Hotel Jardin Rancho San Cayetano — Hotel in Michoacán

A true Eden. A sanctuary with open grounds abundant in flora and fauna, a natural stream running through the property, clean & generous private cabins, tasty meals and wonderful on-site owners. But even that doesn't relay the credit due, as the ranch is also very eco-friendly. They raise their own fruits, vegetables, herbs and flowers. They have chickens for eggs, bees for honey (which I never saw) and they make their own soap. What they don't raise themselves, they try to purchase locally. They recycle and do composting. Only thing missing is solar energy and hydroponics ||||Of course there is still room for improvement. The animals can cause quite a racket and I recommend a cabin as far from the main road as possible since trucks inevitably rumble loudly through in the middle of the night. ||||Other than the owners, who speak perfect English, none of the staff did. And the waiter didn't even seem to understand Spanish. This caused some difficulties ordering dinner. (For example I order Te and get coffee. I order a Dos Equis and get two beers.) Arriving an hour late to dinner one evening, they brought all five courses to me at the same time, with the entree already cold, while only bringing rolls for the other diner at my table. (She had ordered the toast with hummus appetizer.) The cold chicken was okay, but the fish with mash potatoes and fresh veggies was delicious. ||||While a bit too chilly in February to use the pool, it was pleasant enough outside and the chill eliminated any sign of flying insects. Inside the units however, it was downright frigid. The rooms were clean, comfortable, well equipped with stocked kitchenette (needed microwave) bottled water and plenty of outlets for charging phones, etc. The fireplace worked, but was worthless for heating. There were plentiful blankets and throws to crawl under while watching TV and the comforter on the bed - as heavy as a lead xray shield - provided enough heat to sleep, but the room was 10 or 20 degrees colder than outside. ||||All that said, I would return in a minute. It's a place to relax, recharge and feel good about the future. Then take a walk to the 16th century church and decorated cemetery near by. The ranch can also arrange for a taxi to the pre-Aztec ruins and the Monarch butterfly...

My wife and I stayed here 13 years ago and loved it so when we returned to show our kids the monarch butterfly migration, we automatically booked here. It has gotten larger over that time and largely for the better: new and bigger rooms, more farm animals on the property, more flexible menu, a large outdoor dining area, bikes (including kid-sized) to ride, and table tennis tables. All of these features were great enhancements and really helped with kids (and adults). We loved getting a delivery of firewood and having a fire in our room when the nights got chilly. There were a few small snags: the restaurant service was not very proactive and the meal times were not tourist/family friendly (breakfast didn't start till 8.30am, which is hard to combine with butterfly excursion times and lunch didn't start till 2.30pm - even if that is normal for Mexico, it is very abnormal for hotels, and was terrible when you have young kids - I really think they need to change this). The other downer was that the very nearby mountain currently has no butterflies, so you have to drive hours to the nearest one that does - had I know that in advance, I would obviously have booked a hotel near there as there is no other reason for us to stay in Zitacuaro. Before booking, it may be wise to ask which mountains are getting the most butterflies, if that's what you are going for and don't want long drives. However, if you simply want to stay on a beautiful property, then this remains an absolutely gorgeous...

I really enjoyed my stay here; the room was so cozy and I loved the locally crafted bedspreads and pillows - all the decor added a wonderful sense of place. I had a king room with a fireplace, 1 match was all it took to light the pre-made fire. No a/c or heater so it was definitely chilly in January. There were nice cozy blankets and the fire but I still appreciated the thermal pj's I brought along. The bathroom was well stocked and included a nice cozy pair of thick bathrobes. There was safe in the room as well and also a coffee machine with supplies and complimentary water. Love their selection of wines, enjoyed a Mexican version and a great dinner and breakfast here. Their own brand of honey was exceptional and I was happy to bring some home from the small gift shop. There was a nice pool and the grounds are lovely, saw lots of birds here including hummingbirds. The main rooms have lovely hanging jade vines that were blooming their gorgeous green blossoms, was so pretty. All the plants were flowering and gorgeous. There was even a couple of areas sectioned off where they had some animals like ducks and deer. They are convenient for visiting Cerro Pelon Sanctuary where the Monarch butterflies migrate Dec-March each year. We enjoyed a visit there and saw tons of butterflies both in clusters and...