Every spring my mom, aunt and cousins go on a Mother/Daughter weekend. This year we have chosen Sante Fe. I am looking at the Turquoise Bear to stay-the history of the place looks great. Will the walk to "town" be long? Is it a nice place? We like to sit with our wine and laugh-this Inn looked like it fit our personalities.

We will go to Mass at Chimaya (sp?)-the place to the north with holy ground (literally, they say.)

We would like a spa day. I am unhappy that Clara Vista is closed-they had spa treatments in a great setting with sweat lodge group events. Can anyone suggest something similar?

Maybe a silly question but will the altitude cause us flatlanders any problems? (My mom is young at heart but physically in her 70s)

I would love to hear about any fun, reasonable dining within walking distance of the Inn as well.

There you have it. All comments are welcome. (Thank you)

I went to Santa Fe on business 3 years ago, and I allowed myself 2 extra days to be a tourist. I will answer as many questions for you as I can.

I do not know where the place is that you are staying, but Santa Fe is not a huge city and I walked everywhere. I did a tram tour which took us all around the city, and I highly recommend that. The Loretto Chapel is a must. I also did a ghost tour which I enjoyed very much. This does not mean that I believe in ghosts, but in that tour they gave a lot of good info about the history of Santa Fe. My favorite thing I did was to drive up to Taos and ride the chair lifts up the mountain.

As for altitude problems, I think that affects everyone differently. I would be most concerened with someone in their 70's, so the chair lifts in Taos might not be a good idea for her. I was around 37 when I did this, and I almost blacked out in Taos, probably from thin air. Despite that, Taos was still a highlight of the trip for me, but if you take the 70 year old lady, I think she should visit the shops in the village while everyone else goes up the chairs. One other thing along those same lines: You will find that you will get drunk a lot faster at a high altitude, so if you are driving, only drink about half as much as usual. Or better yet, have your drinks at your hotel.

Have a great trip!!

I just looked at the website for the Turquoise Bear,and it doesn't look like it's as close to the Plaza as you might like to be. Walkable,but not right in the thick of things. You'll want to have a car,as you'll certainly want to explore beyond the center of town,trust me.
As for the altitude issue, I know when I moved to Santa Fe,it took quite awhile to adjust,a few months, really. Drink plenty of water, watch the alcohol intake,rich foods,etc. I'm sure you'll be fine.
Ten Thousand Waves is a wonderful spa above Santa Fe,on the way to the ski basin. Google them and check out their website. A daytrip to Ojo Caliente might be fun,(on the way to Taos maybe)it's fairly rustic,but they have wonderful hotsprings to sit in and all types of spa services. Have a wonderful time!Eat some green chile for me.

We enjoyed our stay at La Fonda, just a block from the Plaza. Enjoy Sante Fe. Be sure to go to the Georgia O'Keefe museum...small, simple, and wonderful.

Thank you for your responses! Thanks for the alcohol consumption warning. And thanks for the location info" I prefer to be a bit out of the thick of things, as long as the walk is a pleasant one through a cute neighboorhood (?) Thanks again!