.” I can’t say that’s very high on my list, but if I could stay here it just might jump up a few slots!

    1. I really, really encourage you to “do” Route 66, and sooner rather than later. It was one of the best road trips we’ve taken. Before you go, be sure to pick up a guidebook so you don’t miss any of the more interesting stops. Parts of, and sights on, the route are slowly disappearing as development takes over. And, if, I mean when, you go, don’t just stay at La Posada (be sure to book ahead), but also the Wigwam motel in Holbrook, AZ.

       1. Noted! My concern is that I will be totally bored from Chicago until we get to Taos, NM. Not so?

          1. I guess it depends on what floats your boat. I saw a lot and loved the journey. I really suggest getting a book about Route 66, and the sights along the way (I have one by Jim Hinckley). That will give you a better idea of what to expect.

14. I had heard there was a plan afoot to restore this gem. I’ve driven through Winslow a number of times, but now there’s a reason to stop! I do like the old hotels. A co-worker convinced me we should stay at the historic El Rancho in Gallup, New Mexico. It was charming, but the bathroom left much to be desired. I see they’ve got nice ones at La Posada.

    1. We went inside El Rancho on our 2015 road trip, but didn’t stay there. You will absolutely love La Posada… it’s well worth a stop.

15. Hi Janis! Yes that hotel is definitely a special stay to stay and experience. We stayed there once ourselves several years ago and have eaten in their restaurant several times when we drove through Winslow. Such a hidden gem on our travels. I hope they continue to do well and are available to people traveling through town. ~Kathy

    1. I’m so happy to know that you have stayed there too. We were able to book the very last room the night we stayed, so I hope that indicates that they are doing well.

16. My youngest and I have talked about heading south from Denver and doing a road trip that includes Winslow. Now we know a fun place to try and stay, thanks!

    1. Fabulous! I hope you are able to make that road trip – and stay at La Posada – a reality.

17. Of course the song comes to mind, but I didn’t know about the La Posada Hotel. Your photos are gorgeous and show a nice overview of what one can expect. Since your post about Jerome and now Winslow, both are on my list, perhaps for next time!

    1. I love how road trips (unlike when flying) let you discover interesting places and hidden gems along the way. I am looking forward to hearing about your visits to both Jerome and Winslow (and maybe Bisbee too)… and all the fascinating stops in between.

18. What a wonderful stay you had Janis. I love the hotel’s Southwestern design and coloring – very nice. and a woman architect from all those years ago is good to read about as well. As a youngster my family travelled from Oakville, Ontario to California when my father had a job interview and we took Route 66. Unfortunately I was too young to remember much about the trip and would enjoy it much more now.

    1. I bet that was a marvelous trip… and a long way to travel for a job interview (so different from today). I imagine quite a few of the Route 66 sights back then are gone, but it’s still a great road trip.

       I was also interested to learn more about Mary Colter. She was obviously talented and fortunate (back then) to have people who supported her.

       1. Yes Janis, we did that trip in a VW Bug with no A/C in the Summer. It’s too bad they could not have preserved more of the Route 66 sights for a flashback now to what was. I liked that Winslow, Arizona corner tribute to the Eagles – Glenn Frey was from Michigan and I saw a photo of the band who will be doing a benefit concert to aid L.A. fire victims. Frey’s son is in the band and looks just like him.

          That’s great that a woman architect is getting accolades all these years later.

19. Janis, thanks so much for the history lesson and the photo tour – I enjoyed both. (That lovely lobby! Those gorgeous tiles in your bathroom! Wow!) I knew the general history of the hotel, and we’ve walked by it a couple of times and peeked in at the property because of where we park when we’re towing the travel trailer. But I didn’t know it had areas that were open to the public or that it provided viewing access to the rail line. What a charming hotel – and a memorable experience for you and your husband!

    1. When we first visited back in 2015, and weren’t guests, we were able to walk around the grounds and public areas inside fairly freely. Next time you are there, I encourage you to spend some time exploring… maybe even have a meal in the Turquoise Room… and watch some trains rumble by. It is a treat for the eyes.

20. Oooh, I really love those iron gates! Thanks for sharing, Janis.

    Deb

    1. I love that they didn’t just have ordinary iron gates made. Each one was unique and a work of art. I especially liked the train-themed one between the hotel and the tracks.

21. My favorite thing about Winslow, Arizona was the eagle painted on the mural. Nice little hat tip! Honestly, we didn’t stay long enough to discover anything else. La Posada looks like something I would enjoy. Beautiful place.

    1. I had been meaning to write this post since our spring road trip, but your comment about Winslow on my end of the year post prompted me to get busy. The Corner is kitschy fun, but La Posada is worth a longer visit.

       1. I thought it looked familiar! 😎

22. I’ve lived most of my life in the Southwest and yet have never been in Arizona. (No Posada! No Grand Canyon!) Not sure how I managed that, but Windslow is obviously a place I must visit.

    1. Oh my, you better get busy! There is so much to see. Just make sure you time your trip to avoid the 100+ temps. 🙂

23. I’ve been to Arizona but not Winslow. The hotel looks charming and exactly what I’d expect to see considering its prestigious heritage. Of course, you realize you’ve put an ear worm in my head, not a bad one though.

