HOTELS:
- Hotel Santa Fe is reasonably priced and easy to walk to most places from there.
- The Hotel La Fonda sunset drinks upstairs in summer.
- Inn & Spa at Loretto – great pool and location, rooms are just OK/small.
- Fancier places: Inn of the Anasazi, Inn of Five Graces
- La Posada near the Plaza. Big rooms + bathrooms. Festive bar off the lobby.
RESTAURANTS
DINING CASUAL:
- The Shed – On the Plaza;casual, strong margs.
- The Shed’s sister restaurant La Choza is best for New Mexican food. There’s always a long wait at but it’s worth it. Spicy food and delicious lethal margs. (More locals go to La Choza but The Shed is right in town in the square.)
- Pasqual’s (Mexican) on the Plaza is not to be missed. Best Mexican in town. Great for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
- El Farol is a classic. Drinks, dinner, and sometimes Flamenco music.. It’s up Canyon Road. It’s fun to sit on the porch in summer.
- Joseph’s is a great new higher-end place in town, really good, small local crowd, a fave.
- Andiamo. Cozy Italian spot. Great wine selection and food in this old adobe house that was converted into a restaurant.
- Harry’s Roadhouse is outside of town (10 minutes from downtown) and is my favorite local spot. Breakfast and lunch there are the best.
- Great outdoor burger place called the Shake Foundation. You order at a window and then sit at picnic tables outside. Fun for a casual meal. Great chef. And he just started a new place called the Taco Fundacion on Guadalupe street. Order $3 tacos at the counter and you sit at a big picnic table out front.
- The Tune Up is our local dive spot for New Mex and burgers, a great local fave.
- La Bodega -lunch place, casual, a great chef from Portland, Oregon.
- Opuntia – in the Railyard.
Summer:
- The Coyote Cantina can be fun for a festive lunch or dinner, a casual outside place on a patio off the plaza (it’s the casual outside part of the slightly fancier Coyote Cafe).
- The roof deck at the La Fonda Hotel (on Plaza) for sunset drinks. Ask the front desk to point them up there. It’s on the 5th floor. A great spot to watch the sunset with a strong margarita so go around 5:30ish or 6 for an hour or so.
FANCIER FOOD:
Geronimo on Canyon Road is still the best for fancy (order the elk).
SantaCafe for lunch or dinner (love the courtyard in summer).
The Compound is consistently good, but a much older crowd there.
Cafe Martin always wins awards and is pricey. Older crowd there.
Radish and Rye
Sazon– dining experience. Very interesting flavors, and amazing service. James Beard award.
When you get sick of green chile:
- Vinaigrette – delicious fresh greens, fish, and cute space. The store next door to it is called Modern General and is worth a visit, too, for smoothies, sandwiches, etc.
- Paper Dosa – A southern Indian place in town, which is delish.
- Kakawa – Artisanal chocolate shop. Visit for chocolates or for hot chocolate.
BREAKFAST
Clafoutis is a great breakfast/lunch spot, the owner is this adorable French woman and the food is great–the crepe, Croque Madame, and Nicoise salad are great. Don’t get the almond croissant though–it’s brioche, not a croissant!
DRINKS:
- El Rey Court– La Reina bar. A bit outside of town; super hip and funky vibe for a bar and lounge. can be a fun bar scene as well with a younger crowd!
- The Gruet tasting room, attached to the St. Francis hotel, is super fun if you want to do a little champagne tasting from a great local winery. They just expanded their seating too so there’s more room to sit and enjoy.
- Nightcap in the lobby bar at La Posada Hotel (last call in town – very local and lively!)
- Coyote Cafe-(drinks / lively!)
- Santa Fe Spirits – Great small local drinks place, delish homemade gin!
- The Cowgirl – burgers, and margaritas with a local dive atmosphere. fun in summer to sit out on the front patio.
COFFEE:
- Modern General – Coffee & healthy breakfast/lunch.
- Teahouse
- Collected Works (bookstore with Coffee Shop attached)
- Iconik has really good coffee and food.
- Collected Works – Bookstore + coffee shop.
- 35 degrees (has rooftop & heat lamps — kind of a hip little scene)
ACTIVITIES:
- The Saturday Farmer’s Market at the Railyard is a super fun and festive local scene and is full of great stuff. Saturday’s from 7 to 12.
- The Santa Fe Railyard area has gotten really fun to walk around, too. Altar distillery for cocktails. Some galleries and shops and there’s a really cool new movie theater called the Violet Crown that serves pub food/beer and shows good movies
- Meow Wolf – Too commercial, played out. Germy, crowded, expensive.
- Shaman – matt@sacredvillagearts.com, Matt Campos
ART:
- Georgia O’Keeffe museum in town. Watch the movie about her life on the way in. The museum is a short walk from the plaza. There are also some museums on Museum Hill (folk art etc) so if they like that kind of thing, it’s worth a quick 20 minute visit.
- Wheelwright Museum and Folk Art Museum on Museum Hill.
- National Museum of Folk Art
- Museum of Native American Art
- SITE Santa Fe often has cool exhibits as well.
- Walk around the Santa Fe Plaza, the main square in town. There are Native Americans selling turquoise jewelry under a portal right off the plaza.
- Walk up Canyon Road. This is the old Santa Fe art road with lots of galleries etc. Some good galleries, some cheesy, but a sense of old Santa Fe and the art here. Friday nights from 5 to 7 PM in summer there are usually a lot of openings.
