MarkRichmond

Thanks for the informative replies. I have a follow-up question. We are more interested in checking out ruins and hiking than sitting by a pool. Do any of you think it would be worthwhile to fly into Cancun and then Hacienda Hop every couple days, working our way west towards Campeche?

snorkmaster

Some very quick thoughts from having stayed at Uayamon twice, and all others except Temozon Sur once...

Uayamon -- In my opinion, Uayamon is the most physically appealing of the haciendas in terms of exterior feel and interior decor. (Note that the decor at Uayamon is more modern than the other properties, and I should disclose that a more modern interpretation of the "hacienda look" is my preference.) Food seemed more expensive on our second visit, and not particularly impressive in terms of quality. I think Uayamon (and the most of the other haciendas) try too hard with the food. It might be nice if they offered a more "authentic" menu for those who want well executed regional food, and a "fusion" menu for those who want something (that tries to be) more unique. I suppose the good news is that uayamon is close to Campeche, where there are some good and reasonable seafood places to eat (e.g., Chac Pel and La Pigua)

Puerta Campeche -- We stayed at this location for the first time in early January. While it is not a hacienda in the traditional sense (since it is in a restored building in the middle of the city), it is a nice facility with a cool pool and a very pleasant staff. (The german manager used to be at Uayamon.) While we only had two meals at this location, I found that the food was superior to the other haciendas.

Santa Rosa -- This was our first hacienda experience. With its location at the end of a long narrow road that runs through a small village (and the blaring morning music to wake up teachers and students ), I found santa rosa to be the most "authentic" of the hacienda experiences. The grounds are pleasant, but they are smaller than the other haciendas (except, of course, Puerta Campeche.)

San Jose -- I seem to be one of the few people who isn't ga-ga for this location, so take my advice with a grain of salt. My main gripes are the decor (which seems a little "corporate Santa Fe" to me, and the gringo intensity. While my one visit only provided anecdotal evidence, I found that San Jose felt much more on the beaten path that the other locations (in terms of clientele.) If this is your scene, you will be happy. We were not, as one of the selling points of the haciendas for us the ability to escape from fellow gringos, not to hang out with them...

One last note about San Jose -- they have no indoor eating area. If it is unseasonably chilly (as it was when we visited), you will be cold while you eat.


My overall ranking:

1) Uayamon
2) Puerta Campeche
3) Santa Rosa
4) San Jose

P.S. I don't know if the deal is still available, but some of the properties do come up on the 35% off Starwood resorts offer that was online as of a few months ago.

snorkmaster

Do you want to go to Cancun? If not, why not look at flying into Merida? Unless you're interested in visiting Chichen Itza and Valladolid en route (from Cancun), you can save yourself a pretty monotonous and costly 3-4 hour ride. (And, you can also zip over to Chichen and Valladolid from Hacienda San Jose.)

I've booked into CUN when going to the Yucatan since it is usually ~$50-100 cheaper and have regretted the decision each time. (I'm a slow learner sometimes. ) Cancun car rental pain + additional car rental costs + gas + tolls + driving time may not be worth the up front ticket savings.

MarkRichmond

We would prefer to fly into Merida since the prospect of a 4 hour drive each way does not appeal to us. I'm guessing we will decide on 4 or 5 nights at 1 Hacienda and then the balance of our trip (3-4 nights) at another.

benzlotkin

We were at Santa Rosa and San Jose earlier this year. We were also lucky enough to make use of the 'cash and points' deal at both. It was hands down the best deal I have ever gotten at a hotel. Both properties are spectacular and the service is unreal.

I preferred Santa Rosa because it is remote and very quiet. We had the largest suite they offer and on two of our three nights, we were completely alone at the Hacienda - which meant we had three swimming pools, a staff of 8, horses, and the kitchen at our disposal. The staff were so good at their job, they managed to make us feel pampered and as if we belonged there (in the village) at the same time.

I liked it so much, I plan to rent the entire Hacienda next spring. Absolutely go if you are able.

BZ

sc flier

I'd say it's similar to the weather in CUN during October. The later in October, the less hurricane chance. (But Hurricane Wilma devastated Cancun on Oct 22, 2005. Though unusually late, it's not unheard of.) A daily afternoon rain shower is likely. When we were there over a long Labor Day weekend this year, it rained from about 4pm-7pm on most days.

We went to both Santa Rosa and Uayamon. We spent two nights in each but in hindsight would have preferred to plan a minimum stay of 3 nights per hacienda. If we were to return for a 4-night trip, we'd probably stay in just one hacienda the whole time. For a 5-night trip, we might switch. For a 6-night trip, we'd definitely switch.

We loved Santa Rosa and would return there without hesitation. The service there was the most personal that we have ever experienced. We also had a great stay at Uayamon, but there were some aspects that let us down (higher food cost, possible food preparation problems, spa closed one day during stay, a lame horse prohibited horseback riding together as a couple, less personal service). Nonetheless, I'd probably still describe our stay at Uayamon as phenomenal.

Both places would be great for honeymooners, but they're not for everyone. There are some incredible luxury characteristics about the haciendas, but there are also some very rustic characteristics that some squeamish people might not handle so well. Bugs, frogs, and bats are not uncommon on the grounds. (And it's possible that some of the above could end up in your room at times, too.)

We also used Cash & Points for our stay. We returned out of Merida on Delta and agree that this is definitely preferable to driving to/from Cancun. (However, we ended up flying INTO CUN since we ironically had to change our plans at the last minute to fly down a day early to avoid a tropical storm here in the States.)

