Inn of the Turquoise Bear

Excellent stay with excellent service. I had never stayed at a bed and breakfast before and am so glad I chose this place. I was looking for an authentic feel where I stayed in Santa Fe and I was not disappointed!!! We were only in town for one night unfortunately. Wish we had more nights to stay here.
My boyfriend and I stayed in the Ansel Adams room which was impeccably clean, nicely decorated and very comfortable. We couldn’t believe how great the bed was. The claw foot tub was lovely and the water pressure in the shower was fantastic. The main house of the inn was adorably decorated for Christmas.
Breakfast was provided in the morning by the innkeeper Dan. The food was absolutely delicious, laid out beautifully. We continued on our cross country trip well rested and with full bellies. We will be back for sure!!!

Charming, comfortable and friendly! Had an amazing stay here passing through on a road trip. Really enjoyed the fresh baked treats and drinking hot chocolate by our own wood fire in the O. Henry room. About a 15 minute walk to the plaza — conveniently located and overflowing with hospitality. Can’t wait to go back.

My husband and I decided to get married here, and it exceed my expectations. It was serene and peaceful. Every little detail was sorted out for us. The cake, flowers, champagne, and ceremony were provided. We stayed in the Spud Johnson room. It was very comfortable and our dog felt right at home. Overall, the entire place had an incredibly vibrant atmosphere that felt just right. The food was just phenomenal, and my husband loved the blue corn pancakes and sweet/​spicy chilli glazed bacon. I will recommend this experience to other young couples who are getting married. It was so romantic.

Love this place! My wife and I stayed here for our honeymoon and really enjoyed the calming atmosphere, proximity to the plaza and friendly staff. The owner, Dan, is a really nice guy; he greeted us right when we got there and filled us in on everything related to the inn and around the area. The room was clean and comfy, and my lord the bed was comfortable. Free wine for happy hour was a great way to get everyone down in the lobby chatting and getting to know each other. Would definitely recommend anyone to stay here.

My family and I stayed one night at the Inn at the Turquoise Bear and we all very much enjoyed our stay. The rooms were clean and cozy. The grounds are well kept and the owner Dan is very friendly and welcoming. My pup was greeted with doggy treats upon arrival as well. The breakfast the following morning was delicious. Fresh fruit, homemade baked breads, assorted breads, juice, and coffee. For our hot entrée, we had amazing artichoke and potato frittata. Overall a great stay and I would definitely be back when we are in Santa Fe. Thank you, Dan! :-)

I just returned for a wonderful stay at Inn of the Turquoise Bear with my family. Although he took over the inn less than a month ago, Dan was a truly fantastic host — warm, hospitable, helpful and a delicious cook! The inn itself is charming and we were able to light a cozy fire in our room every night which really added to the experience. I know they are working on some wear and tear upgrades to the rooms and the grounds, which I think will make it an even better and more comfortable experience. I would absolutely stay here again when I am in Santa Fe!

Although I am new to the B&B world this place seems to be extraordinary! Dan the new owner is a great cook and makes you feel like you are at home. The inn itself is so unique and blows other B&Bs in the area away in hospitality. If in Santa Fe this is the place to stay!

A great respite from being a caretaker for my Mom. A truly magical stay. Robert was a delight, and a great host. John is a great massage therapist. Michael really cares about the Inn. We will go back soon.

The history, location, privacy, elegant breakfast and intellectual conversation from the other patrons. Great place to stay in Santa Fe. Going again in May. Hope nothing has changed!

This is a great Inn. And the best part about it (okay, actually there are a lot of great things about it, but one of the best) is you can WALK to the plaza. Even in the winter. It is very short. And that is the best way to get to some of the best restaurants in town, including Guadeloupe Café, and the Plaza Café (closed right now, they had a fire).
As far as the Inn, it is awesome. Best dog friendly place around. Bring your dog, or if you are a dog lover (my girlfriend 100% animal/​dog lover but we don’t have a dog right now), you can hang with Colt & Cody and you will not be disappointed. Colt and Cody are the two big dogs who hang at the Inn during breakfast and during Wine & Cheese hour.
Our room was one of the bigger ones, and the bed is huge and super comfortable. We sleep a lot the first night and completely missed breakfast. We weren’t that tired from traveling since it is a short trip from California, buy maybe the altitude or just the bed is that comfortable. When we did make it to breakfast, it is very good. The bread is great, OJ, and eggs to order, and the bacon. Plenty of things to eat for vegetarians also, cereals, bagels, etc.
Free high speed internet. .. THANK YOU! I hate paying for internet at hotels/​Inns.

My boyfriend and I visit Santa Fe once or twice each year, and only stay at the Turquoise Bear. We even get to bring our doggie with us! The owner and everyone who works there are sweet, funny, and take pride in their business, and the history of the Witter Bynner mansion. It is a magical old authentic adobe with beautiful gardens and balconies, gorgeous with summer gardens and welcoming in winter. The breakfasts are abundant — healthy choices and Santa Fe’an choices cooked to order — and the company is intriguing (and I’m not always up for breakfast conversation, but end up enjoying it here). There are delicious cookies and fruit available in the very comfortable den/​library and an excellent wine and cheese hour every night… I love Santa Fe, but when I’m staying at the Turquoise Bear, I feel like I can just cozy up and never leave! (In fact, last time, I spent an entire day relaxing in the incredible Witter Bynner room with a fireplace and mimosas! — me, the restless traveler!) Whenever I go to Santa Fe, I feel like I return home to the Turquoise Bear.

