Ojo Santa Fe Spa Resort — Hotel in Four Corners States

My wife and I spent 6 nights here in August. We were looking forward to a relaxed, high-end experience, but unfortunately Ojo Santa Fe fell well short of our expectations.||||On the positive side, the grounds are beautiful. Check-in was easy, and we were greeted warmly. Our Casita King room was spacious and met our basic needs. The casita area was very quiet and (mostly) private. The large saltwater pool was wonderful and was a very good temperature. We enjoyed spending our mornings and evenings in the rocking chairs on the small dock at the lake, watching the ducks and hummingbirds. The early mornings were wonderful (until the day spa crowd arrived).||||Unfortunately, there were many negatives that outweighed the positives. Although the room was spacious and met our needs, it was very dated. The tub/shower combo didn't give a high-end feel. The window blinds curled and would not lay flat, so the room was never dark at night. It's a small thing, but the room description said it has a spacious double-sink vanity area. We had one sink, and the vanity was a little cramped. It wasn't Ojo's fault, but swallows had built a nest above our sliding door, and there were four babies in the nest. That made our patio furniture unusable. Then one of the babies fell out of the nest and died on the patio floor. We called for assistance but were told it was illegal for them to interfere with wildlife. So we watched it as ants and other insects slowly deteriorated it. On the next to last day it was finally removed. Then another one fell out... The large door to the patio area could not be locked, so we almost always kept the curtains closed. You never knew when housekeeping or the landscape crew would step onto your patio and look in your room.||||Although the pool itself was nice, our experience with the pools and spa were negative. The clientele that came in as part of their day spa experience totally destroyed the environment. Every day by 11:00 they took over the spaces for all the pools and soaking tubs. They were loud and obnoxious, and we never saw a single employee try to do anything about it. And they often stayed well into the evening. For a facility that touts "Tranquillo" everywhere you look, we found it impossible to find any tranquility. We followed the rules and avoided using sunscreen, which limited our pool time. But the day spa crowd didn't care. They oiled themselves up and hopped right in. There are large steel and wood gates at the entrances to all the spaces, and you use your wristband to unlock them. But they are spring loaded and slam very loudly when they close. So any bit of tranquility you find is interrupted by loud banging all day.||||The spa was a major disappointment. When we checked in, we were just told where to be before our massages. No tour, no locker offered, no discussion of other amenities. We have never been to a spa that didn't show us around, give us a locker and changing room, and provide light snacks and drinks. Ojo offered none of these. We asked about getting a locker and were told they were for the day spa people. So we ended up disrobing in our massage rooms and just keeping our phones, wallet, and key wristbands in our pockets. It was just weird.||||Speaking of key wristbands, we loved this instead of keys. It was very handy for getting in the room and through all the gates. Until the last day, when our wristbands would not open any gates. We planned to hang out in the rocking chairs for the last couple hours before we went to the airport. But after three trips back to the check-in counter, including two resets and then new wristbands, we still could not get through the gates. That was it, we were done. We checked out and left for the airport.||||Ojo Santa Fe has a ton of potential. There were some really nice moments. But the overall experience was very disappointing. We feel like we paid for a high-end experience and ended up at a 2 or 3 star facility. We would not recommend this facility for the price, and will...

Ok. I’ll give the pros and cons (depending on preferences)

