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 via I-25, or if you have time to wander, I highly recommended heading to Santa Fe via the Tourquise Trail. A stop in Madrid, NM promises delightful art galleries, amazing turquoise, and great history in this revived mining town.
DOWNTOWN
Once in Santa Fe, if its a first visit, I recommend finding The Plaza first as its the anchor of the downtown. Enjoy 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 . Great leather, vintage, furnishings and great shopping also surrounds Hotel Sante Fe so be sure to wander in all the directions outside of the Plaza.
MUSEUMS
The three museums at Museum Hill are all worthwhile, especially the International Folk Art Museum. The Georgia O’Keefe Museum is also a highlight with wonderful rotating exhibits. Canyon Road is an artist’s paradise filled with high end galleries. And don’t forget Santa Fe is actually the State Capitol of New Mexico - the Capitol is filled with an amazing permanent art collection that is a great quick stop.
RESTAURANTS
Santa Fe has great restaurants and not so great ones so do some homework! For lunch, I love Cafe Pasquals and The Shed. Sazon is very famous and worth the splurge but you can also sit at the bar and just have a few small plates and their award winning tequila! My new favorite as of 2026 is Paloma, outstanding Michelin Star rated modern cuisine. Most of the historic hotels have decent restaurants like La Fonda and many have cool lobbies and bars and history. Away from downtown Iconik Coffee, the local chain, is excellent - my favorite is on Lena Street and they have great food as well.
THE RAILYARD AND BEYOND
A brisk walk away from the core downtown is the Railyard Area. 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.
Another new discovery of mine is BODY - its a beautiful spa, shop, cafe and yoga/pilates studio. A great place for organic clothing and wellness amenities.
TESUQUE
A short but beautiful drive up from downtown Santa Fe is the funky area of Tesuque. If you want to hang out where the locals do, hang here! Tesuque Village Market 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! Tesuque’s Bishop’s Lodge - an Auberge Resort is on the way up to Tesuque. 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.
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 a private rental in their soaking tubs because I want to send you elsewhere for that (Keep reading) but this place is worth the experience for a half day visit!
STAY
I already mentioned Two Casitas rentals and Bishop’s Lodge, but if you want to stay at a traditional hotel downtown I’d recommend:
Inn of Anasazi - A Rosewood Hotel
or La Fonda for a “classic experience”
Ojo Caliente
Perhaps my favorite place on earth because it’s all about the water. So this cancer sign LOVES the nourishing waters of Ojo. No matter your sign its worth a visit! Ojo Caliente is probably my favorite place in the region. Enjoy the nice drive and a day trip and day pass to Ojo itself - the mineral baths are incredible! It’s about a 45 min drive from Santa Fe. You can spend the whole day there 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.
There is also Ojo Santa Fe if you want to enjoy a day pass and a soak without traveling as far, but having been to both - I prefer the original at Ojo Caliente.
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. A Unesco World Heritage Site is rare and worthy a study of the history. No photography is allowed and plan for about one hour.
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!
