Need Help Planning NM Trip
 

I'm taking my husband to NM for his 40th birthday in August. We're flying into Albuquerque Wedneday evening (8/15) and flying out late the following Tuesday evening (8/21). We want to spend some time in Santa Fe and Taos for sure, maybe a day or two in Albuequerque. I'd love some advice on how much time to spend in Santa Fe and Taos. Also, should we plan some time in Albuquerque? We travel to eat at great restaurants and enjoy beautiful scenery. Also love to experience local art/culture/museums and architecture. Any suggestions on logding would also be appreciated. I didn't know until after I booked our flights that the Saturday/Sunday we are in the area, there is a big Native American art show in Santa FE. This could make lodging and dining more difficult to come by. Does anyone have suggestions for condos/casitas in Santa Fe and Taos that would be reasonable in price (under $150). We normally stay in Sheraton/Hilton/Hyatt properties, but usually get good pricing on those hotels through Hotwire. Not much available on Hotwire for Santa Fe or Taos for the dates we need. I understand that Santa Fe is a pricey location, just looking for a good deal.

Most of Albuquerque's museums are centered around Old Town. The nearest Hilton is at University and Menaul, not too far away. There's a Hyatt downtown if you prefer that.

It sounds like you'll be in Santa Fe during Indian Market, which is a huge attraction. I've never been, but I think you'll enjoy it.

Have you ever used Priceline for lodging? You may be able to find a good deal for Santa Fe.

Taos is an easy day trip from Santa Fe - Mr. Pickle and I were just there in February. Take the high road through Chimayo, Truchas, etc. for a different look at northern New Mexico.

Do spend some time looking through this forum. If you click "Destinations" at the top of the page, you'll find some of Fodor's picks for this area.

Lee Ann

Thanks so much for the helpful info, Lee Ann. I have used Priceline, but prefer Hotwire as I have had better luck determining which hotel I'm going to end up with on Hotwire. I'm not much for surprises when it comes to lodging:-)That being said, I will probably try both.

We'll have to spend our first night in Albuquerque because our flight arrives at a late hour. How do you think we should we split up our remaining 5 nights?

Hi, Well, Lee Ann beat me to it, but here are some thoughts from me.
You have 6 nights - first night in ABQ is a good idea as is your last night. That leaves 4 nights. I would do 2 nights in Santa Fe [if you find rooms] and 1 night in Taos. Remaining night, make come over to CO and see MEsa Verde.

Just some thoughts: If you can't find rooms in Santa Fe, it is only an hour drive from ABQ to SF. There are some places in the northern part of ABQ, near the interstate that would be convenient: Holiday Inn Express on Alameda Blvd; La Quinta off I 25 and San Antonio along with quite a few others.

There are several threads on Santa Fe hotels on here. Type that in the SEARCH box for ideas on places there, but weekend will make it hard to find reasonably priced rooms at this late date.
El Rey gets nice reviews.

Hotels in Taos - 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. Also -
Sagebrush [it's a Best Western, I think}

Restaurants in Taos - Doc Martin's is excellent as is Joseph's Table ; Apple Tree just off the plaza is nice too; Michael's forbreakfast or bakery treats; Dragonfly for breakfast and lunch. I've eaten at all of these and highly recommend any and all of them.

Hotels in Santa Fe and Taos thread:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34814770

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34779091



This is from an old thread I had posted some of it won't apply but I thought it would be of some help:

Author: DebitNM ([email protected])
Date: 11/05/2006, 02:05 pm
I was recently contacted directly from a Fodor Folk who asked for some help in planning a trip to NM,sw CO and then onto AZ. They wanted scenic drives, weren't interested in shopping or hiking so those things really aren't covered.


Here are some suggestions and some web sites to look at see if any of this is of interest to you.

I would drive from ABQ airport to Santa Fe via The Turquoise Trail. http://www.turquoisetrail.org/

This will take you through a ghost town and will get you to Santa Fe without having to go on interstate. Take a trip up to Sandia Crest along the way and see ABQ from a great view point.

