Ranch Of The Dreamers

Four Seasons Santa Fe

If you equate luxury with opulence, you may drive right past the entrance of the Four Seasons Resort Rancho Encantado Santa Fe. There is nothing more than a small sign indicating you are about to turn into a resort that blends maybe too well into the beautiful desert landscape of the Sangre de Cristo foothills with the Rio Grande River Valley and Jemez Mountains not far in the distance. You may forget (big mistake) you were pulling into a Four Seasons but do not be fooled because this resort has every bit as much refined luxury as any of the other properties lucky enough to wear this brand’s name. Now I hear the saying “never judge a book by its cover” going through my head and it is as true now as it ever was. I had never been to New Mexico, never even had it on my radar. To be honest when trying to choose a resort to explore I tend to be all water, sand and flip flops. I wanted to look deeper into this amazing country we call home and find an area perhaps unexplored to others as it was to me that may appeal to many of the diverse personalities we communicate with. It's hard for me to imagine not everyone wants to sit on a beach under an umbrella or cabana and “do nothing” as a way of relaxing.  Well, I have found the perfect place for those who want to do “nothing” (like yours truly) and “everything” when it comes to being indoors or outdoors in the breathtaking, historical west and still get away from it all. Four Seasons Rancho Encantado and the area around it are enchanted and enchanting as its name indicates. 

The Four Seasons Rancho Encantado sits on 57 rolling acres just 10 minutes from downtown Santa Fe and 20 miles from Santa Fe Regional Airport, but you feel like you have arrived into the tranquility of a place in the middle of nowhere. When you pull up to the resort it screams peaceful. No big towers or large buildings, just this intimate boutique resort integrated into the rugged natural surroundings. The lobby is unassuming, and you don’t know what to expect behind its doors.  There is a doorman there immediately to attend to you, your bags and escort you into the small but elegant lobby so smoothly you barely have time to notice the huge woodburning fireplace with Adirondack chairs made out of skis ready to have you sit down if making it inside is just too much. If you have the energy to make it through you will be rewarded with a warm greeting from the front desk ready to help you get settled and explore all the resort has to offer. Adjacent to the reception desk is the lobby and bar area with a beautiful fireplace, tables and a long leather banquette sofa. Every wall is dressed in beautiful artwork. Terra, the resort's main restaurant, sits to the right side of the bar and is stunning with glass walls of wine, an attention-grabbing fireplace and many places to relax and await a spectacular meal. Through both the lobby/bar area and Terra there are glass doors that lead to one of the amazing patios that hosts a huge outdoor firepit and small conversation areas where you can enjoy the beautiful cloudless sky having morning coffee or watching one of the best sunsets you will ever see with a signature cocktail. More on that to come!

The resort has 65 Casitas that are spread out to ensure privacy, peace and views for days. Fifty-six are the singular guest casitas and 9 are suites. The most popular and private are the Encantado Suites.  Measuring over 1000 square feet with two fireplaces, a living room, powder room and fenced in secluded courtyard. Perfect for your furry friend because the resort is pet friendly which I personally think is awesome. These suites sit on the property’s highest elevation and have unrestricted beautiful views. I stayed in the mountain view casita which was located on the second floor and I could see the lobby and the lobby views of the mountains and landscape from my elevated level. All casita rooms are at least 600 square feet of tastefully elegant Soutwest styled comfort. There was a mini bar upon entering with a welcome granola, homemade cornbread and jam gift. The bathroom was spa style with a huge stone tiled shower, a double vanity with a large mirror and a huge soaking tub I wanted to spend days in. Did I mention the floors could be heated?  Well, they could, and I did. It was awesome. The room itself had a wood burning fireplace stocked with fresh wood, fire starters and matches. If you don’t feel confident in your fire-starting skills there is a fire butler, yes that is a real person, and they come assemble and create your fire for you. The blow torch they carry makes them much more official than trying with your matches. The casita I was in had a king bed which was like a cloud to sleep in with nightstands on each side and two comfy sitting chairs and a table at the foot of the bed. There was also a desk and chair. Two sliding doors opened to a partially covered balcony with two chairs, a table and lounge chair. Since it was March and not quite warm at night yet, I found my favorite thing to do was open the doors and sit in the chairs at the foot of the bed with the breeze blowing in while looking at the amazing scenery with my fire, started by my butler, burning away. I will probably never say those words again.

