Pueblo Bonito Bed & Breakfast

Enjoy a memorable Santa Fe vacation at the historic Pueblo Bonito Bed and Breakfast Inn. Foot thick adobe walls create a quite secluded compound at this popular New Mexico bed and breakfast.  When staying here, one is engulfed in true historic southwest ambiance with the convenience of walking to the Old Santa Fe Trail, New Mexico state capitol, the San Miguel mission, Oldest House, Loretto Chapel, La Fonda, Canyon Rd and of course the Santa Fe plaza. Easy access to popular local Santa Fe events and ongoing activities are but steps away, yet hassle-free providing a great value with complimentary on-site parking with every nights stay.
 

Originally built around the turn of the 20th century, this Santa Fe Bed & Breakfast provides a unique experience in a traditional New Mexico lodging. Quiet courtyards, narrow brick paths, adobe archways, hand crafted wrought iron gates, and a shady garden sheltered by mature trees create a peaceful setting for guests wanting to escape and enjoy a truly historic Santa Fe, New Mexico vacation.


 

Eighteen Rooms with Many Amenities Including:

• Handcrafted wooden furniture
• Artwork by local artisans
• Antiques, unique knick knack decor and colorful bedding
• Vigas (wooden beamed ceilings)
• Nichos (hand carved wall niches - indicative of native culture)
• Romantic corner kiva fireplace in every room
• Private bath with tub & shower
• Foot thick adobe walls (a “real” Santa Fe vacation experience)
• Cable TV
• DSL Internet Connection in room; Wi-Fi in common area
• Phone for local calls
• A healthy serve-yourself breakfast buffet 8-10 am service
• Concierge service — able to assist in making the most of your Santa Fe vacation time.
• Air-conditioning in every room — you control the temperature.
• A common lounge area where you can enjoy afternoon tea and meet other guests
• On-site complimentary parking (up to $35/day value!)
   

Innkeepers Herb and Amy Behm and their Pueblo Bonito b&b family treat you as an honored guest at this historic adobe pueblo-style New Mexico Bed & Breakfast in the heart of downtown Santa Fe, New Mexico. Conde Nast Traveler Magazine chose Santa Fe, NM as the one of the country’s top US tourist destinations.

Why a Santa Fe Bed & Breakfast vs a Santa Fe Hotel?

• Less expensive and a better value than downtown Santa Fe hotels
• Complimentary amenities: Breakfast, Tea, Parking, DSL, Wi-Fi, Concierge, daily room service
• More intimate and private setting (18 total room with no commercial restaurant — so we cater to our guests)
• Highly personalized service: owner-operated and on premises daily for the past 25+ years
• Relaxed, romantic, quiet atmosphere which provides the perfect Santa Fe vacation experience
• A comfortable, welcoming communal room to read, check your email or meet fellow travelers

Pueblo Bonito Bed and Breakfast Inn provides Santa Fe visitors the charm of the old southwest, romance of adobe and Native American culture, and an escape to an age of cowboys and Indians while emphasizing comfort, convenience and sincere hospitality.  This is the place to center yourself, relax and call “home” while exploring Northern New Mexico and Santa Fe.

 

People travel to Santa Fe on vacation for a number of reasons. There’s the shopping, the dining, the arts and intriguing history. But New Mexico travelers will agree, the unique Southwestern flavor that permeates Santa Fe makes it a one of a kind experience. The vast and varied menu of Santa Fe attractions offer the New Mexico traveler hours of stimulation to all the five senses!

