My parents were due to fly over from the UK to join me and Shae on the road trip for 6-7 weeks from mid-March 2020. Unfortunately COVID-19 had other plans, so we had to cancel their visit.
We’d planned to visit the Grand Canyon, all five of Utah’s National Parks, the Rocky Mountains and more with them, so all our hotels and Airbnbs in those places had to be cancelled. That meant we had to scramble to find somewhere different to stay.
We usually move every 5-7 days on our 50 state road trip, but with the recommendations to shelter in place, moving so frequently wasn’t sensible. As a result, we decided to book a longer stay somewhere that wasn’t too far from Las Vegas as that’s where we’d be moving on from.
After exploring all our options, I found an excellent rate for a one bedroom suite at the Candlewood Suites Albuquerque in New Mexico. This was helpful for a couple of reasons. First, the Candlewood Suites brand provides a kitchen in every suite which is much more helpful than having to rely on our portable kitchen.
Second, having it be a one bedroom suite rather a studio suite meant we’d have more space, plus Shae and I wouldn’t need to worry about waking each other up when working early in the morning or late at night.
Despite the COVID-19 circumstances, we had a great stay. In fact, I think this was my favorite Candlewood Suites experience that we’ve ever had. Here’s a full review of the Candlewood Suites Albuquerque where I explain why.
Check-In
The stay got off to a good start when checking in. Mary was working at the front desk and was extremely friendly and the check-in process went quickly. She provided us with a print-off that gave information about how the hotel was dealing with COVID-19, such as limiting fitness room usage to only one person at a time.
We travel with our dog Truffles, so they gave us a room on the first floor as those are the pet-friendly rooms. They assigned us room 102 which was at the far end of the hall next to an exit, so that was helpful as it made it easier to take Truffles outside throughout the day.
One Bedroom Suite
I mentioned earlier that we booked a one bedroom suite. When entering the suite, the living room was straight ahead, the kitchen was to the right, the bathroom was to the left and the bedroom ahead to the left.
Living Room
The living room had a sleeper sofa and coffee table. The coffee table was an incredibly sturdy piece of furniture and was surprisingly heavy when moving it around.
One downside with the sofa is that the air conditioning unit was right next to it. That meant it got extremely cold sitting there when the A/C kicked in.
Opposite the couch was a wall-mounted TV. There was a fairly good TV channel selection, but we ended up plugging in our Fire TV Stick to increase our options seeing as we stayed there 3.5 weeks.
Beneath the TV was a video/DVD player and some dresser drawers. The front desk has a large selection of DVDs you can borrow for free during your stay.
To the right of that dresser was an armchair and lamp. The lamp had a shelf on it which was perfect for Shae. She teaches online, so she could rest her laptop on there, with the lamp immediately above helping provide light so that her students could easily see her on screen.
The armchair was also very comfortable as it was a recliner – I had an incredibly good nap one afternoon laying back on it.
While Shae tended to work from the armchair, I worked from the large desk and office chair. The desk was so big that there’s plenty of space for more than one person to use it if you need, especially with the two additional dining chairs on the opposite side.
The one bedroom suites have two closets, with one of them being next to the suite entrance by the kitchen. It was nice having an extra closet as it gave us even more storage space.
This closet had bedding on the top shelf for the sleeper sofa, along with an iron and ironing board which you can’t see in the photo below but which were mounted to the wall on the right side of the closet.
Kitchen
Behind the desk was a full kitchen which included a full-size fridge-freezer, microwave, stove top and dishwasher.
One of my biggest quibbles with Candlewood Suites properties is that they normally only provide two place settings. The Candlewood Suites Albuquerque was an exception as there were four plates, bowls, glasses, etc.
The drawers contained silverware, cooking utensils and cookware.
My favorite part of the kitchen though was the pantry. Traveling full-time, we normally have to leave all our food in our box as there’s no space to unpack it. It was therefore wonderful to be able to unpack all that food, as well as have space to store all the other food we needed to buy from the grocery store seeing as we were trying to avoid shopping as frequently due to COVID-19.
Bedroom
Our bedroom had a queen bed in it which was nice and comfortable.
The bedroom got warm at night at times because there’s no air conditioning unit in there. On the wall separating the living room from the bedroom, there was a fan installed which is supposed to suck in some of the cool air from the living room’s A/C. That wasn’t particularly effective though, so it would be nice for them to install a ceiling fan to help keep the bedroom cool at night.
Although the bedroom wasn’t exactly what I’d call spacious, it wasn’t too cramped either. The Candlewood Suites Albuquerque has also managed to fit more in the bedroom than I’d been expecting as there was an additional desk/shelving unit on the left side of the room.
To the left of that desk was the second closet which contained a laundry basket.
Opposite the bed was another dresser with a TV.
Bathroom
The bathroom could be accessed from the living room/kitchen area. While some people probably prefer it being accessible directly from the bedroom, it works better for us having this set up as it meant Shae and I didn’t wake each other up needing to come through the bedroom at night or in the morning while the other was sleeping.
