Albuquerque and Santa Fe, NM
We stayed in New Mexico for ~5 days and used Santa Fe as our home base. On our last full day, we finally explored Santa Fe. While in Santa Fe, we stayed at the El Rey Court Hotel.
At El Rey Court, the rooms are individually decorated, and I didn’t get a video of our room, but the overall hotel tour is below on my YouTube. I would stay at El Rey again, but I would be sure to ask for a newly renovated room. I believe those are the lower-numbered rooms with the teal doors. The property was great— there is a food truck on property that serves breakfast and dinner. Bands play live music weekly in the courtyard and fresh baked pizzas are also frequently sold on the property.
property tour of El Rey Court in Santa Fe, NM
On our first full day in New Mexico, we drove an hour from Santa Fe to Albuquerque to visit the Indian Pueblo Kitchen and Cultural Center. At the Native American restaurant, we tried a lot of things! The menu was very different for us, so we wanted to try as many things as possible. We started off with pueblo stews — my friend ordered the red chile beef, and I ordered the red chile beef bone posole. This restaurant offered many dishes made with blue corn and hatch chiles, both of which are New Mexican staples. We then ordered blue corn onion rings and Kool-Aid fried pickles as starters. The blue corn onion rings were fluffy and cakey, not crunchy like traditional onion rings. The Kook-Aid fried pickles are just dipped in Kool-Aid powder, then battered in flour and fried. Both the onion rings and fried pickles had little onion or pickle, but the flairs that they offered were different and nice to try. Our main dishes were the Pueblo benedict and Indian taco. We ordered a ton of food to start the day, but we’d have to say the entrees were the best part of the meal. The Indian Pueblo Kitchen serves breakfast all day, and the menu is centered on Native Pueblo dishes. Besides the restaurant, you can also order baked goods to go from their bakery on-site.
Once we finished breakfast, we ventured over to the Cultural Center, located on the property. I believe the cost to enter the Cultural Center is $12 for a self-guided tour. The day we visited there were local artisans selling crafts as well as a Native American dance.
I wish we would have done this on the same day, but the Sandia Peak Tramway is located only 20 minutes away from the Indian Pueblo Kitchen and Cultural Center. Tickets to purchase a ride on the Sandia Tramway are available as early as the day before or the same day you decide to visit. Their website notes that due to weather uncertainty, they don’t sell tickets far in advance, and tickets are only available for entry within a 2-hour time slot. Once you’ve reached the top of the summit, you can stay as long as you’d like. We paid $33 per person for a morning slot.
The 15-minute ride on the tramway brings you up over 10,000 feet to the top of Sandia Mountain. On the ride up, the staff gives you history on the mountain range, the tramway, and it’s construction. As soon as I saw the tramway, I said it reminded me of the tramway we used in the Swiss Alps, and low and behold, I came to realize that the firm that designed the tramway in Switzerland also designed this one in Albuquerque.
At the top of the mountain is a restuarant, that doesnt accept reservations, but did have a 90-minute wait when we inquired. There are picnic tables, along with seating to just take in the views. Now, when I went to Switzerland, at the top of the peak, the area was fenced off, and was not for hiking or exploring. So, I thought the same for Sandia that it was just for views. As you can tell by my outfit, I had no idea what to expect. People actually hike Sandia, like the whole thing! So, once we left the landing, we found a few trails and everyone else was prepared with packed lunches, hiking boots, cargo shorts, and walking poles. There are paved trails on Sandia to follow, so you can hike down 10,000 feet back to Albuquerque.
Years prior, Sandia was open to winter sports like skiing, and the lift is still on the property. Unfortunately, due to warming temperatures, they haven’t opened the ski trail in years and will likely never do so again.
