3 days in Sante Fe
 

I just booked a mini trip (while my kids are away at summer programs) to Santa Fe in early July. We'll be staying at the Eldorado hotel in a 'superior' room.

Any comments on the hotel? I got a good rate (the gas rebate special) on the hotel's website (much less than any of the booking sites, or even calling the hotel directly).

Restaurant recs would be appreciated, specifically for nice dinners. A good Mexican/Southwest would be nice and maybe something else a bit upscale. Also, what are the 'must-sees' for a 3 day trip?

We will be going to Tucson afterwards to visit family.

Thanks.

Check out Santa Fe on the Destination link here on Fodors. They have a good "Walk Tour" guide, and more. |||

You should plans on going to the Museum Hill too. Also, click on the New Mexico topic for suggestions already made on similar questions.

What do you like to do and see? That will help tailor responses to your inquiry.

I like wandering around and exploring quaint neighborhoods, art museums and galleries and historical sites. I also like to try different kind of foods and checking out unique little shops (althougg not interested in any major shopping).

I get the sense that Santa Fe is rather small. I am used to walking (I walk all the time her in NYC). We will have a car too, if there is anything worth driving to outisde of town.

You'll like the Eldorado - it's very nice, and in a good location. And if you do a search for restaurants in Santa Fe on this site, you'll find a lot. This same topic was just covered recently.

If you're only going for three days, I would stay in the city instead of doing any of the many nice day trips nearby. The three main areas to cover are the Plaza and its surrounding areas, the Canyon Road and east side area, and the Guadalupe area (near the train depot). Be sure to check out some of the museums too, especially those on museum hill.

Also, if you're flying out of ABQ, a good road trip is through NM14 through Madrid, Cerrillos and other small towns along the way. Depending on how many times you stop, it doesn't take that much longer than I-25.

Have fun!
Heidi

Thanks. And yes, we are flying in and out of ALQ. We actually arrive in the morning, so I suppose we can do a leisurely drive to SF, maybe stopping for lunch in one of those small towns you mention.

If you do Hwy 14 (Turquoise Trail) on the way in, the old saloon (attached to the mine) in Madrid is a fun place to stop for lunch. There are some funky shops there, too.

Restaurants: Santacafe is it! [Fine dining/southwestern --a contradiction?]Then Pasqual's, and the ole standby --The Pink Adobe. Finally the now franchised(?) Cayote Cafe.

The place Jayne is referring to is the Mine Shaft Tavern, but last I heard, it was for sale. Has anyone been there recently?

I was at the Mine Shaft Tavern last Christmas (2005). I think it's been for sale for about ten years.
They still have the best blue cheese burger in the world.
MFNYC- if you like art, you'll LOVE Canyon Road.
For an outdoors activity, check out Bandelier, but in July it'll be swarming with buses chockful of tourists.
Ghost Ranch is great if you want to do a little hiking, but ti's a drive.
I do the Tesuque Market for breakfast. I've been going there for nearly 20 years, and I've never been disappointed in the Tesuque Market. Something I can't say for Pasquals.
Have fun. Santa Fe is one of my favorite places in the world.

The upscale restaurant in the Eldorado (I forget the name) is excellent. The Eldorado itself lacks charm, but its location is excellent and our room was very comfortable.

Restaurants? We enjoyed Pasquals, and the Shed was great for a casual, delicious mexican lunch.

My favorite restaurants (casual with great inexpensive food and fun atmospheres) are Plaza Cafe and Maria's. Pink Adobe has a lovely balcony table that overlooks Santa Fe Trail -- gorgeous around sunset. Pricy but nice for a special meal.

I was at teh Mine Shaft this past thanksgiving. really a character in that place. Take the turquoise trail from ABQ to Santa Fe.

At Santa Fe, eat at Pasqual's. I liekd Cayote cafe better before than recently but still good food. I stayed at El Dorado - ok, good location but not worth the price HOWEVER, if you got a good deal then that's good! Youshoulnd't pay more than $100/night for that place.

If you do any day trips at all from Santa Fe, go to Abiqui country and see places like Ghost Ranch, Abiqui Lake, Echo Ampitheater, Plaza Blanca and especiall the Monastery of Christ in the Desert. (http://www.digitalabiquiu.com/) Take a picnic lunch at the latter, stop by any of the river spots along the way for your lunch. It's so peaceful there.

Enjoy!

hmmm, this may be better..

http://www.digitalabiquiu.com/pages/...uiu_DDA_Matrix

Thanks all.

I thought I gor a decent deal on the hotel but maybe not according to some of the comments here! I checked prices on the vaious booking sites, the hotel site and even called the hotel. The best price was the gas rebate special offered on thehotel website (about $80 < expedia rate). July seems to be highish season (is this true??). I'm paying $199 + $25 gas rebate (the rebate is total, not pern night) for a 'superior' room (1 leve up from standard, sypposedly has views and is slightly larger).

