Santa Fe & Taos, NM Favorites
The Land of Enchantment! New Mexico indeed holds a piece of my heart and has been a huge source of healing and inspiration for me personally and the seed source for creating Wild Rice Retreat.
Georgia O’Keefe, potters, writers, explorers, and philosophers have flocked to this area for centuries for good reason. The high desert offers technicolor skies, an ever changing landscape, and an ominous beauty that calls you home. I’ll be sharing here all of my favorite things “to do” but the number one thing is to actually “just be” - its a place to rest, find peace, come home to yourself, and enjoy gazing at the incredible sunrises and sunsets.
Santa Fe
Rent a car from the Albuquerque Airport (ABQ) and head the hour drive north to downtown Santa Fe. I recommend finding the Square first and get that out of your system as it’s the hub of shopping, tourism, and restaurants. I love heading to the Inn and Spa at Loretto - enjoy the historic hotel, a quiet lunch where you may spot a movie star, and its right next to the beautiful Loretto Chapel which is a must see. From there you can simply wander the entire downtown - shops range from true artisan craft to the classic kitsch. My favorite shopping nooks are on Palace Avenue and Sená Plaza for stores like Heritage by Hand
The three museums at Museum Hill are all worthwhile. Canyon Road is this wild street of nothing but high end galleries. Except for the Tea House, skip the restaurants on that road - they are all overpriced and not that great but seeing flamenco dancing at El Farol can be fun.
There are great restaurants and not so great ones so do some homework. I love Cafe Pasquals and The Shed. Sazon is very famous and worth the splurge like one time but its a break the bank kind of place so you can also sit at the bar and just have a few small plates and their award winning tequila! Most of the historic hotels have decent restaurants and they all have cool lobbies and bars and history.
Railyard -
A brisk walk away from the core downtown is the Railyard. This area houses some amazing contemporary art museums and a Tuesday and Saturday artist market and farmers market which is a must do. The art is incredible and more reasonably priced than the galleries. Coffee shops and new restaurants round out the area.
A little further up the road is Baca Street - Natural Stones if you are into crystals - this place is the best in the town; a great glass blowing place you can take classes and a great coffee shop called Counter Culture. Locals hang out here too and the staff in these places are always really friendly.
Tesquque -
A short but beautiful drive up from downtown Santa Fe is the funky town of Tesuque. If you want to hang out where the locals do, hang here! Tesquque Market Village for weekend brunch and dinner was a highlight of our last trip. The food is amazing, the staff is great and the Posole and blue corn pancakes and tres leches cake are other worldly!
Tesquque is a super cool area where the metal workers, glass blowers, and big installation artists live so wandering those galleries you’d probably also get some other great local recommendations for hiking, eating, massage, etc… too! Tesquque’s Bishop’s Lodge - an Auberge Resort is on the way up to Teseque. The property has great views and a great happy hour. We stayed in a wonderful rental near Bishop’s Lodge called Casa Serena which is run by Two Casitas Rentals - I recommend them over Airbnb and even the hotels for lodging in Santa Fe.
Ten Thousand Waves
Probably one of the most famous spas in the world, for a unique experience of a true Japanese Zen Teahouse, spa and bathhouse head to Ten Thousand Waves. I have had a lot of massages in my day but the one here tops the list. Their practitioners meet the highest of standards. I recommend going for a massage and a meal. Skip their soaking tubs because I want to send you elsewhere for that (Keep reading) but this place is worth the experience.
Ojo Caliente
Perhaps my favorite place on earth but it’s all about the water. So this cancer sign LOVES it but my earth sign husband not so much. No matter your sign its worth a visit! Ojo Caliente is probably my favorite place in the region. Skip their Santa Fe location and just do a day trip to Ojo - the mineral baths are incredible! It’s about a 45 min drive from Santa Fe. You can spend the whole day there just soaking in their Enjoy Ojo Caliente day soaking in a variety of our iconic, communal, pools, rich in Lithia, Arsenic, Iron and Soda minerals. They have a nice restaurant and short hike. The water experience is truly magical. I prefer spa treatments at Ten Thousand Waves and the water experience here.
Taos
Now it’s time to journey up to the less visited but in my opinion more magical land of enchantment - Town of Taos. From Santa Fe there are two options- the high road and the low road. I like to take the high road up and the low road back, but either is fine as both drives are gorgeous. The world heritage site of Chimayo along the low road is worth the stop on your way. Vivac Winery is surprisingly good on the high road.
A must stop in Taos is actually through the town and out to the Rio Grande Gorge - made famous by the Thelma and Louise movie but a natural wonder to behold. Plan for an hour of wandering and hold on tight as it’s often quite windy.
My favorite place to stay in Taos is El Monte Sagrado, a Heritage Hotel. Framed by Taos Mountain, their spacious Native Suites are the essence of Taos and their indoor pool/conservatory and grounds are super eco-friendly. The Taos Inn is classic and I love the restaurant there for its old world charm and great food but the hotel has seen better days. The plaza area is small but delightful, so wander all of the side streets for artisan wares along Bent Street and others. Taos has a relaxed vibe there and the shopping/galleries/art are more accessible price points.
While I’m not a skier, a trip to Angel Fire and Taos Mountain would be worth it in the winter.
If the Taos Pueblo is open for tours, it is perhaps one of the most sacred sites in the US. It hasn’t been open very much since Covid though, so be sure to check in advance and be sure to be respectful during your visit.
Taos is a great place to try a tarot card or palm reading, work with energy healers, and explore ancient practices. It is also a place for creatives so bring some art supplies, a journal and release your inner artist.
New Mexico for me is about the sun and sky and earth. Walk slowly. Honor the sacredness of the Native Lands. Honor the ancestors and rich history. Enjoy the extraordinary color.Soak in their healing waters. Enjoy!