If you have the chance to hike Sandia for a while, afterwards grab dinner at Sandmill Market — a must try in Alburqueue. This is hands down the best food hall I’ve been to, and I didn’t even get a chance to explore the whole thing. There are vendors selling all types of cuisine like Mediterranean, Mexican, American burgers, BBQ, and rotisserie, ice cream, soda fountains, Spanish-style paella, Cuban food, Italian food, pizza, bakeries, and a few cocktail and wine bars. We walked around a bit to see what we really wanted, and it was so hard to decide because everything looked good. We ended up trying a little bit from a lot of places. I first got the Hot Cheeto elote in a cup from Churro y Corn, which was pretty good for $7. The cups aren’t filled all the way to the top so the only downside is you don’t really get a full serving. I decided on a blue burger from Dr. Field Goods while my friend and I split their fries, and she got a hot dog. One thing about me, is I love a well-done burger with blue cheese, and this one definitely hit the spot. Dr. Field Goods has free-standing locations in Santa Fe. They act as a butcher shop in Sawmill, so if I was local, I would have picked up some of their meats. I had to wash everything down with a lemonade. This stand’s lemons are fresh squeezed, and they also offer add-ons like basil, strawberry, and pickle juice.
On Labor Day, we took a road trip up north to the Rio Grande Gorge and Taos, New Mexico, which was about 2 and a half hours. I remember seeing the Rio Grande bridge so many times in life, and thinking it was, grand. Following GPS, there was a rest area to the right of us, and navigation said if we went past the rest area we would cross the Rio Grande bridge. I had to pull in to the rest stop to make sure I had the correct directions. There were vendors and other travelers at the rest area, so we asked for directions, because looking straight ahead on Highway 64 I just saw a regular flat bridge, that I just knew was not the Rio Grande. It wasn’t until we got out of the car and looked from the side, (instead of head on) was I able to see infamous scaffolding. At the rest area, it is a little steep, but there is fencing to hold people back in case they slip, fall, and roll down. You are able to see the Rio Grand bridge, but not the river, as it is too far down. The bridge is for vehicles as well as pedestrian traffic. Walkers, joggers, and bikers are able to see the river, and have a better look at the height that the bridge stands.
By the time we arrived from Albuquerque, it was 5pm, and all of the local businesses in Taos were either closed for the holiday or because it was a Monday, or it was after hours for them. There are a ton of art galleries, bars, restaurants, and shops to visit. If you have time, it is worth a day trip, and the views from the highway are worth it alone.
As we were driving south to Santa Fe, along Highway 68 we were able to see the Rio Grande river! Traveling north up to Taos, we took Highway 285, which was pretty deserted; I didn’t see cars for miles. A portion of the journey was up a slightly winding road, then completely flat through farmland. South to Santa Fe was almost the opposite, as the highway was filled with other cars, but there was no congestion, and we drove through more towns than farmland. Highway 68 has quite a few pullover areas, so we were able to stop for a minute and look at the river flowing. In other areas, the river had dried up, so it was calming to see the river actually flowing, and some people kayaking in it.
On our third full day in New Mexico, we had to wake up at 3 or 4 am to drive from Santa Fe to get to Albuquerque by 6 am. “Why?”, might you ask. Well we had a sunrise hot air balloon ride with Rainbow Ryders. I tried to talk myself out of this excursion so many times, “wakeup time is too early, I don’t want to be on the road before sunrise, I’m scared of heights” blah blah, blah. Once we arrived to the facility, there were a total of about 40 of us, designated to ride on 4 different balloons. We had to sign waivers and wait for the operators to pack the vans up. From the facility, we drove 15 minutes to an open field near a shopping mall to get our balloons set up and go over a very quick safety briefing. Our operator, Anthony was the best! He was knowledgeable, put my fears to rest, and overall he just enjoyed being a hot air balloon pilot.
Once we got up in the air, it was the most serene experience. We didn’t experience any turbulence, and I didn’t get any motion sickness.
A couple got engaged on a private balloon, which sounds so romantic, but super scary if she were to say no!
Traffic was beginning to build before 8 am as we were above a busy road. Drivers were honking at us and waving as we were hundreds of feet in the air. It was such a cool experience, that I’m glad I did. Rainbow Ryders has locations in New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado, so hopefully all pilots and locations are as great as Albuquerque.
We were only in the air for one hour, from 7-8 am. Once we finished our journey, there was a team on the ground to help each balloon disassemble. As the crew was disassembling, Anthony told us the tradition of why all rides end with champagne and a celebration. It was cool to learn that hot air balloons originated in France and to have mimosas at 8am on a Tuesday. After we all had refreshments, we loaded the van and headed back to Rainbow Ryders offices where we received certificates of completion, and had the chance to buy merchandise. I will say that the merchandise was pretty pricey in store. I think their t-shirts and sweatshirts were $40 and hot air balloon ornaments were $25, but I did not see similar or better looking souvenirs elsewhere.
