Looking for a new girlfriend getaway? Both Cosmopolitan Magazine and Travel + Leisure consider The City Different a great destination, always offering a unique and memorable experience. Spontaneous fun and adventure, award-winning cuisine, spas, and galleries await you and your gal pals. So grab your mom, your sister, and your bestie and check out these Santa Fe-specific girlfriend gathering tips.
Welcome to the Santa Fe Margarita Trail!
They say “All Trails Lead to Santa Fe,” but are you aware that Santa Fe is known to be the one of the first places in the world where tequila was exported from Mexico? And the Santa Fe Margarita Trail is only the latest in centuries of Santa Fe trail tradition.
Your trail adventure starts with the Margarita Trail Passport, which you can find at any of the convenient Visitors Centers or you can download the app. The Passport is your invitation to explore Santa Fe’s love and connection to the margarita at dozens of its most popular bars and restaurants. With 50 signature margaritas on the Trail to tantalize your taste buds, each with their own story, you’re sure to find a favorite or two! Collect stamps in your Passport or app along the way and win fun prizes. An added bonus: Your Passport features a recipe for each margarita, meaning you can continue to recreate your great experience back at home. The Margarita Trail promises to be one of your most memorable Santa Fe culinary adventures. Your girlfriends will agree!
Pamper Yourselves the Santa Fe Way
People have been traveling to Santa Fe for many centuries to enjoy its rare beauty and climate, but also to refresh and renew themselves. Santa Fe can be a great escape for you and your girlfriends to rest, relax, and take advantage of a wide spectrum of spa treatments.
If you love the outdoor soaking experience, take yourself and your friends on a little excursion about 20 miles from town to the 77-acre Ojo Santa Fe Resort, where you'll find multiple spring-fed thermal pools in a naturally tranquil setting. Also book yourself a treatment or two and consider Blue Heron restaurant for your sustenance.
Don't just take our word for it: Travel + Leisure ranked Ojo Santa Fe Spa Resort on the 2023 World's Best Awards list of the "16 Best Spa Weekend Getaways in the U.S." and Open Table placed Izanami on the list of the "100 Best Outdoor Dining Restaurants in America for 2022."
And there's more: The Japanese-inspired spa, Ten Thousand Waves, is only minutes from the historic downtown Plaza. Among piñons and junipers are beautiful outdoor hot tubs and spa suites, world-class bodywork and skin care, and the heralded Izanami restaurant that serves upscale izakaya fare or small plates accompanied by extensive selection of premium Japanese sake!
The Spa at Loretto, the Spa at the Four Seasons Rancho Encantado, La Posada de Santa Fe, and the Nidah Spa at the Eldorado Hotel also have marvelous services. Bishop's Lodge recently received the accolade from Sunset Magazine: "Best Luxury Spa Resort."
But that’s not all. There are more ways to pamper yourself in The City Different, so check this page out.
Shopping Is the Best Girlfriend Medicine
Santa Fe's distinctive mix of small, entrepreneurially driven shops and the convenient, walkable nature of the city's shopping districts has long been a notable plus for locals and visitors alike.
For a truly wonderful art and shopping experience, you should not miss historic Canyon Road. It was named one of the most iconic streets in America by readers of USA Today. This magical, tree-lined half-mile in the historic district of Santa Fe is a picturesque stroll where you can amble in and out of galleries, shops, and restaurants housed in charming old adobe homes.
Sena Plaza, located just one block of the Santa Fe Plaza, is also worth a look, with its eclectic collection of specialty shops. Additional musts: Marcy Street's exciting block of local shops and Guadalupe Street in the Railyard District.
For more great shopping suggestions, click here.
Of course you and your gals are never lacking for something to gab about, but nothing stimulates conversation more than experiencing art, and Santa Fe was recently named the world's best city for museums, so this tip is a must. Plus, you know you've always wanted to learn more about Georgia O'Keeffe, who adopted Santa Fe as her home late in life, and is memorialized in a museum of the same name just steps from the Plaza. You can also tour her former home in Abiquiú, 60 miles from Santa Fe, and see the vistas she painted at Ghost Ranch Education & Retreat Center. But, just five minutes from downtown, you all can get a dose of four museums and a botanical garden on Museum Hill, not only offering you a glimpse into the Indigenous cultures that have formed Santa Fe's heritage and the world's largest museum of international folk art, but a sweeping 360-degree views of the city. A tasty lunch for the museum weary at the aptly named Museum Hill Cafe is a must! For more ideas, click here. And for a little more guidance, an art tour with a resident expert can illuminate all of it for your group in just the right way!
Take a Class!
There's nothing quite like constantly expanding your knowledge and skill base, and in Santa Fe, it's easy and fun to do. Does your posse like drawing, painting, yoga, photography or pottery? You all can find expert instruction here in The City Different, a mecca for highly creative and ingenious folks! And, while you may think you know your way around the kitchen, why not discover something about how to best cook that tasty Northern New Mexico cuisine you've been loving throughout your trip? Check out the Santa Fe School of Cooking or Las Cosas Cooking School, where you can take classes in our regional cuisine.
Get into the Culinary Arts
Santa Fe has so many restaurants to choose from! The City Different is home to an unrivaled collection of James Beard Award-recognized culinary gourmands and local farm-to-table food artisans, including The Compound Restaurant chef/owner Mark Kiffin, chef/owner Fernando Olea of Sazón, and celebrated cookbook author Cheryl James. Whether you’re looking for elegant sophistication, something casual, or just the marvelous flavors of Northern New Mexico and its red and green chile, Santa Fe is teeming with great restaurant options. Bring your curiosity and your appetites and start planning your girlfriend getaway culinary adventure! For other ideas, consider flipping through our Official Santa Fe Dining Guide, a fun menu magazine published annually.
Get a taste of The City Different! Order your Official Santa Fe Visitors Guide now or browse our deals and specials to help you plan your next trip to Santa Fe.
