martha23

My husband and I are butting heads on how to plan our trip in October - not a good start for an anniversary trip We fly into Albuquerque (from NC) on Friday, the 12th around 5pm. I say we stay in Albuquerque that night and take the Turquoise Trail to Santa Fe the next day. He says we go ahead to Santa Fe on the interstate and then explore the trail on Sat, if we want. He thinks it is best to get settled in Santa Fe...I feel like we would be back tracking. Any thoughts from those who know the area? Any great restaurant or place to stay that would make that short time worth it in Albuquerque, or does his idea make more sense?

As far a hotels, I like the reviews I've read for the Inn on the Alameda and he researched the Inn of the Anasazi. Both sound nice. Which would you choose?

Haven't had time to look into hotels in Taos yet. Any recommendations there?

Thanks!

DebitNM

I have to agree with you and suggest that you stay your first night in ABQ. Your inner clock will be 2 hours ahead and you will be tired from your flight. Better to have a nice dinner, and hit the sack so that you can start your next day fresh.

It doesn't make sense to take interstate to Santa Fe on Friday and then drive back down to ABQ on Saturday via the Turquoise Trail. That leaves you having to drive back up to Santa Fe on the interstate. Seems like backtracking to me.

What price range for accomodations? Hotel, motel or B&B ? What type of food and price? With this info, I can give you suggestions for hotels in ABQ and Taos.

How long is your entire trip? You might actually want to spend a few days in ABQ; lots to see and do there.

Hope this helps..
Debi

martha23

Me again. I just discovered that the Balloon festival is that weekend in Albuquerque. The balloon glow and fireworks are Friday night. Is that worth gong to see? Also, will reservations be hard to get because of the festival?

Martha

martha23

Debi,

We have 6 nights. Fly out of Albuquerque on Thursday around 1pm. I hadn't thought of spending time in ABQ since we had only talked of going to SF and Taos, thinking the smaller towns would be less hectic, but I know nothing of what ABQ has to offer. Original thought was to spend 3/4 nights (depending on the ABQ debate) in SF and 2 nights in Taos.

We prefer hotels over B&Bs, and I guess I don't know the difference between hotel and motel. We will have a rental car so would need parking. $200 - $250 a night would be in our range. I want to go to a spa, or stay at a place with spa services. This is hopefully going to be a relaxing vacation.

We love restaurants where the locals would prefer to eat. Good food, good wine, nice atmosphere - definitely not chain restaurants. Cheap to expensive, it doesn't matter if the food is good. I read the La Boca is good and the tapas menu sounded appealing.

Thanks for your help,
Martha

DebitNM

Martha,
I would definitely spend the night in ABQ and go to the Balloon Fiesta - it is a sight to behold, unlike anything you can imagine.

It will be harder to get reservations in ABQ so sooner rather than later is key.

To me - 1 night in Taos is sufficient. That would give you two full days if you wanted it and you could drive down to SF after the second day.

As for Santa Fe; 2 or 3 nights would work for me. Again, that would give you 3 full days.

What types of activities are you interested in - museums, outdoor [hiking etc], shopping, art galleries, native american sites etc?

If I knew that I could pinpoint a better time line.

Have you looked at Fodors DESTINATION guide for the three places?? It has great over views of activities and suggested things to see and do.

Click on the DESTINATIONS link at top of THIS page; then click on Santa Fe [or Taos or ABQ] then click on "Great Itineraries" and it will give ideas about how long to spend in each place.

IF it were me:
Stay Fri night in ABQ @ Holiday Inn Express on Alameda if they have a room. [go to Balloon Fiesta Friday night and Saturday morning. Then drive up to Santa Fe. From where you will be, drive to SF on Interstate 25.

Saturday & Sunday in Santa Fe [stay in SF both nights I have heard good things about inn of the Anasazi. La Fonda too.]
Monday and Tuesday in Taos [stay in Taos Monday night @ The El Pueblo Lodge in Taos is a nice place and some of the rooms have wood burning fireplaces. It has a true southwest feel to it.OR-
Sagebrush [it's a Best Western, I think}; drive back down to ABQ Tuesday and stay in ABQ @ Embassy Suites]
Wed in ABQ [stay in ABQ]
Fly out Thursday.

Here is a really good thread from past:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...1&tid=35011128

Debi

ElendilPickle

Definitely stay in Albuquerque and go to the Balloon Fiesta! Take the Park 'n Ride to the Fiesta - it's much easier to get in and out of the park.

There are a lot of good restaurants along Central in Albuquerque. We like Artichoke Cafe, Yanni's, Scalo, and Vivace. However, if you're going to the Balloon Fiesta, you might not have time for a nice dinner that night.

Lee Ann

mscarls

The Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort is near Rio Rancho, which is just north of Albuquerque. It's a very nice hotel with a good gourmet restaurant. The Prairie Star is another good restaurant, located near a casino which is probably less than two miles away.