A Winter Stay at Casa de Muñeco, the Most Charming Home in Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe, the Capital city of New Mexico, is a wonderful place to visit. There are great places to stay, great restaurants and many art galleries. It’s the art that brings a lot of people to Santa Fe. In the summer there are festivals and cultural events that draw lots of travelers. We’ve had friends in the area for years, so we had made several summer trips. This was only our second time visiting in the winter, our first, just before Christmas. We stayed at a short term rental called Casa de Muñeco. It was the cutest, most charming place to stay in a terrific location.
A link to the property can be found: HERE
Casa de Muñeco, means “doll house” in Spanish. And that description is perfect. It was two bedrooms and two bathrooms, built in 1942. It is the classic adobe style, found in much of Santa Fe. When we arrived, we were greeted with a welcome gift.
Of course we started off with a glass of wine. While the house is 80 years old, the kitchen had all new and modern appliances.
There are splits in every room, probably to provide air conditioning in the summer months. Fortunately they also provide great heat, as it was a chilly 24 degrees outside when we arrived. The primary bedroom had a king size bed and one of the most comfortable mattresses I’ve ever slept on.
The living area was beautifully decorated like the rest of the house. Each room had a fireplace called a “Kiva” very popular in the southwestern pueblo architecture. Fortunately, they worked very well, making this cozy house even warmer.
One of the best features of Casa de Muñeco, is it is just two blocks off of Canyon Road, the famous road of art galleries and wonderful restaurants in Santa Fe. After our long drive, we headed to a favorite restaurant called, “Geronimo.” It had been 3 years since our last visit to this restaurant. We were welcomed with a little bubbly on the house.
We started with Geronimo’s version of Caesar Salad; Wasabi Caesar. It was delicious!
We next had Pan Seared Foie Gras. It literally melted in your mouth. We shared both of these starters, so we could have more tastes.
When it came time for the entrees, we each ordered our own. I had one of their signature dishes, Tellicherry Rubbed Elk Tenderloin. Tellicherry is a type of a peppercorn. The tenderloin was so incredibly tender and the flavors of the sauce outstanding.
Steve had the 72-hour Sous Vide Short Ribs. He was very happy with his choice too.
The pictures absolutely do not do the deliciousness of these dishes justice!
We had reservations for 3 weeks ahead. I would highly recommend making a reservation at Geronimo early. It’s worth the splurge, for sure.
Their website can be found: HERE
Geronimo Decorated for Christmas
The very kind, and very cold valet was nice enough to snap a picture for us with the holiday lights in the background.
The next morning we attempted to take a walk around town. Usually the plaza in town is bustling with tourist and local people selling their beautiful arts and crafts. The very chilly 17 degree weather kept most people indoors.
There was a little snow on the ground and the plaza was decorated for Christmas.
We then made our way to Canyon Road to check out some of the art and art galleries. It’s a little less than a mile walk from the plaza, with a lot of sites to see along the way. On this day we drove to try to warm up a bit. The galleries were all open (most do not like pictures taken inside) so we wandered up and down the street. The art spills out beautifully onto the streetside.
Beautiful sculptures set against a very blue sky and a bit of snow on the ground.
Next we came up on the Prescott Gallery and Sculpture Garden. They show such fun and whimsical sculptures! In the right house and garden these would be great to have.
Canyon Road, Santa Fe
With over 200 galleries in Santa Fe, you could make a whole trip of just enjoying the beautiful art. Of course, there are art schools and art classes for those wanting to grow their talents.
But it was so cold, time to head for a warm lunch.
We drove up out of town for about 5 miles to Ten Thousand Waves. This is a boutique hotel with just 14 rooms and a full spa. It is modeled after a traditional Japanese “ryokan,” with tatami rooms and outdoor baths or “onsens” on the property. We have been to the spa a few years ago and it’s wonderful. We have not stayed at the hotel. The restaurant is called Izanami. They were busy on this afternoon, so we parked, and took a short walk up the hill to the restaurant.
There is a choice in the restaurant to sit at a traditional table (outside is offered in the summer). We chose to sit in a tatami room, as is found in traditional Japanese restaurants. We had a beautiful view of the snow covered hills around the property.
Oh the food! It was so delicious. Everything is served in small, sharable plates. We were having a late lunch, planning for this to be our main meal of the day.
We started with a sake tasting of 3 different sakes. We are not experts in sake at all so we took our waiter’s recommendation. They were all very different and good. Our first dish was the Spicy Cucumber + Avocado salad. Chunks of cucumber and avocados were tossed with an avocado dressing and topped with marcona almonds and cilantro. It was delicious.
We next had “onigiri,’ a rice cake stuffed with crab. It too was delicious.
Our favorite dish was the Ebi Tempura. It came in a small glass dipped in a pineapple-aji amarillo sweet chile sauce.
Last we had to have the traditional ishiyaki. Wagu beef cooked at your table on a 500 degree hot stone. It was served with two wonderful dipping sauces.
Make Room For Dessert
Even though we were stuffed we were persuaded to have the yuzu cheese cake for dessert. It was served with a delicious raspberry sauce.
We would highly recommend Izanami for lunch or dinner. Link to the website found: HERE
Back to the adorable Casa de Muñeco and the real reason we went out to lunch rather than dinner. Our favorite football team was playing that night. What a better way to enjoy the game than on a brand new TV in the coziest, beautifully decorated room.
I could have stayed longer, but we will be back to Casa de Muñeco again soon!
