330 E. Palace Ave. Santa Fe, N.M., 866-331-ROCK or 505-986-0000,
Rates: start at $188 for a standard room, $438 for a suite. There are many special packages aimed at certain times of the year or specific activities (spa, skiing, spring break) that may net you a smaller bill. A $30 “service charge” covers valet parking and Wi-Fi.
Stay here if you: would like to ditch your car for your entire visit to Santa Fe; the La Posada compound is midway between the Canyon Road gallery district and the downtown square. It’s easy walking distance to dozens of restaurants and attractions.
It’s close to: downtown Santa Fe, the Loretto Chapel, several museums (including the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum) and the New Mexico Museum of Art.
The rooms are: comfortable and well-appointed. Most have small kiva-style fireplaces, large flat-screen televisions and luxurious linens. Because La Posada is more of a campus than a building, most rooms have private entrances and windows out into one of the many courtyards. This can pose some privacy challenges (How will you change from your spa robe to your dinner clothes without drawing the blackout shades? How can you get back to sleep when there’s a post-bar crowd outside your door arguing loudly about tequila?) but plays into the community feel of the hotel. Many of the 157 rooms are basic one-bedders, but there are extravagant suites, too, such as the Presidential, which includes a pool table. Not all the luxury is seamless, however. In my room, the blackout shades were worn through in several spots, and a fully loaded surge protector snaked out from behind the minibar. Small details, but details matter. Each room does have a lovely shaded patio on which to enjoy a glass of something and a nibble of something else.
They put all of the money into: the service. La Posada is heavily staffed, with several valets, housekeepers, spa professionals, groundskeepers and managers bustling to and fro taking care of this and that. You’ll never wonder where or who to ask for anything you might need; just crane your neck, and someone is there.
The bottom line: Not a hotel to “escape” to, La Posada lends itself more to a communal style of vacation; you’ll know who your neighbors are because you’ll see them in the dining room for breakfast, out by the pool during sunny hours and in the lobby gathering for dinner. By the time you leave, you’ll probably know their names.
Tucker Shaw
