The Painted Pony Resort is a 750-acre high desert estate in Hidalgo County in southwest New Mexico, just up the road from Rodeo, NM. This unique, isolated part of the country is known as the boot heel of New Mexico. We are remote but with the amenities you expect and desire including reliable high speed 300 Mbps internet access throughout our property. The Painted Pony Resort is a perfect luxurious high desert retreat.

The Painted Pony resort has the luxurious accommodations that you would expect from an Estate built by the former High Tech Entrepreneur, John MacAfee, as his personal get-away from Tucson, AZ. This is a chance for you and 20 of your close friends to live the life of luxury.

We rent our entire Estate (that includes all three buildings) to one party at a time. Our guests include family reunions, vacations, weddings and other groups, such as birders, astronomers, college sabbaticals, yoga retreats, bicycle clubs, and artist workshops. You do not share the estate with other renters. Come stay with us and have the entire estate as your exclusive private getaway.

Our base rate is for 16 guests including children. Additional guests up to 24 can be added for an extra charge of $25 per person per night. After 24 guests you can bring up to 6 children under 12 years old at no additional charge making 30 guests total for a large family reunion. To get the correct pricing do not enter more than 24 guests. After 24 guests there is no charge for the additional guests up to 30.

The Compound is situated in the San Simon Valley of SW New Mexico with breath taking panoramic views of two mountain ranges that border the property, the Chiricahuas and Peloncillo Mountains. State land borders the north and west sides of the property. The mountains both east and west are federal government land. We are protected on all sides with no neighbors creating open spaces and quiet solitude.

Fly into either El Paso, TX or Tucson, AZ. From these airports we are about a two and a half hour drive. Guests from LA, San Diego, AZ, CO, NM, Texas, and OK usually drive over.

Our Guests are impressed with the quiet, peaceful setting and the natural beauty of our night sky. Our skies are clear and dark allowing you to explore the many fascinating jewels of the night without a telescope. We provide two basic telescopes. You will explore the night sky in an area astronomers have chosen to live and work.

The compound consists of Main House, Two Guests Houses, an Airplane Hanger (used for group events), Heated 20'x40' Swimming Pool. The pool is walled with access gates that restrict access by children. We have Six RV Pads. All entrances have walls and gates. All facilities are clustered in one large compound. Our venue provides you and your guests with privacy and areas for mingling, dinners or other gatherings.

We have 10 bedrooms, 18 beds and 6.5 baths in three buildings. Here is a summary of our Amenities:

* Spacious 5-bedroom Main House - Sleeps 12 in beds.
* Guest House with 3 additional bedrooms. Sleeps 6 in beds.
* Two fully equipped Kitchens. In Main House and Guest House.
* Bungalow with California King and 4 bunk beds. Sleeps 6 in beds.
* Optional Airplane Hanger used for group meetings, receptions, etc.
* 6 Full-Service RV pads.
* High Speed Internet Access.
* Large Courtyard with Cabana with Outdoor Fireplace.
* Heated, large 40x20 Swimming Pool.
* Outdoor Fire Pit.
* Fireplaces in Main House and Guest House.
* Two basic telescopes for viewing the beautiful night sky.
* Main House Hot Tub - 7 seats, 450 gallons.
* Second Large Hot Tub at Bungalow. Seats 5.
* Game Room with Billiards, Ping Pong and Foosball.
* Basketball Hoop on concrete apron.
* Commercial Ice Machine in Main House Garage.
* Overflow Refrigerator and Freezer in Main House Garage.
* Two BBQ grills. One regular size traditional grill and one restaurant quality 8 burner grill.
* Laundry Room with full sized Washer and Dryer in Guest House building.
* One level buildings - wheelchair accessible throughout.
* Grab bars in the 3 full bathrooms in the Main House.

We have upgraded to the latest Dish High Definition, satellite service. There are four TV set ups: One in Main House Great Room, 65 inch; One in Main House Master Bedroom, 55 inch; One in Guest House Living Room, 50 inch; and one in the Bungalow, 50 inch. TV's are 4K, High Definition, with Sound Bars, and 3 HDMI inputs. We provide a HDMI cable on Input 3 so you can connect your own streaming device. We have also procured 4K Sony Blue Ray Players.

Our pool is heated year-round. The pool is always open and available. The winter months of December, January and February have short days and low over-night temperatures. Our guests have been using the pool in the winter, however, we may have a cold snap in winter and pool temperature may drop below our set temperature of 85 degrees. In other months we consistently reach 85 degrees.

Many extra services can be provided by our local partners. Our Guests have used local partners to provide Airport Shuttles, Catered Food, Grocery Shopping, Tours of the Area, Movie Viewing at the Conference Center, Museum Tours, in house Chefs, Housekeeping, and Auxiliary Overflow Housing. Contact us and we can direct you to local partners to provide many additional services.

Sky Island Restaurant and Grocery Store is just 5 miles from our location. They do most of our guest food service and catering. They are very flexible providing a diverse menu as well as preparing special meals at the request of our guests. They provide vegetarian meals or can procure steaks and other food. Their pizza is outstanding. Sky Island can pre-prepare food and deliver to the estate for you to cook. Steaks with baked potatoes is a popular item that is delivered and cooked by our guests.. Additionally, they provide in-house chefs. The options are endless.

Our favorite places to visit are Sky Island, Cave Creek Canyon, Portal Cafe, Bisbee, AZ, Chiricahua National Monument, Tombstone, AZ, and The Chiricahua Desert Museum. Do a web search to find detailed information on these great places to visit.

There is excellent hiking and bird watching just 20 minutes from the resort. If you are interested in hiking take a 20 minute drive to the Cave Creek Canyon National Park Visitor Information Center. The rangers there will tell you about the trails and their difficulty levels. If you want more information, then do a web search on “Hiking in Portal Arizona.” If you are interested in birding, then do a web search on Birding in Portal, AZ.


Base rental price is for up to 16 people and includes Main House, Guest House and Bungalow. Additional guests above 16 are $25 per night. The Airplane hanger is available for $150 per night. RV spaces are available for $50 per night.

Overnight maximum can be pushed up to 30 guests if you have lots of children for a family reunion. Extra guests over the base 16 count are $25 per night per guest up to 24. After 24 paying guests up to 6 children under 12 can be added at no additional charge. If you have an overnight group larger than 24 adults, then you can use use our RV pads. RV pads are $50 per night and billed by the owner separately. Please inform the owner if you have RVs. There is additional lodging just up the road if you need room for more than 30 people. Pet fee is $150 and paid when you make your reservation. Very large dogs are not permitted.

Check us out on the web site "STAY ON A PRIVATE RANCH IN THE NEW MEXICO DESERT. YOU SHOULD GO HERE" Just type this into your web search.

The "You Should Go Here" article referenced above has great pictures and information about the Resort. However, it is outdated information regarding shopping and restaurants in the area. The article incorrectly states there are no nearby grocery stores or restaurants. We have two local grocery stores and two great local restaurants. One store and restaurant is 10 minutes down Highway 80, The Sky Island Restaurant and Grocery Store. The second restaurant is the Portal Cafe that is 15 minutes from the resort. The second grocery store is 25 minutes from the Resort, the Valley Mercantile. We highly recommend both restaurants. The grocery stores are small with limited selection and prices that are higher than the Walmart in Douglas, AZ which is 45 minutes away. Do most of your shopping before you get get to the resort and if you need major supplies while in residence, then drive to Douglas, AZ. It is a very pleasant drive and a town worth visiting!



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