Unexpected Spring Break: Hacienda de San Antonio

I love having a six year old--it's one of my favorite ages--but now that she's in first grade, we have to take vacation when everybody else with school-age children does.  Since I have such a problem with finding places to go, where the rest of the family world isn't going, I thought I'd start writing once a week about this issue.  I'll post about places that usually don't get booked up in the winter or spring breaks, or destinations that you might not usually think about, but they are actually fine in the off months.  It makes me crazy to see flights to Florida and Cancun for $900, and then paying top dollar once you get there.  I'll do a mix of high and low, so don't worry that the first one is expensive--I promise the next one will be cheap.  (I just really like the pics of this one!)

Hacienda de San Antonio in rural inland Mexico is one of those off the beaten path luxury estates, that you'd think is a gazillion dollars, but it actually is well priced, especially for what you get.  Okay, it's not cheap--suites go for $720 a night, but you could easily have a family of three in one, and then you can get the meal plan at $140 per person.  It is a lot, but it is a place that really feels like it might be the nicest place you've ever been.  Part of its charm, and lack of crowds, is the perseverance it takes to get there--you do have to take a connecting flight to get to the nearest airport in Colima, or you can fly into Guadalajara (then it's a 2 1/2 hour drive), or Manzanillo, a 2 hour drive. It gets booked up the most over the holidays, and it isn't billed as a "family hotel", so it isn't something that gets families in droves. 

The rooms are insanely beautiful--large, tall ceilings, views onto the gardens, or the distant volcano.  Furniture is beautiful, sourced from Oaxaca, Guadalajara, and Europe, by the owners. The food is great--our favorite was the tortilla soup (below).  We asked for the Mexican meals every night--sometimes the chef wanted to do French, and it just wasn't the kind of food we want to be eating in Mexico.  Most of their food comes from their own organic farm, and their own animals.  They make their own cheese there, and roast their own coffee (there's also a shade grown organic coffee plantation there).  At night, they set up dinner for us in a different place each evening--once it was  outside on the terrace, in front of a chiminea, another night we were inside in front of a grand fireplace, and they created a table with an intricate design done with tiny beans.  It's such a special place.

Every day you can do long walks on the property, horseback rides, tennis, or just sit at the pool.  I'll write about our day trips in another post next week.  Note:  this is the sister property to Cuixmala, which I wrote about in another post , and while the Cookie website is still up, you can read my story about both places online.

Cuixmala, Mexico

One of our favorite places ever is Cuixmala. We went there to do a story for Cookie Magazine--it was a piece about Cuixmala and their sister property, the Hacienda de San Antonio.  Both are magical, and worth a trip, but since they are a three hour drive away from each other, it's not necessary to do them on the same trip.  Cuixmala isn't for a family that wants a kids club, or a resort kind of vibe. It's also not for the family with twin toddlers--lots of stairs, a drive to get to the beach, and no baby-proofing--unless they are super patient, mavericks, or Swedish. It's such a large property (2000 acres is Cuixmala, but it's within a 25,000 acre federally protected preserve), it feels like you got invited to some very wealthy friend's estate (it actually was billionaire Sir James Goldsmith's private estate--but now the family has opened it up to guests). You have several options for accommodations: There are villas for rent, which are good if you go with a large family, and want to have full staff and your own pool.

We were given that for a night, and it felt too big and uncomfortable--there were more staff than we were in our family of three.  So we moved to a casita, which was so much cheaper (depending on the room configuration they start at $400, including breakfast), and we loved it so much more.  There's a pool for all the casita guests, and a restaurant, and while there isn't really room service, there is a little kitchen, and the walk to the restaurant is easy. (well, not if you have a double stroller--there are stairs to get down the hill to the restaurant and pool).

The food is really simple, homemade Mexican--which is such a relief since so many high-end properties always want to make the food more complicated than it needs to be.  More than 80% of the food comes from their own organic farms--they have farms at Cuixmala, and at the Hacienda (a coffee plantation as well), so even your coffee is super local.

The staff is so warm, and the manager, Maria Campos, is so lovely, she becomes your friend by the end of the first day.  By the end of the week, you're exchanging email addresses.
Clara loved riding horses there, and going on lagoon boat rides at the end of the day, when all the birds are out.  We even got to watch the sea turtles hatch--and they let Clara hold an egg and one hatched in her hand!

The best beach we went to was a 10 minute drive up the road, and it was probably the most special beach I have ever been on in Mexico.  It was completely private, and at the end of a long dirt road. But when we pulled up, there was a lunch being prepared for us, there were hammocks slung, and beach chaises put out.  And because it was developed by and for Sir Goldsmith, of course, there is a full bathroom at this very special and remote spot.

To get here you fly into Manzanillo, and it's a one hour drive north from there.  Or you can fly into Puerto Vallarta, and its a 2 1/2 hour drive south.