Olé The Best of Mexico City & Oaxaca!

After 20 years of curating Luxury Travel for our select clients, when we receive Grateful Notes of Thanks, it’s a reminder of how much time and determination we’ve devoted into sourcing the best and brightest teams in each pocket of the world. And our teams evolve as we continue to discover the Best of the Best!

Mexico City and Oaxaca are two complimentary cities to combine for extensive art, OTT dining, history and exceptional local experiences. Just a short flight from the United States, Mexico is an often-overlooked destination for rich cultural offerings, a land seemingly familiar but with many unknown secrets simply waiting to be discovered. For many people images of margaritas, maracas, and tacos may be the first to come to mind. Our hope is to show you something more – to connect you with incredible local guides who truly love their country and want to show you the rich layers of its culture and who will bring you to the lesser known, but equally spectacular locations. Mexico City offers excellent contrasts in epic street food tastings to five-star chef driven dining palaces! Cutting edge art museums from folk to dynamic contemporary collections.

The experiences awaiting you in Mexico are plentiful and can be hand-picked to match your interests. With an average of 20 ingredients, you could spend a day in Oaxaca learning how to make mole. Or there is an unbelievable art scene in Mexico – with Mexico City offering more museums than any other city in the world, not to mention the renowned home of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera.

A recent client note to Benjamin: We had a wonderful memorable vacation and enjoyed Celebrating our 40th Wedding Anniversary in Oaxaca and Mexico City —both destinations were everything we were hoping they would be and more!

Casa Polanco in Mexico City, again you recommended the best hotel! Fantastic hotel— great service, very comfortable room, good fitness facility, good location. You recommended staying in town in Oaxaca and we unfortunately resisted and stayed outside town, which meant we encountered traffic every time we went into town- next time we listen to you and stay in town as you suggested!

Guides in Oaxaca and Mexico City – all very good, particularly our guide in Mexico City.

Visits Archeological visits— all excellent and very much worth our time. After hours, private tour of Anthropology Museum— so glad we took you up on this, very special to see it in the evening without crowds. Would like more time in there! Xochimilco experience— fantastic. Even though there is a more commercial way to visit here, the personal visit we experienced gave us an insider’s view of the floating farms. Our guide and the lunch they served us were fantastic.

Dining Criollo restaurant— EXCELLENT— one of our favorites. Levadura restaurant— also excellent! Pujol— very good— food was fantastic, the setting was a bit more commercial and filled with American tourists— but still wouldn’t miss dining here! Taco Tour— very well done— Lydia the guide is excellent Em restaurant— another excellent choice. Their food is spectacular, fine Mexican with a good deal of Asian influence.

That’s it! Again, thank you very much for all your help in making this a memorable 40th Wedding Anniversary Celebration, your teams are amazing and they gave us lovely Anniversary gifts as well!

Mexico City A sprawling city simply bursting with energy, a true melting pot of international talent. Known for its incredible range of fine dining options as well as some of the city’s best street food. There are countless ways to spend your days – from visiting nearby ruins, to touring the home of Frida Kahlo, to participating in a cooking class, to catching a local wresting match (lucha libre). Mexico City is an urban jungle with something to offer anyone.

Oaxaca One of Mexico’s most beautiful cities meets its most robust and unique culinary destination. Oaxaca is an excellent destination for anyone interested in gastronomy, from cooking classes to market tours to some of the country’s best restaurants. Oaxaca is also known for its artisan communities that dot the surrounding area – from textiles to pottery there are plenty of reasons to visit.

Gracias to our fine teams and to our gracious clients!

Highly Recommend Mexico City and Oaxaca Journey!

Santa Fe Style – Essential The Best of Georgia O’Keeffe

Coming soon, a mini–Santa Fe Journey and hotel reports! Santa Fe Musings – The Spirit of Georgia O’Keeffe Retreat offered by one of our favorite small hotels, Inn of Five Graces.

A sneak peek at an offering by Inn of Five Graces: New Mexico, as seen through the eyes of Georgia O’Keeffe, offers a profound entry into the heart of the Southwest. This highly curated program presents some of the most intimate, off-the-beaten-path, and often privately accessed opportunities, guiding you through her private home and studio, the landscapes of some of her most famous works, and the archives at the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum. 

Georgia O’Keeffe Home

Combining this experience with a retreat at the Spa of The Five Graces creates the Ultimate Georgia O’Keeffe Artists Weekend.

Start the day with complimentary Yoga in the Meditation Room at Spa of the Five Graces. Breakfast on the Courtyard Patio. Relax and savor their complimentary à la carte dining with fresh fruits, bread, house-made granolas, and some of the best New Mexican dishes in the state.

Explore The O’Keeffe Museum Featuring one of the most extensive collections of O’Keeffe’s works. Georgia O’Keeffe (1887-1986), was devoted to creating imagery that expressed what she called “the wideness and wonder of the world as I live in it.” 

Shop Santa Fe Vintage – Have our concierge book you an appointment at this unparalleled collection of vintage Levi’s, hats, and jackets. This is where the in the know glam stars shop for their looks!

Santa Fe Hat Company For the best selection of hats in the Southwest. A legend since 1976, offering custom, artisan and high end brands.

Lucchese Bootmaker if you have one more shopping stop in you, Lucchese boots is a short walk and offers the best you’re going to find.

Lunch at The Shed or La Choza; try a local’s favorite at one of these beloved New Mexican establishments.

