The perfect way to spend 3 days in Santa Fe, New Mexico. A review of where we stayed, where we ate, and what we did while visiting for a long weekend.
Spencer and I have a tradition where we switch off whose year it is to plan our anniversary weekend. I have the odd years and he has the even years. This year being our 3 year anniversary it was my turn to plan. When thinking about cities we could visit for our anniversary weekend, Santa Fe was at the top of the list and it did not disappoint!
Where We Stayed
When we book our hotels we always have a couple of different things we look for on our checklist. The first one being the location. We like to make sure we stay at a hotel that allows us to walk to restaurants, sites, and the shopping we want to do. The second thing on our checklist is wanting a unique property that compliments the city's feel. We much prefer a boutique hotel to a large hotel chain. The last thing on our checklist is the price. We always check discount sites like Hotels.Com or TripAdvisor.Com for deals on the dates we want to travel. If one of those sites is offering a lower nightly rate than the hotel's website we have found that if you call the hotel's reservation department they are more often than not, willing to honor the price you found. We prefer to always book directly with the hotel instead of a third-party website since reservations can get lost through the transfer of the booking to the hotel.
So when doing all of the research on the many wonderful hotel options in Santa Fe there was one that checked all of the boxes on our list- La Fonda on The Plaza. It is the only hotel that is located on the historic Plaza so it was within walking distance of most of Santa Fe's main attractions.
One of my favorite things is that each room at the hotel is different All of the guest rooms featured hand-painted furniture from local craftsman and original artwork. It was the perfect amount of Southwestern charm that we were looking for.
Where We Ate
Santa Fe is known for it's robust food scene and it lived up to it's reputation. One of the quintessential dining experiences of Santa Fe is ordering any New Mexican dish Christmas style. This is an absolutely delicious combination of red and green chile sauce slathered over your meal. You must try it!
The Teahouse // Located on Canyon Road, this is the perfect place to grab lunch or a drink before exploring all of the art galleries. They have over 100 teas to chose from. Spencer and I both ordered tea lattes which were absolutely amazing!
The Shed // One of the most recommended restaurants in Santa Fe but was honestly our least favorite meal of the trip. The food was just average but the margaritas were strong.
The Pantry // They have been in business since 1948 so they must be doing something right! Located about 10 minutes away from the historic Plaza, this restaurant is well worth making a trip to. It was filled with locals for breakfast on Sunday morning and we understood why! One of the best cinnamon roles we have ever had as well as an amazing breakfast burrito and huevos rancheros!
Geronimo // If you are looking for a romantic fine dining experience, this is your place! We celebrated our anniversary dinner here. You must order the Green Miso Sea Bass or the Tellicherry Rubbed Elk Tenderloin.
Cafe Pasqual's // Another highly recommended restaurant in Santa Fe and this one lived up to the hype. We went for breakfast and as usual, there was a long wait, but it is worth it. Beyond the amazing food, we tried Mexican Hot Chocolate here and it was to die for!
Coyote Cafe Cantina // While we did not try the food here, we stopped for a drink on this fun & festive rooftop cantina. These were our favorite margaritas out of the whole trip! They were tasty and very creative!
Rowley Farmhouse Ales // The last thing on our Santa Fe food bucket list was a green chili burger. We stopped at Rowley's on our way to the airport and split one of their burgers on their large patio. I really liked the spicy kick the green chilies added to the burger!
What We Did
Santa Fe offers a diverse range of activities and entertainment. Here are a few in particular we enjoyed doing our visit:
Canyon Road // Home to over one hundred art galleries, trendy boutiques and fabulous restaurants all in one half mile. Spencer and I both want to start collecting art and there was no better place to begin looking than Canyon Road. We feel in love with a piece at Marigold Arts and had to pull the trigger.
The Plaza // The heart of downtown Santa Fe for nearly 400 years, the Plaza hosts Indian and Spanish artisan markets as well as other annual events. Surrounding the square are fascinating shops and galleries.
Meow Wolf // Created by 200 local artists & George R.R. Martin (The mind behind HBO's Game of Thrones), this is an absolute must for your visit to Santa Fe! It is an immersive, interactive experience full of slides, tunnels, hidden rooms and so much more! The best description I have heard is describing it as an acid trip play house.
Kasha - Katuwe Tent Rocks Hike // Driving 30 minutes outside of Santa Fe opens the door to some incredible hiking options. We chose this particular hike because it offered two different types of landscape. The first part of the hike is through a slot canyon which was my favorite part! It was so beautiful and unique to anything I had hiked before. The second part of the hike takes you up to see the "table tent" rock formations and then continues on up to some pretty epic views. Anyone could easily do the first part of the hike through the slot canyon and then the second part is a little more strenuous but we saw people of all ages going up and down the trail.
Loretta Chapel // Known for its "miraculous staircase" this is a historic phenomenon that you can quickly check out while in downtown Santa Fe.
Where We Shopped
We did not spend too much time shopping on this particular trip as there are so many wonderful things to see and do and we only had so much time. However, that is not to say there is a lack of unique boutiques and jewelers. These were some of the shops we got to explore and recommend checking out:
Shiprock Santa Fe // Walking through this store felt like you were walking through a gorgeous museum that also happened to contain items for sale. Shiprock specializes in Navajo rugs, antique turquoise jewelry, and mid century furnishings. While almost all the items were outside off our budget it is a store you must experience!
Lucchese // Being from Texas, we had to pop into the Lucchese store to look at their beautiful custom cowboy boots. They only have a handful of store locations around the country and Santa Fe is graced with their store presence.
Santa Fe Hat Co // Our absolute favorite shop we went to on our trip! Whether you are looking for a custom or a regular hat you are going to find what you are looking for. Spencer and I both selected a hat to take home with us.
Rocki Gorman // Located in the bottom of the La Fonda, this is a high end jeweler who specializes in gorgeous squash blossom necklaces. With Rocki Gorman you know you are purchasing high grade turquoise unlike some other vendors in the area.
Santa Fe, we loved your unique southwestern charm, your amazing food, and endless exploring opportunities! We have a list left of places we wanted to try and things we wanted to see while there so I guess that means we will just have to come back!
Comments