House in El Prado, NM

Bright Star Compound in Arroyo Seco ~ Halfway Between Taos Plaza and Ski Valley

Bright Star Compound in Arroyo Seco ~ Halfway Between Taos Plaza and Ski Valley

Photo gallery for Bright Star Compound in Arroyo Seco ~ Halfway Between Taos Plaza and Ski Valley

Bright Star House and Casita
Hot Air Ballooning, spacious 2.5 acre lot
South side of Casa showing Courtyard and Patio
On-site Observatory at Sunset
Dining Room, Hallway to Bedroom Wing

Overview of Bright Star Compound in Arroyo Seco ~ Halfway Between Taos Plaza and Ski Valley

Reviews
5 out of 5 Exceptional
4 bedrooms4 bathroomsSleeps 18390 sq m

Popular amenities

  • Hot tubHot tubHot tub
  • FireplaceFireplaceFireplace
  • Free WiFiFree WiFiFree WiFi
  • WasherWasherWasher
  • DryerDryerDryer
  • KitchenKitchenKitchen

Explore the area

El Prado, NM
  • Popular LocationKit Carson Park14 min drive
  • Popular LocationTaos Pueblo15 min drive
  • Popular LocationTaos Plaza15 min drive

Rooms & beds

4 bedrooms (sleeps 18)

Casita Master Bedroom

House Master Bedroom

Middle Bedroom

Twin Bedroom

4 bathrooms

Casita Bathroom

Toilet · Shower only

Master Bathroom

Bathtub · Toilet · Shower only

Middle Bathroom

Bathtub or shower · Toilet

Twin Bathroom

Toilet · Shower only

Spaces

Deck or patio
Porch or lanai
Kitchen
Balcony
Outdoor play area
Garden
Dining Area

About this property

Bright Star Compound in Arroyo Seco ~ Halfway Between Taos Plaza and Ski Valley

----- 2 Master Bedroom Suites / 2 Full Kitchens / Courtyard, Patio, Deck, Covered Portal -----

Bright Star Casa & Casita is in the Arroyo Seco/Des Montes area on a high mesa with wrap-around mountain views.

Located half way between Taos Plaza and Taos Ski Valley, it is 9 miles to the plaza and 11 miles to the lifts, making it ideal for a vacation at any time of the year.

This property has spectacular 360 degree views of the Taos area mountain ranges and the desert plains to the west. In the distance, one can see the Rio Grande rift.

Bright Star includes a Casa (sleeps 14) and a Casita (sleeps 4) and both are under one roof.

To rent the Casa without the Casita, search for HomeAway #4628225.

A 7- person, 16-jet hot tub has a great view of the mountains to the East, and there is ample parking for 12 or more cars. There are 2 covered car ports under the 440 square foot partially covered Casita deck. It has a kiva fireplace and offers spectacular 360 degree views of the entire Taos county mountains and plains.

The property occupies two and a half acres of land, and has a lovely acequia (irrigation watercourse) which winds through the property. When the acequia is running, which is early spring into late summer, there is a small pond on the south end that is separately fenced for the benefit of the horses which frequently graze there.

The observatory on the property is operated remotely over the internet and images from the observatory are on the walls. High definition digital copies of these images are free to guests. This is a perfect location with very dark skies for you to bring your own telescope.

Bright Star Casa is a southwestern-style stucco, one story home with traditional Taos blue-trimmed windows. Arroyo Seco and neighboring Arroyo Hondo are charming ranching communities with historic roots in the Spanish Land Grant system. The Casa is within walking distance to Arroyo Seco on a rural road which passes an old Penitente cemetery and the back of Julia Roberts’ 50-acre ranch.

