Fodor's Expert Review Hotel St. Francis

Just one block south of the Plaza, this stately three-story hotel retains its historic 1924 California Mission Revival design but has been given a modern flair. It's also home to a charming restaurant and two of the most acclaimed spots for drinks in town, all of them connected by a striking lobby illuminated by candlelight.

YOU SHOULD KNOW Guest rooms and, especially, bathrooms in this vintage property tend toward the cozy side.

room

The simple, elegant rooms with high ceilings and casement windows have rustic Mexician furnishings and beautiful, custom linens. Polished hardwood floors, white walls, and soft lighting create an unfussy, streamlined look.

bathroom

Compact bathrooms featuring original tile floors, stone accents, lantern-style lamps, and pedestal sinks are attractive if in some cases a bit cramped and lacking counter space. The hotel uses aromatic sweet grass–scented bath products from Native American–owned company, Sister Sky.

lobby

With expansive stone floors, plaster walls, Spanish Colonial religious art, and spare furnishings lit by massive pillar candles at night, the lobby feels a bit like a Tuscan monastery—the aesthetic is both old-fashioned and contemporary.

gym

There's a very small, basic gym with a treadmill and weights.

dining

Tabla de Los Santos is an inviting option for consistently good modern New Mexican cuisine using farm-to-table ingredients. In warm weather, you can sup in the brick courtyard patio anchored by a gurgling fountain.

drinking

The St. Francis is home to a pair of drinkeries of considerable acclaim. Just off the lobby, with seating both indoors and on outside on the covered portal facing the sidewalk, Secreto Lounge serves some of the best craft cocktails in Santa Fe, many of them infused with local herbs, fruits, and spirits. The complex, slightly spicy smoked-sage margarita is beloved by regulars. Just off the hotel lobby, award-winning New Mexico winery Gruet has a tasting room in which you can sample crisp sparkling wines.