Archival
10/10 Excellent
Lydia M.
16 Nov 2016
outstanding accommodation, experience and hospitality
The accommodation is a lovely casita - a small house on two floors with a view of Lake Patzcuaro - separate from the main house where we joined our host, Ladimer, for breakfast each day. It is a lovely space with all sorts of charming architectural features including its own kitchen, sitting room, spacious bedroom and bathroom with a shower leading onto its own balcony. There was a fireplace and heaters; a great asset because in early November it can be a bit cool at night. The property is right on the lake and has a lovely garden from which to watch the fishermen and egrets. My husband remarked that it was like being in a Tuscan villa on lake Como.
Ladimer has a housekeeper and cook, the very talented Martha, so we arranged to have home cooked meals at the house for the whole week of our stay. Every dish she served was made fresh and from 'scratch'. Delicious!
We chose Tzintzuntzan as our destination because we came expressly to experience the Day of the Dead celebrations and it is the epicentre of this extraordinary pre-Columbian ritual. Ladimer was our attentive, knowledgeable guide, translator and driver throughout the week and showed us all the sights both around the lake and in Morelia. He was also kind enough to introduce us to a number of his very charming friends and it was a delight to meet both young Mexican artists and an interesting array of residents hailing from around the world.
The location is rural and Tzintzuntzan is a small village, though it was hopping with visitors for the celebrations. It is also close to many communities including the large town of Patzcuaro and the even larger city of Morelia.
The Casita has a spiral staircase and the garden is on a hillside with stairs so travellers should have no mobility issues.
Staying here for a week was the highlight of our 3 weeks in the Colonial heartland of Mexico, we highly recommend it.