For a small resort the Four Seasons Rancho Encantado has so much to offer when it comes to activities it may need another article!  As I am a self-proclaimed lounger, I found myself to be busy for the 72 hours I was lucky enough to stay here. But if you want to come and do nothing, no one here is going to make you do anything except what you want to. Just to the right of the lobby is a line of buildings that sit slightly elevated and house most of the amenities the resort has to offer. The year-round outdoor heated pool and whirlpool have amazing views. You could happily spend the day reading, snoozing, and enjoying the beautiful desert air. There is also a pool snack bar open seasonally. Next to the pool is a full-service fitness center with plenty of free weights, strength machines, bikes, ellipticals and treadmills also with those same amazing views. The cardio machines have screens so you could even plug in your favorite workout video or watch a show. There are towels, waters and earphones available for your workout. I needed the towels and water desperately since I haven't worked out in high elevation in a while! There is a dedicated movement studio located next door to the gym which offers a daily morning yoga class. Pilates is also available. If you want a private session with a certified trainer for the gym, yoga or Pilates that can be arranged for you.

Now we are going to get serious about adventure and activities. The resort has its own adventure center. Don’t know what that means?  I had no idea either until I tentatively stuck my head inside and realized I am not even close to knowing what outdoor adventure is. It is not sitting by the firepit when it's cold out and having to walk to the inside fireplace! Basically, anything you want, like, or have considered trying to do outside feels like it is offered here. You can be an individual, couple, group or family and they can help create adventure based on your specific wants and needs. And it is all coordinated by a gentleman named Hans Loehr who is the Adventure Architect at the resort. I love that title. I am considering changing my titles of wife, mother and newly employed travel writer to something way cooler. I’ll let you know if I can think of anything. But Adventure Architect is so appropriate here.  Hans and his expert team of guides customize and curate a plan it feels like for literally anything there is to do in these stunning surroundings. Some tours are 3 hours others can be customized to half or full days. There are mountain biking tours ranging from riding around downtown Santa Fe and its historic buildings, churches, monuments and especially the bustling plaza to serious mountain biking in the many valleys, mountain ranges, canyons and basins surrounding the resort and downtown. Like to be on foot? There are several different types of hiking tours available.  A guided complimentary one offered at the resort each morning, which I did and liked because it was doable and informative about the history of the resort (it used to be a luxury dude ranch a little over 50 years ago run by a widow from Cleveland named Betty Eagen) the history of the area and the people who were native to it. The resort also gives you a map to do the hike yourself, which is also a great way to explore.  If you are a serious hiker, several guided hiking options are available through the adventure center. Also offered are customized and guided jeep tours, horseback riding, hot-air ballooning, skiing, golf, fly fishing, whitewater rafting and star gazing if you can squeeze it all in. That’s just the physical activity tours! I love that this resort has tours that are specifically for guests who are interested in the area of Santa Fe and its deep, diverse history. There are guided tours of downtown Santa Fe, the Georgia O’Keeffe/Abiquiu art tour, Native American Cultural Tour, Bonanza Movie Set Tour, New Mexican Wine and culture tour, Ghost Ranch and Pilgrimages to the old Spanish Territory to name a few. It feels like they can customize a tour to any interest you may have so stop in and see what Adventure Architects can help you dream up.

If you are more into exploring on your own the resort offers complimentary shuttles to downtown every hour and pick up on the half hour from two different locations in the city so you can spend the day roaming around the beautiful architecture, stop by The Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, the innumerous shops, jewelry stores, hundreds of amazing art galleries, restaurants and soak in all that culture in your own timing.

Now if you are totally wiped by all that activity as I am typing about it then you need to head straight to The Spa at Rancho Encantado and just let it all melt away. This spa makes me HAPPY!  At 10,000 square feet and the largest in the Four Seasons portfolio. It boasts 15 treatment rooms as well as a warming room with fireplace, drinks and snacks to wait for or mellow out after a treatment. There are full-service private locker rooms for both women and men.  You can feel it all melt away the minute you walk in and are greeted by one of the amazing spa staff. They have the softest robes, curated beauty, candles and wellness products available to purchase. I was lucky enough to have Danielle who was amazing and gave me a full tour and booked me a massage catered to my middle-aged needs. Thank you to my masseuse Katherine from Boston who was the shoulder whisperer.  They offer massage both individual and couples, therapeutic and relaxing, hydrating facials to help your parched altitude skin, nails, bridal beauty and body work such as hand and foot treatments, seasonal body therapies and stone work. They use many oils and products made from plants native to this area such as prickly pear, jojoba and turquoise sage. There is a romance package for two if you are a honeymooner or just without kids.   Need your Chakara balanced?  Who doesn’t these days! They can help with that too. One of the best and welcome findings at the spa was for no additional fee, if you are a guest of the resort, you can reserve one of their private outdoor enclosed courtyards which have a heated whirlpool, steam or dry sauna room, outdoor private shower and lounge chairs with heat lamps. There is water or tea available or maybe if you were me and really feeling the need to relax, a glass of rose while soaking up the late afternoon sun and just feeling grateful for being where I was. 

