Dancing Ground of the Sun, Santa Fe

We booked a two-night stay based on the nice photos on the hotel's website, which make it look like DGS offers big, clean, fancy suites. We figured that $320/night for a really nice room with a separate bedroom and kitchen was worth it considering that it was the high season in a touristy town. But the room we were stuck in was nothing like the swanky photos on the website. It was dark, dingy, and run-down. It had low ceilings, a flaking (and ugly) paint job, cracks and holes in the wall, exposed wires, mold in the bathroom, a cramped bedroom, and negative atmosphere. The website promised a "charming" room with a "spacious bedroom" and "tasteful" furnishings. We got none of these things. In short, DGS was dumpy and hardly worth the exorbitant price.

The discrepancies among the previous reviews can be explained by the wide range in the quality of rooms provided by this inn: We stayed there in February 2007 and experienced both ends of the spectrum. On the first night, we were given a room in the "main" building - and, at first glance, the room seemed cute and clean (if small). However, during the night, the incessant buzzing of the street lights, the unbearably noisy air conditioner of our neighbor, plus the noise of the street traffic in the early morning hours, kept us from getting any sleep. Next morning, we told the front desk of the problem - and (with apologies), they promptly put us into another room - which turned out to be one of the lovely "casitas" for the next 2 nights. These are beautiful rooms - with character and charm - and very clean. So - make sure to ask for one of the "CASITAS" located at the back of the property - and in NO circumstance should you stay in any of the rooms of the "main" building (where the front desk and dining room is.)

What we liked about this place was you had your own little porch and a fire place. the decor was very nice. only a couple blocks from the plaza. very romantic if you get the casita.

On the plus side, it was clean and a 5 minute walk to downtown, but so are many other places. The minus side needs a list: The ceiling light was so dim that it was like using a candle - literally. One of the bedside lamps had a short and needed work to get it on. The closet was less than 2 feet wide. There is no bureau, nor is there room to put two suitcases anywhere but as close to the bed as possible. The curtains were white and slightly see through, and parted enough to see in at night. Yikes! The motel is at the intersection of two roads that have a lot of traffic 24 hours a day, including horn beepers and loud music all night long. The people that run this motel leave at 8pm and do not return until 8am. There is literally no one there. Aside from all the ramifications of what means, it means that you cannot have coffee with cream in it until 8am.

Although they messed up the Travelocity billing and instead billed our credit card, our room, an oversized queen, was lovely, handpainted decoration, fireplace, big bathroom, and although on a busy road, quiet. The breakfasts were great (could start earlier than 8am) and saved us a lot of money.Affordable and close to everything.

I agree completely with review "Authenic New Mexico". We were there 12/05, stayed in one of the ground-level casitas, and loved the historic feel of this bungalow. The wood fireplace added charm, and even though we never cooked, having the full kitchen was great, too. (AM coffee and PM margaritas always hit the spot.) We found the complimentary help-yourself breakfasts to be healty, saved us $$$ and got us on to our adventures of the day quickly. Do not be dissuaded by any negative reviews you read. We almost were, but are glad we went anyway. This is not a 5-star, luxury B&B, but rather a sweet bargain with more charm than snob-appeal.

It was clean,pretty, and gave us that Santa Fe ambiance we wanted. Within walking distance to the plaza, and the waffles for breakfast were yummy!

I loved this place. The room decor was real New Mexican, not artificial. The woodburning fireplace was nice as opposed to gas fireplaces that one usually finds in motels. I liked the quiet, secluded nature of the room and yet it was an easy five minute walk to the plaza. I was NOT looking for a posh, fancy, modern motel with room service and lots of conveniences. I wanted authentic New Mexico and that's just what I got. I am looking forward to returning to this motel again soon.