This spacious adobe hacienda was built in the mid ‘90s of hand-made adobe blocks covered with stucco. The resulting 12” thick adobe walls provide excellent insulation summer and winter, and keep inside temperatures relatively cool in the summer. (Summer temperatures in Arroyo Seco average 4 degrees cooler than temps in Taos.) The house features Spanish colonial corbels and lintels, romantic arches, flagstone, brick and timber. The ceilings are roughhewn logs, called vigas, layered with pine slats, called latillas. The radiant-heated floors are Saltillo tile.

On the exterior, the 3000 square foot house features a 500 square foot courtyard off the long hall, portals (covered entrances), and a kitchen patio with a kiva fireplace and a dining table for 6.

Bright Star Casa sleeps up to 14, with 2 king bedrooms and a bedroom with 2 twin beds which can also be made up as a king. An additional 8 folding mattresses (4” thick) with cots sleep up to 8 adults or children. Adults usually find them comfortable too. The cots that hold the mattresses are a spacious 30" x 76" x18" and are rated for a 330 pound person. The picture gallery includes an image of a cot with mattress. These are amazingly comfortable to sleep on. Three bedrooms have an ensuite bathroom. The fourth bathroom is accessed from the hall for the convenience of all the guests.

Bright Star Casita is a recently constructed 1200 square foot Casita with great room and full-kitchen on the first floor, and a double-sink bathroom, large master bedroom, and laundry/closet on the second floor. The great room includes an island with 4 stools and a wood burning kiva fireplace. Both floors have viga/latilla ceilings. The 400 square foot bedroom has French doors to a large, partially-covered deck which features a wood burning kiva fireplace. The deck has spectacular mountain views. Bright cushions for the deck chairs can be found in the bedroom.

The Casita sleeps up to 4 with a king-bed in the bedroom, and a queen fold-out bed in the great room’s leather sofa. The fold-out has a comfortable memory foam mattress.

Other Amenities (available in both the Casa and Casita):
3 HD flat screen televisions, two in the Casa, a 60” in the spacious living room and a 50” in the Master Bedroom. The Casita has a 60” in the living room/kitchen. 23 local channels and 110 internet channels are available over the high-speed fiber optic internet service. Programs include YouTube TV, Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Peacock, providing a wide range of live sports, news, movies, TV Series, music and other entertainment.

The fiber optic 100mbit (up and down) internet also provides excellent WIFI connectivity throughout the Casa and Casita.

The Casa and Casita each have their own internet phone providing land-line quality phone service with unlimited free incoming and outgoing calls throughout the US. The cell phone coverage from most of the providers in the Arroyo Seco/Des Montes area is usable but not always reliable.

At night, guests enjoy starry skies over the Sangre de Christo Mountain Range. Bright Star is ideal for families and groups desiring to be together under one very Southwest roof for a true Taos experience!

Option for live music entertainment:
Billy Archuleta - Soloist Extraordinaire!
Music styles - Country Rock, Spanish, Blues, Gospel, Bolero, Reggee
Music for any occasion, Wedding, Birthday, Anniversary, Social Gathering, etc
Contract rate: $150/Hr.for first two hours, $100/hr after that.
Contact Info: wilparc54@yahoo.com (email) or 575-779-0109 (call or text) jj
Please contact at least 2 weeks in advance, thank you

Property manager

Jerry Macon
Premier Host
Premier Host

Languages

English

Amenities

Hot tub
Kitchen
Washer
Dryer
Free WiFi
Outdoor space

House Rules

Check in after 4:00 PM
Minimum age to rent: 21
Check out before 10:00 AM

Children

Children allowed: ages 0-17

Events

Events allowed

Pets

No pets allowed

Smoking

Smoking is not permitted
Please be considerate of our neighbors by observing a quiet period from 10:00 pm until 6:00 am.

Damage and incidentals

You will be responsible for any damage to the rental property caused by you or your party during your stay.

