ettubaby

Has anyone stayed at any of the Mexico Hacienda properties? I have not seen any posts about these properties, any experiences?

Starwood Lurker

ettubaby, I have never been to any of these haciendas, but they sound nice. You can get an idea of what they are like by dusting off the August 2000 issue of Conde Nast Traveler, even though it pre-dates their entry into The Luxury Collection.

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Specialist, E-Communications Department
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

[email protected]

ehe123

I wanted to bring this topic back, as we are interested in staying at one of these properties. Any experience out there?

bassque

I used a free weekend to stay at the Hacienda San Jose last August. It was my intention to write some type of a trip report but I found the task a little too daunting. The problem was that I didn't know where to start or stop when talking about the property. Since you inquired, I will give it a bit of a go.

Travel details:
I flew into Cancun and stayed one night at the Westin. The next next I drove to the Hacienda stopping at the Mayan ruins of Ek Balam and Chichen Itza on the way. There was also a cenote that was pretty amazing. Without the stops on the way it is still a good three hours from the Cancun to the Hacienda. Merida is only about 45 minutes away from the Hacienda and is a very good option depending on your travel plans. Oh, and make sure that you get GOOD directions (call the Hacienda directly) to your place because the roads and Hacienda were not well marked. I happened upon the HSJ at twilight and probably would not have been able to find it had it been much later.

The Hacienda San Jose:
My first impression was driving into the property at twilight. There was a dirt road that was probably a half-mile long before I reached the gates. It wasn't well cared for and made me a little suspicious of what I had done when I selected this property. However, once I passed through the gates, everything changed. I could make out the blue agave plants on the side of the road and it was only a short distance to the reception area. The Hacienda manager met me at my car and showed me to my room personally. The compound was amazing. There were very few electric lights that could be seen and so you walked along candle lit paths - a very cool effect. Rooms are located in the old plantation buildings and include all of the modern amenities that you would expect (including a/c) and a few older ones that you might not. For example, my room came equipped with a very comfortable hammock that you can string across the room. Before I forget, I have to let you in on the backyard which came with a daybed and a wading pool to beat the heat. The large Hacienda pool also has the best hammock - it sits above the water and under a trellis. You won't want to get out of it. There is a great bar, too, and it struck me as funny because it looked more Polynesian than Mayan to me but what do I know. All meals and drinks are reasonably priced (read: normal - not hotel prices) which is a good thing because there really aren't any other places to dine nearby. As for service, it was outstanding. No request went unfulfilled.

That's about it for my stream-of-consciousness brain dump. There is probably more to tell but I don't know what your interests are. If you have any questions, go ahead and post and I will try to answer them. My advice for anybody who has expressed any interest is that they should definitely go. It will probably be unlike most any other "hotel" stay you will ever have. The interesting thing is that the HSJ is supposed to be the least "formal" of all the Luxury Property Haciendas. I think I need to visit those and do a little comarison shopping.

ps - Did I mention they washed my car (which was a piece of s*#! rental), too?

ehe123

Thanks for the very helpful report! A few questions, however. Is it hot as blazes in August? Aside from the price (which you was reasonable), how was the quality of the food, given that we will not have any choice in dining.

bassque

I live in Austin so it's hot here in August, too!

Yes, it was definitely warm - make sure your rental car has A/C. Don't worry about the property as the A/C worked very well. As for the daytime, I spent a great deal of time in and around the pool and that made the heat less of an issue. The hotel manager said that the most popular seasons are spring and fall when the temperatures are more manageable for folks (apparently, Europeans are the majority of the guests). If you live in a hot climate or are used to it, I wouldn't worry about it too much.

As for the food, it was good. I wouldn't call it the most amazing cuisine but it was very good given the fact that you are not very close to any other alternatives.

Hope this helps.

bworrell

I'm so excited. I just booked two nights at Hacienda San Jose and two nights at Hacienda Uayamon.

Anyone know of any more recent reviews/pictures other then the Aug 2000 Traveler?

wahoo99

I have also actually found very little about these Hacienda properties here on Flyertalk, and I don't know why. I guess its time for me to give my trip report from two of the other Haciendas from my trip last November, consider me inspired by your trip report.

HACIENDA UAYAMON
This is by far my favorite hotel I have ever stayed in. Its not so much that they had every modern amenity in the world and pampered me to no end, its more about the absolute serenity of the place. So where to begin....

