Happy New Year, everyone! We took a bit of an extended break over the holiday season, as we both went on vacation (and reunited for a day in San Francisco over Tartine’s excellent banana cream tart!).
Ophelia and her friend Alice went on a trip to New Mexico right before the pandemic hit, and loved it! They stayed in Albuquerque (ABQ) and Santa Fe, so we’ll be providing recommendations for both cities, which are located about an hour away from each other. We were so inspired by the distinct Southwestern design aesthetic, with its adobe houses, neutral tones, rustic vibes, and strings of dried peppers hung about (fun fact, they are called Chile Ristras). Hope you enjoy~
As always, you can browse through all our newsletters if you're looking for other cities to travel to.
Los Poblanos Historic Inn & Organic Farm
Los Ranchos Albuquerque, NM
Starts at $280/night
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This historic inn was originally designed by the “Father of Santa Fe Style,” architect John Gaw Meem and is surrounded by 25 acres of beautiful lavender and cottonwood trees. Its stunning renovation in 2017 was featured in Architectural Digest. During our stay, we dined at the restaurant on their property, Campo, and would highly recommend it!
El Rey Court
Santa Fe, NM
Starts at $105/night
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This 1936 adobe motor lodge has been brought back to life by a husband and wife team based out of Joshua Tree, according to this Remodelista feature. We stayed here during our trip to Santa Fe and loved it. There was so much character, plus a gorgeous bar (La Reina) with live music.
Deals for El Rey Court occasionally appear on Groupon. Currently, there are no active deals, but keep an eye out. If you’re a Chase cardholder, there are additional deals via Chase Travel — we booked our room for $89/night!
The Desert Compass
Albuquerque, NM
Starts at $115/night
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This charming 6 suite boutique hotel has been decorated impeccably and with amazing detail.
This stay can be booked on Airbnb or on their website.
Honorable mentions
This gorgeous mid-century design meets adobe in Santa Fe (from $170/night, sleeps 4).
A luxurious adobe resort & spa in Santa Fe built in 1882 (from $137/night).
This modern home with stunning desert views (from $275/night, sleeps 2).
Do this
Ophelia and Alice went to ABQ for the International Balloon Fiesta, an annual event that takes place in October every year. Hundreds of hot air balloons lift off on clear mornings (in a “mass ascension”), and it truly is magical.
Another highlight for Ophelia was visiting legendary American artist Georgia O’Keefe’s historic adobe home and studio, located in Abiquiú, NM. Tours start at $40 per person. We would recommend the home tour over the Santa Fe museum visit, though both are wonderful.
A few of our favorite stores and restaurants: Hanselmann Pottery (Corrales, NM), Tumble (we went to a pop-up shop, and I still order their products online), and Modern General Feed & Seed (in ABQ and Santa Fe).
If you have time, we highly recommend the long drive out to visit White Sands National Park. The gypsum white sands are unreal, especially at sunset. Bring a saucer to sled down the dunes!
Reader’s review
We wanted to include a little snippet of an email we received from Samantha L., a subscriber who recently stayed at the charming San Luis Creek Lodge in San Luis Obispo, CA. The lodge was a recommendation from our inaugural Northern California newsletter:
“Our stay was wonderful at the lodge- thank you for the recommendation! The hot coffee + pastries were such a lovely touch and the room with the fireplace was such a nice touch to come back to after our day trip to Morro Bay and other beach hiking.”
Thanks for reading, and for sharing your feedback with us, Samantha! Much love.
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Here in New Mexico we joke that it's the Land of Entrapment 🤭 I had been coming to NM to visit for festivals for years and then made the jump and moved to Albuquerque. The aesthetic here is like none else! Eating at Campo at Los Poblanos is a personal favorite. Thanks for sharing these great stays, it makes want to stay cation!