Our Story
Hello! We are Tom and Carolyn, your hosts at The Grand Hacienda. We look forward to welcoming you to our family of guests, who quickly become friends. We love Abiquiu, the history, culture, geography...and we look forward to sharing our passion and knowledge of this area with you.
So many of our guests ask how we went from careers in the financial industry - and all that comes with that - to building an authentic Hacienda estate and opening a bed and breakfast in the middle of a remote desert wilderness. Well, that is a great part of our story, and as it happened, Abiquiu found us and pulled us here. Repeatedly, over twenty years, until we finally moved here permanently.
We were up for the adventure, took a risk, and the idea of The Grand Hacienda started percolating.
We started designing and building The Grand Hacienda in 2017. We knew this was going to be an adventure, but we didn't realize in the beginning that it would also be The Hardest Thing we've ever done. We had high, lofty goals: we wanted to create a bed and breakfast "experience"; we wanted to locally source our food; we wanted the property to be green and environmentally aware, to use solar and a sustainable water culture. We didn't want EMFs, but wanted modern technology. We wanted our guest experience to be exactly what we ourselves would expect at a luxury property. And, we wanted to operate our business in a way that would give back to our tiny community and be a source of economic stimulus.
Finally, in 2020 with an occupancy permit, a bed and breakfast license, a business license AND a liquor license in hand, we were ready to share a new and unforgettable way to experience northern New Mexico for the most discerning traveler. A bed and breakfast experience unlike anywhere else. We opened in February 2020 - and 15 days later COVID hit. In retrospect, we learned a lot from COVID. We became NM COVID Safe Certified, we up'ed our already stringent processes on cleaning and disinfecting. We also learned, during times of social isolation and distancing, there is just no better place to escape to than our naturally isolated area of Abiquiu Lake, where our guests have private entrances, private portals and many private spaces to escape to. We opened a Mercado store for our guests convenience. And finally, The Grand Hacienda was born!
Tom and I love New Mexico. We respect the history, the culture, the land. We are also adventurers. We love to hike, ski, kayak, scuba dive, travel and explore. We love mountains and water. We also love to meet our fellow travelers and share stories, adventures and our passion and knowledge of the Abiquiu region.
Feel free to reach out to us any time. We love our life here, and we hope you will, too.
We look forward to welcoming you to our paradise!
Carolyn and Tom Calfee