    1. Sorry about the ear worm… 🙂 I vacillated between humming Take it Easy and (Get Your Kicks) on Route 66, both of which are fun to bop to.

24. We stayed here on our Arizona road trip in about 2009. It still looks the same, including the rusty camel! I remember the Turquoise Room being the culinary highlight of our trip (wasn’t hard).

    1. That’s fabulous! The camel, as well as a few other rusty animals scattered about, seemed a bit odd, but they added to the magic of the gardens. We had breakfast in the Turquoise Room, and we really enjoyed it.

25. Great song, and bonus points for knowing it’s a Jackson Browne original! But I’ve always wondered: how do you know which corner to stand on? Surely WInslow has multiple corners. You’re going to have egg on your face if you pick the wrong one!

    1. I knew who wrote it but apparently, I got the spelling of his last name wrong (since corrected). Who knows which corner he was actually standing on, but the town certainly has designated a corner to take photographs of. It’s a fine sight to see. 🙂

26. 1. You’ve now planted that song as an earworm in my head, so now I have to pull it up and listen to it a few times to dislodge it! 🙂
    2. Loved the post and photos, but:
    3. REALLY love the name of your blog. It made me giggle out loud.
    1. 1. Sorry about the earworm… at least it’s a good one. 🙂
       2. Thank you. I loved having the chance to stay at a unique hotel with so much history (and interesting doors).
       3. I’m glad you like it! Ten years after retiring and starting my blog, it still fits.
       4. Thank you for stopping by and commenting!

27. Love your Thursday Doors design. I’m sure it is a winner.

    1. Thank you, Suzanne. We’ll see… 🙂

28. Lovely pictures! Did you have any other worldly experiences at your lodging? I remember my mother saying she had her toes tickled in the night by a playful spirit in the middle of the night. She and my stepdad stayed there on a motorcycle ride up to stand on the corner… we boys think Big Roy was playing a trick on her, but she was adamant. 👻👣

    1. Oh my… I didn’t have my toes tickled while there. In fact, I didn’t sense any other worldly aberrations at all (darn!).

29. How fun to be able to live part of history. I’ve never been to Arizona.

    1. I guess since it is right next door to us, we’ve visited Arizona quite a few times. There is way more interesting places to explore – and history to learn about – than crazy-crowded Phoenix.

30. What a marvelously restored gem! Thank goodness for the alert response of National Trust for Historic Preservation! The images are so lovely, I felt like I could smell the old wood and polish and desert air. Cool place to stay.

    1. It would have been such a shame to have lost that gem to a wrecking ball. Thank goodness for the Trust and for the angel who bought it and poured a lot of money into its restoration.

31. What a beautiful place, Janis. I love those gates and doors and the Southwest details. I visited a Harvey House in Santa Fe a few years ago that was turned into a museum. It wasn’t nearly as gorgeous as the hotel, of course, but it was interesting to learn its history and see old photos. If I head to Winslow, I’ll make a point of checking out The Posada. 🙂

    1. We are lucky that some people can look beyond what might be more fiscally expedient, and put their vision, effort, and money into restoring a part of history. I hope you get the chance to visit La Posada. I think the creative in you would especially appreciate its beauty.

       1. I expect I’ll be in Arizona again before long. I have more exploring in the southwest to do. 🙂

32. What a great place to visit and stay!

    1. It was! I loved all the history and the esthetic of La Posada.

33. What a great place to visit and stay!

    1. Hi Ann. I don’t know why some comments are coming through as Anonymous, but I’m glad you were able to fix it. Anyway, La Posada was such a treat to explore.

       1. I’m glad it went through!

34. What a fascinating hotel with an equally fascinating history! I played a Harvey girl in a school play when I was in junior high 😊

    1. How interesting! The Harvey Girls were such a big part of the history of the train hotels. Do you remember the name of the play?

       1. The play was called “Tied to the Tracks.” I doubt it was critically acclaimed, but it was fun to do and had a little history in it. Thanks for asking!

35. I love a good Route 66 story!

    1. I can’t remember if you ever did that road trip yourself. Now that you are returning to Texas, it will be easier for you to visit the various sites along the way.

       1. We did do a similar road trip from Texas westbound to Southern California. We had a great time! When we move, I will be flying back with my two cats so no more Route 66 for the time being.

36. This is gorgeous! Thank you for sharing “forgotten history” with us

    1. I’m glad you enjoyed it!

37. What an amazing place and history, Janis. And a joy for the eye and the camera. I’m glad you managed to book a room, this time. How long did you stay there?

    1. Hi Liesbet! We were on the tail end of a six-week road trip (which I realize, to you, isn’t a lot) and wanted to make a few more stops before heading home, so we just stayed one night. Honestly, there isn’t much to see or do in Winslow besides enjoying the hotel, so one night was fine.

38. What a fab place Janis and thanks for the history and useful information. Not sure if I’ll ever get to Winslow but you’ve shared some lovely photos!

