A friend and I are considering a 4-day trip to Santa Fe to celebrate the New Year. Has anyone done this and does it sound like a good idea? We have both been wanting to visit Santa Fe, but what is the weather like at that time of year? We would like to be able to walk to restaurants, museums/galleries, shopping, etc. Does anyone have any moderately-priced hotel recommendations in a central location (preferably under $100, but possibly up to $150/night). Any "must-dos" while we're there? Anything particularly special to do on New Year's Eve? Will everything be closed on New Year's Day? Restaurant recommendations for southwestern fare at reasonable prices? Any recommended day trips? Should we try to spend a day in Taos? Thanks in advance.

It seems as though the last few trips I've made to Santa Fe have been in the Christmas/New Years week. If you want the convenience of being able to walk places then you probably need to stay on or near the Plaza. Unfortunately, hotel rooms are at their most expensive there. But look at B&Bs in the blocks just off the Plaza. there are many, many places to stay in Santa Fe, and everyone has an opinion. Personally, I like to stay OUT of town. My favorites are the Bishop's Lodge and Rancho Encantado. I like the Cowgirl Hall of Fame, which is a funky restaurant/bar. There are many, many good places to eat. Yes, do Taos. The drive is what makes it special. Take the High Road. Plan on coming back at dusk and you will see the wonderful "light" Santa Fe is known for. Also, take a trip to Bandelier and Puye Cliff -- two Indian cliff dwelling sights. If you don't mind a long drive, try to see Chaco Canyon, which is a large Indian site with some stunning cliff dwellings. It's in the middle of nowhere, and the drive is LONG. Also, if you're planning on doing a lot of driving, I'd get a 4WD in case of lots of snow. I've had to use 4WD a couple of times I've been out there that time of year. Have fun.

Thanks, Captain Kirk
Anyone else?

Aloha lisa2,
If you can't get a room near the plaza, stay away from the Radisson located just outside of town on St Francis at Guadelupe.
We had to go to 3 different rooms before we got on that was actually VACANT !

We had looked into Casa de Santa Fe, Plaza Real and Garrett's Desert Inn which all looked close and reasonable before my company pulled rank and put me out at the Rad.

A dinner in the courtyard at La Casa Sena may be a bit chilly given the time of year and the 7000' altitude.
Great French bakery in front of Hotel La Fonda.

To pile on Capt Kirk's suggestion, once again, if the weather is agreeable, there is some of the nicest scenery around in that area.

During our stay, when I was able to pull Mrs Kal out of all of the art galleries on Canyon, we drove up to Los Alamos, up to Tres Piedras, over the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge (awesome), thru Taos and then back down to Santa Fe in time for a great sunset.

Man...I want to go back. Put it on the list.
Safe travels.
Kal

First, JT Kirt has some great ideas. (I do believe Rancho Encantado is still closed for a renovation and not reopening by then)
Also, I like New Mexico at almost any time of year; it could be snowy and will almost certainly be cold but crisp at that time. I would assume the christmas decs will still be up and that is lovely in that area.

For hotels in that price range _ I like the Santa Fe Motel (not hotel, which is nice but more expensive) that is about five blocks from the square. Also, a bit farther out, a large b&b called parador de la montana.

Definitely go to Taos for at least a day if you can _ it has a whole different feel from SF. But the road could be icy//snowy, depending on weather of course, especially if you want to take the more scenic High Road to Taos. If you don't want to go that far, try Chimayo, a funky little town a bit north of SF with an interesting square and a church that the faithful claim has dirt that cures ailments (you'll see people lined up to get a cup of dirt from this hole in the sanctuary.)

Thanks for all these great suggestions -- I will look into them!

Anybody else?

Lisa,

We went to Santa Fe for the first time in our lives last New Year's Eve. We arrived on Dec. 28th and left on the 2nd of Jan. I have to tell you that I fell in love with this town! We enjoyed it so much that we are planning to return this New Years's Eve.

Now to answer your questions. First of all, the weather is a bit nippy at that time of year. We experienced several days of sunshine when a sweater or light jacket sufficed, however, when the sun went down, it got down-right cold. If you dress in layers you should be fine but you may want to bring heavier gear for the evenings.

