Oh! The Places I’ll Go in Mexico: Hacienda El Carmen Hotel and Spa

By Francine Britton

Stretch your imagination, if you will, and picture yourself entering the cobble-stoned road leading to a glorious hacienda. It is the year 1714 and as you walk along the road, hectares and hectares of sugarcane and various vegetables are to your left. As far as your eye can see, men and women are harvesting these abundant fields.

In the distance, the young, proud hacienda owner (recently widowed) Doña Francisca Figueroa is on horseback – observing, listening, encouraging, and laughing as she greets the workers this day. In turn, they call out, “Patrona, patrona, buenas tardes, patrona.” As she answers, her voice echoes up to the tops of the mountains that surround her property. She sees all, knows all, and is very happy.

Her hacienda is to the right. In keeping with the tradition of hacienda’s everywhere, it has its own chapel. The entire town uses this chapel every Sunday, but today, a Saturday, is a special day. A wedding ceremony is in progress: the marriage of two young people from the nearby village. Music floats from the chapel as she gallops home.

Now jump forward again, if you will, three hundred years. I am being driven down this same cobble-stoned road by my friends. To my left are the same hectares, filled with the same lush vegetables and sugarcane. To my right is the fabulous hacienda. And there on horseback is the present-day patrona, Doña Monica Baeza. She is watching, observing, and above all, laughing merrily as she watches the men and women harvest the produce that will soon make its way to a large supplier in the United States.

I now know that I’m experiencing time standing still, time looking backward, and finally, time jumping forward to this particular Saturday. I’m about to enjoy a weekend at Hacienda El Carmen Hotel and Spa.

As Monica gallops toward the chapel, music fills the air. A quinceañera (a traditional party for a girl turning 15) is being held there to honor a girl from the village. It seems, as it did in 1714, that the whole town has turned out to celebrate. We peek in the doorway and then in through the windows. We see clearly how much things have changed, and how much they have stayed the same.

Two weeks earlier: It’s late July, and I am talking with a friend on the phone. She says, “So you’ll come? You’ll put on a nice sundress and you’ll come with us as our guest? And… you’ll let us ‘treat you’ to a weekend at one of Mexico’s finest hotel and spa resorts?” I said yes. And I wore my nicest sundress.

It was a glorious weekend that sped by much too quickly. I experienced all that Hacienda El Carmen, located 45 minutes from Guadalajara, had to offer. My friends and I spent the late summer weekend walking the grounds, and, at Monica’s invitation, touring the greenhouses. We ate mangoes from the mango trees, enjoyed a massage at the spa, and devoured glorious meals. In the evening, music played in front of our table as Monica and her family waited on us, sang to us, and talked with us.

We were fortunate that Monica’s daughter felt like playing the piano before dinner one evening. She is twelve, and played (most beautifully) a medley of classical, jazz, and contemporary music in the hacienda’s parlour. She had just come in from riding her horse and was full of the hospitality her family is known for.

Hacienda El Carmen is the former Convent of the Carmen willed to the Carmelita Nuns by Doña Francisca Figueroa in 1715. The property passed through many hands to its present day reincarnation. It has been meticulously and beautifully restored. The rooms, twenty-one of them, are scattered throughout the property. Mine was carved out of one of the original stable stalls (the horses now have new,

state-of-the-art digs). All the rooms are spacious, comfortable, and filled with antiques, plush robes, comfortable beds, a sitting area, lots of windows, and two welcoming bottles of wine (red and white).

Monica and her family purchased the property about a decade ago and have preserved much of the original architecture. They have filled the hacienda with family heirlooms, art and antiques, as well as modern amenities such as WIFI, conference rooms, and banquet halls. The owners and attentive staff strive to provide every guest with the individual attention that promotes tranquillity, well-being, and total relaxation.

The walls are hung with many old photographs of the convent, photos of previous owners and their attempts at fixing the place up, as well as before-and-after photos of the present restoration.

Today, the old meets the new and the luxurious. Hacienda El Carmen has an extensive spa facility (see photo), stables, a restaurant and bar, small lake, pool, and many, many hammocks spread out on patios and hanging on trees.

Everywhere you turn, whether inside or outside, there is a nook, a terrace, an alcove, or a grotto that beckons you to sit with friends, enjoy a drink, take a nap, read a book, or just listen…the mountains that surround this place are magical and you can almost hear them sigh. The ever-present sounds of peacocks and birds, as well as chickens, horses, and children playing blend into the background. What seems like a minute is actually an hour that has gone by and it’s now time to take a walk, go for a massage, mount a horse, grab your bathing suit and go for a swim, or to shower, dress, and show up for the latest meal being served.

Hacienda El Carmen’s rate per night (not including spa services) is $130 for a suite (sleeps two) from Sunday to Thursday. Friday and Saturday the rate is $160. You

can also choose a meal plan that gives you a full breakfast buffet with a stunning array of food, a five course lunch, and a three course dinner for an additional $70 a day. If you want unlimited drinks, whether it is a glass or a bottle of wine, tequila or …whatever, the meal plan is $100 per day. We did this last plan and found it to be a very good value. There are no restrictions as to time of day for a cappuccino, latte, snack or shot of tequila. You can also eat your meals a la carte, if you are a one-or two-meal-a-day person. Hacienda el Carmen often runs a monthly special that discounts either the rooms or the meal plan.

Needless to say, I thank my Mexican friends for treating me to this wonderful getaway. Being with them made it very special, and I felt for just a fleeting moment in time like Doña Francisca at her hacienda instead of – just the day-to-day, same old, same old… Francine.

Here is a video so you can see it for yourself.

 

The hacienda’s website is www.haciendaelcarmen.com.mx, and the email address is hotel@hdaelcarmen.com. Monica, her family and her staff would love to hear from you.

On the way home from Hacienda El Carmen, be sure to stop and view the round pyramids at Guachimontones (about 20 minutes away) and take in the new high-tech, hands-on museum that just opened about six months ago. The site is an on-going excavation and well worth visiting.

Future Oh! The Places… I’ll be taking you to: Tulum, Mexico City, Playa del Carmen, Tlaquepaque, Historic Guadalajara, and many, many more.

And…Look for Oh! The Places I’ll Eat in Mexico – coming soon to the Lake Chapala Reporter.

DetailsWritten by Francine Britton Published: 20 September 2013

Francine Britton is a semi-retired educator living and working in Ajijic, Mexico. You can reach her at brittonfrancine@gmail.com.