Moon Santa Fe, Taos & Albuquerque

I live in Santa Fe and think Zora absolutely chose the best the city has to offer in so many different categories. I love the stories and history that she weaves in among her reviews, so you get a really great sense of the place you're going to visit. I'm also learning a few things I didn't already know and will tuck them away, especially for the next time visitors come. Plus, I have regretfully not done enough exploring of Albuquerque and know that now all I have to do is open this book to find the best of that city too. And I'm happy that Zora included a section in the front called American Indian Heritage--and lists events later in the book such as dates of dances at pueblos in the area--because it's a very important part of the history and culture in New Mexico.

I live in Albuquerque and have been writing about Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Taos for 10 years. I think Zora O'Neill nailed it with this book. It's not comprehensive (thank GOD), but when I think of the top five restaurants or sights I'd recommend in a particular area, and then check the book, I find Zora has written about the exact same ones. Sure, you can do a whole lot of extra research if you WANT to, but why bother? She really did pick the cream of the crop. So buy this book and forget about what you might possibly be missing. If you just follow her advice you'll have a fantastic trip.

I used this guidebook for a recent 5-day/4-night trip to Santa Fe and Albuquerque and was very impressed with the accuracy of the information. It was a great guide to the best spots in each city, with a healthy dose of opinion that set it apart from most of the bland guides out there all playing it safe with interchangeable descriptions. I think this is the first trip where the two of us chose dining spots based solely by what was in our book; time after time, we got what we were told to expect and it was great. The Moon guides are known for having more depth and expertise than others and employing writers who really know their stuff. This one is no exception: the Albuquerque native who wrote it has a confidence and a strength of opinion that is sorely lacking in many guides where the writer is rushing to research everything from scratch. To the first reviewers point, I actually stayed at the Hilton because I scored a deal on Priceline, but did I really need a book to tell me what a chain hotel is going to be like? If I had just booked a hotel on my own direct, I would have gone with one of the author's recommendations: a locally owned place with plenty of New Mexico flavor.