ARRIVAL
We flew into Merida and drove approximately 2 1/2 hours south to get to Campeche where this hotel is tucked into the jungle about 30 minutes west of downtown Campeche. It literally is in the MIDDLE OF NOWHERE. We saw a really ghetto looking sign and turned into a very dark (it was night) bumpy little road that carried us off into the woods. We then were stopped all of a sudden by a log stuck as a post in the middle of the road, blocking the driveway. A man appeared out of nowhere and asked us if we had a reservation, to which we replyed yes. With a quick message into his walkie-talkie, he removed the log blocking the road and we continued along to a circular driveway with a fountain in the middle. It was there that we caught our first sight of the main house of the hacienda, totally lit up and breathtaking at night. Several employees immediately attended to us and our bags, and welcomed us to the Hacienda, immediately addressing me as Mr. Wahoo. Check in was performed at the concierge desk as we received towels soaked in some fantastic cooling substance, and drank some drink made from local vegitation (quite tasty too). After completing our paperwork, we were wisked off along the grounds to our "casita."

THE ROOMS
Every room at this place is its own little house. The pathways to the rooms are lit by low lying lights and candles that they have strategically scattered around the grounds, its completely magical. We arrived at our casita and our bags had already been placed in our room. The front door opens into a large room with a large, comfortable bed, small couch, entertainment center, and cathedral ceilings. Plus, there is this smell in there that I can't even describe, its just this raw natural smell of some blissful substance. The room opens into a short hallway that leads into this great bathroom. In the middle of the bathroom is a pair of sinks with big mirrors, a great effect the way they sort of stand alone. To the right of the sinks is a huge walk in shower that you just step down into, no door or anything. To the left is an alcove with the toilet. And directly between the back of the sinks and the huge windowed wall, is a giant bathtub that could easily seat four. And sprinkled over the surface of the water and throughout the bathroom are all sorts of flower petals. And the bath products are AMAZING, locally made somehow as there is no brand name. They have this cinnamon apple milk lotion that you want to drink it smells so good. Heading back to the bedroom, there is a door out of the side of the hallway that connects the bedroom to the bathroom. Sliding this door open reveals a few steps that lead up to a huge outdoor bed that is covered by a wooden canopy with a ceiling fan. And there is even a reading light built into the bed! This entire room just completely blew me away, I was not expecting anything of this level of unique character and luxury. There are other casitas now too far away, but the landscaping is so lush that it affords you almost complete privacy. But that was ok for us, we were the only people staying there for the first two nights of our stay!

AMENITIES
Not only do they provide all sorts of information packets in your room about things to do in the area (ruins, what to see in campeche, etc.), but they also have tons to do on the property itself. They provide free bikes, free horse back riding, there are all sorts of trails to explore, and the hacienda grounds are stunning. The pool...I don't even have words for the pool, so cool! Its inside a crumbling building with no roof and old stone columns rising out of the middle of it, I have never seen a pool quite like this. The restaurant had some of the best food I have ever had too, and prices were not too bad consiering the food quality and remote location, like $10-$15 for an entree.

THE STAFF
We had the same waiter all the time and he became our friend and often practiced his English on us. He went out of his way to learn our names and remember what we liked. The restaurant staff would also set up our dinner table anywhere around the grounds we requested. The manager was also very helpful and nice. She had been away for our first few days, but as soon as she got back she found us by the pool and made sure our stay was going well. She also reviewed with us what we had done and recommended additioanl things to see and insisted that we tour the local village. She had our waiter friend take us on the tour by bicycle and explain everything to us. It was a shock to be in the middle of the poverty in the local village, but it was very interesting to see. We even saw Miguel's (the waiter) house and he picked fruit from his tree that he later served to us in the restaurant.

Well, I could probably go on and on and on about this property, but I think you catch the drift. We also visited Hacienda Temozon on our trip, which I also really liked, but it was not as amazing as Uayamon. Temozon is a lot bigger, more than twice the number of rooms (Uayamon has a mere 12 rooms), and it did not have quite the same intimate feel. The rooms there are all within the same large building and are unique inside, but not the same as Uayamon. The staff is also not as personable, probably since this hotel is so much larger.