Did I even eat while I was there?  I haven’t even mentioned my second favorite thing besides lounging which is eating. I’m now back in the lobby and in the bar and there are many places to sit inside and outside and enjoy a small plate, a big meal, a cocktail, a mocktail or a chlorophyll water. Don’t know what that is? Ask one of the awesome men at the valet station and they will fix that altitude dehydration right away. They are the unsung mixologists. The large outdoor firepit does smores nightly for those with the young or young at heart. One of my favorite places I found to hang out was the inner open-air courtyard in the middle of the hotel main area. It has a huge fireplace, pergolas strung with lights, high tops, low dining tables and umbrella covered conversation areas with sofas. The main restaurant Terra offers breakfast, lunch and dinner with a regionally sourced modern take on Southwest cuisine. For those of you who may be travelling with kids they have a children's menu and those under 5 eat free.  Some menu items I sampled that stood out to me were the maple butternut squash soup, vegan Spanish rice bowl, the octopus a la plancha, grilled sea bass, broccolini with romesco and chile roasted chicken with the best ever brussel sprouts. As someone who has to be gluten free, I found the menu to be very inclusive of food preferences or needs.  I also found the kitchen to be accommodating of a request. If they could make it for you the way you needed it to be, they did it and with a smile. If you are there for dinner, ask to be served by Larry. He has been a fixture at the resort in dining and the bar and he is not only a lovely gentleman to speak with he is very knowledgeable about the dinner and wine menu, which is spectacular.

In the bar area by the fireplace sits a portrait of Betty Eagen and pictures of the history of Encantado Ranch. I love that the resort pays tribute to those who have helped create this magical place. The bar offers daily specials such as food and drink priced happy hour, an all-day dining menu and live music on weekends. If you don’t drink don’t worry, the bartenders have an entire menu of craft mocktails that look and taste just as good. You don’t have to drink alcohol to have an elevated curated experience in the bar here. They do, however, if you partake, have daily events you can register for such as the tequila tasting I signed up for my last afternoon. I am a tequila lady. Love it. I can wholeheartedly recommend the jalapeno margarita and tequila old fashioned here for sure. Do I know anything about it? Apparently not. At the time of the tasting the bar was set up for the 6 guests that registered. Each person signed up, in this case 3 couples (shout out to my bestie Christine for being my plus one on this trip, we should all have a Christine in our lives) had a place setting with homemade chips, guacamole and salsa as well as a tiny little tasting glass. We sipped, swirled and were educated on the three distinct styles of tequila which I already knew about but quickly discovered each had qualities, taste profiles and characteristics unique to each tequila even within those three categories. It was fun to try, be educated about something and meet new people such as my new friends from San Fran by way of Mumbai and Japur who were sitting next to me. I guess tequila is like people, unique with its own special qualities and should be honored for them. You just have to take the time to learn about them. 

If the quote by John C. Maxwell says “You’re only as good as the people you have around you” then GM Bixente Pery must be Superman. I noticed him every morning greeting his employees and guests with a smile and a word and that enthusiasm and kindness flowed from every employee I had the pleasure of interacting with. Whether it was housekeeping, shuttle drivers who were kind enough to take the back way to educate me on the local history, front desk, valets, groundkeepers, bartenders, waiters, waitresses and my beloved fire butler there was not one person who didn’t seem dedicated to this resort, the guests, their experience here and the area they themselves call their home. I hope everyone I met and didn’t meet knows they are important in a guest’s experience and I am here to say they are and thank you! I was truly grateful to have come to such an exceptional resort, with amazing people, history, experiences, remarkable beauty and charm.  At the turn of the last century, it was known as the “Rancho de las Sonadores” or Ranch of the Dreamers. It most certainly was a dream to visit here and I hope you get the chance to experience this special place.  I hope to return to this slice of paradise again myself.