Travel Guide: Romantic Santa Fe
After months of planning Marshall and I decided to take a trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico. We spent the week scouring parts of the city for a really relaxing week as we experienced food, outdoors, scenic views and shopping. I’m going to share more about why we took the trip in an upcoming post! For today though, let’s get down to business about how this romantic city captured our hearts this week.
To start with, the architecture is incredible. Every street had little corners of colorful flowers, bright paint and adobe style buildings. You can turn down most streets to find yourself inside a postcard! The culture has a heavy Mexican and Native American influence along with lots of art and architecture. It’s great to walk around to see sights or hop in the car for a beautiful drive.
Where to Eat
We began our trip by eating authentic Mexican food at The Shed. It’s got a cute eclectic interior with wonky door frames and brightly colored walls. Lotus flowers flank the doorframes. I ordered their signature blue corn chicken enchiladas and Marshall ate the Blue Corn Tortillas. It’s a great experience but be prepared for a wait.
Then, we had a delicious meal at a local Cuban favorite that was tucked away called Lago Cafe. I chose the Mediterranean tapas and Marshall got the Ropa Vieja. The quality was unprecedented and we loved their humble staff!
For our final night, we chose to go to Amaya which is nestled in the Hotel Santa Fe. The atmosphere was spacious and incredibly comfortable seating. We ate crab cakes and an Angus beef burger with openings to the beautiful patio. Bonus points: They have a tepee you can go inside!
Exploring Santa Fe is a dream come true! The streets are filled with so many shops, parks, restaurants, and scenic views. We spent a good part of our trip outdoors and found a few places that were noteworthy! If you are a flower lover, you need to stop by Harvey Cornell Rose Park. It’s filled with tons of flowers and a beautiful fountain! We also really like (not featured but great for kids) Torreon Park for kiddos to play. Also, a great spot for pull-ups. Right next to The Shed, there’s a tiny courtyard you can visit while waiting. It’s in the historic neighborhood of downtown Santa Fe and a great spot for a quick smooch before dinner.
Noteworthy Day Trips
Outside of the city, there’s a ton of additional things to do. We chose to take two day trips to see a few of the surrounding areas. On our second night, we grabbed some delicious healthy meals at the local Natural Grocers and headed up a 30-minute drive to the Vista Grande Overlook Observation Site. It’s a little tricky to find, but you’ll know you’ve reached it when you are almost to Ski Santa Fe. We had dinner cozied up on top of the mountain as we watched the sunset.
The next morning, we headed out to see the Turquoise Trail, which is a 54-mile drive into the mountains. Cerrillos turquoise dates back 2,000 years ago, where people from all over would come to trade shells and coral for turquoise. You can stop in both Madrid and Los Cerrillos along the way. Los Cerrillos looks a lot like a West Texas ghost town but has a trade shop complete with a petting zoo! We made sure to pet one of the llamas as we fed them.
After that, we headed to Madrid, where we grabbed a cup of coffee at Java Junction. The town is full of beautiful art and specialty shops. Don’t forget to grab some turquoise for yourself!
We cannot wait to return to Santa Fe. The city brought us so much magic, healing and nourishment for our souls. We look forward to coming back and please feel free to share any recommendations if you have visited!
