Hacienda Rancho de Chimayo, Chimayo

Adobe walls, wooden floors, vigas (log beams) and an horno (adobe fireplace) in the corner; this is hacienda living. Eight rooms in a hollow square surround the courtyard with its fountain and shade trees where breakfast is served al fresco. If you know the back roads, the hacienda is an easy 20 minutes from the Plaza at Santa Fe. Across the street is the Rancho de Chimayo restaurant also founded by the Jaramillo family serving what is arguably the best New Mexico cuisine anywhere. Pricing for the hacienda and restaurant are ridiculously low. Chimayo is the southern terminous of the High Road to Taos. Chimayo has its own plaza which rivals Santa Fe's in size and age. It is partially ruinous, but worth the trip if you can find it. Chimayo is also home to the Santuario de Chimayo, known as the Lourdes of North America. The Hacienda de Chimayo experience is immersion in Spanish Colonial culture. This is off-the-beaten path New Mexico at its best.