Ojo Santa Fe Spa Resort

The pools are really cool, and Ojo was a neat place to experience. It was a ghost town in winter, though. The place is unique and a nice hidden gem in the Santa Fe eco system, but it's not a luxury resort from start to finish. I'd like to see the brand's whole vision reinvigorated, and would love to get my hands on it myself. The hospitality felt off, the staff seemed to hate their jobs, and service was mediocre at best. No smart TVs in the casitas, which is a deal breaker for me, and the food was just okay. Blue Heron should be sourcing only organic local foods. Maybe they do in summer. I gave five stars because I don't believe in leaving poor reviews and don't want that karma coming back on me. I need to return in summer for sure. We also steered a bride and groom we were photographing toward Ojo as their home base for an elopement at Ghost Ranch, with photos on Ghost Ranch's google page. I'm not sure I'd use Ojo Santa Fe as a home base again. Worth a visit, just keep expectations realistic.

The meals were the best part of our stay. Everything we ate was delicious, and the restaurant staff gave excellent service. The grounds are beautiful, and the soaking tubs and hot springs are worth visiting. Still, I wouldn't recommend staying here. For the cost, I expected much better accommodations, communication, and customer service. The rooms are outdated, have very few amenities, and no television. There's no elevator either, which made bringing suitcases inconvenient. The spa and hotel staff didn't communicate well. We were sent to the wrong location and arrived 20 minutes late for our appointment. Nobody clearly told us ahead of time that we'd still be charged the full amount if late. The spa treatments themselves were mediocre and, based on my past spa visits, significantly overpriced. I'd skip the treatments.

We tried both the public pools and a private tub at Ojo, and loved both. For the private bath, I'd suggest booking in the evening if you can. Each room has a fire going, which really adds to it. The public area is lovely and well cared for. There were people talking, so anyone who needs silence while soaking should know that, but it didn't bother us. Everyone was friendly, and we had no bad experiences with guests or staff. We're eager to visit this wonderful spa again soon.

The pools were packed, and so were the hot springs tubs, where floating particles made the water feel unclean. Even the sauna smelled unpleasant. In the locker room, the getting-ready bathroom was set to 75 degrees and unbearably hot. Several women were using hair dryers in the already warm space, and it was so crowded I could barely move or change without sweating. Cleanliness was unacceptable. There was hair on the shower walls, a used panty liner in one shower, and towels overflowing everywhere. At this price, staff should be cleaning and maintaining the locker rooms and showers throughout the day. Dinner was no better: dry, mediocre food for the price, and very slow service. We expected a relaxing day trip to Ojo Caliente Santa Fe, but it was one of our worst spa experiences and not worth the cost.