Santa Fe Vacation Information Resources

• Santa Fe Visitor’s Bureau website – Information on Santa Fe vacation activities.
• Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce - Santa Fe vacation information for tourists offering a free visitors guide for your complete Santa Fe vacation.
• Santa Fe Opera website – Performance schedule and information on Santa Fe Opera – perfect for a July or August Santa Fe, New Mexico vacation.
• City of Santa Fe website – Information on City of Santa Fe , NM.
• Santa Fe New Mexican – #1 local newspaper providing up to date sources for Santa Fe weather, events and current activities.
• Ski Santa Fe – Provides information on Santa Fe Ski Basin- a hidden local treasure!
• Santa Fe Photography & Digital Imaging Workshops – Information on Santa Fe’s most popular photography workshops.
• Santa Fe Times – An online Santa Fe newspaper.
• Site Santa Fe – Well known contemporary arts organization highlighting events and exhibits at it’s Santa Fe downtown location.
• Santa Fe School of Cooking – A favorite “extra” for Santa Fe vacation visitors. Featuring classes on Southwestern cooking year round.
• Old Santa Fe Trail – Information on the historical Old Santa Fe Trail.
• Santa Fe Southern Railway – Information on short excursion trips between Santa Fe and historic Lamy station; afternoon, evening, group & Santa Fe Holiday vacation trips.
• Santa Fe Film Festival – Schedule and Information on Santa Fe film festival.
• Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival – A summertime Santa Fe vacation “must do”- featuring world-class music.
• New Mexico Department of Tourism – Information for visitors about the entire state

Santa Fe Attractions

Walkable from our downtown Santa Fe Bed and Breakfast

• Georgia O’Keeffe Museum
• Museum of Indian Art & Culture
• Santa Fe Fine Arts Museum
• Museum of International Folk Art
• Santa Fe Plaza
• Palace of the Governors
• Canyon Road (Galleries, Dining and Shopping)
• Site Santa Fe

Day Trips: Morning departures from our Santa Fe bed and breakfast- returning in time for a famous Pueblo Punch and tea time in late afternoon!

• Bandelier National Monument - National Park north of Santa Fe- featuring ancient Indian cliff dwellings.
• Bradbury Science Museum - located in Los Alamos, NM – featuring interactive scientific displays and historical information on the Atomic Bomb and Los Alamos National Labs
• Taos Ski Valley – experience natural ,beauty all year round on your Santa Fe vacation.
• Valles Caldera (National Park)-include in your Santa Fe vacation with hiking and natural beauty in the wonders of the New Mexico outdoors.
• Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument – Amazing and beautiful natural formations about 45 minutes South on I25

Seasonal Santa Fe Attractions

October-November-December

• Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta
• Taos Fall Festival
• Pueblo Indian Feast Days (Native American Ceremonial Dances)
• Santa Fe Symphony
• Santa Fe Thanksgiving holiday
• Ski Santa Fe thru Easter weekend
• Festival of the Cranes
• Arts and Crafts Festivals
• Christmas in Santa Fe
• Santa Fe Film Festival
• Santa Fe Winter Spanish Market
• Farolitos
• New Year’s Eve Santa Fe
• Santa Fe Art Auction
• Aspen Santa Fe Ballet
• Christmas open house in Madrid NM

This Santa Fe bed and breakfast continues a rich New Mexico lodging tradition of the past. Taking the name of the intriguing archaeological site “Pueblo Bonito” of Chaco Canyon in the San Juan Basin of New Mexico, this enchanting downtown Santa Fe, New Mexico vacation destination is a two story foot-and-a-half thick adobe building having 19 Santa Fe lodging rooms!

It was given its name over 80 years ago by Mr. Al Kempineck who purchased the highly sought after property from U.S Federal Court Judge John McFie in the early 1930′s. Judge McFie served the U.S. Court system from early 1880 to well into the mid 1900′s. He was assigned to the Southwest Texas Territory (which included West Texas and all of New Mexico) prior to New Mexico becoming a state in 1912. During his term, many noteworthy southwestern outlaws showed up on the scene, such as Doc Campbell, Billy the Kid, and Pancho Villa to mention only a few. After purchasing this amazing two-story adobe pueblo-style estate, complete with horse stalls, barn, servant’s quarters, shady gardens and a working bread orno, Mr. Kemenick made the conversion into apartments. Just like the Pueblo Bonito of old (except with indoor plumbing and other inside comforts)!