Pros: gorgeous grounds with fountains, paths, all of the different plunging pools, fruit trees, pond with ducks and turtles, etc. Beautiful grounds. Our room was wonderful. Clean, spacious, fireplace, no problems with the air conditioning, Direct TV, no issues with internet. Lunch food was great on site! There are water fill up stations all around the resort for your water bottles. They provide you with robes and slippers for your stay. The pools are great! Lots of variety. They also offer cold water and cookies in the registration office on the weekends. Cons (depending on your preferences): No smart TV, so no ability to login to Netflix, Amazon, etc. Smaller rooms don’t even have a TV. No charging ports in the room/casitas. Just basic outlets. No black out curtains or drapes. Had quite a lot of bugs in our room (live spider on my bed, beetles, etc). Black mold/mildew in our shower where they very clearly tried to paint over it and cover it up. The staff were bizarre. Really odd people. For example, there were 5 of us in our group and when we checked into the restaurant for our reservation, the man asked us if there were 4 of us (while looking at all 5 of us). And, there were only 5 of us waiting to be seated, so it should not have been that difficult to count. We told him that no, there were five of us, just like the five that were on the reservation. He seemed confused, but seated us anyway. While at dinner, our waiter came up to our table of five, and strangely asked one of us if she was staying there with the rest of us at the resort. It made no sense at all and came out of nowhere. We were all wearing our resort bands, and we don’t know why he singled her out. The food took a really long time to arrive. For example, we ate lunch on the patio, and our waitress forgot about us. We didn’t see her for 27 minutes. We had to ask someone else where our food was. We waited 43 minutes for our basic lunches which were just a salad, a sandwich, and three tacos. It should not have taken an hour for our lunches. Then, when we ate dinner at the restaurant, it took a really long time as well. We ordered our food, and clearly told the waiter that he could start the food right away (because we already knew it might take a while because of what happened at lunch), and he brought out the appetizer (a salad) 14 minutes later. After we ate the appetizer, he then came up to the table and asked if we were ready for him to start the grill to begin on the main dinners. We were bewildered because we made it very clear to him that we wanted him to start the food asap. So again, we had to wait an hour and nine minutes before we got our dinners. A simple dinner took 3 hours and 46 minutes. And, the food was not great. I ordered the ribeye with a medium temp, and it came out well done and charred on the outside. I had ordered a bread pudding for dessert, and it came out as a flan. We asked if the waiter could split our bill, and he was thoroughly confused and couldn’t figure out what we meant. It took two men coming over to our table on multiple occasions for us to explain what ‘splitting the bill’ meant. Also, it’s very expensive to use the spa, and keep in mind that during your spa service, they leave the windows open in your service room. So the heat from the sun comes in on you while you are trying to relax for a massage, and you hear everybody outside the window talking and making loud noises. We had four people in our group of five choose to have massages, and there is one man there that gave massages to two people in our group. They both asked for a soft massage, and instead of massaging them for $200 each, he chose to go rogue and do bodywork on them instead. So, for the money that you pay, keep in mind that you will not get what you want...

I was disappointed with my experience at Ojo Santa Fe. While the property is undeniably beautiful, the spa falls short on the finer details that transform a visit into a truly relaxing and luxurious experience—especially when guests are spending hundreds of dollars.

From the outset, the experience was underwhelming. The receptionist’s initial greeting lacked warmth and clarity, which set an awkward tone for my group of six. She was unclear about our appointment times, and her stiff demeanor didn’t create the welcoming atmosphere one would expect from a high-end spa and overall seemed overwhelmed and bothered with checking in 6 people.

I was particularly disappointed that slippers weren’t included (an additional $6 charge), despite spending over $350. Robes were only available if you purchased a service or for $17 otherwise. The robes themselves were thin and felt more like bedsheets than the plush, cozy fabric that would enhance the experience. Even if these details were disclosed upfront, they come across as “cost-cutting” rather than premium. Guests are investing in this experience—why not provide robes and slippers that reflect that investment?

The spa's layout and labeling were another issue. There was no clear signage to differentiate the outdoor spas (the only apparent difference being temperature), and the sauna and steam room were hard to find due to poor labeling. When I asked the front desk for help locating the sauna, a nearby construction worker incorrectly stated it was only for hotel guests—a moment that felt unprofessional and confusing, especially since the sauna access was included with the service I paid for.

Other details further detracted from the experience. The water stations near the spas featured basic plastic pitchers instead of more refined options. The locker rooms lacked amenities, offering just one hairdryer for the entire women’s lounge. The shampoo and conditioner dispensers in the showers were broken, and the locker room flooded due to drainage issues. These maintenance oversights are unacceptable for a premium spa experience.

Adding to the disappointment was loud construction happening next to the spa area. Workers were visibly present in spaces meant for relaxation, and the noise was audible even during my massage. This should have been communicated to guests in advance so they could make an informed decision about rescheduling to ensure a more serene visit.

As for my massage, it was lackluster. The therapist didn’t ask about any specific areas of focus or preferences before starting and delivered a routine treatment without any thoughtful or personalized touches. Even small details—such as providing a weighted or heated eye mask to cover my eyes instead of a basic washcloth—could have elevated the experience.

Overall, I spent a significant amount of money for a disappointing and subpar experience. When choosing to invest in a spa day, I expect exceptional customer service, attention to detail, and a seamless experience, none of which were delivered. This trip was meant to be special, but it left us feeling underwhelmed and unsatisfied.

If Ojo Santa Fe cannot deliver a top-tier experience, pricing should reflect this reality. Alternatively, if seasonal factors like construction or off-peak operations affect service quality, this should be clearly communicated to guests in advance. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend Ojo Santa Fe based...