Last week, I set off on a mini break to Santa Fe with my favourite travel companion, Graham. You may know that I love to travel and since Graham and I met traveling it’s something that is near and dear to our hearts!
Despite this being a short trip, we made the most of it. Our first day started off with a very late arrival in Albuquerque, where we spent the night at an airport hotel before collecting our rental car the next morning. We set off down the Turquoise Trail, heading towards Santa Fe. This scenic route is located in central New Mexico and delivers breathtaking views along with a taste of history through the mining towns of Golden, Madrid, and Cerrillos.
Our home in Santa Fe, was El Farolito, a cozy bed and breakfast close to the centre of town. We spent our days walking around exploring the sites, visiting stores and galleries, stopping in at fabulous restaurants and sipping a few margaritas along the way. I get very excited about good food and Santa Fe didn’t disappoint. We had many lovely meals (and some very tasty margaritas!) but these stood out:
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- Dinner at Sazon, which focuses on a contemporary interpretation of traditional Mexican dishes. We managed to snag a beautiful spot on their outdoor patio and had our first taste of Mexican red wine – fabulous!
- Lunch at La Boca , a lively spot with impeccable service and fantastic food. Everything we had was superb but I’d come back just for the grilled artichokes with goat cheese alone.
- Coyote Café Cantina. A lovely relaxed rooftop setting where we tried the local specialty, Frito Pie. Red chile beef covered with Frito corn chips, cheese, lettuce, tomato and onion. Naughty deliciousness!
Santa Fe Sights
Santa Fe wasn’t all food though! We did manage to fit in some exercise and see the sights too:
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- Wandering around Santa Fe’s historic plaza area including a stop at the Santa Fe Farmer’s Market on Saturday.
- Visiting George R Martin’s (Game of Thrones creator) surreal art installation at Meow Wolf. It’s been described as Alice in Wonderland goes to Disneyland which I think is a good fit. It’s one of those places you’d have to visit to know what I mean!
- Canyon Road. Filled with galleries, boutiques and restaurants. We both fell in love with Paige Bradley’s life sized bronze sculptures. Such talent!
- Tent Rocks. Layers of volcanic rock and ash deposited from a volcanic explosion created canyons and ‘tent rocks’ . It’s a must see if in the area – truly spectacular.
Although back now and fully immersed into work mode, this little getaway was a much needed break from reality. I’ve come back rejuvenated, grateful and appreciative of taking time for yourself, whenever you can.