Due to its prime location (in historic downtown Santa Fe, NM just a stone’s throw away from the New Mexico State Capital building), it provided varied necessary services to Santa Fe artists, politicians and community members. With rent as low as $35/month, Pueblo Bonito served home to many colorful people of the day, some of which are now famous such as Hilare Hiler- southwestern artist. There were non-famous folk as well, such as George Sanders who lived with his family at Pueblo Bonito while serving in Los Alamos as personal bodyguard to Robert Oppenheimer, head physicist of the Manhattan project (see pictures). Ladies of the evening were known to keep house at Pueblo Bonito in the earlier days providing services for the gentlemen coming in on the Santa Fe Railroad. There was even a neighborhood market conducting business out of San Ildefonso (#20).

In the 1970′s the property changed hands again, but kept it’s occupancy as apartments. Better known as “starving” artists apartments (which at that time inhabited much of Santa Fe), an unknown artist who could not make rent one month left behind three murals upstairs on the indoor hallway next to Isleta (#10) and Santa Ana (#9).

In 1986, a young newly wed couple residing in Dallas, Texas began this popular Santa Fe Bed and Breakfast we now know as Pueblo Bonito Inn. Herb and Amy Behm at a ripe young age of 28 and 24 decided to make a go of it. With background in franchise location and business management and a degree from Georgetown College, Herb took to providing Santa Fe accommodations beautifully! Amy, a recent graduate of Southern Methodist University and originally from Santa Fe, NM shared her background in marketing and sales with a bachelors of business degree.

Together, the Behm’s worked side-by-side learning the business of innkeeping. With no other employees but themselves for the first year of business and only 12 rooms (now 19) with breakfasts served to the rooms (not like today with a communal room) the learning curve was great. Their goal was then and still is to provide a relax, welcoming and comfortable atmosphere that provides the true character of Pueblo Bonito at an affordable price, while always desiring a return visit from each of their satisfied guests.

The challenge presented by such a unique, historic property has demanded constant tender loving care due to it’s age and Herb and Amy’s desire to keep its authenticity as a prime Southwestern property in the heart of charming, historic downtown Santa Fe. Over the past 25 years, the Inn has had several face lifts from adding showers, to replacing clay plumbing pipes, completely overhauling the communal area, to replacing the original antique kitchen units in rooms with usable new vanities, to placing phones, air conditioners, refrigerators and DSL in each room, as well as redoing the quaint brick pathways, and getting a brand new kitchen for breakfast and afternoon tea service which includes Wi-Fi!

Through these growth spurts, we have received numerous encouragements from our guests, support from our community and numberous awards from our industry such as:”Best Preservation Renovation for Historical Significance” in 1988 – Santa Fe Historical Society; “Best of Santa Fe” for Accommodation in 1995- Reporter”; 2nd in “Best of Santa Fe” for Bed and Breakfast 2000- Reporter; Featured in Sunset Magazine “Snowy in Santa Fe” article Jan ’04 issue as well as the Santa Fean Magazine article “10 Best Santa Fe Accommodation” March ’04 issue; 2005 “Outstanding Inn of the Southwest”- bedandbreakfast.com; “Top Lodging” for Santa Fe- Sunset Oct ’10 issue; 2011 “Guest Favorite” bnbfinder.com; . Being named after such a wondrous historic site as Pueblo Bonito in Chaco Canyon, Pueblo Bonito Bed & Breakfast Inn has had a big plate to fill. However, it appears that this quaint little Santa Fe B&B nestled in the heart of the old southwest, is indeed holding its own and has been a true delight to many of it’s patrons over the past 25+ years.

Via I-25 (From Albuquerque):
Take the St. Francis Drive Exit. Go to Cerrillos Road (about 2.9 miles) - turn right. Turn right onto Manhattan. We are on the right just after you cross Galisteo St.

Via I-25 (From Las Vegas):
Take Old Pecos Trail Exit - Head north toward town. At 3rd light veer to right and stay on Old Pecos Trail. Turn left on Paseo de Peralta (at the capitol). Immediately after Don Gaspar turn right on Manhattan. We're off to the left!!

Via I 285 (From Taos/Espanola):
Take St. Francis Drive Exit, and follow it to the second "Paseo de Peralta" - turn left. Cross Cerrillos Rd and turn left at Galisteo. Manhattan is the first cross street and Pueblo Bonito is on the corner to your right.