Trip report: Santa Fe for a long weekend
 

We just got back from 3 nights in Santa Fe, and it was a great trip... though better suited to a longer stay. Here's the report:

Flew into ABQ on Friday afternoon. Picked up a car at the very efficient central car rental facility. (Alamo even let us go out on the lot and pick from 8 different available cars in the same class. Nice!) We had thought of doing the scenic route up to Santa Fe (the "Turquoise Trail"), but learned there was extensive construction on the road, so we did the interstate. An easy drive up.

Checked into our B&B - Dos Casas Viejas in the Guadalupe neighborhood. An excellent facility in every respect. It's an upscale place in a somewhat run-down (but quite safe) part of the neighborhood. Within a block or two of some excellent restaurants and shopping, and a pleasant 10+ minute walk to the Plaza area. Dos Casas has 8 units clustered around a gated plaza. You'd never know it was there from the street, and it has the feel of an old and very scenic village. A fireplace in every room, which is set up fresh each day. There's a heated lap pool, which we didn't use. Very pleasant owners.

Ate dinner at Cafe San Estevan, a block away. Very good and creative Southwestern cuisine (with a hint of French). A bit too loud when the house was full.

Saturday was our day to explore Santa Fe. Went into LOTS of shops... designer clothing, all kinds of art, and especially shops with silver Indian necklaces, which became my wife's instant obsession. We probably hit only 10% of the shops that were within walking distance of the Plaza. Lunch at the Coyote Cafe's rooftop cantina. Excellent. Explored some churches, but no museums. Drove up to the famous flea market at the Tesuque Indian reservation. Interesting, but much smaller than it used to be, we were told. Skipped dinner, because we were still seriously full from lunch. The B&B had wine and finger food set out at 5:30, and we also went to a grocery store to get picnic supplies for the next day.

Sunday was get-out-on-the-road day. Drove to Bandalier National Monument. A lush stream valley in a deep canyon with the remains of ancient Indian cliff-dwelling ruins. Not as impressive as Mesa Verde in Colorado, but there were no guides herding you around. An easy 2 - 3 mile loop with some strenuous ladder climbing in places to see the caves that had served as apartment buildings back in the 1300s. The weather, which had been a perfect high-60s and sunny since we arrived in NM, turned rainy just as we were getting back from the hike. We thought we'd wait it out by having our picnic lunch in a covered eating area at the visitor's center, but it didn't let up. So we skipped the second hike we had planned... that one would have taken us past a couple small waterfalls down to the Rio Grande. On the way back, we stopped in at the Indian pueblo of San Ildefonso. It's noted in one of the guidebooks as attractive and welcoming, but unfortunately it's neither. Outsiders are restricted to a very small part of the village, which is nondescript and fairly run-down, and the folks have a knack for pretending you aren't there. I have no problem with Native Americans carrying a chip on their shoulders (as a culture, they certainly have plenty of reasons), but that didn't make it any more pleasant. It being Sunday, all of the pottery shops (located in the artists' homes) were closed except one. The pottery in that shop was very nice, but VERY expensive.

Back to Santa Fe for some more exploring. Checked out the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum... small, but a nice selection of painting. Dinner at a "hippy restaurant", the Oasis, which seemed to have been transported in a time warp from 1973. Great food in a goofy environment. Next was an evening of spa decadence at 10,000 Waves Spa. Very Japanese; very cool; very expensive. Sitting in a hot tub under the stars in the cool night air was a great start, and the massages, etc were excellent.

Monday was travel day. We did a last walk around the Guadalupe neighborhood, and then on to Albuquerque. More jewelry shops; more southwestern food. Didn't see any balloons from the famous Balloon Fiesta, unfortunately. Flew out in the afternoon.

A very nice long weekend.

BaltoTraveler,

thanks for the great trip report--nice details! It made me remember our trip to Sante Fe & Taos (for a week) about 5 years ago. Great part of the U.S.

We arrive at ABQ at 9 p.m. Do you think we should stay the night in Albuquerque or drive straight to Santa Fe? I've read it's about an hour drive. Are the roads easy to navigate at night?

It's an easy drive - head down Sunport to I-25 and go north for an hour - but there are plenty of places to stay in Albuquerque if you're tired when you arrive.

If you're coming this weekend, though, the Balloon Fiesta is in its last weekend, so you might have difficulty finding a room in Albuquerque.

Lee Ann

Thanks Lee Ann.

We don't arrive until Oct. 23rd. We're staying at the Hotel Santa Fe Sunday-Wednesday. Our "less expensive" room type is not available that Sat. night. I think we'll stay in Albuquerque for one night and rest up after 2 layovers.

Has anyone stayed at Casa de Suenos B&B in Albuquerque? We're staying there the night before we fly home.

Sounds like a nice trip, Balto Traveler. You got a lot into those three days. I haven't been to the Oasis in several years... glad to hear the food is still good. They often have live music there at night, too.

Other than the rain at Bandalier, how was the weather in general at that time of year? I've never been in the fall.

For winegirl: If you are arriving in Albuquerque at 9 pm, spend the night at an Albuquerque Airport hotel. It is too late then to do any Santa Fe sightseeing, and an airport hotel will cost significantly less than one in Santa Fe will cost, especially if you go through Priceline.

Jayne -

The weather was splendid! Sunny and upper 60s for the most part. It felt warmer, and I would have guessed mid-70s when I was standing in the sun. Chilly at night, of course. As you would expect, humidity is non-existant.

When it was raining in Bandalier, it was "partly cloudy" in Santa Fe. Ah well...

Early October seems like an ideal time for Santa Fe, except that it was more crowded because of the Albuquerque Balloon Festival

To winegirl: Just wanted to second the recommendation from JoyceL. On a trip to NM last month, we too arrived in the evening. Got an excellent rate at the airport Wyndham through Priceline. We then drove the Turquoise Trail to Santa Fe the next day.

Winegirl, I agree with spring 212's tip to go to Santa Fé via the Turquoise trail. The scenery is wilder and I'd suggest to make a stop in Madrid to visit the old Coal Mine Museum. This was one of the highlights of our trip 3 months ago in NM. Never saw such a authentic and typical place. Cerillos is also worth a little detour for a stop at the trading post.
Have a good trip!

Thanks everyone- I took your advice and booked a room for Saturday night near the airport.
We're at a Marriott Courtyard for $69/night. I'm fine with that price, but do you think I'd do better on Priceline?

winegirl, I think you can definitely do better on Priceline. I've paid $35 for the airport CY by Marriott (it was Feb). My DH got a room at the Wyndham (ranked above the Courtyard I believe) for $43 last month. Check biddingfortravel.

Generally speaking, our bids on PL for Albq (non-resort/not Balloon Festival) start at $32.

Winegirl - we stayed got the Wyndham for something like $45 or $50 for the one night.

I was able to get the Hyatt Downtown for $45 on Priceline. It's $8 to park, but I'm sure it will be nicer than the Courtyard.

Thanks for the advice!