Travel News and Information From Across the Country
RSS feed address: http://www.enfeedia.com/runawaygetaway/articles.xml

When deciding on your Santa Fe vacation accommodations, it's helpful to understand these terms. You will find that they are good cues as to price, location, and home size. Once you know the length of your vacation, the number of people in your group, your budget, and your vacation goals, using these terms in Google searches can speed you to your ideal accommodations for a perfect vacation.

A "casita" is the smallest of the three and is typically a cozy one bedroom, one bath structure with kitchenette. Often, a casita is a located on the same property as the casita owner's home, and sometimes is a converted garage. Casitas can be an excellent choice for a couple for a few day stay and wishing to be located around the downtown Plaza area or famous Canyon Road art district in the historic East Side. Real estate prices in Santa Fe make it prohibitive to offer a larger home near the downtown for vacation rentals; rates would have be too high for such homes too be financially viable for the owner. To find a casita, try a Google search on santa fe casita rentals.

A "casa" is larger, usually a condo, and usually two bedroom with sleeping accommodations for four, sometimes six. Generally, a casa may be located in proximity to the downtown area and famous Canyon Road art district, but rental rates may reflect those prime locations. You are more likely to find reasonably priced casas a quarter mile removed from those locations. To find a casa rental, try a Google search on santa fe casa rentals.

A "hacienda" is the largest of the three, almost always a detached single family private home with three or more bedrooms and at least 2.5 baths. Don't expect to find a reasonably priced hacienda within a few blocks of the Plaza or Canyon Road ... although you may find exceptions in the low-season. However, if a mile walk is OK with you, and if you need more space for a week stay, then taking the time to find a hacienda can be indeed well worth the effort. To find a hacienda, try a Google search on santa fe hacienda rentals.

Any one of the three can make for an enchanting vacation in the "City Different" Santa Fe; select the one that best fits your needs!

Noted outlaw Billy The Kid was a famous figure from the rugged American Old West. His involvement in the Lincoln County, New Mexico Wars as one of John Tunstall's "Regulators" is part of a fascinating legend that took place throughout southern New Mexico. Folks come from all over the world to explore the area for themselves. Original buildings from the era still stand complemented by museums packed with interesting lore and artifacts about Billy and the period in which he lived.

The best way to enjoy the Billy The Kid experience is by following the route of the Billy The Kid Scenic Byway. I bet the last thing that Billy ever would have imagined is that a motor route through southern New Mexico bearing his name and likeness. Thoroughfares all over the world carry the name of statesmen, entertainers, sports figures, astronauts and other heros. In this case the Billy The Kid Scenic Byway is named...well, for an outlaw.

You'll start off in Ruidoso Downs, New Mexico at the Billy The Kid Scenic Byway Visitor's Center. The facility will give you the background on the history of the area. Naturally, you'll have the opportunity to pick up an ample supply of souvenirs for the dashboard and the refrigerator door. While in Ruidoso Downs you'll want to see the Hubbard Museum of the American West, the Ruidoso Downs Racetrack and the Billy The Kid Casino.

The resort community of Ruidoso is next. Enjoy the many shops and galleries and be sure to stop by the historic Dowlin's Mill, one of the favorite haunts of Billy The Kid.

You'll proceed north through Alto, on the way to Capitan. On the way, save some time to see historic Ft. Stanton. This fort helped tame the wild west. Due to several battles at the fort itself, Ft. Stanton served as both a Union and Confederate stronghold. Each year in August the "Ft. Stanton Live" celebration recreates life as it was in the era when the fort was a major factor in the defense of New Mexico.

Capitan is next and is perhaps best known as the home of the only American figure with his own zip code...Smokey Bear. See the final resting spot of old Smokey at the Smokey Bear Park and well as interesting exhibits on fire prevention and the local flora. By the way, to remain politically correct it's just Smokey Bear. Just happen to let go with a "Smokey The Bear" and you'll quickly be corrected. It's kind of like saying "Santa The Claus" or "Easter The Bunny".

From Capitan we move over to the hot bed of the Lincoln County Wars, Lincoln, New Mexico. Here many buildings from the Billy The Kid era still stand. Several now serve as museums for a fascinating look at life in the American Old West. You might want to stop for a cold beverage at the Wortley Hotel or stay the night at the Ellis Store Bed and Breakfast.

Next on the scenic byway is Hondo, San Patricio and Glencoe. The Coe Ranch still stands and was where Billy The Kid worked as a ranch hand during his formative years.

The byway has made a large loop through the area and as we continue, we find ourselves back at the visitor's center in Ruidoso Downs. You'll find the Billy The Kid Scenic Byway trip well worth while and enjoyable for families and children of all ages. Don't pass up the chance to see how history has played an important part in New Mexico and where the legend of Billy The Kid was born.

The beauty of the Hawaiian islands is hardly subtle. Jungle-smothered volcanic peaks loom around every highway switchback, verdant plants sprout flowers as brilliant and meaty as hallucinations, and surrounding you always is the Pacific Ocean, by turns coral blue, crystalline green or shimmering golden with the light of the setting sun. Hawaii is easy, Hawaii has nothing to hide. Hawaii is, touristically speaking, pornographic in its single-minded baring of its assets. [Source: Matt Gross, New Yort Times]

A growing trend in the Arizona tourist industry is the increasing number of vacation rental homes offered across the Phoenix Valley. With the real estate explosion over the past couple years, many real estate investors are renting single family houses as a "home away from home". Thousands of out-of-state visitors looking for affordable weekly accommodations should consider the benefits of a Phoenix vacation rental vs. a standard hotel stay for reasons of lower pricing, more square footage, more privacy and much more personalized accommodations.

"It's really a no-brainer when comparing a vacation home vs. a resort or hotel." Explains David Drake, owner operator for www.rent-arizona.com and Drake Rental Properties, LLC. "For the amount of space and amenities you receive with a vacation home AND at a lower cost than most mid-level resorts, vacation homes offer so much more for you and your family. I think the only reason more people don't rent vacation homes is that they don't know about them."

Drake suggests that visitors look for vacation homes that are owner-operated and offer a website that provides you with ample pictures and virtual tours so that you can see what the entire home looks like before you book.