Taos, the high-desert art town in northern New Mexico, has long punched above its weight. Indigenous communities have lived here for millennia, and the multi-storey adobe buildings of Taos Pueblo — still inhabited today — set the architectural template for the whole Southwest. Georgia O'Keeffe first passed through in 1929, and photographers like Ansel Adams trained their cameras on the buttressed St. Francisco de Assisi Mission Church. That creative pull hasn't faded; if anything, the town's mix of galleries, ski slopes and counter-culture has made it busier than ever.
A recent roundup from Condé Nast Traveler argues the best way to absorb all this is not a hotel but an Airbnb — specifically, homes that channel the region's design language. The editor, a New Mexico local of more than 30 years, ticks off the classics: eating local food, browsing contemporary galleries, hiking around Taos Ski Valley and rafting the Rio Grande, whose dramatic gorge you first glimpse on the drive in along State Road 68.
The picks lean into three distinct versions of a Taos trip. Families get a luxurious ski chalet with space to spread out after days on the mountain. Stargazers and view-seekers are pointed to a sleek oasis where the dark New Mexico sky does the entertaining. Art lovers are steered towards a centrally located Pueblo-style home belonging to an artist, putting you within walking distance of the gallery scene.
Then there's the option that could only exist here: the Earthships. These off-grid, sustainable dwellings dot the sagebrush mesa below the peaks and are a relic of Taos' enduring counter-culture streak. Sleeping in one is as much a design and sustainability lesson as an overnight stay.
For travellers, the appeal is practical as much as aesthetic. The listings were filtered for Superhost and Guest Favorite status, strong ratings, amenities and location, so you're not gambling on an unvetted rental. And because the homes are scattered between town, the ski valley and the open mesa, your choice of base effectively shapes your holiday — walkable culture, alpine action, or total desert silence.
If Taos has been sitting on your list, this is a good prompt to book: the town retains its charm, but its growing popularity means the most characterful stays tend to go first.
