Santa Fe and Taos...Help!
 

My husband and I will be spending 10 nights in the Santa Fe and Taos area. We plan to hike, horseback ride, take scenic drives, visit galleries, etc. We also plan to do day trips to cities of interest within driving distance (ie. Albuquerque). How many nights in each city would those of you "in the know" recommend? Also, do you have any B&B or Inn recommendations? Our budget is $150 for Taos and $200 for Santa Fe. Less, of course, would be better :) Thanks!

What month are you going?

What time of year are you going as that will affect the nightly rate?

For Santa Fe:

El Farolito B&B
Inn of the Governors
Inn at Loretto
Hotel Plaza Real
Inn on the Alameda
La Fonda
Hilton Santa Fe

10 nights is a nice amount of time and I would divide it up: 5 nights Santa Fe, 3 nights Taos, 2 nights Albuquerque. If you want to skip ABQ then 6/7 Santa Fe and 4/3 Taos.

Run a search as well and you will get similar threads.

Hope that gets you started.

We're going mid-late June, if that helps. Thanks!!!

Thanks, BeachGirl247 :)

Traveler, that will be high season so some of the lodging I mentioned above will go over your $200 limit. You can also try priceline to get a great rate.

Don't forget Ten Thousand Waves. You'll love it.

BeachGirl247...Ten Thousand Waves for the spa, or as lodging? Thanks!

For the spa. They do offer lodging as well. I haven't stayed there but I've heard good things about it. Now the spa is one of the best anywhere so don't pass it up if it fits into your plans.

www.tenthousandwaves.com

My wife and I have stayed at The Water Street Inn in SF and loved it. It should be around $150/nt.

You might look into the El Ray Inn in Santa Fe. It was built in 1936 as a motel on what used to be Route 66. It has been beautifully maintained and added to, and prices are less than $200, even during high season. A lawyer friend told us about it several years back, and we loved it. They have various types of rooms available, from regular rooms through suites. Breakfast used to be included in the price of the room, but I don't know if it still is.

We visited Santa Fe in October and stayed at the El Farolito and really enjoyed it. The casitas are all have different decor but all are charming and most have a little outdoor area for sitting and relaxing. Breakfast is included and delicious! It is a short walk to the plaza.

Hi Traveler,

As far as B&B's go, I highly recommend American Artists Gallery B&B in Taos and the Galisteo Inn located outside of Santa Fe in the town of Galisteo. My husband and I really enjoyed our stays there just a few months ago and they're both in your price range. The owner of American Artists really enjoyed making recommendations and tips to his guests and the Galisteo is in an amazing setting in a 300 year old hacienda - beautiful. I made a post about our trip a little while ago - it can be found by clicking on my name.

Have fun!

Good responses so far. I would skip staying in ABQ - just do as a day trip. The petroglyphs outside of town were nice and old town was interesting.

Be sure to visit Bandalier, north of Santa Fe.

I also really enjoyed taking a cooking class at Santa Fe School of Cooking.

Here's another vote for El Farolito B&B in Santa Fe. Everything about it was wonderful when we were there in September!

Make sure you drive down Route 66 toward the university in Albuquerque. You'll swear it's the 50's and you're likely to see plenty of old cars cruising up and down.

We spent several days in ABQ and stayed at the Hyatt, which was an excellent hotel. I agree, no more than two nights at most.

Thanks, everyone, for your help :)

We decided to spend 5 nights in Taos at Casa Gallina, and 5 nights in Santa Fe at The Madeleine. Both properties get rave reviews on Trip Advisor, and we were able to get rooms well within our budget.

Does anyone have restaurant or sightseeing suggestions? Thanks!

We stayed at the Old Santa Fe Inn, a block from all the action, walking distance to everything, and less than $150/night. Free breakfast, and they even have BBQ nights with hamburgers/hot dogs. Rooms are nice and clean.

We also used Santa Fe as a base to visit Bandelier, Ghost Ranch, Abiqui, and even Taos, but since you are going to spend a few nights in Taos anyway that will cut down on driving time.

The food there is awesome, have fun!

Traveler22, run a search for the dining and sightseeing options. There have been a lot of threads for this. Here are a couple of recent trip reports:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35096682

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35094240

In the meantime, I'll compile a list.

Here are some threads to get you started:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35074545

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34882576

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35073202

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34981675

Come back with questions as I'd love to help!

Beachgirl

Do not miss the Tecalate Cafe for Huevos Rancheros!! I think it is in Taos....

Do you mean Tecolote Cafe?? In Santa Fe--http://tecolotecafe.com/