HIKES:
- Hyde Park – Circle trail (loop)
- Dale Ball trail
Chamisa you go up to Hyde Park – Yak tracks are always a good call in winter. The Bear Wallow Trail is great, and Aspen Vista has a wide forest service road winding up; can go for as long as you want and turn around! Aspen Vista is a good mellow old logging trail near the top on the right (it’s well marked) and you can go as far up as you’d like and then turn around (the whole hike is like 7 hours round trip).
Closer to town, Sun Mountain is a short but butt-kicking hike with great views of the town, the foothills, and the mountains/Pecos Wilderness! Dorothy Stewart is in the same area and more of a mellow walk.
Drive up Hyde Park Road to the ski mountain. It’s a beautiful drive (about 30 minutes up) and great hikes up there.
SHOPS:
- Seret & Sons – rugs, pottery, furniture
- Doodlets – Funny curiosities
- Cashmere & Chocolate
- Grace
- The Rainbow Man – local art, Navajo-stuff
- Nathalie – Canyon Road – great jewelry + clothing
- Bittersweet Designs – Amazing little boutique jewelry store throughout high school; The owner is Laurie. It’s on Canyon Road, near El Farol. It’s magical in there; she has incredible taste and designs all of her own jewelry. Cheng, her main production manager, is the most amazing woman.
- Garcia Street Books
- Santa Maria Provisions
- Santa Fe VINTAGE
- Leslie Flynt on Canyon Rd
- Nambe (beautiful pewter home goods)
- WearAbouts
ROAD TRIPS:
- Albuquerque: There’s a beautiful lavender farm/inn called Los Poblanos that also has a delicious small farm-to-table restaurant that is well worth a visit/meal. There is also an outpost of the Los Poblanos store in Santa Fe.
- Abiqui – Ghost Ranch near Abiquiu, NM, where Georgia and her husband Alfred Stieglitz lived and made some of their best work, is worth the hour’s drive. Some of the most beautiful scenery is up there, and the Chimney Rock hike has panoramic views that truly will take your breath away. History tour (45 min.) + self-guided hike to Chimney Rock. This was an easy trail and the estimated round trip hike was a leisurely 2-hour hike. Ghost Ranch also offers horseback riding tours. https://www.ghostranch.org/things-to-do/activities/tours/ Other Ghost Ranch hikes: We love to park all the way at the end and hike Kitchen Mesa Trail. Box Canyon is good too, but Kitchen Mesa is stunningly beautiful. Hike: Echo amphitheater 7 miles past Ghost Ranch. O’Keeffe’s Winter & Spring house:Past Abiqui – turn right before Bode’s gas station. On the plaza. Keep going; Abiqui inn.
- The drive from Santa Fe to Taos is beautiful. Drive up the high road and stop in cute little towns along the way (see Chimayo). Drive back to Santa Fe along the low road along the Rio Grande. In Taos, there are fun little places for lunch, etc. I love the Bavarian up at the ski mountain. Another place I love is called The Love Apple. It’s in an old church and has super delicious local food. And then El Meze is great up there, too.
- Chimayo: 36-minute drive to Santuario De Chimayo Church – beautiful Catholic church pilgrimage sitewith healing dirt and water. Have lunch at Rancho de Chimayo Restaurant is minutes from the site. Has a James Beard award from the 1980s. 505-351-4444. https://www.holychimayo.us/ Hikes nearChimayo: Bandelier national monument — pueblo native American site and hike; Santa Cruz lake overlook
***Future/research: Hiking area/monument: Tent Rocks;Acama Pueblo – sky city. Anasazi people on one of the oldest mesas. Visitor center. Wild leaven – bakery croissants
ITINERARY SAMPLE:
Thursday, Dec. 29
La Posada de Santa Fe, a Tribute Portfolio Resort & Spa
4:00 PM-6:00 PM: Two Hour Shaman session with Matt Campos – $200 each
7:00 PM: Dinner – The Shed
Friday, Dec. 30
Modern General – breakfast
36-minute drive to El Chimayo
Santuario De Chimayo Church
12:30 pm Lunch at Rancho de Chimayo Restaurant. https://www.holychimayo.us/
Hike Santa Cruz overlook
6:00 pm Altar
8:00 PM: Dinner – Sazon – James Beard award.
After dinner and drinks El Rey Court
Saturday, Dec. 31
Coffee at Bookstore
Saturday Farmer’s Market – Railyard; green chile cheese flatbread
Drive up Hyde Park; Aspen Vista trail
Vinaigrette – lunch
Move hotels: December 31 – January 2nd Rosewood Inn
4:00 PM: Meow Wolf Santa Fe – House of Eternal Return
El Farol – Margarita + shrimp
Inn of the Anasazi – Margarita + guacamole
Cowgirl – margarita
8:00 PM: Joseph’s – Dinner – French alpine, cozy. Limited regular menu with specials added.
Sunday, Jan 1
Breakfast at the inn of the five graces
Walk Canyon Road
Teahouse
Massages – Inn at the Five Graces 60 mins.
4:30 pm: Sunset margaritas with bartender Mary at bishops lodge.
Dumplings & Dirty Martinis at Santacafe
Monday, January 2
Ikonik Coffee
Georgia O’Keeffe museum
Walk the stairs at Fort Marcy park. Cross of the Martyrs – good at sunrise / sunset
Vinaigrette– split salad
-St Francis Hotel for Gruet tasting, cheese + Kakaw chocolate
Andiamo – dinner
Tuesday, January 3
Clafoutis – breakfast
Abiqui – History tour (45 min.) + self-guided hike to Chimney Rock. This was an easy trail and the estimated round trip hike was a leisurely 2-hour hike.
Lunch: Tesuque Villlage Market – queso, margaritas, tacos
Nathalie on Canyon Road
Kakawa Chocolate
