INN at LORETTO is an elegant hotel that sits at the end of the Santa Fe Trail. This is a popular venue for big meetings in town.

The Inn is part of a historic landmark. It was formerly an girls' school that was closed in the 1970s. The present day inn is constructed on the school site. When the property was sold, the new owners arranged with the Church for the chapel to become a museum which sits right next to the Inn.

EL DORADO HOTEL

El Dorado means the golden one. El Dorado Hotel is Santa Fe's first four-star, four-diamond hotel. The construction of this hotel stirred some controversy among local folks simply because it was so much larger than any building in the area.

During our 8-day visit, we stayed at 3 different places just to get a flavor of different bed & breakfast inns.

The first hotel was La Fonda Inn which at the End of the Old Santa Fe Trail and is right in the heart of downtown. Fonda means inn. It is an 80 year old hotel with cute, eclectic, and funky furnishings. It is known for its award-winning pueblo style Spanish architecture and decor. Lobbies, hallways, and rooms are filled with paintings and carvings created by local artisans.

Great food is served at its courtyard, the La Plazuela Restaurant. It was convenient to go shopping, go back to our hotel room to drop off our purchases, freshen up, and then rush out again to do more shopping... and eating. It was right across from the Inn at Loretto and numerous shops at the Plaza.

I'm glad I didn't know then that this place is haunted. =)

The second place we stayed at was at the Dancing Ground of the Sun, about 2 blocks east of downtown, right across from the La Posada de Santa Fe spa. We stayed at the Kokopelli, a honeymoon suite which is their biggest casita. It was on the 2nd floor and had its own dining room, kitchen, & living room.

The breakfast buffet served in a room adjacent to the inn's office was an expanded spread of muffins, cereals, fruits, breads, juices, coffees, and you can even make your own waffles.

Despite the bargain price for the suite we got, there are several reasons why we wouldn't stay here again. One thing we found inconvenient was that the hair dryer and ironing board were on availability basis. They only had 4 hair dryers for about 15 rooms and if one was available, you have to go pick them up at the office. Parking for the room was across a busy street. The staff were not friendly. The staircase leading to our casita did not have any illumination, the front door required a good kick to open, and the floors creaked. (Photos courtesy of Dancing Ground in the Sun)

What we liked best was the happy hour on the deck where you can watch the sunset. The gathering gave us the opportunity to unwind at the end of the day and exchange stories and ideas with the other hotel guests. It served as an interesting resource for first hand experiences with fine dining, bargain shopping, and interesting places to explore. The other guests shared our positive impression about this inn.

We stayed here in the Jemez Room in the courtyard, a cluster of rooms separate from the main building. As the photos show, the room was decorated in a modern interpretation of Santa Fe style. It had a big, cozy, four poster bed. I was thrilled to find that the cable TV had the HGTV channel! The room was also equiped with a CD player and an assortment of CDs. As you'll notice in the photo, it has a fireplace too. Little things mean a lot. (Photos courtesy of Water Street Bed & Breakfast Inn)