In the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in New Mexico, the so-called ‘Land of Enchantment’, lies Santa Fe, the state’s capital and oldest city.
With its low-slung adobe-style buildings backed by a distant landscape drenched in desert light, Santa Fe’s magical setting has held many a visitor in its grip. The most famous guest is American artist, Georgia O’Keefe. Well known for her paintings of desert landscapes, she spent many summers here while living in New York, eventually relocating to a pueblo home in the nearby town of Taos.
Now, this mystical US destination in the American southwest is one to watch for 2024 thanks to a new art museum celebrating New Mexico artists, and a clutch of new restaurants including one with a James Beard nomination.
STAY
Hotel Santa Fe
Set in a Pueblo Revival-style building in downtown Santa Fe, this is the city’s only Native American-owned hotel. Earth-toned rooms are spread across two adjoining buildings – the main hotel and the elevated Hacienda. Those on the latter side are spacious suites with gas fireplaces, comfy carved beds and small terraces. Walls are hung with contemporary Native American artworks by Apache, Navajo and Hopi tribes. Guests here also enjoy early evening drinks and breakfast, on the house, in a cosy lounge room. After a session in the spa, you’re steps away from exploring the funky Railyard District, buzzing with artisan shops, galleries, breweries, and the setting for a fun weekend farmer’s market. Meanwhile, it’s a pleasant 10-minute stroll through town to the city’s famous plaza area with its Native craft shops.
Bishop’s Lodge
With its remote setting on 317 acres bordering Santa Fe’s 1.5 million-acre National Forest, you feel miles from anywhere, not a 10-minute drive from Downtown Santa Fe at the impeccably styled Bishop’s Lodge. One minute you’re immersed in nature; the next shopping for native crafts on the Plaza. Inside, the overall vibe is Southwestern style with contemporary furnishings. Even staff wear denim, Western shirts and ponchos. There are 100 rooms, including suites, some in the original Adobe-style building dating to the 1860s, and others in newer additions, including a luxurious bunkhouse for groups. Watching the sky burn orange and lilac from your balcony is a pleasure of a stay here. There are two dining options: Two Dogs Café for takeaway coffee and snacks. For dinner, the SkyFire restaurant serves punchy cocktails like Holy Margarita with lots of chilli, and sophisticated Southwestern dishes, like tortilla soup. The Stream Dance Spa offers a menu of treatments rooted in ancient rituals.
Four Seasons Resort Rancho Encantado
Service and surroundings could not get more impeccable at this dreamy, five-star mountain-side retreat ten miles from Santa Fe. Set on 57 acres, it’s far enough away to feel like you’re miles from anywhere in a desert oasis. But if you want to head into town, the hotel runs shuttles at regular intervals. Each of the 65 rooms are casitas, mini but spacious adobe-style homes, decorated simply to reflect the landscape. Each comes with a terrace, complete with outdoor sofas and fire, which a ‘fire butler’ will come and light for you each evening. If you don’t have a room with a view, settle in with a Betty’s smoking jalapeño margarita on the terrace of Terra restaurant and drink in the sight of the vastness of the surrounding landscape, backed by Sangre de Cristo Mountains. There’s an outdoor pool, a spa with private Jacuzzis, a gym and a studio with yoga and pilates equipment. While it’s easy to stay put the whole time, the Adventure Centre awaits when curiosity calls. Join the daily one-hour morning hike around the resort, hire mountain bikes or arrange a private tour with a knowledgeable local guide, for example, to a mystical Taos or Georgia O’Keeffe’s house at Abiquiu, complete with gourmet picnic. There’s even an on-site art concierge who can advise on shopping for locally made crafts. What more could you need?
THINGS TO DO
Embrace The Art Scene
Georgia O’Keeffe Home Studio Abiquiu. Credit to New Mexico Tourism
No trip to Santa Fe would be complete without soaking up the city’s robust art scene. The most obvious place to start is at the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in downtown Santa Fe. Together with her home and studio in the nearby town of Abiquiu, is dedicated to her artistic legacy. A few more of her pieces are on display at The New Mexico Museum of Art, in its extensive permanent collection of Southwestern artists. The museum’s second location, the Vladem Contemporary, is the city’s latest gallery. Set in the Railyard District, it focuses on avant-garde contemporary New Mexican art. The Institute of American Indian Arts hides a great collection of Native American jewellery including beaded bracelets and medallions belt buckles. Don’t miss a wander along Canyon Road, where single-story homes have been turned into independent galleries, a couple of them home to cafes and wine bars.
