My husband and I are planning a 6 day trip in NM. We are flying in from NYC and renting a car. We are thinking of staying in Albuquerque and Santa Fe. Maybe seeing Taos or Carlsbad. My husband has health issues (breathing problems). He could have difficulty in high elevations.
Can anyone recommend an itinerary that is not too rigorous. Hotel or restaurant recommendations would also be welcome.
Thanks.

A few things -

ABQ, Santa Fe and Taos are all at pretty high elevation, especially compared to NYC. Have you checked with his doctor? ABQ is the lowest of the 3 cities and it is well over 5000 feet, in fact, it is higher than Denver.

6 days would be good for ABQ, SF and Taos. I would skip Carlsbad which will take at least 1.5 to 2 days out of time and it is HOT there now.

What kind of food do you like? How much do you like to spend for dinner?

What is your nightly room budget and do you want: motel, B&B, hotel and what level of accomodations are you looking for?

Itinerary - what does not too vigorous mean? How in shape are you both? Do you want to walk, hike, climb, do physical things? Or are you looking for shopping, driving in car, museums, zoo etc?

You will have to rent a car, I assume you realize this and Southwest now flies from LGA to ABQ, but you are getting pretty close to the cost of the ticket being high since time is so short. I assume you mean July 2009.

Would you be willing to do Priceline for hotels? It would save you $$

I am a former NYer, been here in SW since 2001. Our first visit sold us on moving here. We also came in July.

July here is hot in mid day- monsoons in afternoons [heavy rains, that roll in and out in pretty short time and the air is very cool after - not like a July or August soaker in NYC where the humidity can be cut with a knife after a rain and it feels like a steambath.] It cools off by about 30 degrees at night and can be quite cool.

Dressing in layers is important. Also, drink LOTS of water [you don't realize how easy it is to get dehyrated here since the VERY dry air [6%]dries your perspiration instantly.

Use LOTS of sunscreen, chap stick and moisturizer. Limit alcohol as it hits you much harder at altitude.

There are threads on here about altitude adjustment that you can search and read.

I will be happy to give more specific answers when I know a bit more about what you are looking for.

For my restaurant favorites in ABQ:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/565839



Deb

Thanks for the quick response and the heads up about the elevation. We'll check with his doctor. We went to Vail once for a wedding and both had headaches and were tired the whole time. Vail is higher than SF but the elevation is making us think twice about the trip.
Yes, we are talking about July 2009.
As far as hotels, we need an elevator for anything more than one flight. Otherwise, we are open. We could spend $100 to $150 a night for the hotel. We like to walk around town, go to museums, and have nice meals. We prefer the hotel to be close to those sorts of things. We like all kinds of food and will check out your chowhound recommendations.
Thanks again.
Fran

You'll have a hard time finding anything in Santa Fe for that price in July. Maybe Garrett's Desert Inn on Old Santa Fe Trail would work - it's on Old Santa Fe Trail within easy walking distance of the Plaza.

Albuquerque isn't really a walking city; you'll need a car to get where you want to go, but it's easy to drive anywhere in town.

I agree with Deb that you don't have time to see Carlsbad on this trip.

Lee Ann

Definitely talk to the doctor before you spend any more time on this trip. 7500 feet (Santa Fe) is high. As much as I love NM, if your husband's problem is chronic, this just may be someplace you can't go, especially in hot weather. People vary widely in their ability to accomodate to altitude, and many people in good condition find themselves tired and headachy at altitudes that others manage quite easily.

If his problem is being out of shape, think about going next year and spend the time between now and then walking and climbing flights of stairs (been there, done that). You really do get better if there is not an underlying problem like emphysema.

Thanks for your reply.
Yes, my husband's problem is a chronic medical condition. But we have been able to take trips where we walk all over the place and enjoy sightseeing, museums, and strolls around new places. Santa Fe seemed just right for the kind of trip we like.
Now we have to figure out if the elevation is going to be a problem and if we can put together a last minute trip.
Fran

Check with your doctor first thing. If you get the go ahead, I would plan 3 days in ABQ, 2 days in Santa Fe and a day in Taos. This would allow some acclimation to altitude.

Does he need O2? If so, I see lots of people with small portable tanks that fit in a back pack like thingy.

Since it is so close to when you want to go, you may be able to benefit from using Priceline to get some lower priced rooms. They work well for last minute. Have you ever used PRiceline? If not, there are ways to bid to get a place that you are willing to stay in [quality wise] BUT keep in mind, these are all prepaid, so if you got here and found it wasn't good for hubby, you are out $$.

Come back and post here AS SOON as you get the go ahead, and we can help with details.

Deb