The most beautiful hacienda hotel in Mexico sprawls over plant-filled courtyards and manicured gardens beneath an active volcano, deep in the coffee-plantation country of the Colima highlands; arrive at night and the whole place twinkles beguilingly by candlelight.
Built by German immigrant Don Arnoldo Vogel in 1890, the pink house was meticulously restored by the Goldsmith family, who also own beachside retreat Cuixmala, a private-plane ride away. Everything’s on a grand scale here, from the 30-metre swimming pool to the 25 vast, vaulted suites, each with a working stone fireplace, impeccably decorated with bespoke rugs and tiled bathrooms.
There are 190 hectares of grounds to explore, plus numerous public rooms filled with exquisite Mexican art, sculpture and furniture, so seeing another guest can be as rare an event as spotting one of the crested caracara eagles that occasionally swoop for prey.
There’s plenty to do beyond the hacienda walls: hike the estate’s 2,000 hectares with a picnic, tour its cheese and coffee factories, or ride on horseback through bamboo forests. And for a break from the polished nightly dinner service, drive into the whitewashed pueblo magico of Comala to eat tacos and churros from the street carts.
