The best hotel I’ve ever stayed at, anywhere in the world — and it’s in Mexico

As expats surviving successful Dubai and acold distant from our families, opportunities to question without our six-year-old girl are uncommon for my hubby and me. But connected a instrumentality travel to Mexico this spring, we jumped astatine the accidental of a abbreviated getaway to observe our 10th wedding day — and we treated ourselves. 

After years of being obsessed with this hotel, we booked a two-night enactment astatine what is arguably the astir bonzer spot we’ve ever experienced: the Hacienda de San Antonio.

The communicative of the Hacienda de San Antonio dates backmost to 1879, erstwhile it began arsenic a java plantation. (Hacienda de San Antonio)

From java plantation to hacienda

Set amidst lush jungle successful the authorities of Colima with melodramatic views of the Colima volcano, this 19th-century hacienda utilized to beryllium a java plantation owned by German businessman Arnoldo Vogel and his Mexican woman Doña Clotilde Vogel. The communicative goes that the Arabica java produced successful these highlands was served to the German royal family. 

In the precocious 1970s, the hacienda was sold to Bolivian mining tycoon Don Antenor Patiño, who 10 years aboriginal sold it to his lad successful law, Sir John Goldsmith. Before acquiring the hacienda, Sir John had bought the spot wherever helium would aboriginal physique 1 of Mexico’s astir exclusive hotels: Cuixmala. 

For years, the Hacienda de San Antonio was the Goldsmith family’s state location until they renovated it and turned it into a luxurious boutique hotel. 

The travel to the hacienda from Guadalajara took 2.5 hours. We traveled determination successful March, 1 of the driest and dustiest months successful occidental Mexico, truthful the scenery wasn’t peculiarly inviting: sunbaked mountains, leafless trees and brownish hills. However, aft passing the woody motion that work “Hacienda de San Antonio,” the vegetation turned lush and vividly green. 

A lukewarm invited astatine the Hacienda de San Antonio

We drove to the gathering pursuing a way lined by towering trees and dense jungle. Rays of sunlight filtered done the histrion canopy, and birds chirped arsenic if announcing our arrival. At the extremity of the path, a perfectly groomed greenish tract extended successful beforehand of us, with the hacienda lasting majestically astatine the acold edge. For 3 days, we forgot it was the adust season.

The edifice unit was already waiting for america astatine the beforehand entrance. We were greeted with bedewed wipes scented with lavender from the hacienda’s fields and foodstuff made from the fruits of its orchard.

After check-in, 1 of the edifice unit members gave america a circuit of the property. We began with the chapel, which sits astatine 1 extremity of the building. It was built successful 1913 pursuing a volcanic eruption that threatened to destruct the java plantations. Doña Clotilde, who had prayed to Saint Anthony for a occurrence during the eruption, not lone built a chapel successful his grant to convey him for sparing her onshore but besides renamed the spot aft him. 

We past explored the remainder of the property. The much we walked astir the grounds, the much we felt similar leaving the noisy satellite down and entering a parallel beingness wherever the hacienda and its grounds kept the existent satellite astatine bay. 

There’s a sprawling plot with winding fountains inspired by Moorish architecture. A tennis tribunal hidden down heavy vegetation, a surviving country with a expansive piano, immense woody chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and a fireplace for acold nights. The Hacienda de San Antonio besides boasts 2 libraries and a country with chess tables and a barroom that makes you consciousness similar a quality successful a movie from Mexico’s Golden Age of Cinema. But it was astir apt the checkered excavation surrounded by thenar trees and bougainvillea wherever we spent astir of our time.

Living disconnected the land

Rancho El Jabalí produces overmuch of the nutrient served astatine the hacienda. (Hacienda de San Antonio)

The edifice served authentic Mexican dishes prepared with nutrient grown connected the adjacent El Jabalí ranch, which is besides portion of the property. The butter, pick and immoderate dairy products we ate, including Parmesan cheese, were made with beverage from the ranch’s cows. The steaks came straight from the hacienda’s farm, arsenic did the chromatic and astir of the fruits and vegetables. 

“We similar to service lone the healthiest produce,” Jacobo, 1 of the hotel’s waiters, told maine during our archetypal repast astatine the hotel. We were sitting connected the terrace overlooking the sprawling fountains and hills beyond the property. “Almost each the nutrient that we usage present comes from El Jabalí oregon from Cuixmala, similar the papaya. Except for apples, peaches and immoderate different fruits and vegetables, we turn everything here,” helium said. 

We didn’t person clip to research the Jabalí ranch, but Antonio “Toro” Mejía, 1 of the hotel’s unit members, took america connected a abbreviated excursion to El Jabalí, 1 of the property’s 2 lagoons, connected our past day. We started by visiting the waterfall that feeds the lagoon — wherever I had a speedy but refreshing dip — followed by a paddleboarding experience, wherever I besides got a accidental to swim. 

This was astir apt my favourite portion of the trip. It was aboriginal morning, the aerial was crisp and the entity was impossibly blue. We were surrounded by chaotic vegetation and adjacent spotted a fewer eagles. What much could we inquire for? It truly enactment into position the mode we unrecorded now. Why has enjoying immoderate unaltered quality go a paid experience?

But it is what it is, and I would wage each penny again to enactment astatine this singular hotel. 

Gabriela Solis is simply a Mexican lawyer turned full-time writer. She was calved and raised successful Guadalajara and covers business, culture, manner and question for Mexico News Daily. You tin travel her manner blog Dunas y Palmeras.