Tranquility in Taos

I am not a drop-and-flop vacationer. I need to explore, and most of our vacations are pretty action-packed. 

But this spring I found myself burnt out beyond burnout. I felt I would simply die if I didn’t get a trip on the books. And though I craved adventure, what I really needed was R&R. 

So we started our destination search with some criteria in mind. 

• A long weekend with minimal travel time and complexity

• Somewhere affordable, that wouldn’t blow our budget for the rest of the year

• A degree of adventure… but at a way-slowed-down pace. 

Taos, New Mexico, has been on our radar for years. Artists and free spirits love this small desert town. After a little investigation, it appeared to be a destination with plenty of interesting things to do, but also a place we could take at our own pace, whatever felt right at the time. 

And it was so right. The otherworldly desert landscape is truly breathtaking. We slept in every day and took every day as it came. I can’t say enough about how good our meals were, and how nice it was to explore at a snail’s pace. 

I must say, the desert does something for me. This trip gave me everything I needed. I came home feeling like myself again. 

If you’re looking for a low-hanging getaway, Taos might be the retreat you need, too.

Where is Taos?

Taos is a small town about an hour and a half north of Santa Fe, and about the same distance from the Colorado border. It’s circled by the Sangre de Cristo mountains and becomes a popular ski destination during snow season. 

To get there, we flew into Denver, then to Santa Fe’s small regional airport, which was a quick hour-long flight. From Santa Fe, we rented a car and made the drive into Taos, which wasn’t bad at all. 

Taos is perhaps most famous for the Taos Pueblo, a living native community of the Taos-speaking tribe of Peubloan people. Taos Pueblo is a designated UNESCO heritage site famous for its striking adobe architecture. The pueblo offers guided tours year-round that highlight the culture and history of its people. 

So cool! 

Hotel Willa

The sun was just setting as we made our drive through the hilly landscape, the dark valley pocked with the light of scattered homes. We stayed at Hotel Willa, a boutique roadside motel with a heated pool in the courtyard. After dropping off our bags to our cozy room, we grabbed at late bite at Hotel Willa’s restaurant, Juliette — fantastic. Juliette serves rustic Southwest fare sourced from local farmers. 

I will admit, though we had many margaritas over the next few days, the Juliette’s margarita ranked at the top of our list. 

Our room was so comfortable and quiet, and with an art gallery featuring Southwest artists, the hotel is almost an activity in itself. If it had been just a little warmer, we’d have done way more courtyard sitting, especially at night when they get the fire going. 

Day 1: The Rio Grande Gorge and Ojo Caliente Hot Springs

The first morning we ate a huge, fantastic breakfast at Michael’s Kitchen and drove out to see the Rio Grande River Gorge. It was indeed “gorge!”  

The views are incredible, and just near the bridge a convenient turnoff gives you access to walk up to it. At night, it’s the perfect place to stargaze. The Taos area gets very dark at night and the thin air of the desert allows for crazy views of the Milky Way. I’d love to go again in August or December to catch one of the annual meteor showers. 

Restoration at Ojo Caliente Mineral Spa

photo from ojosparesorts.com

From the Gorge, we drove over to the Ojo Caliente Mineral Spa for a massage and a dip in the hot springs. 

Ojo caliente offers twelve communal hot springs that contain the four traditional healing minerals (arsenic, lithia, soda, and iron), as well as private plunge pools you can rent by the hour. 

Our massages were fantastic, as was our private plunge time. I can’t portray how quiet and peaceful it is out there. Originally, we were going to book our spa day at the end of our trip, but I’m glad we booked it at the beginning. It really set the chill tone for the rest of our stay. 

Cool history at the Millicent Rogers Museum

On the way back, we stopped at the Millicent Rogers Museum, a real gem we probably would have missed if not for a recommendation from our server the night before. 

Millicent Rogers was an oil heiress who landed in Taos after a rough breakup with Clark Gable. She was a socialite, fashionista, and a true champion of Southwest culture. The museum is largely a collection of Southwest jewelry and art, including several pieces designed by Millicent Rogers herself and it gives great history on how these traditions evolved. 

There are a few other museums in Taos that escaped us, but I bet would be cool, like the Taos Art Museum at Fechin House and the Taos Historic Museums.

Dinner at the Historic Taos Inn

We capped off the day with some stellar tacos (and more margs) at the Historic Taos Inn’s Adobe Bar. Though the Inn is an inn, it’s got a great local feel with Adobe design and musicians every night. The service and food were fantastic.

Day 2: Earthships and Strolling Around Town

The breakfast spots in Taos do not miss! Manzanita Market is just a few blocks from Willa, and we had the most delicious Southwest style breakfast bowl to start our day. Then we set out once again into the desert! 

The Earthships

Near the Gorge lies a fascinating sustainable architecture project called the Greater World Earthship Community (a mouth full, I know). 

The Earthship community is a neighborhood of self-sustaining off-grid homes. Started 50 years ago by architect Michael Reynolds, the houses naturally heat and cool themselves. An innovative water system allows each home to subsist on the scant 7 inches of rainfall the Taos area gets per year. It’s so effective they grow vegetables in these homes. 

