New Mexico 2014: overview

by | Oct 23, 2014 | Travel, USA Travel

NM-map

click to enlarge!

We’ve wanted to visit New Mexico for some time, but good airfare deals between NC and NM have been rather rare, so we used some Southwest points to fly out for a long weekend. Our hope was that mid-October would have nice weather and smaller crowds (post-Balloon fest) and it seems we were correct about both. Our first night was spent in Albuquerque, then the next two nights in Santa Fe with a daytrip to Taos. We definitely had our fill of chiles (we both prefer green), saw several wild tarantulas, and enjoyed the seemingly endless landscapes of northern New Mexico, which turned out to be quite unlike any other US state we’ve visited.

Hyatt Place Albuquerque Uptown

We choose the Hyatt Place for its decent location – after a long day of flying we didn’t want to drive a long distance, and the Hyatt Place is about 20 minutes from the airport. We’ve stayed at several Hyatt Places over the past few years in Austin, LA, and elsewhere, and this hotel fit those expectations with a large, reasonably comfortable room and free parking. The shower pressure was unbelievable, almost too much, and the breakfast was the basic offering. Overall, it suited our needs for the night.


view of the sunset from our room

Inn on the Alameda

Hotels in downtown Santa Fe are definitely pricier, with prices seeming to average $150+ and often adding parking charges on top. Inn on the Alameda is on the edge of old town and had really good reviews on Tripadvisor, plus they included parking and breakfast in their price, so we reserved the last room way back in August. As a nice touch, two weeks before our trip they mailed us a local guide book to help us prepare for our trip.

Our room was good-sized, with two queen beds, good size closet and a small outdoor patio. We would have preferred one bed and some view off the patio but it wasn’t a big deal.

alemedainn1

alemedainn2The shower had good water pressure and nice complimentary toiletries.

Breakfast was a filling affair, with a small hot buffet bolstered by a few entree selections, pastries, and a coffee and juice bar. Sunday morning featured a green chile, ham and cheese pastry that was very yummy, and Monday morning the green chile, ham and cheese quiche was also good. Seating could be a bit of challenge but we always managed to find a table.

There is also a daily wine reception with cheese from 4-5 pm… we just missed the cut-off on the first day (but the bartender was kind enough to give us two free glasses regardless) and were still in Taos on the second day. I appreciate the effort but that time frame didn’t suit us well!

The Inn has a great location, only a five minute walk to many of the restaurants in Old Town, and just down the block from the Canyon Road art district, making the included parking a nice perk. We enjoyed our stay here and would consider a return in the future.

Our Itinerary

2024 Trips

San Diego, CA (Jan)
Sarasota, FL (Feb)
Valencia, Spain (Mar)
Mallorca (Apr)
Croatia (May)
Faroe Islands (Aug)
London, UK (Sept)
Bari, Italy (Sept)
Rome, Italy (Oct)
Frankfurt, Germany (Oct)

2022 Trips

Florida (Feb)
NC Mountains (Apr)
Washington DC (Apr)
Valencia, Spain (May)
Hilton Head, SC (May)
Pacific NW (Jun)
Long Island (Jul)
Florida (Sept)
Chicago (Sept)
Poland (Sept)
NC Mountains (Nov)
Euro Xmas Markets (Dec)