There was a sink and vanity area with additional shelving on the wall to store your toiletries.
To the left of that was the bathtub and shower. Although the water pressure out of the bathroom tap was strong, the shower’s water pressure wasn’t quite as good. I’m not sure if that’s simply due to the shower head or if New Mexico has rules about how much water can be dispensed by shower heads which I know some states have.
Rather than providing mini bottles of toiletries, IHG is having all their hotel brands move to refillable toiletries. For their Candlewood Suites brand they use J.R. Watkins shampoo, conditioner and shower gel which were decent enough quality.
Amenities
Candlewood Suites is a hotel brand that’s aimed at people looking for long-term stays. They therefore have a great guest laundry area with lots of washers and dryers. Even better – they’re completely free to use. You have to provide your own laundry detergent, but they sell that if you need some.
On the opposite side of the room to the laundry facilities was the Candlewood Cupboard. This contains snacks, beverages, microwave meals, etc. for guests to purchase if they can’t be bothered to go to the grocery store. Candlewood Suites properties don’t provide breakfast nor do they have a restaurant on site, so that’s another reason this is provided.
They usually provide complimentary coffee in this area, but during our stay they’d stopped offering it to reduce the risk of COVID-19 being spread. Every room has a coffee maker, so it wasn’t a huge issue to not have this particular amenity be available.
The fitness room at the Candlewood Suites Albuquerque is in its own room. Some Candlewood Suites properties have their fitness equipment and laundry area in the same room, but the problem with that approach is that it usually means the fitness room is extremely hot due to the dryers running. That therefore wasn’t an issue at this hotel.
As mentioned earlier, the hotel had a policy during our stay of only allowing one person to use the fitness room at a time. That was due to COVID-19, so you had to check in at the front desk before using the equipment, then let them know when you’d finished. I was lazy during our stay and didn’t use the fitness area, so I’m not sure if they sanitized the equipment after each person or not.
As with all properties in this brand, the Candlewood Suites Albuquerque has a Lending Locker. This contains items you can borrow during your stay such as board games, slow cookers, blenders, etc.
If you need to use a computer during your stay, there’s one in the lobby you can use, along with a printer.
At the back of the property is a gazebo with a couple of grills and outdoor seating where you can hang out.
Pet Policy
The Candlewood Suites Albuquerque is a pet-friendly hotel. There’s a $15 per night pet fee with a maximum fee of $150. That’s a good pet policy in my opinion because it can be annoying when you only need to stay somewhere one or two nights but the hotel charges $100 to have your pet stay with you.
We stayed at this hotel for 24 nights, so we expected to pay a $150 pet fee. When taking a look at our folio after checking out, it doesn’t look like they charged us any pet fee at all which was nice.
Due to it being New Mexico, the hotel didn’t have a bunch of grassy areas for your dog to do their business. However, they did have a number of mulched pet areas located around the property which was a nice touch as some hotels only provide one small area for dogs.
Although the hotel is located next to a fairly busy road, there are sidewalks all around where you can walk your dog. Albuquerque also has lots of dog parks, so we took Truffles to a few of those during our stay to help prevent her from getting cabin fever.
We started off by going to Kirtland Dog Park a few times which was fairly large and was spread out across three levels. This was covered in gravel and the slope meant Truffles got worn out. The downside is that there weren’t separate sections for large and small dogs.
We took her to Tom Bolack Dog Park a couple of times. This had separate sections for large and small dogs. The large dog section was large and spacious, while the small dog area was, in theory, an OK size. The small dog section was somewhat overgrown though, so there wasn’t a huge amount of space to run around.
The nicest dog park we went to in Albuquerque was North Domingo Baca Dog Park. This was massive and had separate sections for large and small dogs. Rather than being covered in gravel, it was mulched all over. Despite there being quite a few dogs when we visited, it was so large that it was easy for everyone to socially distance while still allowing their dogs to run and play.
Service
Service at the Candlewood Suites Albuquerque was very good. As I mentioned at the start of the review, Mary was very friendly when checking in, as were other staff members when we stopped by the front desk to get more dishwasher powder, toilet paper, etc.
They also dealt with a problem we had very well. A few days into our stay, the person in the room above us was being incredibly loud which was caused Truffles to start barking. This continued past midnight, so I called the front desk to ask them to stop stomping around. The problem briefly stopped, but then started again about 10 minutes later.
I walked upstairs and could hear them partying inside, so I was surprised other guests on the second floor hadn’t complained. I called the front desk again and they said they’d called that room but no one had answered. They’d then gone upstairs, but because there hadn’t been any sound coming from the room at the time, they assumed the guest had gone to bed.
It seems the phone call they’d made had tipped off the guest that there had been a noise complaint, so the second time I called the person at the front desk went upstairs rather than calling beforehand and heard the party going on. They knocked on the door, but apparently the guest refused to answer the door. They did quieten down shortly after, so the person working at the front desk called to ask me to let him know if the noise started up again.