I’ve become a sort of b&b fanatic in the past few years… and when I researched the Turquoise Bear I was excited by its beauty and history (I am a writer and avid reader).
However, I was extremely disappointed by my recent visit. After spending about a week in an ABQ hotel my boyfriend and I traveled to Bandelier (see my review) and Santa Fe for the night. We only stayed one night here… and maybe that is why the service was so poor; or, maybe it was because we are young (mid 20’s). Either way, one of the owners was quite condescending and unaccommodating.
For example, when we arrived we entered through the Innkeeper door (I had alerted him of our later arrival time, as per website instructions), but we couldn’t find him, so I walked around the grounds. when he saw me walking around he came outside and chided us: «this is a bed and breakfast. See, it says ‘inkeeper’ on the door!» Not a good start to our evening. He also talked trash about previous famous guests – if we had built some rapport this might have been okay, but it only turned us off even more.
After a walk through and dinner in Santa Fe, I decided that though our initial experience was bad, the place was beautiful and comfortably close to the Plaza, so overall not such a bad place. We decided to stay in with some wine and watch a movie (they have a collection of VHS to check out), but previously noticed our room did not have a VHS player… so before our walk we asked him if there was any way we could watch a movie – he assured us he would bring us a VHS player, so we checked out a movie, and he told us that while we were away to dinner he would bring the player and tape over. So, we buy our wine, have a decent dinner, and walk back to the Inn. It is now past 9pm, when all staff are gone. Alas – there was no VHS, no player, nothing.
Our one request on our one night.
I couldn’t wait to get out of there in the morning. When we checked out, he just said «okay,» not asking us about our stay or anything.
I hope this is a fluke. maybe he was having a really bad week… or maybe it was that we were only staying one night so he didn’t need to make an impression on us. Either way, it was disappointingly opposite of the typical level of service I’ve had at B&Bs. I will never return, and I feel like my $ 200 would have better spent elsewhere (aside from all of this, we had the Millay room which came out to $ 190, and shares a bathroom. My favorite B&B comes out to the same price, has a private bathroom and a hot tub and a functional fireplace and two lazy boys and a bottle of wine and caramel apple pie per night you stay… but whatever, I would have been happy with the price/​room if the service was acceptable).
Maybe if we had interacted with someone else this review would have been drastically different. So, take your chances I guess.

Probably the only place in Santa Fe, aside from La Fonda, I’d recommend for out-​of-​town guests. We actually stayed as out-​of-​town guests before moving back to Santa Fe, and our time spent at the Turquoise Bear was very relaxing.
They upgraded our room both nights, free of charge, which was a pleasant surprise. Our room, the O’Keefe, was immaculate and well-​appointed, in addition to being charming, with a very comfortable bed. The proprietors were friendly and gracious without encroaching upon our privacy.
The history of the place and its past inhabitants alone makes it an interesting destination in and of itself.

Not until our first breakfast at the Inn of the Turquoise Bear did we realize we were staying at Wittner Brynner’s historic estate — home base for many a famous writer and artist. When you pull into the spacious gravel parking area, you’re mesmerized by the beautiful pueblo architecture and gardens.
Our room, the DH Lawrence room oozed charm and had a lot of the original touches from yesteryear. Located on the second room, it had its own sitting area and small porch, which was perfect for sitting out and listening to the gurgling of the water fountain in the courtyard in the evenings. My only beef with the room was that shampoo wasn’t provided. Wonderful local soaps, but no shampoo? Talk about getting my hair into a tizzy.
The owners are very friendly and cook up a mean chorizo omelet or baked egg with green chile for breakfast. We never went hungry here between the delicious breakfasts and wine and cheese hospitality hour and our favorite, the plate of fresh baked cookies to satisfy our midnight munchie cravings. There are three dogs on the premise, although we only saw two, one of which is a giant lumbering German Shepard named Colt.
The Inn is located about a 10 minute walk from the downtown plaza. It’s less than a 5 minute walk to places like Guadalupe Café and once you pass Paseo de Peralta, shops start popping up everywhere. The Inn puts you within striking distance of everything, but if you want to be in the thick of things, you may want to stay closer to the plaza.

I am staying in the Millay room of the Turquoise Bear. This B&B is on the historic estate of poet Witter Brynner (died in the late 1960s). Many famous artists were guests of the Brynner estate including Georgia O’Keeffe, DH Lawrence, Ansel Adams, and Willa Cather.
The rooms are a comfortable size and come with wonderful amenities: a wood-​burning fire place, plush bathrobes, locally made soaps and shampoos. I am really cozy here despite the 20 degree weather.
The some of the rooms are in buildings independent of the main house so it is very quiet. The owners of the inn, however, host a small wine and cheese reception each evening in case you’d like to mingle with the other guests.
I highly recommend this hotel! It is very private and comfortable.