I’M MESMERIZED BY A SWIRL of colors in the lobby of the Inn of the Five Graces. Luxurious tapestries, antique carpets, sumptuous fabric-covered sofas and pillows, and geometric-patterned tiles fill the intimate space. Handcrafted more than a century ago in Afghanistan, Persia, Uzbekistan, and other countries along the Silk Road, which connected Eastern and Western worlds for centuries, each piece seems to tell an ancient story about its long journey to Santa Fe.
As my husband and I check in, we are given warm hand towels to cleanse away the dust from the journey that brought us here (even though it’s only a few miles) and glasses of sparkling wine to celebrate our arrival. Although this boutique hotel is located on a tranquil side street in the historic heart of Santa Fe, I feel transported, as if on a magic carpet ride, to an alluring place and time. No wonder this five-star Relais & Châteaux hotel has earned the top spot on the Travel + Leisure readers’ list of favorite City Different hotels for the past two years.
Inn of the Five Graces rooms are filled with art.
“Are you ready for your tour?” asks Dustin Cardinez, the brightly smiling guest services agent, once we’re checked in. These private tours familiarize guests with the enchanting property’s romantic spaces and array of services. As we walk past the spa’s outdoor basking pool, secluded stone courtyards, and old wisteria vines, Cardinez tells us that we’re in the Barrio de Analco Historic District, one of the oldest residential blocks in the country. The hotel’s 24 guest rooms and suites are built into homes that date to the 1600s.
In our Tamarind Room, Cardinez points out the incredible floor-to-ceiling artistry in every space: Silk Road bedspreads and exotic pillows in our bedroom, and lush sofas and chairs that invite us to relax in front of the sitting room’s beehive fireplace. Our bewitching bathroom is an oasis of colorful handcrafted tile covering the walk-in shower and giant soaking tub. Throughout the suite, intricately carved wooden doors, ceilings, columns, and window shutters enclose this romantic paradise in a world of its own.
Cardinez tells us the story of the hotel’s American owners, Ira and Sylvia Seret, who lived in Afghanistan for a decade. They sold gorgeous carpets, fabric, and furniture to Anne Klein, Oscar de la Renta, and other major designers until 1979, when they returned to the United States after the Russia-backed coup in Afghanistan. Drawn to Santa Fe for its similarities to Afghanistan’s desert landscape and adobe architecture, they opened Seret & Sons in 1981 to offer their collection of central and south Asian imports and antique Tibetan furnishings.
“Each room is a piece of artwork and each piece in the room is one of a kind,” Loïc Lamoulere, the hotel’s assistant general manager, tells me later. “We encourage guests to imagine the places where these artifacts came from and what they were used for.”
Before the Soviet-Afghan War, Afghanistan was a very friendly country and a favorite among travelers. “The towns and villages were open, and everybody knew each other,” Lamoulere says. “You could walk into people’s houses and be greeted with food and drink.” That’s the kind of experience the Serets wanted to recreate at Inn of the Five Graces, he says.
Jade Vargas enjoys the Adobe Rose Suite at Inn of the Five Graces.
At the spa, the rooms for massage, meditation, yoga, skin care, and other healing treatments are filled with ornate treasures. Buddha statues, inlaid mosaic tile, fountains, and fireplaces all elevate the spa’s offerings, which include the rejuvenating Himalayan Salt Stone Massage. Simply standing in the lobby, in front of a giant glowing white crystal, I can feel my mind, body, and spirit relax.
In the evening, we take a secret passageway from the hotel’s courtyard to the Pink Adobe Restaurant & Dragon Room Bar, a locals’ haunt founded in 1944. Now the hotel’s signature restaurant after being purchased by the Serets in 2022, “the Pink” has a reputation for great Cajun and New Mexican food. Many of its original dishes, including the Steak Dunigan, remain on the menu. “We preserved the character of the restaurant,” Lamoulere says. “But we’ve added a brand-new kitchen and made other improvements, including using farm-sourced ingredients.”
Back in our room after our meal, I read about the hotel’s off-site experiences such as the Taos Perseid Meteor Shower Excursion and Culinary River Rafting Adventure. They would appeal to any world traveler and yet, ensconced in this bedazzling getaway, I feel like I never want to leave.
Read more: Check in to these lodgings with international appeal.
DON’T MISS
Tucked away at the back of the Dragon Room Bar, adjacent to the Pink Adobe, Bar Analco is a cool speakeasy, reserved for guests of the Inn of the Five Graces. The vibe is hip in this intimate room, a perfect place to sip mezcal flights and craft cocktails and savor crispy zucchini fries and other small plates.
