Swept Away by Santa Fe
Word on the street is that Santa Fe is on the up and coming (they are consistently ranked as one of the top Best Small Cities by Conde Nast Traveler and this year, they moved up to the #2 spot). So when the City of Santa Fe reached out about visiting, I couldn’t have been more excited for the opportunity. After spending a few days there, I can see why it’s one of the best small cities! The charming city is filled with both adobe and Spanish colonial architecture so it has a lot of character that you won’t find in other U.S. cities. Santa Fe has a large art community and is home to many art galleries and museums as well. Read on for all the highlights from my trip!
WHERE TO EAT
Opuntia Cafe - One of my favorite meals and restaurants in Santa Fe! The owner lived in San Francisco for a while and owned a few coffee shops so the menu reminds me of home. The owner also opened Sky Coffee Co. in Santa Fe, which has a similar vibe to those in the Bay Area. Opuntia’s veggie-forward menu mainly consists of bowls and toasts and they even serve Samovar tea. I had a hard time deciding on what to order because everything on the menu sounded delicious but I ultimately chose the Japanese bowl and could not have been more satisfied. The space has an industrial vibe with lots of natural lighting, which makes it great for pictures but also working.
Terra Restaurant - Located at the Four Seasons Rancho Encantado, this restaurant is a bit outside of Santa Fe but totally worth the drive. If you stay at the resort, they have a fleet of Mercedes to shuttle you back and forth from downtown Santa Fe. Make sure to go to the property early if you plan to have dinner there so that you can watch the amazing sunset. Then start your meal with drinks at the bar and ask for Larry, the bar manager, who is more than happy to teach you all about mixology. Continue your adventure in the dining room for a great meal. I opted for the vegetarian entree, which was the Blue Corn Tamale (I’m a sucker for anything with blue corn and lucky for me, Santa Fe is the home of it), and my boyfriend had the special Wagyu steak from a New Mexico ranch. They also have the best homemade roasted tomato jam. If you happen to see it at the farmer’s market or any other local stores, make sure to buy a jar since they don’t sell it at the Four Seasons (they only serve it). We ended our meal with s’mores by the outdoor fireplace, which is available every Saturday night for diners and hotel guests. It gets chilly at night but they have blankets for you!
The Teahouse - If you like tea, this is your place. The Teahouse offers over 150 different types of teas as well as an extensive brunch, lunch, and dinner menu. The tea menu has quite a few unique offerings and I had a blast sampling them. The food menu consists of the owner’s favorite dishes (many are Italian-inspired) instead of typical Santa Fe fare since he thought there were already enough restaurants serving southwestern cuisine. If you go for brunch, order the seasonal fruit shortcake made from homemade scones!
Tia Sophia’s - Santa Fe’s local diner that is situated right in Downtown, a block away from Santa Fe Plaza for New Mexican cuisine. The portions at Tia Sophia’s are generous, to say the least, so make sure to go hungry. The blue corn pancakes were my favorite but the breakfast burrito looked loaded! Apparently most burritos in Santa Fe are served wet (covered in chile sauce) so make sure to specify if you don’t want your burrito wet. Our waiter also taught me that Christmas-style chile means half red chile and half green chile, which is perfect for all you indecisive people like me.
El Callejon - Boasting some of the best tacos in Santa Fe, El Callejon has something for everyone! And for the indecisive, you can build your own combo taco plate and choose three different tacos. However, my favorite dish was not the tacos but rather the ceviche tostadas. I really wanted to try the chile relleno but the table next to me beat me to it and ordered the last two plates that night. The biggest disappointment is that they don’t offer guacamole (I’m guessing it might be because avocados aren’t as readily available in New Mexico). Don’t make the same mistake as me and order their Signature Guacamole Sauce…because it’s not really guac and has the consistency of salsa.
WHAT TO DO
Meow Wolf House of Eternal Return - You know all those interactive Instagram museums that have been popping up recently? Well this is the original interactive museum but not so much for Instagram/photo purposes since the lighting is pretty dark inside. There is an entire story line that you can follow as you make your way through the house but it can be difficult to follow when the museum is crowded. There are unexpected surprises at every turn that you can easily get lost in so make sure to set aside at least a few hours and go on a weekday if you want the true experience! Meow Wolf has become so popular that they are opening new, larger, locations in both Las Vegas and Denver within the next 2 years.
Santa Fe Farmer’s Market - I always love visiting farmer’s markets to see the different offerings at each one. This one is open Saturdays year-round from 8am-1pm and has a good variety of vendors. Start off with a coffee from Sky Coffee Co. and make your way across the street to the market. The market has both an indoor and outdoor section and most mornings you can find a stand outdoor roasting chiles (just follow your nose). As you make your way through the market, towards the indoor section, you will find more stands with prepared foods.
Ten Thousand Waves Japanese Spa - Escape to Japan for a few hours! Ten Thousand Waves is both a spa and hotel inspired by the Japanese mountain hot spring resorts. They offer massages, spa treatments, and have multiple hot tubs (similar to onsens), as well as a new izakaya style restaurant. The communal tub is one price for unlimited time or you can opt for a private tub or even a spa suite. We experienced the Ofuro Spa Suite, which included a private bathroom, both a regular shower and a sit-down shower, a soaking tub, cooling room, and a sauna. My boyfriend and I loved this experience and would highly recommend it but be warned, the 90 minutes pass by very quickly.
Georgia O’Keeffe Museum - One of Santa Fe’s best known artists is Georgia O’Keeffe, who spent a lot of time traveling to New Mexico before ultimately moving to Abiquiu and Ghost Ranch, just north of Santa Fe. After her death, Santa Fe transformed her homes into a museum and also opened a gallery in Santa Fe to showcase her original works. If you visit the gallery, make sure to stop in the video room first for a timeline of O’Keeffe’s life and some background context.
Museum Hill - If you love museums and want to visit multiple in a day, take a trip up Museum Hill! Museum Hill consists of four museums (Spanish Colonial Art, Indian Arts & Culture, International Folk Art, and the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian) plus a cafe and a botanical garden, making it very easy to museum hop. Just make sure to check opening hours and events before you plan your visit.
Canyon Road - Start at The Teahouse and make your way down Canyon Road to explore the 80+ art galleries and boutiques. Even though the walk is only a little over half a mile long, make sure to allot additional time to stop at the various shops along the way. There are many great photo ops as well (since everything looks like art) so be sure to take advantage of them!
WHERE TO STAY
El Rey Court - Renovated motels are in now! I’ve been seeing more and more of them pop up and even stayed at another one on my recent trip to Arizona. El Rey was remodeled this year and every room has it’s own character along with being extremely spacious. Additionally, every aspect of the hotel has been thoughtfully designed and is very picturesque. There’s also a bar in the lobby that is surprisingly popular on weekend nights. The nightly rate is very reasonable but El Rey is located a few miles away from Downtown so you’ll either need to rent a car or use Uber/Lyft to get around. But if you stay here, you get 15% off at Opuntia Cafe, which you should definitely take advantage of.
Santa Fe is about an hour drive from Albuquerque International Airport so if you’re comfortable with renting a car, do so. Driving in Santa Fe seems pretty easy and parking looked plentiful (compared to SF). If you would prefer not to drive, you can book a shuttle to take you from the airport to Santa Fe. If you’re able to snag a hotel in Downtown, I would highly recommend doing so. This way you can easily walk around and explore all the streets surrounding the plaza. However, you’ll still need to drive to get to other districts. Hope you enjoyed reading about my trip and experience Santa Fe for yourself!