Sure enough, it did. Seeing as the guest was refusing to answer the phone or door, they had to call the hotel’s security person who tried knocking, but the guest still refused to answer the door and continued partying. As a result, they ended up calling the police who eventually got the guest’s visitors to leave. Things quietened down after that, but it was about 4am by this point.
Although the situation was frustrating, the hotel dealt with it as best as they could and the guy working at the front desk kept me updated on what was going on which I appreciated.
Check-In & Check-Out Times
Check-in is available from 3pm, while the check-out time is 12pm.
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi is complimentary for all guests. The speed was good and I don’t remember it ever cutting out. With us not being able to do our normal travel stuff, Shae spent a lot more time during our stay teaching online, so having a good internet connection was helpful.
Location
The Candlewood Suites Albuquerque is in a fairly central location, so it’s close to most things in the city. It’s about 15 minutes to Petroglyph National Monument (which is definitely worth checking out) and about 20 minutes from Balloon Fiesta Park if you’re visiting for the International Balloon Fiesta. I imagine it takes much longer than 20 minutes to get there during the Fiesta though as traffic is presumably worse.
The hotel is within walking distance of a Walmart and McDonald’s, while plenty of other grocery stores and restaurants are a short drive away.
Parking
Parking is free at this property and there are plenty of spaces all around the hotel.
Cost
The main reason I booked our stay at the Candlewood Suites Albuquerque is because of how cheap it was. At the time, many Candlewood Suites properties had a ‘Buy two nights, get third free’ promotion. Even better, it wasn’t only the third night which was free – it was every third night. That means that with us staying 24 nights, we got eight of those nights free.
Our average cost worked out to be $63.77 per night. That includes tax, so it was excellent value considering it was a one bedroom suite with a full kitchen. Their studio suites were even cheaper – something like $50-$55 per night including tax, but we were happy paying a little more to have the convenience and space of a separate bedroom and living area.
Before booking our stay, I clicked through from the TopCashback shopping portal (my referral link). They were offering 8% cashback at the time which was the best rate available on any shopping portal. That 8% is earned on the pre-tax rate, so we earned $107.52 cashback, reducing our net cost to $59.29 per night.
Points Earned
Another reason I booked our stay here is because of all the points we’d earn. Most IHG brands offer 10 points per dollar spent, although Candlewood Suites (and Staybridge Suites) only offer 5 points per dollar. I have Spire Elite status with IHG Rewards Club which means I earn double base points, so we earned 13,440 points from those two elements.
That wasn’t all though. At the time, IHG was running a promotion offering up to 4x points on paid stays. That promotion netted us 18,760 bonus points. We also paid for the stay with Shae’s IHG Premier credit card which is offering 25x bonus points per dollar spent on paid IHG stays in the first year (it’s 10x from the second year onward). That means we earned 38,264 bonus points by paying with that card.
That puts our overall total at 70,464 IHG Reward Club points which is an excellent return for a stay that only cost just over $1,500 (or less after the shopping portal cashback). We like to maximize our points redemptions, so 70,464 points should get us nine free nights in the future.
Final Thoughts
The Candlewood Suites Albuquerque was a great hotel in which to shelter in place. It was very reasonably priced, especially considering we were able to book a one bedroom suite for less than $65 including tax.
The suite was spacious, clean and well equipped and I greatly appreciated having four place settings so that we didn’t have to run the dishwasher so frequently. The staff members were all friendly and helpful and dealt with the noisy guest above us very well. They also seemed to deal with the COVID-19 situation well, helping ensure guests were kept as safe as possible.
We’ll probably return to Albuquerque in the future once it’s safer to explore the area. When we do, this hotel will be the first place I check as we had such an enjoyable stay.
Truffles Approval Rating
Truffles awards this property four paws out of four – pawfect! The pet fee is reasonable (and we weren’t even charged it) and there’s plenty of space around the hotel to walk your dog. She also loved being close to so many dog parks.
Our Rating
Room = 4.8 / 5
Hotel Amenities = 4.7 / 5
Food = N/A
Location = 4.4 / 5
Service = 4.8 / 5
Overall Value = 4.8 / 5
Total = 4.7 / 5
Address
Candlewood Suites, 3025 Menaul Blvd NE, Albuquerque, NM 87107
This place looks amazing, thank you for the review, Stephen!
Thank you!
Thank you so much for the GREAT review! This hotel is a hidden treasure and we are so happy to see you enjoyed your time with us. Great pictures as well, do you mind if I share some of them with potential guests?
Safe Travels to you, and again, a BIG Thank You from the entire staff and management team at Candlewood Suites Albuquerque.
Nataki-GM, Enrique-OM & Liz-DOS
Sure, feel free 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing this great place…I will look it up and hopefully stay there
Ty ♡
Just FYI, I think it’s now the Sonesta Suites Albuquerque.