Southwestern Pueblo-Style Accommodations Outside Santa Fe

Three stuffed bobcats are frozen in place around the Great Room's crackling adobe fireplace: one extends his paw to swat at a hawk, another snarls at imaginary prey up a tree branch, and the third slinks atop the mantle. The cats complement the décor at the aptly named Bobcat Inn, where southwestern vases and pottery dot the bookshelves and mission-style furniture rests on a patterned rug. A former hacienda renovated by owners John and Amy Bobrick, the Bobcat Inn tucks into 10 forested acres in the Santa Fe foothills. Less than 8 miles outside the capital city, the bed and breakfast maintains a rural-retreat atmosphere with abundant mesa views and a calming, plant-lined koi pond.

Guest rooms continue the motif with earthy, desert tones and southwestern bric-a-brac. In the Fiesta San Miguel casita, golden walls complement the sunset-hued Saltillo floor tiles, ideal for choreographing interpretative tap-dance moves. Bobcat Inn's guests receive a vase of six roses and a chocolate-and-chile-lovers' basket, stuffed with recipes for a southwestern dinner party, various chile powders and flakes, and four handcrafted chocolate-cognac truffles.

Santa Fe chef John Bobrick and former restaurateur Amy Bobrick serve a gourmet southwestern breakfast each morning in the Great Room. The breakfast menu varies, with items such as cheese enchiladas, poached eggs, salsa, fresh fruit, cereal, and low-fat vanilla yogurt alongside sumatra coffee from local roaster Ohori's.

Santa Fe, New Mexico: Artistic Town with Scenic Desert Landscapes

Less than 8 miles from Bobcat Inn's quiet surrounding is New Mexico's state capital, Santa Fe. Home to a thriving arts scene, Santa Fe hosts several art museums including the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, which holds more than 1,000 paintings, drawings, and sculptures of the famed southwestern painter, including her warm depictions of the New Mexican landscape. The Museum of International Folk Art neighbors a cluster of museums atop Museum Hill and showcases more than 135,000 folk-art artifacts from around the world, from Moroccan wood panels to Japanese woodblock prints. For a more informal art encounter, a 1-mile stretch of Canyon Road is lined with more than 100 galleries and studios showcasing sculptures, jewelry, clothing, and abstract art.

The Bandelier National Monument lies about 50 miles northwest of the inn, spreading out more than 33,000 acres of rugged canyon country. There, trails lead to early Native American dwellings and petroglyphs carved into rock cliffs. At the base of several caves, a wooden ladder invites visitors to climb up, explore the remains of kiva fireplaces, and access Batman's garage.