Contrary to popular belief, Santa Fe isn't all about quaint adobe walls baking in the New Mexico desert sun. In winter, more than any other time, this historic, walkable city gets its groove on.
The square kilometre around Santa Fe's central plaza offers an impressive range of antique stores and high-end fashion boutiques, selling everything from Southwestern furnishings and cowboy gear to Navajo silver and turquoise jewellery.
If you're an art connoisseur, the city's 200-plus galleries boast the United States' best collection of museum-quality art outside of New York and L.A.
The surrounding area, meanwhile, offers a variety of stunning day trips, from horseback riding to swimming in hot springs.
The city is unique to North America in that all the buildings in its downtown core are entirely made of adobe. Located at the base of the Sangre de Cristo mountains, Santa Fe was under Spanish and then Mexican rule for almost 400 years before New Mexico achieved statehood in 1912. Although it was the indigenous Pueblo people who taught the Spanish to build with mud, it was urban planners in the early 20th century who, in an attempt to boost tourism, created a bylaw to ensure that all new construction would adhere to the adobe style. It seems to have worked.
What's coming up
Visit the Winter Spanish Market on Dec. 3 and 4 to pick up an early Christmas gift, such as a hand-woven rug or Catholic icon. This annual winter fair is run by the Spanish Colonial Arts Society ( http://www.spanishcolonial.org), which is dedicated to the preservation of traditional Spanish Colonial artwork in tin, straw appliqué and Santos carving.
Until Jan. 8, 2006, the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum (217 Johnson St.; 505-946-1000; okeeffemuseum.org) is hosting a special exhibition entitled Georgia O'Keeffe and Andy Warhol: Flowers of Distinction, which compares the flower paintings of two of America's most celebrated and popular modernist painters.
For more active pursuits, head to Ski Santa Fe ( http://www.skisantafe.com), which reopens for the season on Nov. 24. Located in the Sangre de Cristo mountains, the summit is around 3,800 metres high. There are more than 550 vertical metres of skiing, and 67 runs offer beautiful views of the Santa Fe National Forest.
Diversions
On the north side of the city's central plaza is the Palace of the Governors (505-476-5100; http://www.palaceofthegovernors.org), the oldest public building in the United States. Built around 1610, it was the seat of four regional governments -- Spain's, Mexico's, the Confederacy's, and the U.S. territory's -- before New Mexico became a state. Palace walks and history talks are available Monday to Saturday from 10:15 a.m. to noon. During the day, Native American artisans gather under the building's portico to sell pottery, silver jewellery and other crafts. Don't take pictures without asking permission first.
St. Francis Cathedral (231 Cathedral Place; 505-982-5619) is the only real architectural departure from the adobe style you will see in downtown Santa Fe. Construction was started in 1869 by Jean Baptiste Lamy, Santa Fe's first archbishop, and he favoured the Romanesque style that was popular in his native France. He was sent by the Catholic Church to "civilize the natives" -- and wound up as the inspiration behind Willa Cather's novel Death Comes for the Archbishop.
Where to stay
Built in the 1930s, the El Rey Inn (1862 Cerrillos Rd.; 505-982-1931; http://www.elreyinnsantafe.com) has a retro look, with timber beams and antique furnishings. The bathrooms are more modern, having been recently renovated, and there is a large outdoor pool plus indoor and outdoor hot tubs and private balconies off some rooms. Double occupancy rates start at around $100 a night.
For something a bit more upscale, treat yourself to the Hotel Santa Fe (1501 Paseo de Peralta; 505-982-1200; http://www.hotelsantafe.com) at the edge of the Guadalupe District, a short walk from the central plaza. The more expensive rooms in the Hacienda wing of this three-storey, Pueblo-style adobe hotel have their own fireplaces and feature an in-house butler, purported to have been trained in London. Rates start at around $150 a night.
If the sky is the limit, stay at the Inn of the Five Graces (150 East DeVargas St.; 505-992-0957; http://www.fivegraces.com). South of the Santa Fe River, but still within an easy walk of the Plaza, this hotel features a distinctive blend of Asian and Latin American aesthetics, with its embroidered Indian textiles and hand-woven Mexican rugs. With mosaic-tiled bathrooms, soaking tubs and fireplaces in most of the rooms, this hotel will make you feel pampered. Rates start at around $350 a night.
Where to eat
Head to The Cowgirl (319 South Guadalupe St.; 505-982-2565) for Tex-Mex cuisine and a room full of sepia photographs, rusty boot spurs and old cowboy hats. Breakfast is a social activity in Santa Fe, and The Cowgirl serves up what some consider the best breakfast burrito in town. Or go there in the evening for a pint of Fat Tire Amber Ale and some live rock or blues.
For the finest food on the central plaza, Café Pasqual's (121 Don Gaspar Ave., 505-983-9340) is your best bet, serving a range of local specialties, such as buttermilk biscuits with sage-bacon gravy. You may have to join the lineup to get into this small, colourful restaurant.
If you want something local and authentic, but with a touch of fine dining, check out El Farol (808 Canyon Rd.; 505-983-9912). Taking culinary cues from Spain, you can order paella or a range of gourmet tapas. Built in 1835 and reputed to be the oldest restaurant in Santa Fe, El Farol is charming both in appearance and ambience. And there's live music nightly and flamenco dancing on the weekends.
After dark
If you want to go country and western, head to Rodeo Nites (2911 Cerrillos Rd.; 505-473-4138) for an evening of line dancing and two-stepping -- but be warned that things can get rowdy by the end of the night.
The Dragon Room (406 Old Santa Fe Trail; 505-983-7712), located in the Pink Adobe restaurant, has for many years now been the place in town for Santa Fe celeb-spotting. So if you want to be seen, this is the perfect place for you.
Santa Fe Convention & Visitors
Bureau: 1-800-777-2489; www.
santafe.org.