Santa Fe Vacation - Tips?
 

The wife and I are thinking of taking a vacation to the Southwest, centered around Santa Fe (where she has a friend living). Wifey is big into arts & crafts and I like to eat and we both like sunny weather so it seems like a fit.

We would probably fly into Denver and drive from there. We'll have about a week which probably translates to 3-4 actual days in the area.

Any ideas from people who have been there? We'd probably be going in July... yes I know it will be hot.

why not fly to albuquerque instead, its alot closer.

It's a lot cheaper for us to fly to Denver.

I don't live in Santa Fe, but the wife and I got married there a few years ago, and went back to spend a few days there last November. I'm not going to pretend to know the place like a local, but here's some of the places we enjoyed:

La Boca, or its sister restaurant, Taberna La Boca. Great tapas place with a good mix of locals and visitors. It's right in the main square area.

Second Street Brewery - the Mrs. found this for a lunch/beer stop after hiking one day, and it was really good. Good beers, nice simple bar food, relaxed atmosphere.

Inn of the Loretto - we actually got married here on the terrace; their restaurant is excellent, and the bar/lounge area is really cool too.

If you guys are into outdoor activities, check out the hiking in the immediate area. Atalaya Trail is very close to the square, and while the top is steep, it's relatively easy if you're in decent shape, and has great views of the area.

If you're looking for a relatively inexpensive place to stay, check out The Old Santa Fe Inn. It's just off the square, and very nice.

Thanks!

Enjoy your trip! Of all the bass and amp porn on this site, I don't think anything's made me more jealous than the thought of a Santa Fe vacation while I'm sitting here at work. :)

Another place I thought of - Counter Culture is a really good lunch place off of Cerrillos Road, a little past the railyards area (which is a cool place, too).