JM Butterfly B&B — Hotel in Macheros

JM Butterfly B&B is an absolute gem! The hosts are lovely people who give great care to their guests, have created beautiful spaces to share, and have a tremendous love and passion for the conservation of their unique natural resource, the monarch butterflies and the forest they call home in the winter. The rooms at the B&B are simply and beautifully done. The descriptions of the spaces and experience on the website are quite honest, so guests should know what to expect. We visited around the new year, and it was chillier than we expected. Around midday we would be comfortable in a t-shirt, but as soon as the sun got lower on the horizon we were adding multiple layers to our clothing. The rooms are not heated, so if you get cold at night you should also plan on bringing additional layers for sleeping and I believe that the host also offer extra blankets if needed. We enjoyed nice, hot showers from the solar hot water heaters. We found the mornings to be noisier than in Mexico City, though the sounds we were hearing we're country sounds such as roosters crowing, dogs barking, and people play music from their stereos . A very nice way to wake up! Breakfast Dona Rosa's Restaurant next door is included with your room and is fantastic! In fact, every meal we had at this, the only restaurant in town, was quite delicious and special! As a vegetarian, I had some goid options and really enjoyed a cooking class, learning to prepare chili rellenos. Our hosts were working on constructing a new restaurant building which looks like it will be bright, spacious and beautiful, but the current restaurant is quite cozy and Charming. Joel and Ellen provide some excellent opportunities to get to know the natural and cultural resources of the area. The butterfly tour to Cerro Pellon was outstanding! Our horse handlers seemed very in tune with the animals and helped us get safely up and down the mountain. This ride was more intense than we had anticipated it would be with many steep areas along the trail. It is a beautiful ride, and so very worth it for the experience of seeing and hearing the Monarch colony. Horse handlers will walk near your horse is or may also lead them the entire way especially if there is any trouble. Our time to visit the butterflies did not seem rushed at all, and we were provided very nice snack lunch before beginning the ride down the mountain. Another tour I highly recommend is the cottage industry tour with Ellen. This was a very unique way to meet more people in the village and learn about how they are sustaining themselves on handcrafts they are creating in their homes and also helps to provide a solid living wage for the Crafters, chefs, and farmers you meet. Ellen and Joel kept a nice stock of snacks and drinks which they could help you two or you could help yourself on the honor System, adding what you took to a list. They have a great collection of books including many field guides and books about monarchs which they happily share. They also went out of their way to do some special things with guests, such as including us and New Year's Eve celebrations and building a fire our last night there. Everyone else in the family is fantastic, as well, and you will probably get to know some of them as they are leading tours, running the restaurant, and housekeeping. This is one of the most friendly and welcoming Places you will ever visit. The views are amazing, and the communal spaces at the B&B are really nice for relaxing after a day of exploring this unique region! If you were considering a visit to JM, I highly...

I felt compelled to share my experience at Cerro Pelon Butterfly B&B because I always find TripAdvisor reviews to be so helpful in planning my travels, and I want to pass on the invaluable experience I had here.||As a solo female traveler from Mexico City, I was nervous about traveling alone, but getting to the B&B was surprisingly easy. They provide clear directions for guests coming from various cities, which made my journey smooth and stress-free. The B&B is located in the quaint and picturesque town of Macheros, a perfect retreat with its charming atmosphere.||The B&B itself is immaculately clean, and it’s evident that Joel and his family take great pride in maintaining the property. They run the B&B and an attached restaurant, serving the most delicious home-cooked meals. The personal touch they offer is unmatched – it truly feels like staying with family. It was so refreshing to stay somewhere with such a strong sense of community and care. Joel and his family are not only passionate about their business but also about the conservation of the forest that is home to the migrating monarch butterflies, which I found incredibly inspiring.||One of the highlights of staying at Cerro Pelon is the daily butterfly tours to Cerro Pelon and El Rosario. The butterflies were absolutely mesmerizing, and it was a dream come true to finally witness their migration firsthand. Although I didn’t go to Sierra Chincua (due to smaller colonies of butterflies this year), I still felt like I experienced the magic of their journey.||Aside from the butterfly tours, there are plenty of other local experiences to enjoy. I went on the Pyramid tour and the market visit, which were both fascinating and gave me deeper insight into the area. I also had the chance to visit local families, learning about tortilla-making, piñata crafting, trout farming, and pine straw basket weaving. These immersive experiences truly made my stay unforgettable.||I stayed for five full days to make the most of my time and take in as many tours as possible, but I met other guests who stayed for just two or three days, incorporating it into their broader Mexico travel plans. Regardless of how long you stay, this place is well worth the visit.||A special thank you to Joel and his family for making my trip so memorable, especially Ana for her prompt email responses and for organizing my transport from Mexico City airport. It was a seamless experience, and I’m so grateful for their hospitality.||If you're looking for a personal, well-run, and incredibly special place to visit during the monarch butterfly migration, I highly recommend Cerro Pelon Butterfly B&B. It was a dream come true, and I’ll always treasure the memories from my time there. Thank you again Joel for making this experience...

I felt compelled to share my experience at Cerro Pelon Butterfly B&B because I always find TripAdvisor reviews to be so helpful in planning my travels, and I want to pass on the invaluable experience I had here.||As a solo female traveler from Mexico City, I was nervous about traveling alone, but getting to the B&B was surprisingly easy. They provide clear directions for guests coming from various cities, which made my journey smooth and stress-free. The B&B is located in the quaint and picturesque town of Macheros, a perfect retreat with its charming atmosphere.||The B&B itself is immaculately clean, and it’s evident that Joel and his family take great pride in maintaining the property. They run the B&B and an attached restaurant, serving the most delicious home-cooked meals. The personal touch they offer is unmatched – it truly feels like staying with family. It was so refreshing to stay somewhere with such a strong sense of community and care. Joel and his family are not only passionate about their business but also about the conservation of the forest that is home to the migrating monarch butterflies, which I found incredibly inspiring.||One of the highlights of staying at Cerro Pelon is the daily butterfly tours to Cerro Pelon and El Rosario. The butterflies were absolutely mesmerizing, and it was a dream come true to finally witness their migration firsthand. Although I didn’t go to Sierra Chincua (due to smaller colonies of butterflies this year), I still felt like I experienced the magic of their journey.||Aside from the butterfly tours, there are plenty of other local experiences to enjoy. I went on the Pyramid tour and the market visit, which were both fascinating and gave me deeper insight into the area. I also had the chance to visit local families, learning about tortilla-making, piñata crafting, trout farming, and pine straw basket weaving. These immersive experiences truly made my stay unforgettable.||I stayed for five full days to make the most of my time and take in as many tours as possible, but I met other guests who stayed for just two or three days, incorporating it into their broader Mexico travel plans. Regardless of how long you stay, this place is well worth the visit.||A special thank you to Joel and his family for making my trip so memorable, especially Ana for her prompt email responses and for organizing my transport from Mexico City airport. It was a seamless experience, and I’m so grateful for their hospitality.||If you're looking for a personal, well-run, and incredibly special place to visit during the monarch butterfly migration, I highly recommend Cerro Pelon Butterfly B&B. It was a dream come true, and I’ll always treasure the memories from my time there. Thank you again Joel for making this experience...