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Daily Mail
17-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Southern city finally dethroned as best in the US by offbeat Southwest metro
Santa Fe is hot in more ways than one. The New Mexico city ranked as the best US city in the 2025 Travel + Leisure World's Best Awards, unseating former champ, Charleston, South Carolina. Santa Fe landed in the number one spot among readers' 15 favorite cities. Additionally, Santa Fe scored as the number 19 city on readers' list of their 25 favorite cities in the world. Santa Fe is the only US city featured on the list of winning international destinations this year. 'Readers raved about the inventive New Mexican cuisine and the destination's natural beauty. Sitting at 7,000 feet, Santa Fe is at the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range and enjoys over 300 days of sunshine per year,' Travel + Leisure senior editor, Elizabeth Cantrell, said in a statement. 'We're number 1! This award belongs to all of Santa Fe,' said Santa Fe Mayor, Alan Webber, in a statement. 'People who visit our city feel the hospitality and magic of Santa Fe. It's in the history, culture, art, food and architecture of our community, from the air we breathe to the mountains that surround us.' He added: 'Most important, it's in the people. Our hospitality industry and tourism team are great ambassadors for Santa Fe. So, let's toast Santa Fe: We're number 1 — it's official.' Randy Randall, TOURISM Santa Fe Executive Director, said to be singled out as the top city destination in the entire country is an 'extraordinary achievement.' 'This honor is indeed gratifying and recognizes not only the uniqueness of The City Different, but it also underscores the diligent and hard work of our hospitality partners, who welcome and care for our visitors on a daily basis,' he said. A few Santa Fe resorts also appeared on lists of best hotels and spas. Bishop's Lodge, Auberge Resorts Collection, took the number 2 spot on the list of top resorts in the west and Ten Thousand Waves was number 15 on the list of best domestic US spas. Travel + Leisure also compiled a list of the '5 Favorite Santa Fe Hotels of 2025,' highlighting The Inn of the Five Graces, Four Seasons Resort Rancho Encantado Santa Fe, La Fonda on the Plaza, Hotel Santa Fe The Hacienda and Spa and Rosewood Inn of the Anasazi. 'I love the mix of cultures and I think that's what's interesting,' said local Sotheby's realtor Katherine Blagden. 'You have all the Pueblo people and the Native American flavor as well as Spanish land grant families going back 500 years. And then you've got the Anglos so you kind of have a cultural mix.' Blagden adds that Santa Fe is also a cultural hub. 'It's world class culture, art, opera, the desert, coral chamber music,' she told the Daily Mail. 'The food is also amazing, there's restaurants all over town. There are a lot of neat art festivals, like the folk art festival. There are Spanish crafts like straw appliqué on crosses and tin work and jewelry.' Meanwhile, Charleston fell to third place on the list, after 12 straight years of being named Travel + Leisure's top US travel destination. Voters had long praised the Holy City's historic charm and Southern hospitality, calling it 'quaint and charming.' Rounding out the rest of the list in order were New Orleans, Louisiana, Charleston, South Carolina, Savannah, Georgia, Alexandria, Virginia, Honolulu, Hawaii and Greenville, South Carolina. The bottom half of the list included New York, Asheville, North Carolina, Chicago, Illinois, Taos, New Mexico, San Antonio, Texas, Nashville, Tennessee, Boston, Massachusetts and Aspen, Colorado. If Santa Fe is too pricey, a number of spots across the US have been named as affordable vacation spots. The Outer Banks, a line of islands off the coast of the US state of North Carolina, famous for open-sea beaches, state parks and shipwreck diving sites, costs around $177 per day, which means a week-long stay would cost approximately $1,237. Helen, Georgia, was also named as an affordable vacation destination. Costing an average of just $1,297 weekly per person, this southern town is known for its Bavarian architecture and 'authentic German fare.' The town is known for it's river tubing, biking, and wine tastings at nearby wineries. Other destinations included on the list were Sedona, Arizona, and Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
Daily Mail
13-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Poll: Why Santa Fe was crowned America's best city
A New Mexico city was rated the top in the US for its stunning views and good food, but it was recently involved in a horrific tragedy. Santa Fe, the state's capital, was rated number one of Travel and Leisure's 2025 best US travel destinations. The town of 89,000, known for its unique Spanish-style architecture and sand-colored buildings, scored an 88.80 out of 100 by 180,000 readers in the survey, beating out popular major cities like New York City, which ranked eighth. Readers loved the city's New Mexican cuisine, as well as its art galleries and markets. The city sits in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range and gets sunshine nearly all year round - a place readers called a 'true gem.' 'Every trip exceeds the last, with so many new things to discover,' one reader told the magazine. 