| Santa Fe Gardens, Art & Cuisine A Pacific Horticulture Society September 29-October 5, 2017 Escorted by: Cheryl & Robert Nich 2 spaces available. To book this tour, click HERE Join us in Santa Fe, the oldest capital in the United States, located in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo mountains. Discover over 1000 years of culture, history and tradition.Visit a collection of private and public gardens including Santa Fe Botanic Garden and Georgia O'Keeffe's home at Abiquiu. Enjoy a special private opening of the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum and learn the secrets of southwestern cuisine at the Santa Fe School of Cooking. We'll be based at the atmospheric Hacienda Hotel & Spa. Friday, September 29: Independent arrivals at Santa Fe Regional Airport or Albuquerque International Airport and make your way to our hotel. Meet your traveling companions for a welcome reception in the Hacienda lounge. Later we will enjoy a welcome dinner at the hotel. The 4 star property is centrally located near shops and restaurants. Rooms are air-conditioned with designer toiletries. The hotel has a restaurant, pool, spa and butler. Reception, Dinner Saturday, September 30: Today we will meet our guide, Peter Weiss, for a private walking tour of the highlights of Santa Fe. Peter is a well-known photographer and lecturer, specializing in fine art, anthropology, and geography. We will learn about Santa Fe's unique culture which is a blend of Spanish, Native American and Old West. Our tour will include the historic plaza at the heart of the city as well as the Palace of the Governors and Loretto Chapel. We will have lunch at Museum Hill cafe followed by a docent led tour of the fascinating Folk Art Museum housing the world's largest collection of international folk art. We'll continue our exploration of Museum Hill with a private guided tour of the Santa Fe Botanical Garden. The Garden celebrates, cultivates and conserves the rich botanical heritage and biodiversity of the region. The garden began as a vision of a small group of local gardeners, botanists and environmentally oriented citizens. Landscape architect W. Gary Smith was hired to create a master plan for the new garden. The Orchard Gardens opened in July 2013, a gift shop and Phase 2, Ojos y Manos (Eyes and Hands), opened in 2016. The Courtyard Gardens will be the final phase of development, featuring several small courtyards as commonly seen in Santa Fe residential gardens. The Botanical Garden is still small at just under two acres, but in three years the plants have grown, providing a colorful and mature garden. Continental breakfast, Lunch Sunday, October 1: After breakfast we will tour four private gardens. The first garden with spectacular views of the Jemenez and Sangre de Cristo mountains was designed by Catherine Clemens. She created a design that blends an aura of antiquity with Moorish architectual elements, framed vistas, exquisite accents and lush plantings. The second garden was a "refresh" by designer Mark Brotton. The home is traditional Santa Fe style with ornate woodwork. The owners asked Mark to work on reducing water usuage and to incorporate a sustainable native plant palette. The property is accented by a natural boulder fountain, a Honey Locust tree with beautiful canopy, and stunning views of the Rockies. Our third garden was designed by Reese Baker. The design was based on water. Harvesting water onsite, water catchment, and wastewater reuse. Many aspects of the design were set up to create food, biodiversity, habitat and forage for wildlife. There are currently 35 trees on a 1/4 acre lot along with chickens and a pond containing frogs and fish. The last garden was planned by designer Charlene Owen. The clients requested meandering paths with secret garden rooms. We'll see rose arbors, native meadows, a pond and waterfall, aspen groves, fruit trees and eclectic Santa Fe garden art. The afternoon is free for museums, shopping or relaxing at the hotel spa. In the late afternoon we will be treated to a cooking class and dinner at the Santa Fe School of Cooking, recommended by Martha Stewart. Continental breakfast, Dinner Monday, October 2: Today we join Peter for a full day tour to Taos. Our first stop is Chimayo with its legendary Santuario de Chimayo, local crafts and chiles. We'll continue with a guided excursion to Taos Pueblo, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, revealing a way of life unchanged for ten centuries. While in Taos we'll visit the Mabel Dodge Luhan House, long the center of Taos arts and education, considered the artistic salon of the Southwest. We will lunch at Lamberts, one of Taos's best loved restaurants. Later we'll have free time to peruse the galleries, boutiques