| The El Portal Hotel is
one of the few truly historic hotels left in New Mexico. Opened in 1903 as the
Seaberg Hotel, it was named for Hugo Seaberg, a Swedish immigrant who dreamed of
owning the premier hotel in New Mexico. The hotel expanded eight times through
1928 and was renamed "El Portal"in 1938. With 400 rooms, it was once
the largest hotel in New Mexico and was considered one of the top hotels in the
entire Southwest. In 1997, Bill and Vivian Douglas and Andy and Vera Holman
bought the El Portal and have overseen numerous renovations and improvements.
 
Charm of the Past
Murals from the WPA era adorn the lobby and hallways. The grand parlor is
furnished with the styles of the early 1900s. Spacious interior hallways lit by
chandeliers lead the way to 18 private rooms with oak tables, 100-year-old
dressers, claw-foot bathtubs and antique armoires. The distinctive rooms remind
travelers of an era gone by; classy and nostalgic, they're welcomed alternatives
to today's modern, cookie-cutter lodging facilities.
Tastes of Today
Another popular feature of the hotel is the Third Street Café, owned and
managed by Marsha Merkel, former chef-to-the-stars and head of elite dining
establishments in California, Connecticut and Florida.
Merkel serves up an array of specialty dishes — asparagus and
mushroom strudel, pan-seared salmon with Jasmine rice, and bow-tie pasta tossed
with artichokes, asparagus, carrots and roasted red pepper — all with her
signature colorful presentations. In addition to her work on dry land, for years
Merkel was a private yacht chef and cooked for the likes of Jacqueline Onassis,
John Wayne and Jimmy Dean, as well as several reputed members of the Italian
Mafia. She's planning a cookbook with stories of her voyages between New England
and the Caribbean along with recipes she created for the “rich and famous.”
"We've worked hard to maintain an old-world feel while
offering many of the modern amenities travelers expect during their stays,”
says hotel manager Patricia Fiorino. “It's the best of both worlds, and it's
getting better all the time.”
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