Shop For Native American Crafts
Image credit: New Mexico Tourism
Santa Fe is a hub for southwest native art all year round. One of the most beautiful shops to browse for some is Shiprock, which started on a native reservation 20 years ago. Today, it’s set in a stunning whitewashed space with high ceilings, huge windows and creaky old floorboards. It’s the perfect canvas for its beautifully presented curated collection of incredible historic-style crafts including a whole room of handwoven rugs. It’s a good spot for taking in the view over the plaza to the Palace of the Governors, where you can buy from a Native American craftsperson any day of the year. For a bigger selection, visit in August for the Santa Fe Indian Market, the largest of its kind in the world, when over 1000 Native American artists from all over the USA gather to display their work.
Learn About Southwestern Food
Image credit: New Mexico Tourism
A distinctive smell of New Mexico’s unique flavourful cuisine laces the air inside the Santa Fe School of Cooking. The class list is extensive, and sessions fun, each aiming to educate foodies on the region’s food – a fusion of Native American, Spanish and Mexican influences, in which chilli is often the most essential ingredient. They host culinary demonstrations or hands-on classes on topics, like traditional New Mexican and contemporary Southwest cuisine, Native cooking, Spanish recipes and the cuisine of Mexico. Classes cost $100, last about three hours and include a three-course meal. They also lead restaurant tours around the city and host a Friday night jazz bistro, too.
EAT + DRINK
Zacatlán
Image credit: Zacatlán Restaurant
A creative fusion of Southwest and Mexican dishes and artful décor are hallmarks of Zacatlán, one of Santa Fe’s newest restaurants causing a buzz. Recently nominated for a James Beard award, it’s a fine-dining spot with a casual vibe and packed every night. In the small brightly coloured dining room, a fireplace flickers, and arts and crafts by local artists fill the walls and shelves. Overall, a night here feels like having a special dinner at a friend’s house, a mood the chef-owner was hoping to capture. The branzino fish al pastor, with sweet corn cauliflower, pineapple salsa, black sesame seed cucumber avocado salad is packed with a subtle sweet and sour flavour. For dessert, the robin egg is an absolute must. The name is a nod to the ‘robin’s egg blue’ colour of the turquoise stone used in Native jewellery. Served on a delicate white plate: a hand-sized turquoise egg made of coconut ice cream filled with cream (egg white) and mango sorbet (yoke), on a base of chocolate ice cream and biscuit crumbles.
Paloma
Image credit: Paloma Restaurant
A cool Mexican-themed playlist backdrops this low-lit traditionally stylish fine-dining restaurant in the Railyard District. Come most weekends, it’s not unusual for the queue to snake out the door. On the menu, imaginative authentic and new takes on Mexican dishes made to share. Each is made with ingredients sourced from farms in the northern New Mexico valley, and with a commitment to preserving the ancient agricultural traditions of New Mexico. Start with some homemade salsa and tortilla chips. Don’t miss the steak fajitas served with rice, beans, tortillas and guacamole, with a side of Brussel sprouts cooked in chipotle honey and sprinkled with sesame seeds. Mezcal fans are well catered for here, with an eye-popping 50 brands on the menu, alongside a nice selection of natural wines.
Kakawa Chocolate House
Image Credit – jpellgen (@1105_jp) / Flickr: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/
Chilli is a distinctive essential ingredient of New Mexican food and pairing it with chocolate is said to date back to the time of the Aztecs. It’s a match made in heaven celebrated at this tiny adobe shop just off Canyon Road – and two other locations in Santa Fe. Enjoy it – and other combinations – as velvety smooth, thick chilli-infused hot chocolate served in small blue and white china cups or in solid form as red-chilli caramels or chilli dark chocolates. Kakawa’s divine sweet treats work well as souvenirs, too. Choose one of their pre-made boxes filled with house favourites or make up your own selection from their collection which includes mezcal truffles.
Follow The Margarita Trail
La Posta Margarita. Image credit: New Mexico Tourism
It’s a complicated story, but Santa Fe can boast that it was the first city in the new world to import tequila from Mexico where it’s officially made. To appreciate it in Margarita cocktail form, follow the city’s novel Margarita Trail. There are 50 stops in total across hotels, bars and restaurants, each with their own signature recipe. Highlights: the chilli-infused Holy Margarita at SkyFire Lounge at Bishop’s Lodge, Betty’s Smoking Jalapeño at the Four Seasons Terra Bar and the classic La Perla at buzzy local-favourite restaurant, La Choza, in the Railyard District. Collect stamps at stops with the Margarita Trail passport (available from the tourist office in Downtown), which mean prizes.
Lead image credit: Four Seasons Resort Rancho Encantado
Our trip was made possible with the generous support of Santa Fe tourism and New Mexico tourism. For more travel tips on the city, visit www.santafe.org and New Mexico state, visit www.new mexico.org.
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