The houses are bizarre but beautiful, made of discarded tires and bottles stucco-ed together with a traditional adobe mixture. For a few bucks, you can tour a model home to see how it works. The engineering and philosophy are fascinating, and it really gets your imagination going. 

If we still lived in Mississippi, Riley would be outside right now with a shovel and sledge hammer, building our own earthship.

Exploring Taos proper

The bebop-ability of Taos is high. The John Dunn shops feature a slew of cool shops, from menswear to pottery to outdoor supplies. We loved the op.cit bookshop! 

From John Dunn, you can just keep walking up the main drag to other collections of shops and town squares. This kind of wandering is an easy way to spend a morning or afternoon. 

There are a few cool landmarks like the San Francisco de Asis Mission Church that you can simply drive up to and explore.

Dinner at Love Apple

Every vacation needs a nice-meal night, and Love Apple was perfect, probably the best meal we had on the trip. The cozy farmhouse vibe was so chill, even though the place itself is slightly upscale. I had an immaculate fish something and Riley had a steak, which he gave high marks. The menu changes and they don’t post it online, but don’t let that deter you. The service, food, and cocktails were all divine.

Day 3: Up, Up and Away!

A fun fact about me, is that I am fascinated with air- and sea-craft. Anything that flies or floats, I’m into it. One of our first dates was a hot air balloon ride, and when we found Rio Grande Balloons in Taos, we knew we had to book. 

The experience did not disappoint. 

We met our balloon team at the edge of Taos early in the morning, around 5. Then we drove to the launch site where our crew did some wind assessments and planned where we would land. Once that stuff was figured out, we helped blow up the balloon and off we went. 

It’s amazing how far you can see in the desert. From the balloon, we could see a hundred miles off to Colorado in the north and to Santa Fe in the south. The 600 foot drop of the Rio Grande Gorge becomes 6,600 feet. Below you can see the rams and other wildlife stirring in the morning, and the houses all look like legos. 

After about 45 minutes in the air, we began to drift slowly down to a predetermined field where the rest of the crew waited for us. We landed softly, packed up the balloon, and enjoyed a post-flight toast at the rest stop by the bridge. 

Absolutely unforgettable. I can’t say enough about the Rio Grande Balloons crew. They are so kind and knowledgeable! They took pictures for us and emailed them the next day. 

The rest of the day, we napped and walked around to a few stores near Hotel Willa, and around happy hour, we headed to Aceq in nearby Arroyo Seco for and early dinner. We sat in the bar area, which has an open kitchen setup. The atmosphere was lively and the food, a modern take on traditional Southwest cuisine, was delicious. 

And just like that, our restorative getaway came to a close. We headed back to Hotel Willa, had one more margarita at Juliette, and packed our bags for the travel day ahead of us. 

Would we go back? Yes yes yes! 

Need-To-Knows

What to expect on a hot air balloon ride

If you’re nervous, don’t be! The balloon’s basket is amazingly stable in the air. We experienced zero rocking or swaying. It’s literally like being in an elevator in the sky. That said, the basket is about the size of a large elevator. You will be shoulder-to-shoulder with other riders, and that’s ok. Just embrace it and enjoy the ride. 

Again, I would highly suggest Rio Grande Balloons for your ride. They’ll keep you apprised of the weather conditions by email leading up to your date. Taos has a Wal Mart and a Tractor Supply Co in town, in case  you need to buy base layers (we sure did). 

The restaurant rundown

Like I said, we didn’t have a bad meal. 

Breakfast and Lunch: Michael’s Kitchen, Tomorrow and Tomorrow, and Manzanita Market, La Cueva, and World Cup (for coffee) were fantastic. 

Dinner: Juliette, Love Apple, Aceq, and the Adobe Bar were all hits. We heard good things about the upscale Lambert’s and The Alley, a local favorite. 

There are a few key Taos activities we didn’t get to do 

The Taos Pueblo was closed for a native gathering, so we didn’t get to see it. The Puye Cliff Dwellings were also closed. I wish we would have had another day to check out the Bandelier National Monument, which contains ancient cliff dwellings and ancient villages of the ancestral Pueblo people.

Near Bandelier, ther’s the Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks monument, which gives you wild geology and cool slot canyon hikes. Next time! 

The takeaway is, call and make sure the places you want to see will be open on the days you plan to visit. Of course, I’d love to book you on a trip to Taos, in which case I’d handle all that checking around for you.

Want to Go?

Taos is perfect for what we needed: a restorative getaway with a touch of adventure. It reminded me of why I love travel in the first place. Between the landscape, the food, the air itself, it felt nothing like home, like nothing familiar. I think it does the spirit good to encounter new worlds and experiences. Taos can give you that middle-of-nowhere feeling that signifies a solid retreat. 

And Taos seems so flexible. There’s so much outdoors-ing to do, a whole summer’s worth of hiking and kayaking, not to mention skiing. Taos would also be fun as a leg of a longer trip that included Santa Fe and Albuquerque.

If you’re Taos-curious, I’d love to help make your trip a reality. You can start the conversation here, DM me on Instagram, or email me at alyssa.manning@fora.travel.