5 Best Hotels in Santa Fe, New Mexico

Although this historic resort is just a 10-minute drive from the Plaza, its setting in a bucolic valley at the foot of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains makes it feel worlds apart. Guests can revel in seasonal activities including hiking, swimming, yoga, art classes, and fly-fishing in an on-site trout habitat. Bishop Lodge's popular stables offer scenic trail rides in the Santa Fe National Forest. History runs deep here with the nearly 150-year-old chapel built by Archbishop Jean-Baptiste Lamy—a figure lionized by writer Willa Cather—at the resort's center. Rooms are luxurious and feature tasteful, contemporary Southwest decor, many with balconies or patios with spectacular mountain vistas. Special accommodations for families or large groups include a 12-room Bunk House and indoor and outdoor event spaces. The Stream Dance Spa offers massages, facials, shamanic healing, yoga, and meditation, and the on-site restaurant, SkyFire, offers an expansive terrace with stunning views of Tesuque Valley.

This secluded and stunning luxury compound on a dramatic, sunset-facing bluff in the Sangre de Cristo foothills exemplifies the Four Seasons brand's famously flawless sense of gracious hospitality and efficiency. Amenities include an on-site Adventure Center, through which guests can book everything from guided tours of Taos and O'Keeffe Country to hiking, horseback, snowshoeing, river rafting, fishing, and biking excursions. Taking advantage of Santa Fe's endless supply of sunshine, villa-style casitas are contemporary, airy, and earthy. Kitted with adobe fireplaces, deep soaking tubs, heated bathroom floors and spacious dressing areas, rooms exemplify comfortable cushiness. Detox at the spa with regionally inspired treatments like Mountain Spirit Purification, take a Pilates class in the movement studio, soak in the cool waters of the on-site pool, or work out in the 24-hour fitness center before enjoying a sunset cocktail at the bar and a sumptuous globe-spanning culinary adventure at the restaurant, Terra. Complimentary shuttles run regularly into town and guests have access to Encantado's extensive concierge services.

This tranquil 70-acre resort offers 32 rooms overlooking verdant gardens and 20 casitas with gas fireplaces and secluded patios, plus a first-rate spa focused on energy healing and integrative medicine, a variety of open-air soaking tubs, a large outdoor pool, yoga and fitness studios, a sweat lodge, and an outstanding restaurant—Blue Heron—serving healthy, locally sourced contemporary fare. Guests can enjoy complimentary morning yoga, be part of a Friday evening Temazcal renewal ceremony, cuddle silkie chickens, and do "puppy play" with furry friends awaiting adoption through the Española Humane Society. There is also a fitness center and self-guided hikes. 

Devotees appreciate the authentic onsen (Japanese-style baths) atmosphere of this award-winning 20-acre Japanese-inspired spa and boutique resort in the picturesque foothills a few miles northeast of town. The 14 light and airy hillside cottages are settled down a piñon-covered hill below the first-rate spa, which is tremendously popular with day visitors. The sleek, uncluttered accommodations have marble or stone wood-burning fireplaces, fine woodwork, high speed Wi-Fi, low-slung beds or futons, and courtyards or patios; two come with full kitchens, but breakfast is included in the rates. The facility has private and communal indoor and outdoor hot tubs, and overnight guests can use the communal tubs for free. The treatment rooms have a zen-like vibe, and the wonderful massages or specialized wellness treatments heal sore muscles after a day hiking or skiing in the surrounding mountains. The hip izakaya-style restaurant, Izanami, serves exceptional Japanese fare.

Rooms on the beautiful, quiet grounds of this Tribute Portfolio resort and spa vary greatly in size and configuration, but the level of luxury befits the somewhat steep rates, especially given the considerable amenities and appealing East Side location. Many rooms and suites have fireplaces, and all have flat-screen TVs, leather couches, marble bathrooms, and Navajo-inspired rugs. The main building contains a handful of luxurious, high-ceilinged Victorian rooms. The property boasts excellent bar, spa, and common areas, including the breezy and charming Patio Restaurant, the atmospheric Staab House Lounge, and the upscale Julia restaurant and bar, named for the resident ghost. Guests are offered numerous complimentary events throughout the week, like Margarita Monday, wine-and-cheese pairings on Wednesday, and chef's receptions on Friday. History lovers should grab a copy of the book, American Ghost: A Family's Extraordinary History on the Desert Frontier by Hannah Nordhaus, for a fascinating look into the life, and ghostly legends, of the Staab family, who first built the mansion.