Im travelling round the USA next year and have heard good and bad things about Santa Fe,anyone been there?whats it like?

Yes, Santa Fe is definitely worth the visit. It is a quaint little town that has kept its Spanish flavor. It can be pricey (we stayed in a B and B, so that doesn't really count. I go for historical buildings which that was one...Georgia O'Keefe stayed there, etc.) It's great for LOOKING at the art around town but it is a bit cheaper to buy in Albuquerque. Also, if you are coming FROM Albq. to Santa Fe, there is a "Flea Market" on the left hand side going north but it is all new stuff (blankets, etc.) and you might check that out for shopping first. Ask around town for the hours because I know on one trip we went and they weren't open. If you go up the road about another 10 (?) miles toward Santa Fe, there is this restaurant (only one around but kind of "hidden") and they make excellent guacamole from scratch right at your table. Anyhow, we furnished our whole family room between Albuquerque and Santa Fe. If you are into hiking (not me) but I have a friend who has the Santa de Cristo (sp?) mountains in her backyard and they hike there.

I live near Santa Fe and am probably a little biased, but it is definitely worth a visit. New Mexico is very different from the rest of the United States because of its unique array of Native American, Hispanic, Latino, and Anglo cultures and its spectacular landscape.

If you like art, there's a great sculpture garden just outside of Santa Fe called Shidoni on Bishop Lodge's Road. Although it's probably more expensive, I would recommend staying nearer to the Plaza than not. I don't recommend staying anywhere on Cerillos as it is a busy commercial road. There's good camping and hiking along the road to the ski hill in the Sangre de Cristo mountains and in the Pecos Wilderness. For delicious and often spicy authentic New Mexican cuisine, I recommend my favorite restaurant, The Guadalupe Cafe (sit down dinner,but reasonably priced) on Old Santa Fe Trail near the Capitol building or Domnique's on Guadalupe street (good and reasonably priced; has New Mexican specialities as well as other options if you start to tire of red and green chile; order at counter). The Cowgirl on Guadalupe street usually has live music on Friday nights and is fun.

Not too far from Santa Fe (about 30-40 miles) is Bandelier National Monument. This is a great place to see Anasazi ruins and do some hiking (if you're into that). In the summer they have night walks once a week which are very cool. The Valle Grande (a large caldera) in the Jemez Mountains is a gorgeous and the town of Jemez Springs is an ecletic small community complete with a Zen Buddhist Center, Monastary, Cowboy bar, Bed and Breakfasts, and a natural mineral hot springs bath/massage house. Abiqui is also incredibly beautiful with its orange and red cliffs that give you a glimpse of Georgia O'Keefe's inspiration.

Anyway....hope this helps and you enjoy your visit.