Budget
Holiday Inn Express Suites Cerrillos
A long way from downtown, and the "ambience" of Cerrillos Road is nothing to write home about, yet not bad.
Santa Fe International Hostel
An independently owned, traditional hostel and boarding house offering dormitory accommodations and private rooms. It has been around for several decades and is still going strong. Offers a lot of free food, well beyond a continental breakfast, pay phones, laundry facilities, maps, a lounge, and internet use for an additional daily fee.
Santa Fe Sage Inn
A no-frills "motor lodge" with surprisingly quiet and comfortable rooms given the low rates. Closer to the downtown attractions than other Cerrillos Road lodging.
Budget hotels and motels in Santa Fe are few and far between. The economy-rate chains all have franchises in town, but it's not clear that most can really be considered "budget" lodging. Try one and write it up here.
Comfort Suites Santa Fe
An entirely non-smoking hotel. Complimentary breakfast buffet.
Santa Fe Luxury Inn
Complimentary continental breakfast, a swimming pool with hot tub, a convenient location, free high speed Internet, and easy access to area attractions.
Midrange
Hacienda Dona Andrea de Santa Fe
An exceptional private inn located 30 minutes south of the city but still in Santa Fe County. Spectacular views, authentic Spanish Colonial style Hacienda on 65 acre mountain estate. Santa Fe wedding planning and events.
Hampton Inn
Notable for accepting attended pets.
Holiday Inn
Quality Inn
They claim to offer free transportation to the train station, which is no small distance away. Check it out.
There are many others on Cerrillos Road; non-chain options include:
Hilton of Santa Fe
An old standard, one of the few downtown hotels that doesn't raise its rates during the tourist season. No longer an "elegant" hotel, but not bad at all. A great place for conferences too.
Santa Fe Motel & Inn
Located near the Railyard District. Complimentary hot breakfast, free wireless.
Don Gaspar Inn
A short walk to the Plaza, galleries, spas, unique shops, and wonderful restaurants. The gardens and courtyards surround the three houses that comprise the Inn and cover half the block. The Inn offers 10 spacious suites and rooms.
Inn on the Alameda
Nestled between the Santa Fe Plaza and the art galleries of Canyon Road, the Inn offers an ideal location for exploring all the nearby attractions, yet is set at the edge of one of the city's nicest residential areas which results in more quiet and peacful hotel stay. This is downtown Santa Fe's most all-inclusive property, with a lavish continental breakfast and afternoon wine and cheese reception served daily, free parking and wi-fi access, and parking and local and toll-free calls all at no charge. Small pets under 30 pounds are accepted in dedicated pet rooms with a nightly deposit.
Hotel Plaza Real
This is a great boutique hotel just off the historic Plaza and just behind the New Mexico history museum.
Hotel Santa Fe
A little more distant from the Plaza than some of the others, hence a little less expensive, and still within comfortable walking distance of most of the good stuff.
Lodge at Santa Fe
Just north of the city but only 3-5 minutes from the Plaza. Every summer they feature the Juan Siddi Flamenco Theatre Company live performances. Complimentary shuttle downtown, an onsite restaurant, swimming pool, Jacuzzi, complimentary Wi-Fi, and event spaces.
Santa Fe Luxury Inn
Several of the classic downtown hotels/lodges approach "Splurge" status, particularly during peak periods, both for their locations and their quality, but a splurge is frequently worth the expense for those who want an authentic Santa Fe experience. A couple of the more reasonably priced ones:
Most major hotel chains have franchises in Santa Fe, mainly located outside the main tourist areas. A few on Cerrillos Road removed from downtown, hence better value-for-dollar if you don't mind the distance:
Top end
Bishop's Lodge Resort
A full-service resort in the beautiful Tesuque Valley features horseback riding, spa, tennis courts, summer children's programs,and more in a peaceful setting away from the hubbub of the Plaza, but not so far away as to be inconvenient. Complimentary shuttle to and from the Plaza.
Eldorado Hotel & Spa
A large and spectacular property convenient to the downtown attractions. Rooms are well done and atmospheric. The Old House restaurant was honored as Zagat's top pick for dining in New Mexico (http://www.oldhouserestau...). Lively lounge with frequent live entertainment, and many amenities. Nidah Spa is in the hotel (http://www.nidahspa.com).
Inn and Spa at Loretto
Art galleries and a full service day spa, in addition to the lodging.
Rosewood Inn of the Anasazi
This four-star Santa Fe luxury hotel offers fine dining, a business center, and Southwestern style boutique accommodations.
La Fonda Hotel
The quintessential Santa Fe hotel, with the Plaza on one corner, beautiful Saint Francis Cathedral across the street, and several interesting and not-too-touristy shops on the premises. They have their own parking garage, no small advantage in the downtown area.
La Posada de Santa Fe Resort & Spa
157-room boutique resort and full-service spa offering adobe-style rooms and suites, many with fireplaces and patios. Located downtown and two blocks from the historic Plaza, art galleries, and shopping.
Sunrise Springs Inn and Retreat
Has spiritual gatherings, spa and conference facilities in a far more rural, rustic setting than most Santa Fe lodging.
Most Santa Fe hotels, motels and B&Bs are in one of two areas: downtown near the Palace of the Governors and Plaza or on Cerrillos Road, the commercial main drag. The distance of the Cerrillos Road hotels from the downtown attractions isn't significant from a purely physical point of view; the most distant ones near Villa Linda Mall are still within a couple miles of the downtown area, which can be reached quickly by car or shuttle bus. However, the atmospheric distance is enormous. Downtown has the fabled Santa Fe ambience of a sleepy old Western village frozen in time and transported to the 21st century with, of course, a few modern amenities and nuisances added, like cars, while Cerrillos Road has the "ambience" of a shopping district in a suburb of a major city. In compensation, hotels on Cerrillos Road tend to be less expensive on an amenity-for-amenity basis. When deciding where to stay in Santa Fe, give particular thought to the balance of ambience and economy that fits your needs.
"Budget" lodging if any will start at less than $75 a night, "Mid-range" from $75 to $150, and "Splurge" greater than $150, with some of the luxury suites, etc., ranging far upward. A warning on the "Budget" and "Mid-range" classifications: Santa Fe hotels and motels are prone to very substantial seasonal variations in availability and price. A hotel that may look like "Mid-range" during off season spring, fall exclusive of the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta week, usually in early October may be "Splurge" material during ski season and the summer, particularly around significant events such as the Santa Fe Indian Market, Fiesta, opening weekend of the Santa Fe Opera, etc. Of course, the converse is true as well, meaning you can stay at a "Splurge" hotel in the off-season months of November through February at a really low price. Check carefully on rates when booking; most of the more important hotels/motels have informative web pages, and better hotels should give you the best price themselves, instead of letting discounters underprice them.
camping
There are several commercial campgrounds in town Los Campos de Santa Fe RV Resort (http://www.loscamposrv.com/, Rancheros de Santa Fe (http://www.rancheros.com), Santa Fe KOA, Santa Fe Skies RV Park), but the camping is much more rewarding along the road to the Santa Fe Ski Basin. There are several campgrounds in Santa Fe National Forest on this road, and there is also good camping at the very pretty Hyde Memorial State Park (http://www.emnrd.state.nm...) between forest and city. If you're planning on using the national-forest or Hyde Park campsites, make sure you have enough clothing and bedding to stay warm; they're in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and get cold at night.