i have tickets on frontier airlines, and i'm planning on santa fe! what's the weather there like in march? any comments on frontier? any hotels recommendations for cheap but nice? is it possible to have a side trip to taos for lunch or something?
thanks!

ttt please?

jasper I think most people are doing their last minute holiday stuff. wunderground.com is a good website to see historic weather. If you do a text search here for budget hotels in santa fe you're sure to find some previous threads. While it's been a long time since I was there, you can do a day trip to Taos, yes.

mclaurie...thanks, i hope the trip works out! happy holidays.

jasper, Santa Fe hosts just about every chain hotel known to mankind, up and down the $ scale. Pick a few and go the their websites to start comparing.

A day trip to Taos is certainly possible as the drive is about an hour and half. Go for more art (cause there's plenty in SF) and the pueblo. The food is better in SF.

The temps will be in the 50s generally during the day and in the 20s at night. Snow is possible.

j,
I'd spend the extra $$ and try and stay as close to the town square as possible.

We made the mistake of staying out off the St Route at the Radisson and everything was a car ride into town.

We took a car ride up towards Los Alamos then over to Tres Peidras then over towards Taos and it was absolutley beautiful.

Great area.

great, thanks!
should i go on instinct and rent a car? i'll be flying into alburquque and have to get to santa fe somehow...might as well rent a car?

Yes, you'll want a car if you're going to Taos.

March will be windy and cool, but probably sunny.

Lee Ann

We were in Santa Fe last April and it was freezing - blowing snow and sleet. As the highest elevation of any capital city - weather can change on a dime.

I would try and stay near the town square. I think theres a Budget Inn a couple blocks off the square. I can't vouch for it though. We stayed in a Marriott. There's a ton of chains but a few miles from the square.

I would rent a car. I don't know of any other way to get around the area.

If you want to stay close to the Plaza, try Garrett's Desert Inn for the closest thing to budget prices in that prime area. If you aren't going to stay on the Plaza and want "cheap but nice," you might just try for a good Priceline deal. I personally like El Rey for off-the-plaza lodging, but it's not necessarily that cheap. Never hurts to call around for rate quotes, though.

jasper,

I agree with the others that you're better situated the closer to the Plaza you can get but SF is a pricey town. Can you assign some $ values to "cheap but nice?"

Definitely rent a car to get from Albq to Fe and any other places you might visit. It's not hard to navigate and, except for the immediate Plaza/Canyon Rd areas in SF, you'll need a car to get around.

Jasper,

I always stay on Cerillos Rd. a couple of miles from the small downtown. Lots of nice motels out there, newest ones are the furthest out, older ones near downtown. The El Ray is older and some rooms ok and some rather worn.

Santa Fe is not large and nothing is far away, but you will need a car. The accomodations downtown are quite expensive. It's easy to drive there and park in the lots a block off the square and walk around and still get the wonderful ambience of S.F. Terrific restaurants all over town. Favs: Plaza Diner on the Plaza - low-cost and delicious, a tapas (Spanish) restaurant, I can't remember name, on Canyon Rd., tiny Cafe Pasqual downtown for breakfast. Also museums and wonderful hand-made pueblo jewelry, pots and etc. S.F. is at 7,000 ft. so I huff and puff and feel the alcohol at first.

Taos is a nice drive for lunch. Take the high road up through Chimayo and Truches, overlooking the Sangre de Christo mts., and the direct route back through Espanola. There is a great restaurant in Taos between the two squares called Michael's (?)I think. It is low-slung and has lots of window panes. Great food.

If you have time, you can drive back to Albq. from S.F. on the Turquoise Trail, route 14. The 2-lane road takes a little longer but is very scenic and historic.

Hope you love S.F. as much as Jasper the pup and I do.

Regards.

OK, one more try...

For the best "cheap but nice" near the Plaza, try Garrett's Desert Inn. If you aren't going to stay near the Plaza, you might want to consider bidding for a room on Priceline.
I personally like El Rey Inn for off-Plaza lodging, but I wouldn't call it cheap.

If you are a plant nerd like me then a trip to High Country Gardens in Sante Fe is well worth the time. They specialize in native and introduced Xeric plants. "Plants for the waterwise gardener".

BeanMan

oh, this is great. just what i was looking for. i'll look for garrets desert inn. i think i'll do a day and a half in santa fe, and allow for a side trip day to taos, it sounds cool. i know i'll love the food in santa fe!
i'll splurge and rent a car. it'll be worth it i think.