Although Santa Fe is an art-lovers’ mecca all year round, come summertime, the city fills with music enthusiasts who flock there to take in a performance (or several) at the storied Santa Fe Opera.
Running from June 30-August 26, the 2017 season promises to be a showstopper with a calendar of old favorites like Die Fledermaus and Lucia di Lammermoor, as well as exciting new works such as The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs. The performances take place in the opera’s stunning outdoor theater just after the sun sets over New Mexico’s red hills. If you plan to attend this year, it’s never too early to buy your tickets, as many performances sell out far in advance.
That also means it is time to think about accommodations and to book a stay at one of Santa Fe’s most lavish luxury hotels, the Rosewood Inn of the Anasazi. With just 58 rooms and suites, the Rosewood property maintains a feeling of intimacy and exclusivity right in the heart of the city, just around the corner from the historic Santa Fe Plaza and sights like the Palace of the Governors.
Rosewood’s core philosophy is that its properties should each embody a unique “sense of place” depending on the destination, and the Inn of the Anasazi exemplifies that credo. Throughout the hotel, guests will find distinctive touches that all speak to the Southwest and New Mexico’s vibrant indigenous populations. The hotel’s art collection and decorative features include hand-woven wall hangings and textiles, meticulous tile and woodwork, traditional paintings, contemporary sculpture and the ceramics and baskets for which this region is especially well known. The guest levels on the second and third floor are also connected by a dramatic two-story fountain based on traditional Anasazi architecture and beliefs.
Guestrooms are a blend of contemporary refinement and Southwest flair. Enormous beds with white-on-white sheets and leather headboards, in-room Keurig coffeemakers and twice-daily housekeeping are counterpoints to colorful patterned throw pillows and rough-hewn wooden shutters and enormous wooden ceiling beams. Rooms also have traditional adobe kiva fireplaces for those cold high-desert nights. The bathrooms, meanwhile, are kitted out with marble-topped vanities and all-marble showers stocked with C.O. Bigelow products.
For a truly unique experience, book one of the one- or two-bedroom Anasazi Suites. They are laid out in several different configurations, though each has a living and dining room, separate bedrooms and oversize bathrooms perfect for luxuriating after a day out exploring the city’s galleries and museums or hiking the ghostly hills of Bandelier National Monument.
Though the hotel does not have a spa, guests can indulge in the signature in-room massage and aromatherapy treatment that utilizes traditional healing plants and techniques to reduce stress and fatigue caused by travel and Santa Fe’s altitude. The public areas also include a bar and a cozy little library with books on the area, its history, arts and natural scenery.
However, the hotel’s other standout amenity is its restaurant. The sidewalk patio portion is popular in the summer for unparalleled people-watching and its pre-opera menu. But be sure to book a table inside the romantically lit main dining room one evening for the full experience. The stone walls, wood-beamed ceiling and mid-century-inspired furniture all create a sophisticated experience unlike any other in the city.
Start with a drink from cocktail list of original specialties like the Santa Fe 66 with apple brandy, lemon, sugar and Gruet NV sparkling wine; or the Silver Dragon with Casa Dragones Blanco, OM Ginger and peach liqueur.
Chef Edgar Beas is constantly changing and innovating his menus as ingredients come in and out of season and he crisscrosses the state partnering with farmers and purveyors cultivating interesting heirloom varieties of vegetables, fruits and meats.
The summer menu might include specialties like a rich quail egg tart with briny boquerones, Treviso greens, local oyster mushrooms and an eye-catching violet mustard, all sprinkled with bright wildflowers. The heirloom tomato salad also contains juicy melon, house-smoked guanciale, smoked yogurt, crispy radish and avocado. It’s fresh, light and tangy. For a main, the saddle of local lamb is garnished with tart homemade goat curd, fresh sliced peaches, green beans tossed with a mint puree and a polenta-like bed of rice porridge. The must-have dessert is the plate of cinnamon and sugar-dusted churros served with hot sauces of salted cajeta (like caramel) and chocolate.
They’re the sweet end to a stay at this one-of-a-kind inn.
