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Love Unique Hotels?Santa Fe’s the Place for You!By Joyce DaltonLots of issues factor in when choosing a vacation destination. But if you’re like me, fine hotels providing that something extra become a big part of the equation. Every hotel in Santa Fe may not claim those special touches, but enough do to ensure difficult choices. To make the dilemma a bit less daunting, I divided my most recent stay between two properties. The Eldorado Hotel & Spa and The Inn of the Five Graces couldn’t be more unlike, but they share most of the qualities that make for a memorable visit. Eldorado Hotel
Butler service is a perk for guests in certain rooms. In my case, it was a butler-ess and from the moment of check-in, Jennifer became an important part of the Eldorado experience. Friendly, warm and extremely professional, she provided tons of reading material and an equal amount of verbal information about Russian Summer, the theme event for which my visit was timed. She arranged for transport to a ballet, Onegin, one of the highlights of the Russian focus, and thoughtfully called my room the next day to discuss how Santa Fe’s production differed from the more widely-known version by John Cranko.
Drawing inspiration from the Native American medicine wheel and sacred directions, the spa’s massages, facials, wraps, scrubs and masques are classified as North (restorative), East (renewal), South (vitality) and West (purification).Then, there’s the Golden Center, signifying balance. Treatment ingredients incorporate the healing properties of herbs, plants and legumes indigenous to New Mexico. The spa is but the latest plus to a superior establishment. No doubt there will be more. Eldorado Hotel & Spa In addition to the Eldorado’s fine eateries, how could I not mention O’Keeffe Café, situated just behind the hotel on Johnson St. “Café” is rather misleading as the level of preparation, presentation and service meets the highest standard. Following the proprietor’s recommendations, I fully enjoyed a wonderfully spiced soup and a lamb shank with meat so tender as to practically fall from the bone. O’Keeffe Café The Inn of the Five Graces
When the Garrett Hotel Group acquired the property in 2002, the name was changed to The Inn of the Five Graces, derived from the Tibetan celebration of the five senses.
The scent of plants, a mesquite fire blazing in a fireplace of river stone, even the Desert Blends of Taos soaps and toiletries elevate the sense of smell. For taste, sample the carafe of margharitas and bowl of chips and salsa waiting on the kitchen table to greet guests on arrival or the various treats stocking the complimentary mini-fridge.
In the evening, wine and cheese are set out in the small reception/breakfast area. Guests can opt to join general manager, Niall Reid, on a stroll around the neighborhood. Continuing the five senses theme, the inn has created a variety of expensive, but highly rewarding, options: To expand your sense of sight, spend a half-day with a professional photographer, an instructor at the acclaimed Santa Fe Workshops. The private session focuses on whatever aspect of photography you choose: digital, black/white, color, landscapes, portraits. In my case, much of the time was devoted to learning the intricacies of my new digital camera. The benefits were invaluable. $500 for two persons. If cuisine is your passion, enhance the senses of taste and smell at a private cooking class with chef John Vollertsen of the Las Cosas Cooking School. The afternoon session takes place in the home kitchen of a local artist. That evening, enjoy the dinner you created, complemented by wine, with the chef. $1,250 for two persons. What better way to focus on the sense of sound than at your
own private concert? For a hands-on experience in the sense of touch, spend a half-day working with clay at the studio of Heidi Loewen, a Santa Fe sculptor and porcelain artist. After demonstrating wheel-thrown techniques, Loewen will help you create your own design which will later be dried, glazed, fired and delivered to your home. $750 for two persons. Pending historic property zoning approval, The Inn of the Five Graces plans to expand the guest lounge and add a boutique and billiard room. Although the inn does not have an on-site restaurant, there’s no shortage of tempting choices within an easy walk. The Inn of the Five Graces Images by Joyce Dalton |
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Located just a couple blocks off the main plaza, this
219-room property opened in 1985, but in the fine hotel tradition, it hasn’t
stopped searching for ways to stay new and exciting, as evidenced by the Nidah
Spa which debuted in December 2004.
Perhaps such attention should be expected of a butler, but
this caliber of service proved the norm. How many lounge waitresses remember the
number of sugars you take in your cappuccino? And how often does housekeeping’s
vow to immediately report a small problem with a bathtub drain result in a
repairman’s appearance within minutes, plus housekeeping’s call to make sure all
is well?
Such consideration guaranteed a high opinion of the
Eldorado’s service, but examples didn’t end there. On check-out, a bellman
telephoned the desk to ask if I had forgotten to pack the complimentary
slippers. (I hadn’t; the room was equipped with two pairs.) And two days
after check-out, front desk personnel greeted me by name when I stopped by
to pick up a packet.
However fine, service, alone, can’t be the only standard
for judging a property. Happily, the Eldorado rates high marks in the more usual
areas. The spacious guest rooms go beyond those familiar adjectives
“comfortable” and “attractive”, claiming their share of the hotel’s
quarter-million dollar art collection, including works by local artists. Not
surprisingly, the décor falls into the Southwest design category right down to
kiva fireplaces in many rooms (nothing makes for a cozier evening that the scent
and glow of a pinon wood fire). A number of guest rooms also claim mountain-view
balconies.
Public facilities include The Old House, generally
considered one of the top restaurants in Santa Fe; the Eldorado Court for light
food, drinks and one of the most lavish Sunday brunches anywhere; a rooftop
heated pool; a fitness center, and the Nidah Spa.
This grouping of historic structures and restful courtyards
looks Santa Fe-ish enough on the exterior, but step inside any of the 25 guest
suites and you’ll immediately be transported to some of Earth’s most exotic
realms – Tibet, Afghanistan, India and points East.
Hand-woven tapestries, latticework screens, heavily-carved
doors, bedspreads sparkling with small glass-like insets, bath and kitchen walls
inlaid with delicate mosaic patterns, Turkish kilims and hand-painted Afghan
beams combine to surround guests in the realm of 1001 Nights. In fact, this was
the inn’s name under the previous owner.
Certainly, the senses are stimulated at every turn. Each
detail of the furnishings and décor demands the keenest observation as do the
stone and wooden artifacts, reminiscent of Hindu and Buddhist temples, scattered
around the courtyards. The mosaics in one suite’s bath and kitchen required
eight hours per square foot to create, while in my suite, the bed’s headboard
was a veritable picture book of carved scenes from the Indian book of love, the
Kuma Suta.
All suites include a living room, bedroom, full kitchen and
bath. Many have Jacuzzis. If any suites are vacant during your stay, request a
look-see. It’s like viewing a trade show where a number of decorators create
their dream rooms.
While the TV required rather detailed handling, such
touches as a Native American dream-catcher on my pillow at turn-down seemed far
more important, as did the variety of quiches at breakfast.