or a museum. Taos is famous for traditional Native American crafts, silver, tin, leather goods and ceramics. Continental breakfast, Lunch. Tuesday, October 3: After breakfast we have a private docent-led tour of the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum before it opens to the public. The Museum offers insight into the artist’s paintings, her creative process and the light and landscape that inspired her. One of the most significant artists of the 20th century, 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.” O’Keeffe’s images—instantly recognizable as her own —include abstractions, large-scale depictions of flowers, leaves, rocks, shells, bones and other natural forms. We continue exploring the world of Georgia O'Keeffe with a visit to her home and studio at Abiquiu. Georgia owned two homes in the Chama River valley north of Santa Fe. She bought the first one at the Ghost Ranch in 1940 and the second one in the village of Abiquiu in 1945. In both places, she made the homes her own, suited to her art and life and she occupied both until 1984, when she moved to Santa Fe. Following our visit to Abiquiu we will have lunch and a guided visit to Ghost Ranch. Continental breakfast, Lunch. Wednesday, October 4: This morning we will have special visits to three private gardens as guests of the Santa Fe Garden Club. The afternoon is free for last minute shopping or sightseeing. We suggest a stroll down Canyon Road. This upscale center of the Santa Fe art scene has over 70 art galleries. Tonight we will have a festive farewell dinner with new and old friends in one of Santa Fe's top restaurants. Breakfast, Dinner Thursday, October 5: Following breakfast at the hotel, time to say good bye to Santa Fe. Independent returns. Continental breakfast TOUR LAND COST PER GUEST BASED ON DOUBLE OCCUPANCY: Based on a minimum of 16 guests: $2445.00 per person for members of Pacific Horticulture Society, $2545.00 for non-members* based on two people sharing a room. Supplement for single occupancy of a room: $825.00. A maximum of 20 guests can be accommodated. *Membership starts at just $28 so if you are not a member, we strongly encourage you to join before you register for the tour as you can then receive the member price. You can join online here: http://membership pacifichorticulture.org/joinrenew COST INCLUDES: • 6 night’s accommodation at the Hacienda Hotel & Spa • Hotel taxes and service charges • 6 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 3 dinners, nightly wine & cheese reception • Motorcoach transportation as specified in itinerary • Local guide where mentioned in the itinerary • All sightseeing and entrances as per the itinerary • Escorted by Cheryl Nichols • Donation of $200 to Pacific Horticulture Society COSTS DO NOT INCLUDE: • Airfare • Travel insurance • Tips to your local guide • Arrival or departure airport transportation HOTELS --- Our hotel is the Hacienda Hotel & Spa. The property is located in a prime location, near the vibrant Railyard District with museums, galleries, shops and restaurants outside our door. Amenities include a bar, restaurant, fitness center, pool and spa. We'll have a special lounge offering wine, cheese and snacks nightly.There is a complimentary shuttle service to downtown Santa Fe and our own butler! We suggest adding a day before or after the tour to visit local museums and sample the shopping. PHYSICAL CAPABILITIES - These tours include a SIGNIFICANT amount of walking, frequent use of stairs and steeply sloped pathways on uneven or unpaved surfaces. Some of the places we will be visiting can only be seen on foot with no other access possible. Guests with limited mobility MUST consult with Sterling prior to tour registration. FLIGHTS --- Santa Fe Regional Airport has very limited service. There are many more options going into Albuquerque---United, American, Southwest, Alaska and Delta Airlines. We suggest booking flights to arrive in Albuquerque by 3:00PM on day 1 of the tour so you will have sufficient time to reach the hotel before the welcome reception and dinner. If meeting this schedule is a problem, please consider coming a day early. Extra nights at the hotel can be arranged upon request. We suggest contacting Leslie Garber of Cadence Travel for assistance booking flights and travel insurance Leslie charges a fee for her service, but our guests find her service to be of value. There is an airport shuttle and taxis are readily available at the airport. To view or print the itinerary, click HERE. For reservations and information, please contact: Sterling Tours, Ltd 2907 Shelter Island Drive Suite #105-262 San Diego, CA 92106 CST2023849-40 Tel: 619 299-3010 x 10 800-976-9497 www.sterlingtoursltd.com |
sterling tours, ltd
 |
 |
 |
