Five nights. Two cities. And three distinct hotels I can heartily recommend.

I recently had a great trip to beautiful and surprising New Mexico, checking out cliff dwellings, cool slot canyons, art galleries and UFO museums, not to mention a museum dedicated to rattlesnakes and one of the best barbeque joints I've been to. I also got to stay in some very nice hotels along the way.

In Albuquerque a city I'd never been to before, I stayed at the Sheraton Albuquerque Uptown, a terrific property in a great location. There's a big, comfortable lobby that always seemed to be filled with happy, chatting people; business folks with coffees in hand in the morning, locals and business folks mingling at the bar in the evening and noshing on snacks. It's a big hotel, but some how they give it a bit of a boutique feel.

I didn't have time to try it, but the hotel has a very nice, large gym. There's a dedicated strength training area that has both weight machines and free weights, as well as exercise bikes, treadmills and other equipment to help you stay in shape on the road. Families or folks who love a morning swim should check out the whirlpool and their indoor, salt water swimming pool.

I really enjoyed chatting with the staff, who were super-friendly but not in that over-the-top, intrusive way you sometimes get. The front desk is staffed 24 hours a day and they were always helpful when I stopped in with a request or had a question.

There's great shopping, restaurants and movie theatres nearby that you can drive to. Better yet, let the hotel's free shuttle handle the trip so you can have a glass of wine or two with your dinner and not worry about it.

There are several golf courses nearby, as well as tennis facilities, a casino and such attractions as the Sandia Peak Tramway (great views) and Old Town, where you'll find a lovely central square, a pretty church/museum and fun shops. There's also a Rattlesnake Museum you should duck into for a look at slithering snakes and other critters.

I also recommend the Anderson-Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum, a fun and engaging spot with great exhibits on the history of hot air balloons.

The Albuquerque Marriott Pyramid North is a large hotel with a spacious atrium and tons of amenities. The hotel has a restaurant, Pyramid 51, that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. There's also a gym and an indoor/outdoor pool for those warm New Mexico summers.

This is a major hub in the city for conferences, with nine event rooms and more than 30,000 square feet of meeting space. They also have free, high-speed Internet, something I rely on heavily on my trips.

I loved the spacious atrium and the big suite they gave me, complete with a sitting room and a sofa bed, plus a refrigerator and coffee maker.

You're just a few seconds from the highway, and only a short drive from the balloon museum,

Both the Sheraton and Marriott properties I stayed at were close to Rudy's, a fabulous, super-casual barbeque place with killer ribs and other bbq'd meats. If you're in the mood for something a little fancier, Mas Tapas y Vino is a lovely, bright restaurant in downtown Albuquerque. Try the Berkshire pork belly and the Brussels Sprouts.

I was lucky enough to land a room on the club level, which was sensational. The room was spacious and bright, with nice mountain and city views, free Wi-Fi (all rooms have that) and nice bathroom amenities.

The best part was all-day access to the club lounge down the hall, where I had a great breakfast with a view every morning (the mountains around Albuquerque are quite high) and then tons of food in the late afternoon when I felt like a snack; olives, nice cheeses, charcuterie, chicken, salads and more.

Down in Roswell, The Fairfield Inn and Suites is another surprising spot. You don't see a lot of style in many chain hotels, but this place had a bright, colourful lobby with soothing green and perky orange accents, as well as some cool art on display that was a fun mix of modern and western/cowboy.

Out back there's a pool and a hot tub; great for families. And the rooms have tons of space, so you won't all get squished together at night. They put on a free breakfast, and the dining area has a "Wi-Fi bar" with power outlets and places to work.

Roswell is famous as the alleged site of an alien space ship landing in 1947. There's a UFO museum in town and several shops selling little green men bumper stickers and t-shirts. But the city also has a thriving arts scene, with a couple of terrific museums.

The Anderson Museum of Contemporary Art houses works by local artist and businessman Don Anderson and graduates of the Roswell Artist-in-Residence program, which he began in 1967. More than 300 artists have gone through the program, helping establish Roswell the city as a popular place for artists to live and work.

The Roswell Museum and Art Center also displays fantastic art and has displays on Southwest native American culture and exhibits about scientist and rocket designer Robert Goddard, who lived in the city for 12 years.

Be sure to stop by Bone Springs, a new gallery run by Miranda Howe, a graduate, if you like, of the Roswell Artist-in-Resident program. She makes wonderful pottery, and both her brother and mother are artists. Her dad helped her take an old oil company building and turn it into a cutting-edge, ,super cool gallery just east of downtown Roswell.

Outside of town, check out Bottomless Lakes State Park, where you'll find rugged, deep orange and red rocks and several fresh water ponds and lakes, some equipped with change rooms and other facilities. It's a surprising place in a very surprising state.

GETTING THERE

American Airliines flies direct to Albuquerque from Denver, Dallas and Phoenix. Roswell is about a three hour drive south of Albuquerque.

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