Courtesy www.jackparsonsdigital.com
Springtime in Santa Fe. Forsythias blooming on side streets, sunshine on Canyon Road patio bars in the early afternoon, high school kids playing hacky sack on the plaza, Georgia O’Keefe poppies in front yards, hiking at Bandelier National Monument . . .It’s an amazing time to be in the Capitol city, and I was fortunate enough to spend the first weekend of spring at Wendy Kapp’s Mariposa, one of Two Casita’s two bedroom homes.
It’s a recurring theme in what I write here, but this weekend really brought home the fact that if you choose to stay in a hotel, you’re going to miss out on an amazing Santa Fe experience. I know. I’ve done it. Compare waking in a sterile room with a couple of double beds and making coffee with a tiny little two cup Mr. Coffee to waking up in a 100 year-old adobe casita with hardwood floors and coved ceilings, taking your slow-brewed coffee out to your backyard and sitting under a budding cottonwood tree.
Mariposa Living Room
The Mariposa is tucked back off a side street close to the intersection of Old Santa Fe Trail and Paseo de Peralta. It’s charming, cozy and very comfy. And quiet. Incredibly private and quiet. On Sunday we all slept in until the crazy hour of 9:00 a.m. Talk about taking it easy!
Mariposa kitchen
I stayed there with my daughter, a cousin and his wife, and their son. We spent plenty of time out on the town, the guys snow skiing, the girls going to estate sales and shopping at the Railyard. But we also spent plenty of time around the kitchen table playing cards and visiting, in the front room on the couches, visiting some more while the college kids played on their computers. And we spent time in the backyard under the ancient cottonwood and in the hot tub, relaxing and planning our next fabulous meal at a local restaurant.
Mariposa kiva fireplace in bedroom
The Mariposa would easily sleep another two people in addition to the five that we were last weekend. Add the Milagro next door and you have room for up to ten.
Mariposa backyard (complete with a child's swing and patio furniture AND a hot tub)
Within walking distance to Canyon Road and the Plaza, the Mariposa is, in my opinion, about 100 times better than staying in a hotel. Staying in any of Wendy’s properties is. We didn’t want to leave and come home.
If you’ve never tried a weekend in Two Casita’s property, consider it. I can almost guarantee you’ll never go back to that sterile hotel room!
Mmmmmmm… Mariposa.Four of us stayed here for the last half of April. It couldn’t have been more perfect. I came to Santa Fe wanting to know what it would feel like to live there. The Mariposa was close to everything I wanted to be close to, and was beautifully appointed with authentic pieces so I could feel more like I was in the Old West. Comfortable, clean, and a bottle of wine on the table with a welcoming note. I’ll be back.
Thanks Kathy – we all love Santa Fe. . .and there’s no better way to know what it would feel like to live there than to stay in one of our properties!