As for the hotels, we stayed at the fabulous Inn of Loretto a couple of blocks from the square. It is simply one of the most beautiful southwestern style hotels in town and we definitely plan to stay there again. I believe their rates are normally around $150-$175 that time of year BUT if they're not full (they weren't last year for New Years and, chances are, won't be again this year) you can always make a deal: they'd rather rent the room for less then have it sit empty for New Years (I believe we ended up paying around $125 per night for a room with a small balcony). In any case, I would suggest giving them (or other hotels in town) a call and seeing if you can barter for a good rate. If none of them are quite willing to do this yet then make a reservation at a cheaper place and then call the others back the week of New Years. Believe me, if they're not completely booked by that time you'll be in a good position to get a deal on a nice room. For more information on places to stay (with pictures) go to: santafeliving.com and click on accomodations--all kinds of good stuff there.

Have fun!

David

Sante FE thru New Years cannot be beat. We have gone 4 of the 5 past holidays and are planning to again. Rancho Encantado is still under construction, but how about RanchoDe San Juan half way between SanteFe and Taos. Or La Fondle if you want to be on the plaza (the bakery is a must stop). The Alemeda is always terrific, we've seen many famous people dining there whenever we've been. My favorite place for close in town is the Fort Marcy, condo's rented one two or three bedrooms with kitchens and just 6 block walk from the plaza. They are located up Marcy Rd and i think have an 800# for booking. Good luck, try Julians for Italian, and if you enjoy a day drive, take 84 north thru Espanola to Abiquiu and have tea at the Abiquiu Inn, then continue on to Tierra Amarilla and the woolen farms. Look for turnoffs for the lakes and try a picnic of tamales or deli sandwiches from Bode's General Store. Beautiful quiet country, Georgia O'Keefe like.

Lisa, we stayed at the Waterstreet Inn which is a B&B not too far from the Plaza. I thought it was very nice. Most of the rooms have fireplaces. Breakfast is included, of course, but you can either have it delivered to your room, eat in the kitchen or weather permitting out on the porch. What I really liked though was they had happy hour every afternoon with New Mexican wine, beer and appetizers. There were a variety of people at this B&B: there were couples, there were families and there was a group of woman that traveled together. We would sitesee all day and then come back to get ready for dinner and then we would go to the living room for happy hour - it was a nice way to start the evening and to meet very interesting people. One of my favorite restaurants was Anasazi at the Anasazi Inn. Guadalupe Cafe in nice for lunch. I would go definetly go to the cliff dwellings and I would go to Taos.

OK, the tickets are bought and I'm getting really excited about this trip thanks to the feedback I'm getting here. Just bought a guidebook and am starting to do a little research. We decided that we want to stay someplace very inexpensive so that we can splurge on art while we're there -- I would love to find a beautiful piece of pottery while I'm out there. Favorite galleries, anyone? Also, has anyone stayed at the Travelodge near the Plaza? They have the least expensive rates we've found and seem to be walking distance to the Plaza and other sights. Also, if we were going to visit one Pueblo while we're out there, does anyone have any recommendations? Anything special going on New Year's Eve or New Year's Day?

L2,
Nice to know you are doing fine in DC!

Suggestion for Santa Fe. We bought the "MapEasy's GuideMap To Santa Fe".
http://www.mapeasy.com/ Available at all of the mojor bookstores.

Pretty detailed. Shows a lot of hotels, restaurants, galleries, etc.

It also shows Taos, Albu and other out of town sights that may interest you.

As for favorite galleries, there are too many to recall/mention, especially on Canyon Rd. Get some good walking shoes and allow for a day to "browse".
Then get ready to see all of those colors again when you fall asleep.

Reminded me of my first trip to Kauai.
Have a safe trip.
Kal

My husband and I spent New Year's in Santa Fe a few years ago and enjoyed the dinner/show at La Casa Sena--good food and broadway tunes. There was country band and dancing at La Fonda for afterwards. We couldn't find any New Year celebrations at any of the pueblos though, at least on New Year's Day.

lisa, there are some bargains listed for the upscale (expensive) s.f. hotels:
www.santafe.org
i stay at the best western on cerrillos rd. - not downtown, but nothing is very far away in s.f. clean, quite, nice pool, good price. i spend my money on the wonderful indian jewelry. many, many art galleries on canyon rd. you will love that town!

I've seen "families" mentioned; what activities are available for a 5 1/2yr old boy in Santa Fe? Any advice on kid friendly lodging? Thanks

lisa

Consider posting under it's own topic like "Children and Santa Fe-ideas?

B