    1. It would be a long way for you to travel for sure. 🙂 I’m glad you enjoyed reading about La Posada and its history.

39. Oh, how cool that you stayed at La Posada! It truly is a gem. We happened upon it back in 2014 when we were passing through Winslow exploring Route 66. We toured the hotel and grounds and enjoyed a delicious lunch in the Turquoise Room. I would have loved to stay there, but we were traveling with our RV at the time. The history of La Posada is fascinating, and I’m so glad that the hotel has been preserved. The couple that bought and restored the property are interesting folks! I remember she had some wild art work in the gallery upstairs, lol. I enjoyed so much seeing your photos—the room you stayed in was lovely! I’m hoping you’ll write more about your cross-country road trip when you feel inspired to do so. 🙂

    1. I’m so happy to know that you’ve explored La Posada and loved it too. Yes, the woman who owns it with her husband is a fabulous artist. Her paintings are big and bold, with a lot of symbolism.

       I have a really bad habit… I don’t like to post while I’m traveling, and when I get back, it seems so “yesterday.” 🙂 Opportunities like Thursday Doors give me the push to write a post that I have had in the back of my mind for some time. Maybe something else will prompt another post one of these days.

       I hope you are enjoying the warmth… or did you get caught up in the freak snowstorm?

       1. I understand. That’s why I have a huge backlog of travel posts, haha. And I seem to always get sidetracked by some big life event.

          It’s so danged cold in Florida…but at least we’re not suffering the ‘teens and minus temps at home in North Carolina! I hope you’re far, far away from all of the fires in California.

          1. I don’t understand how your second comment got labeled from Anonymous. WP has been a bit wacky lately. Anyway… so sorry that you are experiencing cold weather in Florida. I imagine that you didn’t pack with that in mind.

             We are far away from all fires, thank goodness. And we may even get some much-needed rain this weekend!

40. Such a charming place you’ve shared. I have to admit, I’ve only based by Winslow on the train when my daughter was away at NAU. One of those hope to see someday destinations in a long list of traveling stops.

    1. Oh wow, you must have passed right by the back of La Posada! I hope you can see it for yourself one day… be sure to book a room in advance.

41. What a wonderful looking hotel La Posada is. I hear so many stories of railway hotels – not just in the US but in the UK too – and think it’s a great loss to society that so many are now gone. Thank you for sharing your gorgeous pics 🙂

    1. I’m sorry that, in the US anyway, train travel isn’t as popular as it once was. I know we tend to romanticize the past, but I love the idea of traveling from one place to another without the stress of driving. I’m going the check-out UK railway hotels on the googles.

42. I would have done the same and envisaged La Posada as it must have been in its heyday, Janis. Imagine if you could step back in time to experience something like that. The hotel has so much history attached to it, and I was delighted to hear that the trains still stop there to drop off and pick up guests. What a delightful place to have stayed.

    1. I would have loved to see one of the trains stop at the hotel and drop off passengers who planned to stay at the hotel. The hotel had a lot of artwork (including many paintings by one of the owners) but I was most fascinated by the black and white photos taken back in La Posada’s prime. They also featured a long list of celebrities who have stayed there over the years… I wonder who has stayed in our room?

       1. Indeed, I wonder who stayed in your room, Janis. I also enjoy looking at old hotel photos, which tell so many stories. I also enjoy looking at old dinner menus from hotels. Not only are the prices eye-opening, but so is what’s on the menu.

43. This and the Castaneda Hotel in Las Vegas, New Mexico have been on my bucket list for a few years. They are both owned by Allen Affeldt, are former Fred Harvey Houses, and you get to both on Amtrak. You’ve inspired me to move it to the top. Thanks for the beautiful pictures.

    1. Thank you so much for your comment! I didn’t know that the Affeldts owned both properties (or that they were both Fred Harvey Hotels). When we did our Route 66 trip in 2015, we drove right by Las Vegas, NM on our way to Sante Fe. Now I’m bummed that we didn’t stop to see the Castaneda Hotel. Next time…

       I hope you are able to check off these bucket list items soon!

44. Janis, this post was so well done and the extra links to learn more was a nice bonus.

    Of course I also liked the doors (and the patina on them and all around) and this place looks wonderful.

    1. Sorry, somehow, I missed your lovely comment. I really appreciated how the new owners embraced the history of La Posada and restored it with such loving care.

       1. Thanks for the reply and I hope you are having a nice start to April 2025

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46. The very first western road trip my then-new husband and I took when I came to San Francisco in 1992 included his introducing me to La Posada (and environs.) Thanks for the lovely memories!

    1. I’m so happy that my post brought back happy memories for you. Isn’t La Posada a gem? My husband and I love road trips, and the west has so many fabulous places to explore. (I’m sorry your comment came across as “Anonymous” I don’t know why WordPress is wonky like that.)

47. The restoration looks amazing! And it looks like the perfect location for train buffs.

    1. It was so much fun to explore and read about the history of the hotel. They did a great job restoring it to its former beauty.

48. We stumbled on La Posada a few years ago when we visited Arizona. Such an amazing place!

    1. The first time we saw La Posada, it was a delightful surprise too. I was so happy that we were able to visit again and actually stay.

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