So if you want a hotel that is secluded, intimate, and romantic yet also has lots of interesting places nearby to explore and lots of neat things to explore within the hotel itself, I cannot say enough about Uayamon. I still can't wait to go back, probably next year!

mindgame

Thanks!!! These are VERY helpful reviews, as there is very little, almost nothing, on FT about these Haciendas.

Any more??

PaulH2S

I just stayed at Haciendas Uayamon, Temozon, and San Jose in January and I must say that Uayamon and San Jose were amazing! Temozon was very, very nice, but not quite as personal. As a Starwood employee, I have been to a fair number of our properties in Europe and North America and the two Haciendas I mentioned were absolutely the best!

The rooms at Uayamon are all individual little casitas with huge bathrooms, large living areas and daybeds in their "backyards." At Temozon there are more variations between the rooms, but mine was in a former stable building and was pretty large, but more of a traditional room. At San Jose, there is also a larger variety of room types, but I was in a large room with an outdoor plunge pool and daybed. Each room included an extremely comfortable hammock as well as fresh flowers from the local gardens each day.

The grounds at all of these properties are amazing with beautiful gardens, pools, and abundant wildlife, including peacocks at Temozon. They also have many activities available including complimentary horseback riding and bikes available to ride around the grounds.

What truly sets these properties apart though is the service! At Uayamon, the staff made it a point that each party should eat dinner in a different location every night, including the dining room, outdoor verandah, gardens behind the main building, etc. It seemed like they really looked forward to making the evening special for you. At all of these properties, which are managed centrally from Temozon, there are on-site managers (Jana at Uayamon, Orestescz at Temozon, and Veronique at San Jose), who are constantly checking on your needs (which is really not too necessary as the rest of the staff will have you well taken care of!). They are extremely adept at running these intimate hotels!

Ok, I think I need to stop my gushing now, but my one final thought is: GO TO THESE HOTELS! You will never forget the experience.

sbtinme

Folks, if you speak some Spanish, here's a website that will be of great interest to you for these hotels:

www.grupoplan.com

This is the company that acutally owns these properties and this website gives more detail and info about the haciendas themselves than I've found anywhere else.

I have been dying to go to some of them now for years, but all my pals are scared off by their remoteness. (That's what attracts me to them in the first place!!!)

That said, I have yet to see anything but positive reviews for any and all of them.

MarkRichmond

My wife and I are thinking about doing a week or more in Mexico and were thinking about visiting 1 or 2 of these properties. We love hiking and checking out archeological sites. When would be the best time to visit? Also, are there any towns around these properties that would be fun to check out?

The Weekly Flyer

I'm heading to the El Tamarindo Resort for 6 nights this spring. It has only 29 villas with a private pool, etc. Should be relaxing. I'll let you know about mid June how the trip went.

Flyfarfar

latinrusso

Hi, in December my partner and I visited Hacienda Uayamon and Santa Rosa. Loved both. Hacienda Uayamon is about 35 mins from the city of Campeche -- very interesting place to visit. 35 mins the other direction is ancient city of Edzna -- an amazing cite. We've visited Chichen Itza, Uxmal, Tulum... and many places in betwee and this was still quite a spectacle -- very few tourists and increadibly well preserved ruins or an entire city.
Santa Rosa seemed a bit more intimate, we were the only guests there!!! huge plus, but not much to see around.
Hacienda Temozon, while the largest of the hacienda's and from what we've heard has the mos "impersonal" service, is very close to many of the archeological cites and the city of Merida.
Let me know if you'd like any more details, as we go to the Yucatan peninsula at least twice a year.

cruising

Last November we stayed at San Jose, Temozon and Puerta Campeche and visited Uayamun. Absolutely spectacular! If I have to rate them I would do it as follows:
1. San José: very romantic, great personalized service. We stayed there 2 weeks after Wilma, and there were only 2 other guests at the hacienda. But everything functioned perfectly, great dinners in the restaurant, lots of nice touches in the rooms (bathroom amenities in small ceramic pots, flowers on the towels and the bed, candels burning, etc., details that are repeated in all haciendas)
2. Puerta Campeche: superb small boutique hotel in the charming city of Campeche. It's a quiet oasis in the bustling city, with a very special swimming pool, situated between walls of an old building
3. Uayamun: romantic as well buit not as nice as San José.
4. Temozon: bigger in size than the other haciendas, less personal in service, the least charming of the four but still very nice with a huge garden and a spa in a rock cave.

I have some nice pictures but do not know how to attach the to the thread.