Important information

You need to know

Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card, or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
Parties and events are allowed on site
Safety features at this property include a carbon monoxide detector, a fire extinguisher, a smoke detector, a first aid kit, and a deadbolt lock

We should mention

A car is required for transportation to and from this property

About the area

Taos

Located in Taos, this vacation home is in the city center and on a river. Taos Ski Valley and Manzanita Canyon Trailhead are worth checking out if an activity is on the agenda, while those wishing to experience the area's natural beauty can explore Carson National Forest and Wheeler Peak Wilderness Area. Traveling with kids? Consider Kakawa Chocolate House and Twirl Toystore and Playspace. Discover the area's water adventures with fishing nearby, or enjoy the great outdoors with hunting, cycling, and hiking/biking trails.

What's nearby

  • Kit Carson Park - 14 min drive
  • Taos Pueblo - 15 min drive
  • Taos Mountain Casino - 15 min drive
  • Taos Plaza - 15 min drive
  • Earthships - 16 min drive

Getting around

  • Taos, NM (TSM-Taos Regional) - 16 min drive

Restaurants

  • Aceq - 3 min drive
  • Toribios - 9 min drive
  • Sabroso - 4 min drive
  • KTAOS Solar Center - 8 min drive
  • Taos Cow - 3 min drive

Reviews

5

Exceptional

Reviews are presented in chronological order, subject to a moderation process, and verified unless otherwise labelled.
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Rating 5 - Excellent. 86 out of 89 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Good. 3 out of 89 reviews" "
Rating 3 - Okay. 0 out of 89 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Poor. 0 out of 89 reviews" "
Rating 1 - Terrible. 0 out of 89 reviews" "

4.8/5

Cleanliness

4.9/5

Check-in

4.8/5

Communication

4.7/5

Location

4.8/5

Listing accuracy

Reviews

5/5 Excellent

George F.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Best of the best
A fabulous house with great views and spotless when you arrive. Host is very friendly and helpful.
Stayed 13 nights in Oct 2023

5/5 Excellent

Merrie F.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location
Comfortable and well equipped
The house was comfortable and well equipped. The lighting in the house is lacking! Thank goodness there were the floor lamps to help with that situation! The location was not what I expected. It was a little difficult to find, but once we did it was easy to navigate to Taos. Part of our group golfed at Angel Fire and it took them about an hour to get there. Just keep that in mind if you plan to golf or ski there. Overall, the house itself was just what we needed! We thoroughly enjoyed our time in the house.
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2023

5/5 Excellent

Ryan D.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Taos Weekend
Great house, great location between Taos and Taos Ski Valley. Would come back!
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2023

5/5 Excellent

Brittany C.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Amazing Place..Amazing Host!
Jerry's place was beautiful! Nicest place in Taos by far! Lots of space, clean and nicely decorated. The stars were amazing at night. The beds were super comfy. No air conditioning, but that is common in Taos and having the windows open at night was really nice. We were not able to use the hot tub but Jerry said a new cover had been ordered, so hope to come back and use that on our next stay. Jerry's communication was great! Location was easy to get too, not too far from town, but enough out of the way for great star gazing. Great views of the mountains too. We hope to be back soon! Kids had a blast too!
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2023

5/5 Excellent

Harbour W.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Taos Times
Loved the adobe construction and the spacious New Mexico flavor of the house. We had ample room and everything in the house worked well. The house lacked only air-conditioning for hot July days. It would cool down at night though. We would come back again for sure but perhaps during cooler months.
Stayed 6 nights in Jul 2023

About the host

Hosted by Jerry Macon

Host profile image
Semi-retired software developer. Favorite activities include gardening (300+ roses), travel, times with children and astronomy.

Why they chose this property

A wonderful dark site for my observatory, which I can operate over the internet from anywhere in the world. Many prints of beautiful nebulae and galaxies taken by the telescopes in the on-site observatory are on the walls.

What makes this property unique

Located midway between the town of Taos and the Taos ski valley, Bright Star offers easy access year round to the unique attractions of the area.

Languages:

English

Premier Host

Premier Host
They consistently provide great experiences for their guests
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