I would spend at two days in Santa Fe. A walk around the plaza is easy and filled with insights into sw history. Fodors does a great job with walking tour and high points in SF. Also, great museums!

http://www.fodors.com/miniguides/mgr...;feature=30002

I love the museums on Museum Hill - http://www.museumhill.org/index.html --

From Santa Fe, then head north to Taos. There are lots of shops and galleries in Taos and pretty drives. I would go to Taos pueblo to see what life is like there and again gain insight into the SW. I would drive the Enchanted Circle to see Angel Fire and Red River. http://www.taosvacationguide.com/day...ted_circle.php

Go over the Gorge bridge
http://www.sangres.com/statenm/index.htm


Restaurant thread for Santa Fe and Taos:
[with other thread links inside]

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34988684

My favorites --
Restaurants in ABQ:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessa...chText=debitnm

I know this is a lot, but I love to help folks with their visits to NM and SW!

Hope this helps...
Debi

Last year we stayed at the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort, a little north of Albuquerque, and really liked it (although it may be pricey at that time of year). Its restaurant is very good, as is the Prairie Star, located by a nearby casino. For more casual fare the Range Cafe is often recommended on this site. Unfortunately, it was closed for cleaning/renovations when we were there.
In Santa Fe, we stayed at the Indian-owned Hotel Santa Fe, which was very nice. It is a moderate walk from old Santa Fe, so its rates are a little lower than some other hotels. And it does provide a shuttle to downtown and area restaurants. The hotel is located in an up and coming part of Santa Fe called the Guadalupe District, so there are some shops and restaurants quite close (plus a great gelato shop).

We just returned Saturday night from 5 nights in Santa Fe. Flew into ABQ and rented a convertible, about a hours drive to Santa Fe. Stayed at the Hilton Plaza with our points so got 5 nights free. It was so convienient staying close to the plaza, in walking distance to all the restaurants. We had a great time.Put on close to 800 miles. Did day trips everyday but one. Will post more about our itinerary and dining experiences shortly. What a beautiful area. Had great weather also. We would stay at the Hilton again. We had a comfortable remodeled room overlooking the pool. Hospitality was awesome also.

Sandia Casino also has hotel now too. Looks very nice...great views and easy to get to SF.

lovebug - debitNM (our resident expert) has given you a lot of good info, so I won't repeat. What I would add is that the Indian Market is an annual event and is one of the most incredible markets we've ever been to (this is definitely one of the reasons you're finding hotels booked). It's all authentic goods and wares (no cheap immitations here). Many items are museum quality. Even if you're not into southwestern art/culture, IMO this is a "don't miss" event.

Thank you everyone! Wow, so much helpful information! I'm glad to know about the Indian Market.
I will share all the details with my husband and let you know our plans once they are confirmed.
My husband doesn't like to change hotels too often on a trip so your suggestions leave me with one last question. If you had to choose between spending 2 day in Albuquerque or 2 days in Taos, which would you choose?

If you aren't big into art and galleries, I would go for 2 nights in ABQ over 2 nights in Taos. But does that leave out a trip to Taos? Should go there, even if for just a long day trip. About 2.5 hours from ABQ each way. IMHO, of course.

i would definetely recommend a stay in Albuquerque. When most people visit New Mexico, they fly into Sunport and go up 25 to Santa Fe, and almost neglect Albuquerque.

Its a lovely town too, and a lot less expensive than its older neighbor to the north. However, you do want to see Santa Fe & Taos during your trip.

While in Albuquerque. I recommend taking the tram up Sandia Peak, seeing Petroglyph, Old Town.

a great place to stay is on the west end of town, off of I-40 and Coors. Its easy on the budget, theres a Dennys nearby, and even a Wal-Mart Supercenter. And if you want to see a mall,.Cottonwood Mall is right north on Coors.

