Came home and the answering machine was blinking. It was Spence from Trading Places. Got a check in (Oct6) at Villas of Santa Fe which is the start of the hot air balloon festival in Albequerqe (sp) I am HAPPY!!!! The only bad is I only got a 1br instead of a 2. They said they don't get 2br's. so I took it. I gave them a 3br from St George, Utah.
Shaggy, have you been to the area/resort before?
The RESORT shuttle is GREAT! You can even call them on your cell phone, tell them where you are nearby and they will pick you up. Lots to do in Sante Fe.
IF this is your first time at a ABQ Balloon Fiesta, if memory serves me many TUGgers and others online have great photos & advice. Particularly when to leave Sante Fe/where to park for the balloon park and other logistical considerations that would be nice to know in advance.
In October 2010, we spent Friday night in top floor suite at closest Marriott to the balloon park watching balloons in front of our window WHILE also hearing/watching the coverage on ABQ TV.
then Sat-Sat @ Villas de Sante Fe using our VI contract
We drove back to ABQ 2 or 3 days
You MUST leave VERY EARLY in the dark
If you have a GPS it wouldn't be a bad idea to have it with you
The ONLY possible confusion is getting from Villas de Sante Fe to the Freeway onramp
Eventually (about an hour later) the traffic for the exit lane will line up
Lots of officials directing you to the right parking lot
We also went to something like a skyrail one of the afternoons
We checked out on Saturday and saw lots of balloons in the air over ABQ as we drove South to Carlsbad Caverns