Above: Mosaics appear throughout the Inn of Five Graces. Photograph courtesy of the Inn of Five Graces.
A JUMBLE OF ONE- AND TWO-STORY buildings line the narrow lane west of San Miguel Chapel, a few blocks south of the Santa Fe Plaza. Each a part of the Inn of the Five Graces, they carry travelers into a world where Moroccan luxury, gracious courtyards, and gourmet food add up to a splendid indulgence. I was a doubter until Sylvia Seret, who owns the compound with her husband, Ira, showed me the spacious Luminaria House, where the living room ceiling was coated with pieces of lapis lazuli.
In the 1990s, the Serets opened a bed-and-breakfast to show off their folk art treasures and Ira’s handmade furniture, sold in the family’s nearby Seret and Sons shop. Since then, the inn has grown into a 24-suite retreat, plus a year-old spa that feels like a subterranean Tibetan shrine, with heavy wooden doors, adobe walls, and gigantic crystals. In the suites, handwoven fabrics cover floors, beds, and pillowy chairs. Breakfasts on the patio invite a longer stay.
There, next to a crackling fire, I savored a plate of eggs Benedict. I closed my eyes, dreaming of camels, spice markets, and a Saharan sunset.
A VERY SPECIAL NIGHT
Summer rates at the Inn of the Five Graces range from $450 to $2,750
150 E. De Vargas St. | 505-992-0957 | fivegraces.com