What hotel would you recommend if not this one? From what I've read, lots of thehotels get mixed reviews on tripadvisor. I also considered doing priceline, but was afraid I'd end up with a dud. There's not much posted on BFT or BB.

Honestly, that's not a terrible price considering the location near the plaza. You might try the Hilton (also a good location) and get a little better rate, but I doubt it will be much different.

I'm going in August and paying $139 for Garrett's Desert Inn, which is a basic older motel near the plaza. I tried Priceline and had no luck so decided to go with a place I knew would allow me to easily walk to the plaza area.

I've never stayed at Eldorado, but have been inside and it seemed pretty nice. Seems you have to take TripAdvisor reviews with a grain of salt.

Yeah, July is high season, I would imagine. We go to NM during Thanksgiving and prices are usually about $50 cheaper. Don't get me wrong, El Dorado wasn't bad just not what it was hyped up to be. Hilton is across the street to the corner (slightly closer to the plaza) but $10 cheaper shouldn't make a difference.

You just have to try Pasqual's....yummy!

Ooops. Spoke to soon. Went ahead and checked Thanksgiving and it's actually more expensive at the hilton than July! So maybe July isn't high season...

You could try VRBO.com. I've found some really nice condos or casitas with full kitchens for less than $100 a night, and some are even within walking distance of the plaza. When I travel for work, I stay in nice hotels, but usually for vacation, I use VRBO. Maybe it's just me, but I feel more like a local that way.

The El Dorado does an exceptional Sunday Champagne Brunch (reservations a must). The Guadalupe Cafe is across the street from the tourist office, has outside patio and serves excellent, hearty meals-homemade breads and desserts to die for. We like the Pink Adobe and Pasquals, too.

travel_addict: I just secured casitas for santa fe on vrbo and some for taos at primer taos vacations. I think I found a new way to "travel"! Hope they are good experiences. I'll let you know.

Yes, Maria, please report back. I would love to find one *really* close to the plaza.

jane1973: I will, but i'm not going until november...

Congrats Maria! I've never had a bad experience yet with VRBO and I love feeling like I'm staying in a home instead of a cookie cutter hotel. Typically when I use VRBO, I 'interview' the owner and ask a lot of questions. If I have any inkling of a bad gut feeling, I don't rent from them. Always listen to your gut!

The Eldorado is a lovely hotel and conviently located. You'll do fine there. If you want to check others, you might try La Fonda or Inn of the Anasazi, though they may be pricier.

For restaurants, try El Shed for New Mexican and Geronimo and Santacafe for nice dinners. We also like Bistro 315.

You might want to drive to Chimayo, see the Sanctuario and have lunch at the Inn.

If you like pottery and linens, there is a great store a few blocks from the plaza. It has wonderful provencal linens and Italian and very high end Mexican pottery. I think it is called the Clay Angel and it might be on Lincoln. It is a wonderful store.

I ate at the Mineshaft over New Year's. It's quite a place with great character and "characters". The hamburger was OK. The maragarita was great.

Enjoy, annieladd

We haven't been to Santa Fe in many years and I imagine the changes since our last visit are staggering! One of the main reasons I would like to return is to tour the Georgia O'Keefe Museum. Since you enjoy art museums, this might be something you would like to do.

http://www.okeeffemuseum.org/

AFter more hotel researching I decided to cancel Eldorado, there were just too many mixed reviews. I have since booked the Inn of the Governors, whicih seems to get more consistently good reviews. I liked the idea that parking is free and breakfast is included there. I also wanted a place with a pool, in the plaza area with hopefully a little Santa Fe charm. I hope this hotel fits the bill.

Is Inn of the Governors the place with all the flower boxes hanging from railings on the east side of the building? If so, I think you'll like it.

We were in Santa Fe last fall for four nights, and decided to book four nights again this fall. My mission this year is to find the perfect margarita, best chips, and tastiest salsa. Lotsa work to do! :D Especially to find something better than the charred tomato salsa at Ore House, overlooking the plaza on the SW corner.

My wife has other ideas. ;-) There were a couple stand-out meals last year, but the only restaurants names I can remember of those is The Shed and Pink Adobe. This year, Geronimo is on the list.

Have fun!

beachbum, in your margarita quest, check out Maria's. Then be sure to post your "best" list!

Maria's, another place to add to the list. Thanks jayne, and will do. :-)

Any special plans for your trip this August?

Beachbum-- Just planning the usual plaza- wandering, farmers and flea markets, exploring new things that pop up and of course eating! Plus there's a big arts and crafts festival in the plaza the first weekend in August. I think we'll add in a trip to Taos this year...haven't been in a while. Someone on this board said they had a best meal of their life at a restaurant there. Now for the life of me I can't remember the name of the place! I figure it was either Joseph's Table or Doc Martin's.