Once we started our run, we realized we would be in Amarillo before 2pm. I mean… I love Texas, but I’ve never seen Santa Fe. If we could run all day to Santa Fe, we could still be parked and ready for some New Mexican fare by 7pm. This was an easy run really…. So lets make it an 8-hour day. Mike and I had told Tom and Laura if they wanted to stop, we would totally understand, but Skinner was in a driving mood and we had a goal to reach Santa Fe for margaritas by dusk. About mid-way into the drive, Laura called and requested us to check on an early arrival to the RV Park – she would also make the margarita goal!
Thankfully Los Suenos RV Park had two sights available for us both. Now we could enjoy 4 nights in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
The Los Suenos RV Park is very easy to get to, IF you realize there is NO sign out front. Our navigation kept saying turn right into your destination – and I kept saying “ I can’t see it! “
We literally blocked traffic and chose to un-hook the tow vehicle – so I could drive in what we felt could be the park. Yep…. We made some folks along Cerrillos Blvd very happy.
Note: Look for a large sign that reads THE LOFT, that is where your turn in. Maybe Los Suenos will one day put their sign back out.
The park is nothing fancy, but is extremely convenient to the heart of Santa Fe. We were only 5-6 miles to the plaza and the same distance to some amazing pickleball courts and dog parks.
The park itself is very dusty and mostly gravel and dirt – but they do offer a dog walk area for your furry babies.
Across the street are two of the most amazing Mexican restaurants, and they are in the same shopping center. On the end is Los Maria Bonita ( my fav of the two ) , the other is El Camal
( which also offers a nice breakfast ). Do yourself and order the chicken tacos at Los Maria Bonita – and ask for extra sauce that they serve with your tortilla chips upon arrival.
Decided to sit outside and sip some coffee in the morning, and find a place to play some pickleball. We are pickleball addicts and really needed to go hit! After a google search, we discovered a pretty decent pickleball club in town. They suggested we meet up with the morning regulars at the Fort Marcy Recreation Center.
We also called another private club, that wanted $50 a day to play – per person. No thank you.
We found a very friendly and fun group of pickleballers at Fort Marcy who set up temporary nets on the tennis courts. Also – a very nice dog park next door – Bonus!!!
When we travel, I always ask the locals where they eat. For lunch, three women suggested a nice French casual bakery only a couple miles away -- Clafoutis. GO! We had wonderful salads and a few bakery goods to take back to the bus.
For dinner, we accidentally discovered a gem of a steakhouse. Market Steer Steakhouse, which is located in the St Francis Hotel. We originally planned to visit The Shed ( as suggested by locals ) but the line out front and no reservation policy, pushed in another direction. Market Steer is an upscale steak house with a unique Santa Fe twist…. And worth the indulgence if that is what you are seeking.
Day 2 started with a return back to Fort Marcy for pickleball. Laura and I decided we really wanted to get back to the plaza area downtown Santa Fe for some shopping, sans the husbands!
Shopping started a little slow, but then a shop owner suggested a margarita stop. Just look for the bronze donkey and turn down the alley. Ok…. Oh my! There is the donkey – turn right – OLE we found it! One margarita down…and now we were ready to shop. We discovered a fantastic shop ( The Original Trading Post ) filled with Santa Fe items, and some great western slash biker babe clothes. Just what we were looking for because we gotta be ready for Sturgis.
We spent our limits there, so it was time to head back to camp and make a quick dinner before a night in the spa and hot pools.
We had been told by many friends to make sure and visit the spa and hot tub facility named Ten Thousand Waves. I guess I waited too long to book, because a month prior our trip I tried numerous times unsuccessfully to get in. Los Ojos Santa Fe was suggested by someone else – and we did manage to get massages and private hot tub time. It was amazing! The location is serene and peaceful, very clean, and just a treat to relax and take in a little OM.
We didn’t realize they had a charming restaurant on site, or we would have enjoyed early dinner there. I’m kinda glad we discovered Ojos Santa Fe – I’m suggesting you try it out if in the Santa Fe area.
Our final day in Santa Fe I asked Mike to drive me to Taos. I wanted to see what all the hype was about. I will always be honest in my blog. It was just ok. The shops were not as nice or diverse as in the plaza in Santa Fe. We did enjoy a great burger and mango craft beer at The Burger Stand and Ale House. I was on a search for a cool western type belt that wasn’t $500 – and we did discover a nice lil' leather shop that had some gorgeous belts in different price ranges. All in all , I don’t know if the drive there was worth the trip if you only have a few days in Santa Fe.
For the final dinner in town, we elected to meet up with Tom and Laura for happy hour at the St Francis Hotel bar. This is a must if you like craft cocktails. Their smoky margarita was tops.
Note: MAKE reservations in this town if you want to eat before 9:30pm. The plaza was hopping and finding a place to eat without reservations was getting stressful. Then, we looked for that bronze donkey again…and OLE! A table for four was available. I love that donkey.
I feel awful, because I can’t remember the name of the restaurant….but just look for the bronze donkey. It can be a fun scavenger hunt for you.