'Santa Fe offers a multi-layer experience,' another said. However, the idyllic city was recently hit with a tragedy that has left many on edge. The 'best city' accolade comes as millions in the region have been warned to beware of Hantavirus - a deadly virus that recently claimed a notable resident's life. Actor Gene Hackman and his musician wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home in February. Police have since determined that Arakawa died first around February 12 as a result of respiratory symptoms caused by the virus, which is passed on through rodent urine, saliva and feces. She was 65. Hantavirus is a rare but severe respiratory illness spread through exposure, typically inhalation, to rodent droppings. A report obtained by Daily Mail indicated that Arakawa had bookmarks on her computer suggesting that she had been researching medical conditions with symptoms similar to COVID-19 or the flu prior to her death. Hackman also had trace amounts of acetone in his system at the time of his death, which could be a product of 'diabetic- and fasting-induced ketoacidosis.' Hackman, who was suffering from advanced Alzheimer's disease at the time, is believed to have wandered around the couple's home alone after his wife's death. Due to the advanced condition, he may not have ever realized his wife had died. The actor, who was 95, died nearly a week later around February 18, from severe heart disease, while Alzheimer's and kidney disease were contributing factors. Hackman tested negative for Hantavirus. Despite the tragedy, the New Mexico paradise beat out New Orleans, Louisiana, Charleston, South Carolina, Savannah, Georgia, and Alexandria, Virginia, which ranked in the top five. Mid-summer through the fall is a great time to visit the city for those who love wildflowers and hot temperatures, as it sits in the 80s and 90s. Winter is another great time to visit for those who love cold activities, like skiing. There are several art museums, including the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum. O'Keeffe was a long-time resident of the area. It also has the Museum of Indian Art and Culture, the New Mexico History Museum, and the Museum of Spanish Colonial Art. It's also a hidden gem for spas, with some located around natural hot springs. Santa Fe also has plenty of hiking trails as its located in the mountains, many of them located along historic architectural sites. And the city is home to many luxurious hotels, including a Four Seasons.
Daily Mail
08-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
America's best city is named in prestige poll... but beautiful spot was recently involved in horrific incident
A New Mexico city was rated the top in the US for its stunning views and good food, but it was recently involved in a horrific tragedy. Santa Fe, the state's capital, was rated number one of Travel and Leisure's 2025 best US travel destinations. The town of 89,000, known for its unique Spanish-style architecture and sand-colored buildings, scored an 88.80 out of 100 by 180,000 readers in the survey, beating out popular major cities like New York City, which ranked eighth. Readers loved the city's New Mexican cuisine, as well as its art galleries and markets. The city sits in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range and gets sunshine nearly all year round - a place readers called a 'true gem.' 'Every trip exceeds the last, with so many new things to discover,' one reader told the magazine. 'Santa Fe offers a multi-layer experience,' another said. However, the idyllic city was recently hit with a tragedy that has left many on edge. The city has recently undergone a tragedy after actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home The 'best city' accolade comes as millions in the region have been warned to beware of Hantavirus - a deadly virus that recently claimed a notable resident's life. Actor Gene Hackman and his musician wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home in February. Police have since determined that Arakawa died first around February 12 as a result of respiratory symptoms caused by the virus, which is passed on through rodent urine, saliva and feces. She was 65. Hantavirus is a rare but severe respiratory illness spread through exposure, typically inhalation, to rodent droppings. A report obtained by Daily Mail indicated that Arakawa had bookmarks on her computer suggesting that she had been researching medical conditions with symptoms similar to COVID-19 or the flu prior to her death. Hackman also had trace amounts of acetone in his system at the time of his death, which could be a product of 'diabetic- and fasting-induced ketoacidosis.' Hackman, who was suffering from advanced Alzheimer's disease at the time, is believed to have wandered around the couple's home alone after his wife's death. Due to the advanced condition, he may not have ever realized his wife had died. The actor, who was 95, died nearly a week later around February 18, from severe heart disease, while Alzheimer's and kidney disease were contributing factors. Hackman tested negative for Hantavirus. Mid-summer through the fall is a great time to visit the city for those who love wildflowers and hot temperatures, as it sits in the 80s and 90s Despite the tragedy, the New Mexico paradise beat out New Orleans, Louisiana, Charleston, South Carolina, Savannah, Georgia, and Alexandria, Virginia, which ranked in the top five. Mid-summer through the fall is a great time to visit the city for those who love wildflowers and hot temperatures, as it sits in the 80s and 90s. Winter is another great time to visit for those who love cold activities, like skiing. There are several art museums, including the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum. O'Keeffe was a long-time resident of the area. It also has the Museum of Indian Art and Culture, the New Mexico History Museum, and the Museum of Spanish Colonial Art. It's also a hidden gem for spas, with some located around natural hot springs. Santa Fe also has plenty of hiking trails as its located in the mountains, many of them located along historic architectural sites.
