Sands Motel offers free Wi-Fi and parking in Vaughn, NM. Rated 4.1 with 106 reviews, ideal for sightseeing and family-friendly stays near Albuquerque airport.
Visitors appreciate the clean, comfortable rooms and accommodating owners at this modest family-run motel. While lacking dining options on-site, it offers practical amenities and quiet surroundings, making it a reliable stopover for travelers.
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Rooms, shared spaces, dining and exterior — grouped so you can skim quickly.
Located at 987 8th St in the small town of Vaughn, NM, Sands Motel offers a straightforward and practical accommodation option for travelers passing through this remote area. The motel presents a modest, vintage style with a focus on clean, comfortable rooms featuring amenities such as a refrigerator, microwave, and free Wi-Fi. Guests have praised the well-maintained interiors, including fresh carpeting and updated bathroom fixtures, although it remains a basic property without luxury touches.
The motel's facilities cater to practical needs rather than leisure, providing free parking, kid-friendly accommodations, and no on-site restaurant or fitness center. While on-site dining options are not available and nearby eateries are limited, a small trading post near the lobby offers snacks and essentials, which some guests found convenient during their stay. Refrigerators and microwaves in rooms help supplement the absence of food services.
As a quiet, family-run establishment, Sands Motel is recommended primarily for travelers looking for an affordable, no-frills overnight stop in the area. It is particularly suited to visitors who require simple accommodations for short stays or extended work assignments, with some guests noting the hosts’ helpfulness and the option for daily or weekly rates. The property’s location in Vaughn provides a useful midpoint between Albuquerque and Roswell, though sightseeing and recreation options nearby are limited.
Reviews highlight a mixed picture: many guests appreciate the cleanliness, comfort, and friendly owners, while some point out the absence of coffee offerings, food nearby, and the modest facilities. Power outages and a lack of food options have affected experiences for a few, but overall, the motel offers a decent place to rest on a budget in a sparsely populated region.
The short version: what's available day-to-day, and the key practical details most travelers search for.
Reviews from travelers who stayed here in the last 12 months, grouped to help you spot the pattern quickly.
The room is clean and comfortable. It is humble, to be expected from a vintage motel. I feel the $79 rate(incl taxes) is a little high given that there is no coffee in the room or at the desk and there is no restaurant within walking distance. Pleased to stay here overnight on the way through to my destination, only 3 stars due to not having any food near the motel and no access to coffee.
VERY clean and well-kept motel run by very nice people. My husband and I stayed in room 11, where there was a refrigerator, microwave, and wall-mounted TV with DirecTV. Although this is an older motel, our room had new carpeting, freshly painted walls, a comfortable queen size bed with good pillows, as well as a newer bathroom faucet and shower head. A few other nice perks were a bench right outside our room with a roof over it and a little "trading post" near the motel lobby that carried snacks and other miscellaneous items. For the price, this is an excellent motel and we would stay here again if we come back to Vaughn, NM.
A quaint little motel in the middle of nowhere. Beds are comfortable, rooms are clean, and the owner’s are very accommodating. Whether you need to stay for a night, or want to rent for the week the price is very reasonable. I needed a room for a week to get situated, until I could find a permanent place for my work a little closer to my work site.
I have stayed here for several months for work , the owners are Great . Clean rooms. Safe place ,owners on site in case you need anything. You can pay daily or weekly . They have a place to wash clothes if need to. This has been my home away from home. , very clean and comfortable .Thanks Regina and Heath for all you have done to accommodate me .
Arrived around 6pm, was promptly greeted and assisted. It was refreshing to find fountain drinks available to purchase in the lobby especially after such a long drive. The room was one of the cleanest I have stayed. Was nice and quiet.
Perfect for a good nights sleep on a motorcycle trip. The heat and wind was bad. It is a cheap quiet place to rest. They let me check in very early in the day and were very polite. As with any small town mom and pop place it is an improvement in progress. Small fridge, microwave in room. Air conditioning was cold and water was hot. The only thing needing improved pretty quick would be the water pressure in shower. Definitely will be back.
Stayed overnight at the Sands while passing through New Mexico, since Vaughn is the only place between Roswell and Albuquerque. I was very pleasantly surprised. The owner was nice and the room was very clean, with soft sheets and shampoo and other amenities provided. I want to give 4 stars because the power was out when we arrived due to a storm, and let me tell you not having power in New Mexico is a bad time. But the owner was very polite about it and the power was restored in due time so it was overall a very good experience.
We had a great stay here. The room was nicer than expected and the staff was extremely friendly. We had stayed during a blizzard, and the room was actually very warm! The bathroom also had a nice overhead shower head, and we were extremely comfortable during our stay.
This is an American Family owned older motel, where you can park outside your door. The dated rooms are spotless and the beds are comfortable. The a/c works great. They offer a microwave and fridge in your room. They have coffee pots available per request. There are benches outside your door to relax on after a long days drive. The hosts are very nice. We stayed two nights and would highly recommend the place. And I might mention that the rates are unbeatable!!
I didn't rate the rooms 5 stars for luxury, they are not that, but they are clean, neat and functional and if you need a room in Vaughn, you really need one. Plus the owners are extremely helpful, nice and accommodating and deserve the patronage. Older, small (12 rooms, or so) remodeled, basic family run motel in a very small town, 100 miles from anywhere. Prices are very reasonable, our room had a Qn bed, AC, a small refrigerator and microwave, free wireless and Direct TV. Parking right in front if the room and no stairs. The owners seem very helpful and friendly. A good place to stop, if you need a room in this area. I had stayed here many years ago, and these owners have spiffed the place up considerably from what it was 20 years ago. Not fancy, but comfortable and quiet.
Based on sightseeing, recreation, and getting around
Curated spots travelers usually pair with a stay in New Mexico. Distances are rough real-world times, not straight-line.
4,926 reviews 2200 Sunport Blvd, Albuquerque, NM 87106, United States
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