The Ghost of the Laguna Vista Hotel in Eagle Nest New Mexico

The Guney Ghost

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In talking with a former employee of the Laguna Vista, Kristi Dukes, who was a cook in the restaurant in 1999, she stated that she encountered several spooky visits from a spirit that is said to have once been a saloon girl in the old lodge. According to Kristi, both her and her mother Jane, who also worked in the restaurant, would often encounter these visits whenever the music they were listening to in the kitchen was anything other than classic rock or country music. When Kristi, who often liked to listen to Rap, would change the music, strange things would occur. On one such occasion a marble rolling pin was thrown at Kristi, on other occasions pots and pans would fall off of the walls. Once, when odd things were happening, Jane asked Kristi to turn off the music but when she switched the stereo to the "off" position, the music continued to play. She then unplugged the stereo and, though it had no batteries, the music played on. Frightened, the two left at the end of the evening only to return the following day to a silent stereo.

The spookiest story actually occurred when Kristi brought her daughter Rayni, who was 2 years old at the time, to work one day. She had placed little jingle bells on her daughter's shoes so that she could keep track of her while she was working. Suddenly, Rayni walked into the kitchen very gently and slowly. Kristi said she looked very odd and when she asked Rayni what was wrong, Rayni replied, "the lady told me to stop making noise". When Kristi asked Rayni where the lady was, Rayni led her mother into the dining room and pointed at "someone" saying "that lady." Kristi saw no one but Rayni insisted that her mother remove the bells from her shoes.

Today, the Frommer's Travel Guide rates the Laguna Vista, as the best restaurant and hotel in the valley, and in January, 2002, the restaurant and Lodge were featured in Sunset Magazine.

Another spirit is said to reside at Julio's across the street. Now a restaurant, Julio's was once another popular gambling spot in Early Eagle Nest days. Supposedly, a woman resided next door to Julio's who was said to dislike men. Stories abound about pots and pans being thrown about in the restaurant and items are often moved from one place to another. Men appear to be her favorite target, as she plays pranks on many of them that come through what was once her front door.

Contact Information:

Laguna Vista Lodge

Therma Drive

P.O. Box 65

Eagle Nest, New Mexico 87718

505-377-6522 or 800-821-2093

Book your lodging right HERE online

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The Laguna Vista Restaurant Dining Room. It is in

this room, which was once the hotel lobby that held the

hidden staircase to the upstairs rooms, that the ghost

is most often encountered. Photo courtesy of the

Laguna Vista Lodge.

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Julio's Restaurant, Kathy Weiser, July, 2003.

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