We woke up in Albuquerque at around four-thirty in the morning. A week before, I had told her that I had planned something absolutely amazing for our six year anniversary. That same day I had intentionally let slip that I was going to take her to the top of the Sandia Mountains in New Mexico, which of course was a fib but it had to be done. Her inquisitive nature was inching its way into finding out what the surprise was. So I put on a show in order to derail her Sherlock Holmes-like investigation with much success.

“Is the tram even open?” she asked sleepily as I tried to get her out of bed. I persuaded her into consciousness by telling her that we were going to get picked up and that the “limo” driver might already be there. We waited in the lobby restaurant and had our cheap coffee. Nothing wakes the senses like cheap coffee, not because of its caffeine content but because of the simultaneous attack and shock effect on both taste buds and olfactory sensors. We chased the coffee with some eggs and hash browns and before we knew it our ride had arrived.

“That’s our limo?” all semblance of excitement vanished from her eyes and was replaced by curiosity. “Why is there a trailer attached to it?” The “limo” was actually a van which could fit about fifteen people including the driver. Attached to it was a trailer with all the gear. We were definitely not going on a Tram ride.

As we settle into the van she still has no idea until Tammy, one of the crew asks “First time up on a Balloon?” This was followed by wide eyes and a quick “What?” from my girlfriend. “Surprise!”

I had not been on a hot air balloon ride until that morning, nor had she. When we arrived at the launch site there were other ballooners there. Some were coming back in and some were ready to launch. It was like being in a hot air balloon airport sans annoying baggage check and immigration.

The crew of the balloon asked us to help blow the balloon up which in itself was a very interesting process. Two large fans were used to fill the balloon up and once it was at the right size the burners went off until finally the balloon would right itself and the basket would begin to lift off of the ground.

Riding on a hot air balloon is what I imagined riding a cloud would be like. It’s a gentle ride and it was very romantic. The sun was not overbearing and we could see just about everything in Albuquerque. Early in the ride we crept along the Rio Grande getting close to touching the water. My girlfriend is a photographer as well as an avid traveler like myself, and I thought that this experience was perfect for her; the vantage point, the lighting, being in the air, everything.

One question we had was, “How do we turn this thing?” The answer to that was, we can’t. Just like a cloud, our direction was determined by the direction of the wind currents which were different on each atmospheric level. This basically means you start in one place and you land in another. One of the amazing features of ballooning in Albuquerque is that you can take off and land in the same place because of what they call “The Box.” In the box the wind currents allow for balloons to turn around due to the contrasting currents. On a lower atmospheric level the current travels in the opposite direction as the current in the higher level. By ascending high enough we were able to turn around and “attempt” to land in the original launch zone.

The pilot attempted to land several times but overshot the landing spot. When the pilot found a clearing we got low enough to land. The jack rabbits came out of hiding and for a moment I felt like a National Geographic explorer in Africa, flying a Cessna over the Kalahari Desert and looking below at the wildlife running. The rabbits darted about from one sagebrush to another seeking shelter from the gargantuan hawk from the sky descending upon them. Once our adventure in the sky concluded we had a champagne toast with the crew and drove to Santa Fe for the second part of our romantic itinerary.

Ten Thousand Waves Spa Resort, in the mountains near Santa Fe, is a luxurious spa designed to look and feel like a traditional Japanese bathhouse. We parked at the bottom of the steep hill and made our way up the Japanese stairs to the spa reception. The lobby was beautifully designed and was separated into three sections; a boutique, an entrance to the treatment rooms and entryway to the baths. I had scheduled a session of Yasuragi and thirty minutes in one of their premium private baths for the both of us.

Our Yasuragi session was exactly what they promised us – “…the most powerful twenty-five minute spa treatment on the planet.” Please understand that I am by no means a professional spa critic, nor can I truthfully admit that it was the most powerful on the planet, but it sure felt like it. Looking at my girlfriend’s face confirmed that. The head and neck treatment was exactly what we needed. After the Yasuragi treatment, we sat in the sauna for a few minutes and let the treatment fully sink in.

We couldn’t wait to get into the hot bath and continue to let our entire bodies unwind. I picked the bath called the Waterfall. Ten Thousand Waves has a great selection of outdoor public, private, and premium private baths, including one super premium bath. The Waterfall is a premium private bath and included was a sauna, cold water dipping pool and a hot bath, the only hot bath in the spa which is kept at body temperature.

Overall, the entire experience was fantastic – the friendly receptionists, the location of the spa, its architecture and landscaping; the therapists were amazing and there was only one thing left to complete the romantic adventure: dinner.

The Coyote Café was my choice for such an occasion. Representing modern southwestern gourmet cuisine, the beautifully designed restaurant catered both to aesthetic and gastronomic cravings. The Coyote Cafe embodies fine dining in every way, from ambiance to items on the menu such as the Harris Ranch Beef Carpaccio and Mole Rubbed Dakota Ranch Buffalo Tenderloin. For those with a large appetite their Famous Cowboy Cut boasts a cast iron skillet seared certified 24oz angus ribeye.

The selection of cocktails and wines presented numerous options to complement your dining experience. The signature cocktails were all enticing and bottles of wine ranged in price from $60 well into the thousands.

It was the perfect setting for the conclusion to a romantic day, and one which I will be hard pressed to beat. The one significant factor to the making the entire day a success was Santa Fe itself. This city provides all the elements for a romantic getaway, and New Mexico’s landscape and natural beauty sets the tone for any guy to take advantage of becoming the best boyfriend in the whole universe, even if just for one day.

For more pictures, suggestions and info on reservations click here.

Labels: Albuquerque, Destinatons, Hot Air Ballooning, Japanese Bathhouse, New Mexico, Santa Fe, Spa, Ten Thousand Waves Resort and Spa, USA