Treatments at Spa of the Five Graces – Treat yourself our favorite, the “Scrub, Steam, and Massage Treatments” where you will receive cleansing, full-body exfoliation, a private aromatic steam shower, and restorative side-by-side massages.

Dinner at The Compound One of my favorite restaurants! Designed by O’Keeffe’s close friend, Alexander Girard, in the heart of the historic Canyon Road arts district and near O’Keeffe’s Santa Fe residence.

Take in a Show at the Lensic or The Santa Fe Opera. In the heart of summer experience Santa Fe Opera’s world-renowned performances or find some of the world’s most exciting performers at the Lensic, in their grand Pueblo Deco style structure on West San Francisco Street.

A day trip to Abiquiu. Breakfast on the Courtyard Patio – Have you tried their Chilliquillas or Juevos Motelenos yet? Always on my breakfast menu!  Then depart for a day Journey, head North on your Five Graces Private Experience, one of our favorite day trips. The Essence of Take in a Show at the Lensic or The Santa Fe Opera. In the heart of summer experience Santa Fe Opera’s world-renowned performances or find some of the world’s most exciting performers at the Lensic, in their grand Pueblo Deco style structure on West San Francisco Street. via a Georgia O’Keeffe lens, which includes Plaza Blanca – only accessed via special permit. Plaza Blanca is a majestic landscape made up of beautiful white sandstone cliffs made famous by Georgia O’Keeffe through her series of paintings called The White Place.

Bosshard Gallery in the village of Abiquiu. This gallery was once the home of the original Bode’s Mercantile. Today, the gallery offers a fine representation of Northern New Mexican history with an extensive collection of Indigenous textiles, jewelry, and ceramics.

Lunch at Abiquiú Inn at Café Abiquiú: champagne lunch on the patio at the historic Café Abiquiú & The Terrace. The menu is comprised of fresh local ingredients featuring New Mexican specialties.

O’Keeffe Home Tour: Enter the private home of Georgia O’Keeffe, built into one of the oldest Northern New Mexico haciendas, offering a peak experience to an extremely small number of visitors each year.

Ghost Ranch: Finally, head to Ghost Ranch, a 21,000-acre retreat situated on the Colorado Plateau, to take in the afternoon light as it paints the colorful ribbons of Entrada sandstone and the timeless Morrison, Chinle, and Todilto formations.

Dinner & Drinks at The Dragon Room – Home in time for a reservation at The Pink Adobe’s Dragon Room, a historic bar and favorite of Georgia O’Keeffe and Robert Redford. Dine at the bar or in one of their booths enjoying seasonal fair, delicious craft cocktails and live music.

Saturday Spa Day Start the day with a private Tibetan Mindfulness Meditation session, designed to ease the mind, and prepare the ground for insight and wisdom.

Breakfast in Your Room – If it’s fall or winter, light a fire, featuring a farm-to-table menu with some great healthy options too.

Treatments at Spa of the Five Graces – Treat yourself our favorite, the “Scrub, Steam, and Massage Treatments” where you will receive cleansing, full-body exfoliation, a private aromatic steam shower, and restorative massage.

Relax & Read by the Soaking Pool – Accompanied by snacks and cold-pressed juices. *In colder months the warming pool is between 90-102 degrees.*

Explore Your Creativity with their captivating painting experience in this two-hour Santa Fe Painting Workshop with an amazing professional painting teacher and some great wines.

Take a Drive to Aspen Vista – This 7-mile drive into the Sangre De Cristo mountains for a stunning view of the region.

Dinner at Izanami – Along the Hyde Park Road (below Aspen Vista) you will find exceptional Japanese countryside style cuisine.

Lunch, Shopping & Coffee on Lena Street – Get a coffee and a Japanese Lunch in Santa Fe’s Arts district at Ikonik Coffee & Ozu Santa Fe.

One advantage of Inn of Five Graces is the walkability around town. Shop in town at: Living Threads – for photography, Oaxacan pottery, indigo kaftans and hand-carved Palo Santo vessels.

Whiskey + Clay – for ceramics and home goods.

From Inn of Five Graces, walk to Canyon Road – filled with amazing art and galleries, including Morning Star, you can shop some of our favorites here;

Shop 4Kinship – This Navajo-owned (Diné) boutique for indigenous pieces, colorful up-cycled fashion, vintage denim, along with blankets courtesy and modern silver-turquoise jewelry

Cielo Handcrafted, a few doors down you can shop local New Mexico and Latin America wares; colorful pillows handmade from Cusco, espresso mugs planters and more.

Secret & Sons. I am transfixed in this exotic souk shop, transported across the world with their impeccable taste in carpets, hand painted furniture. You don’t need a passport to shop here! 

Mediterrania Antiques, furniture, a significant collection of Uriarte Talavera  pottery,  and they are only 2 doors away from Seret & Sons. 

Dinner at The Pink Adobe, their Signature New Mexican and Cajun-inspired restaurant.

Night Cap at Bar Analco for a Mezcal flight, margarita menu or craft cocktails.

Tucked into the inky blue mountains of Northern New Mexico, a week in the high desert Santa Fe, might not be long enough to enjoy all this town has to offer. The oldest state Capital in the United States, inhabited since 1607, by members of Native American pueblos. The city is brimming with creatives, eccentrics and solitude seekers. City Map 2025 published for locals and visitors.

Highly Recommend Inn of Five Graces and Santa Fe! Postcards soon on the new spa at Inn of Five Graces and other boutique properties.