It's almost essential to have good directions and a map before you arrive. I kept very good directions from our visit and have pinpointed the exact locations of all of the haciendas in Google Maps. I also have photos of the menus, wine lists, etc. One day, I'll get around to posting this info. PM me if you need me to expedite my efforts.

Plat treatment was great at both properties for suite upgrades. At Uayamon, we got a Plat amenity of a free bottle of wine at dinner on our last night, and we got to choose from any bottle on the menu.

IIRC, the excellent manager at Santa Rosa is on a contract to be there until around November 2007. I have his business card with email address should you wish to contact him.

benzlotkin, if you don't mind sharing, how are the rates for renting the whole place?

benzlotkin

We are still working out costs. I got started with the idea when we were there because we were literally the only guests. This was in May. The weather was superb, and the staff confided that there would be no more guests for nearly two weeks after we left. I asked about renting it for weddings etc., and the manager on hand said that during the slow seasons, it was possible to do so through the owners of the Haciendas (Their name is Hernandez, and the hotels seem to be side project for them. In fact, the manager on hand said that they had only been there once whilst he was there).

So, I don't have a number or a date yet. I can tell you that it will not be through Starwood, and the rates will not have anything to do with the what we would pay as hotel guests. There are ten rooms in total I think - and this includes the two to the right of the kitchen which the owners keep empty for themselves. These rooms are available if you rent the whole thing. I plan to get serious about confirming the dates and details after the first of the year. I'll send more info when I get it. I have lots of questions for them about catering, number of beds etc.

I will also second the fondness for Merida. It is a nice little airport, and the city itself offers much more culture and wonder than Cancun could ever offer. The city has live outdoor concerts nearly everyday, and the amount and quality of post colonial architecture is really unmatched on the Yucatan peninsula.

_BZ

sbtinme

Here's your man. He's quite the guy in Mexico. Very much an entrepreneur all the way around -- and, he seems to be quite pleased with his relationship with *wood.

Roberto Hernandez Ramirez

toomanywords

Thanks for great reviews. I'll still only be gold by then (barring massive increases in work travel early next year), so I may try to pony up the magic combo of cash, points or cash-and-points to secure a suite in advance if we do choose to do the haciendas for our honeymoon. Any golds have experience at these properties? Or generally experience getting better-than-expected upgrades due to gold status plus honeymoons?

benzlotkin

toomanywords,

As noted above, my stay was in their largest suite and the treatment was beyond compare. I am only a gold, and barely that. My status is gained through my elite airline status. I've only accrued 6 stays this year (will add three more by years end though). AND, it was the cash and points at $65+4000 per night.

BZ

ExtonUS

Does anyone have any experience with the accuracy of the driving directions on SPG.com for Hacienda San Jose? Are they pretty accurate and easy to follow or is it necessary to call the Hacienda for more details?

sc flier

I haven't been to this one, but I would suggest contacting the hotel directly. Even then, they might not be completely correct. Be sure to tell them which airport you're coming from.

I am quite certain that some of the directions on the spg.com webpage are slightly incorrect since the directions from Cancun tell you to take a left for the final turn whereas the directions from Merida also tell you to take a left while coming from the opposite direction. (The Merida directions are correct, I believe. I think that the Hacienda is on the north side of the road. Perhaps WChiCC can confirm.)

Take printouts of ALL directions with you. Search for the following coordinates in Google Earth. I am almost certain that this is the location of the Hacienda San Jose
21.0103613007, -89.292255088

This map should help you, but it is not as detailed as you might like. In fact, I think that it may even be missing a segment of road between Citilcum and Cacalchen. http://www.maps-of-mexico.com/quinta...o-map-a0.shtml

http://www.maps-of-mexico.com/quinta...map-main.shtml

When I prepared for our trip to Santa Rosa and Uayamon back in September, I printed out the maps from the above website. Helped a lot, but I'd like a more detailed map next time.

Probably better directions:
http://www.differentworld.com/mexico...ting_there.htm

If you use Google Earth, send me a PM. I can send you my file of various coordinates and towns in the area -- including all 5 of the Haciendas.

Signage to the Haciendas has been recently improved, it seems. Watch for little blue signs along the way. (I don't know for sure that these signs exist for San Jose, but they exist for the others.)

sc flier

See my post in the Google Earth Community for my GE KML file. (Also accessible via Google Maps for those of you that don't have Google Earth installed.)

TraveltheWorld

Does anybody know if Microsoft MapPoint has maps detailed enough to get to the Hacienda Hotels? Better yet, has anybody here tried using MapPoint & GPS to drive to the hotels?

sc flier

Doubtful that it would be as detailed as you'd ideally want, but I'd love for someone to prove me wrong. I do see the town of Uayamon on mappoint.com, and it probably is a better map than what I downloaded for my trip. However, it doesn't provide the detail about certain turns that can be confusing in some of the small towns like the town of China. In looking at mappoint.com's directions from MID to Uayamon, I'm not sure that the details are very comforting. (Example: Bear RIGHT (South) onto Local road(s) (4.6 mi). Bear LEFT (South) onto Local road(s) (0.6 mi).

But I know my way to several of the haciendas fairly well and did keep some notes from when I learned my way around down there. I'd be happy to try to help provide directions, but would request the following by PM: level of urgency, arrival airport (usually MID or CUN), name of desired hacienda(s).

(Level of urgency is particularly important if I am away from home. So let me know if you can you wait a week for a response or if you need some answers in more of a hurry.)

I'm sure that some folks like the idea of getting lost a bit on the way to these hotels, but I'm glad I had done my research before driving to Santa Rosa for the first time after dark.