Ahh, more helpful info. Thank you! I think we'll do 2 nights in Albq. This will give us a chance to adjust to the altitude. Then 3 nights in Santa Fe during the Indian Market. Maybe we'll do a day trip or two from Santa Fe. Then spend our last night in Taos with the entire next day to get back to Albq for our flight out at 7PM. How does this sound? Please let me know if you would make adjustments:-)

I went to Santa Fe and Taos last month with my daughter and stayed at the Hotel Santa Fe and at El Pueblo Lodge in Taos. We went to see the cliff dwellings at Bandelier National Monument as a day trip from Santa Fe and we took the high road to Taos, stopping at the Santuario de Chimayo and then touring the Taos Pueblo.

I got many great ideas for places to see and for restaurants by reading the threads on this message board.

My trip report is here:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35001092

Plan sounds ok, but if you leave Taos at checkout time [figuring 10 am] you will have a lot of time in ABQ. Make sure you have things planned for that day too!

http://www.dukecityfix.com/index.php?itemid=1307

Feel free to email direct if I can help you with specifics.
Debi

Thanks again everyone for all the help and info. This gives me plenty to research before we leave in August.

Trying to decide what area in Albuquerque to stay for the 2 days we are there. How about the Coors Rd area on the West side or the Journal Center area (I'm going by areas that hotels are listed in)? We don't have to be extremely close by to main attractions. We just want a comfortable hotel that is in a safe, pleasant location. Input would be appreciated.

If you go for the Uptown zone with Priceline or Hotwire you might well get the Sheraton which is a nice hotel at a good price, in a calm, safe (but dull) area of Albuquerque. I got it last month and my friend also got it the month before, with Priceline. It's not far from I-40 and it's easy to get anywhere. I'd love to stay there again.

By the way, my friend and I checked out the Rattlesnake Museum in Old Town last week. It doesn't seem like much from the outside but we had a blast! It's small little zoo of many different varieties of snakes including many rattlesnakes. If you have any interest in snakes at all I'd check it out. When they are behind glass, those snakes don't seem so frightening when they "greet" you by the glass. The museum also shows a PBS video about snakes in one of the rooms, to help educate you about all the snakes you're looking at.

Andrew, thanks for the details from your recent trip.

Yes, I had also considered the Sheraton Uptown. We normally find Sheraton Hotels to be a good buy if we get the reservation through Hotwire or Priceline. Did your room have a fridge and/or microwave? Also, what was the parking situation there? We'll have a rental car and I always check on added fees for parking to help me compare hotel costs as well as the convenience factor.

Thanks again!

Yes, the room at the Sheraton did have a fridge. I don't recall if it had a microwave (I doubt it) but you can call the front desk and ask them. And parking in the lot is free there. With Priceline, there are other hotels you might get in Uptown instead of the Sheraton, though, so you need to check the hotel lists at BiddingForTravel and BetterBidding to see if the alternatives have free parking, too (but I'd guess so, in the Uptown area). With Hotwire you can be more precise but I'm guessing you'll pay a little more.

We used Priceline a couple of years ago for Uptown Albuquerque - we live here, but were attending a marriage conference. At the time, the only four-star hotels in Uptown were the Sheraton and the Marriott; we got the Sheraton for $50 a night (the conference was at the Marriott). Both have free parking and are close to Coronado Center and the new ABQ Uptown shopping area. But like Andrew said, do check on www.biddingfortravel.com to see what else might be available.

Lee Ann

Hey Andrew. Thanks for your quick response. I've used Hotwire for about 6-7 years and I started using betterbidding a couple of years ago. I usuually end up using Hotwire because I've found identifying hotels on Hotwire is a bit easier than with Priceline. I decided to go with the Sheraton Uptown and got it at $59 per night. Most of the reviews I've read say the Sheraton is in desperate need of a renovation, but they all comment on the comfort of the beds and convenient location. As long as we can get a good nights rest and the room is clean, we'll be happy. I'll let you know after the trip:-)