NM Santa Fe Hilton Plaza Area

[homeschoolmom]

We won the Santa Fe Hilton on a $65 bid for May 10-12, 2009 (2 nights). We were not punished for being PL users; got our request of a 2-bedded, nonsmoking room and had no problems. The best qualities of the SF Hilton: large, newly remodeled rooms, excellent location, cheap parking ($7.50 for HHonors; $15 for others, but anyone can join HHonors), and NO resort fee despite having the largest pool in Santa Fe. The worst thing about the hotel was the too-large elongated toilet bowl that prevented the bathroom door from swinging completely into the bathroom. You may search Santa Fe Hilton on Tripadvisor to see my photos (pricelinejunkie). The following is my TA review:

Our family of 4 stayed at the HIlton Santa Fe on May 10-12. Check-in was smooth, and parking lot was crowded, but plenty of room and convenient to building. The rooms, lobby, and other public spaces are decorated in the rustic Mission style made famous here. Location is within easy walking distance (approx. 4 blocks) of the Governor's Palace, cathedral basilica, and many missions including Loretto. I appreciated the lack of mandatory resort fees. There is a parking charge, but I thought $7.50 for HHonors members was fair since we were in an area where parking is at a premium. The room quality was fine; they did recently remodel with new carpet, furniture, and LCD tvs (NOT plasmas). The room was refreshingly large in size with a standard size closet and plenty of room for suitcases and walking around the entry/bathroom door area. Major problem with room design: bathroom door actually has been cut to fit around part of the toilet (it still hits, but at least you can walk inside and then shut the door); I'm afraid this is because the toilet bowl is elongated rather than standard/round as they probably were prior to remodel.

Hotel services incl. at least one restaurant (we didn't eat here) & room service was available. Complimentary punches/lemonades as well as apples were available in the lobby in the evening (maybe all the time). :)

Pool is billed as the "largest in Santa Fe," and it was rather big, but we were unable to swim as it was being refurbished. The kiva (firepit) was a neat touch as well. Housekeeper did a splendid job and deserved her tip! :)

We highly recommend taking a 8-minute drive to the Chocolate Maven Cafe for their hot cocoas (Italian is the creamiest and best, but Mayan is the most unique as it is quite spicy). It is a lot of fun to watch the pastry chefs work through the glass wall separating the 1st floor dining area and bakery. Breakfast here is wonderful but expensive at $5 for large cocoa and about $8-10 per entree. Besides the local Santa Fe missions, etc., other family attractions include the Bradbury Science Museum (Los Alamos) and Bandolier National Monument (25 mins. from Los Alamos) with its Anasazi cliff dwellings and petroglyphs.

[CrispyRice]

We won on priceline the Hilton Plaza and stayed for 2 nights in November 2011. It was adequate, but I'd personally hope for a different hotel in the future. The lobby is beautiful, the location is perfect for exploring the plaza area, and the employees were friendly and helpful.

But, we found it very noisy, being able to hear everyone passing by in the hall as well as the TVs of both our neighbors. The room did not have an in-room safe, a fridge or a minibar. The beds were doubles, not queens. (Ultimately my fault for not even asking for a change to a king, though.) The parking is still $15 and reduced to $7.50 for HHonors members. While every hotel in the plaza area seems to charge for parking, the Hilton alone has an extremely large parking lot, and this fee struck me as just an extra money-maker for them. Considering the PL price we paid, I have no complaints, but if I'd paid full price, I would have been very unhappy.