5 Nights in Santa Fe
 

Just got back from a fabulous first time to Santa Fe.

Flew Continental - EWR-IAH-ABQ and reverse home - no problems, decent flight.

Rented a car through Budget at ABQ. Long line. We had reserved an intermediate size car but when we got to the counter they told us our choices were a truck or an Explorer. We took the Explorer.

We stayed at El Farolito B&B in Casita Garcia. Perfect for us. The room was just the right size, king bed, private patio. Breakfast every morning hit the spot. Lots of delicious breads and pastries as well as a fruit plate and a hot dish like smoked salmon quiche or chicken and green chile gratin. Wayne and Dana (owner and manager) both were terrific hosts. Each morning had lots of helpful information whether it be things to do, restaurants to try, or driving directions. They also serve drinks and cookies in the afternoon.

Restaurants -
Bobcat Bite - late lunch/early dinner the day we got there, sat outside on the porch, both got the green chile cheeseburger, perfect introduction to the chile, a small place but no wait when we were there

Cafe Pasquale's - ate here twice, for an early lunch in which we sat at the community table (fun!) and got breakfast items, another day we went for dinner (made reservations). The food was delicous both times however the service at dinner was very slow. Not sure if there was a mix up in the kitchen but it took over 30 minutes between when our appetizer plates were removed to get our dinner plates. The couple sitting next to us ordered the same exact meals we did - we ordered first and they had eaten and finished dessert before we got our dinner. No explanation when we asked how much longer it would be - just a it will be out soon. We were in no rush but it was odd.

Tomasita's - dinner, loved their red chile and the guacamole

Blue Corn Cafe - went wanted to go to the Coyote Cantina for dinner but it was closed so we went across the street here instead. No wait to get in. Good margaritas, decent food. Nice place to view the sunset.

The Shed - made dinner reservations, while everything was good it was my least favorite meal of the trip, not a fan of everything being baked I think, gave the food a "crust" and would have liked it better "fresh", save room for mocha cake for dessert - it was excellent.

Plaza Cafe - lunch, a break from all the chiles though there were plenty of things on the menu with chile

Sage Bakehouse - got almond croissants and sandwiches to take with us on two different days we went hiking, delicious but more expensive than I expected

the Saturday farmer's market - got lots of things from different vendors and made a picnic lunch, also brought some roasted chiles home

Things we did-
Drove the Turquoise Trail

Walked around downtown Santa Fe - saw many of the sights including the Plaza, Palace of the Governors, Sena Plaza, La Fonda, St. Francis Cathedral, Loretto Chapel, San Miguel Mission, the State Capitol (great art inside), Santuario de Guadalupe, the railyard area

Went to see Don Giovanni at the Opera - loved the opera, the opera house, and the sunset

Bandelier - hiked the main loop and to alcove house, even with a fear of heights I didn't find it hard to climb the ladders, coming down as soon as my hands grasped the top rung I was fine

Valles Caldera - hiked the Valle Grande Trail which takes about 2 miles round trip for an up close view of the caldera, then drove to the overlooks for a similar view from a different side of it

Drove through Los Alamos

Santuario de Chimayo - a lot more there than just the church, some shops and places to eat

Walked Acquiera Madre and Canyon Road for the architecture and the art

Shidoni Gallery and Foundry - excellent sculpture garden and got to see a bronze pouring, a fun afternoon

Tent Rocks - hiked the cave loop and canyon trail, beautiful rock formations

Ten Thousand Waves - we got a private hot tub (Waterfall), then had the yasuragi (head and neck massage) and an herbal wrap - quite relaxing way to end the vacation

That's pretty much it I think. We will be back. :)

We only had time for lunch at the Pink Adobe [not in the AAA book for some reason but nice patio repast]and a half hour at the big 5 and dime store where my husband bought a picture Santa Fe T-shirt for $5 which we discovered had a hole in the front! Thanks for all the good ideas for our next drive from California to Colorado.

Great trip report, njlorelei! You got to see and do a lot, and it sounds like you had a wonderful time.

Lee Ann

Sounds like you had a great time and hit a lot of the top spots in town. Come again and see some of the more out of the way places to visit and eat.

Deb

Thanks for the report, sounds like a great trip. Next trip hit Pecos NP for a little different history.

I really enjoyed your report! I kept meaning to visit Santa Fe some time.

It's on our list also. Bookmarking this for future reference. THanks, njlorelei

It is on my to-do list as well!
Thanks for sharing!

Thanks for your report... I've added the Shidoni gallery to my list. We'll be in Santa Fe at the end of this month :)

We definitely plan to come again. Still a lot of things on the to do list. Just ran out of time. Plus I'd love to explore the Taos and Albuquerque areas too.

Sassy_cat if you go to Shidoni, Saturdays are the only days they do bronze pourings for the public. 3 each Saturday afternoon starting at 1pm.

njlorelei,
Thanks for the tip. We won't make it on a Saturday as we'll be in Albuquerque. Would you still suggest going or was the bronze pouring the highlight of your experience?

The website looks interesting. Here's a link in case anyone else is interested.

http://www.shidoni.com/html/home.asp

Did you happen to notice if Rancho de Chimayo restaurant had reopened (after it's fire last year)? Thanks for the trip report...

I meant "its fire"

I believe that the restaurant is still closed.

Deb

Sassy_cat - if you like sculpture it's still worth visiting as there is both an indoor gallery and a lot of outside space full of unique sculptures. There is also a glassblowing gallery next door if that interests you.

Dorkforcemom - I don't think Rancho de Chimayo was open, but I'm not positive.

Thanks.. it does sound like something we'd enjoy.

I'm glad you had such a nice visit to Santa Fe. You hit a lot of places and tried my favorite part -- the green and red chiles! I love the red sauce at Tomasita's. I think it is some of these best I've ever had.

Rancho de Chimayo Restaurant will not reopen until September 26th and only for dinner. Such a shame it's been closed this long after the fire.

is there any tours of Sante fe that highlight the architecture of the area, public or private?

thanks

jetsetj, I'm not sure about an architecture tour but there is this tour that I see regularly in town:

www.toursofsantafe.com

They drive you in a open air tram and take you around the town highlighting the history of Santa Fe. You will see a lot of adobe buildings along the way which may interest you.

thank you beachgirl