Now that we had the rest of the day ahead of us, it was finally time to explore Santa Fe. We drove back and went to the Santa Fe farmers market, which is only open on Tuesdays and Saturdays and closes at 1pm. Outside, the vendors were selling fresh fruit, vegetables, flowers, bread, baked goods, sage, and of course the New Mexican staple, hatch chiles. Inside the farmers market were more artisans — vendors selling soap, jewelry, hand-carved wood items for the home, paintings, and turquoise.
We were starving, and asked for recommendations on where to eat, and many of the vendors recommended Tomasita’s, which is just a block away from the farmer’s market. Tomasita’s is where we finally had authentic New Mexican food, and are basically a community staple because they’ve been around for over 40 years. They bring sopapillas to every table with honey butter, and my goodness! The warm, airy, fried-bread with whipped honey butter is something that dreams are made of. The place was busy, but the staff were hustling, and genuinely so nice, walking us through the menu and recommending specialities, and customer-favorites. Because everything is made in house, we thought the wait time would be long, so we ordered the 3-dip (salsa, guac, queso) as an appetizer. Shortly after, our entrees came out. I ordered the Wednesday special, on a Tuesday which is a blue corn tortilla enchilida with Spanish rice, refried beans, and chile. I’ve learned that most New Mexican restaurants will offer you chile red, green, or Christmas, which is both red and greed chiles.
I quickly grew a fondness to New Mexican food. at Tomasita’s: blue corn tortillas, sopapillas, red and green chile on the side were becoming my weakness.
After lunch, we wandered around the neighborhood window shopping from more vendors and artisans before calling it a day and heading back to the hotel to relax at the pool and listen to live musicians that El Rey frequently hosts.
The next morning started off with a heavy breakfast at Pantry Rio near downtown Santa Fe. One thing about New Mexican restaurants, is they will make sure you’ll full, and give great service! Sopapillas aren’t complimentary here, but they were so delicious at Tomasita’s I had to get my fix in. Spoiler alert: Tomasita’s has better sopapillas, but it may be their honey butter that takes them over the top. I think we both ordered the breakfast burrito, and a sweet treat, and everything was delicious. Pantry Rio is walking distance to all of the shops and attractions of downtown Santa Fe and the Santa Fe Plaza. Before leaving the area, we popped in to a few local shops on the street then, to check out the Plaza. Street parking in downtown Santa Fe is pretty easy to find and affordable, and there were a handful of public garages.
We strolled around downtown for the entire afternoon! In the Santa Fe Plaza are registered Navajo artisans selling jewelry made of silver, turquoise and brass, bookmarks, blankets, and local trinkets. You are able to haggle with the artisans, but the prices were really reasonable. In the boutiques, shops are selling leather goods, souvenirs, a wider selection of turquoise jewelry, animal hides, home goods, and many unique New Mexican crafts. Interestingly enough, there is a year- round Christmas store, and a chocolate + cashmere store in New Mexico. If you need to get souvenirs for friends and family, downtown Santa Fe has some unique shops with items that are unexpected to the area, but also items that you would be less likely to find anywhere else.
For our last full night in New Mexico, we went to Back Road Pizza dubbed, best pizza in Santa Fe. We Googled, “best pizza in Santa Fe”, just looking for the best pizza options. Low and behold, Back Road actually won the title of best pizza in Santa Fe for almost 11 consecutive years! The unassuming dive has indoor and outdoor seating, and sells locally owned beverages and ice cream. They consistently win best pizza in Santa Fe because of their thin crust pizzas and unique combinations like their Christmas in May which features pesto and marina (which I ordered), a sweet & spicy pizza with jalapeño, hot honey, pineapple and meats, a chicken + green chile pizza, and a few other custom combinations. You can even purchase a pizza kit with your own selected toppings to make and bake at home. Was Back Road the best pizza I’ve ever eaten, no. But the combinations that they offer on their specialty pizzas is something that I would keep coming back for.
All in all, it was a great way to end our time in New Mexico.
Comment below on where you think our next stop was on this 2-week Southwest road trip!
