7 Romantic Getaways in Santa Fe for All Seasons

Santa Fe has spectacular summer sunsets and there’s no better place to catch one than at the seasonal Bell Tower Bar on La Fonda‘s 5th-floor rooftop. The alfresco space features tables and a bar with panoramic views of the adjacent Plaza and beyond as well as expertly mixed margaritas (the Bell Ringer Margarita is their signature) and a short but sweet menu of quesadillas, guacamole, and a few other appetizers.

The four-diamond luxe hotel, like all of Santa Fe, is adobe and dates back to 1922. It’s the only hotel set right on Santa Fe’s historic, grassy main square known as the Plaza. La Fonda’s Southwestern style decor begins in the lobby and continues up to the spacious rooms and suites. These also feature colorful hand-painted headboards, side tables, and other furnishings as well as original art on the wall.

Beyond the Bell Tower Bar, there are two other restaurants on site. There is also a heated outdoor pool that stays open year-round and a rooftop spa and hot tub. Or you can up the romantic ante by arranging for an in-room couples massage.

If you’re looking for a romantic hotel that can double as a fabulous Insta photo-shoot, then look no further than the Inn of the Five Graces. The eclectic luxe property has just 25 rooms in adobe buildings on both sides of a one-way street, three blocks from the Plaza.

Owners Ira and Sylvia are avid world travelers and collectors and each lavish room is uniquely styled with pieces they have brought back from these trips. You’ll find Persian rugs, Indian carved wooden doors and other antiques throughout. And regardless of the decor, all rooms come with working fireplaces stocked with pinon wood that create a romantic vibe (not to mention scent) for chilly months. Rooms also feature thoughtful touches like embroidered silk covers for flat-screen TVs that keep them from detracting from the room’s aesthetics when not in use.

To relax, arrange for an in-room massage through the hotel’s High-Mountain Tibetan Spa, which also has a treatment room. In the morning, a delicious made-to-order breakfast is served in the dining room. And while there is no on-site restaurant, you can have dinner at the nearby 315 Restaurant and Wine Bar and charge it back to your room.

The historic Loretto Chapel, with its famous spiral staircase, is one of Santa Fe’s most popular wedding destinations. (Note you can only pose for photos on the staircase when you book the chapel for a wedding.) Next to it is the elegant Hotel Inn & Spa at Loretto. The four-star property features classic adobe architecture that’s heavily influenced by the Native American Pueblo architecture.

The rooms and suites here have an especially romantic vibe and the hotel is a popular wedding reception venue after a ceremony in the non-denominational chapel. They come with bold red accent walls and intricately woven rugs and textiles. The best rooms have balconies with sweeping sunset views as well as kiva fireplaces—a style of southwestern pueblo fireplace originally used by the Pueblo Indians.

There’s also an elegant restaurant onsite that cooks ups up innovative Southwestern fare. At dinner, the filet of beef is a menu favorite. The 6oz filet comes paired with blue corn cheese enchiladas topped with red or green chile. Before you check out, visit their award-winning spa for a four-hand massage known as the Dos Milagros. Or, try a sacred stone massage that uses heated volcanic river stones.

Canyon Road is Santa Fe’s famous art street. The windy, historic street is lined on either side with art galleries. On Christmas Eve, it’s a longstanding local tradition to walk Canyon Road just after dark. The road is lined with faralitos (candlelit brown bags) and you’ll pass bonfires in the street where spontaneous rounds of caroling often break out. The galleries stay open late and many serve up hot cocoa or mulled cider to passers-by.

The Inn on the Alameda is just a few blocks from Canyon Road and also walking distance from the Plaza. The three-star hotel boasts attractive rooms and suites with Southwestern decor and walls lined with local art. Couples will dig the two onsite hot tubs for an end of day soak. And there is a free breakfast buffet in the morning and a complimentary wine and cheese hour in the afternoon. Overall, this is a great value option for couples looking to save a little on accommodation while still staying in upmarket, central abodes.

Rosewood Inn of the Anasazi makes you feel like the VIP you deserve to be thanks to five-star service that matches their five-star ranking. The moment you step out of your car at this boutique property, just a half-block from the Plaza, you’ll be met by porters donning cowboy hats to escort you to reception for a seamless check-in. The rooms and suites are lovely and feature traditional wooden viga (exposed beam) ceilings, Southwestern art, colorful rugs and gas-lit kiva fireplaces that definitely up the ante on the romance.

Make a dinner reservation at the on-site Anasazi Restaurant—a local favorite. Entree selections included a sea bass pozole with pink hominy, shrimp, radish, cilantro, and green broth or a Native American prime strip-loin served with a mushroom and spinach enchilada and red mole.

Artistic romantics will love the Hotel La Posada de Santa Fe in part because it is the only hotel in American with an art curator on its payroll. Just three blocks from the Plaza, the hotel’s centerpiece is a brick Victorian home that was the largest manor house in New Mexico before it became a state. Today you’ll find artsy, stylish rooms and suites in the main building and outlying adobe casitas scattered across the landscaped grounds. Book one of the rooms with a working kiva fireplace — the hotel even has “fire butlers” to help you start burning the fragrant pinon wood.

For holistic healing, there is the award-winning Sage Spa onsite, which offers Santa Fe inspired treatments. It also has steam rooms to counterbalance the dry high desert air. There is an outdoor heated saltwater swimming pool and a hot tub as well as weekend yoga classes at the well-equipped gym. There are also two onsite restaurants, although one is only open seasonally. The signature eatery, Julia – A Spirited Restaurant is a unique find serving up original dishes like coffee-rubbed Native American New York strip with chocolate mole paired with chipotle sweet potato puree and charred broccolini.

If you’re looking for a romantic destination style resort retreat just outside city limits — maybe this isn’t your first tango in Santa Fe and you’ve already stayed downtown — then Four Seasons Resort Rancho Encantado is what to book. Set on 57-acres in the Sangre de Cristo foothills just about 20 minutes drive from downtown, this Four Season offers stunning views in all directions as well as freestanding guest rooms in individual adobe-style casitas. These feature Southwestern decor like exposed wood beams and adobe finished walls plus tile floors and colorful rugs and are very cozy and comfortable.

Couples will love the signature Four Seasons service that is ultra-personalized — they’ll deliver the ingredients to roast s’mores in the in-room kiva fireplace, for instance, and you can pair this with a bottle of bubbly for a romantic night in. Ranch Encantado is also a great luxe sleeping choice for active couples who want to spend as much time as possible playing in the great outdoors.

From here you can mountain bike and hike on miles of singletrack trails through high desert terrain. An onsite yoga studio, pilates equipment in the gym, a spa with a sauna and steam room and a pool with mountain views round out the amenities. And of course, as a destination resort, you’ll find a number of on-site dining options like Terra, which serves a New Mexican-accented American menu with a focus on regionally sourced meat. Try the herb-crusted Colorado rack of lamb or avocado rubbed bison.