Rancho Cumbre Monarca — Hotel in Michoacán

Quiet and tranquil location with a nice backyard area with some trails, areas to eat outside, and tree houses. Great restaurant. I still consider 3/5 a good rating but it was really difficult to understand how to get to the monarch butterfly sanctuary. If there's one thing this hotel should do well, it's knowing how tourists can get to see the monarchs. I inquired about how we do this with the staff at breakfast in Spanish. They told another group to take the combi (shuttle that I still don't understand how it works), and told me not to use the combi but that we could could walk or get a taxi, but none of this was easy to determine. If they printed information and put it in the rooms, with a basic map of the area that shows where the butterfly sanctuary is, even if only written in Spanish, that would be wonderful. The restaurant internet they had didn't work for me or anyone in my group, so we relied on them for this information. Also, no big deal, but we did confirm & pay for a fire in the evening (they bring the wood and set it up for you) and they never came. They gave us a refund in the morning for the firewood cost but definitely bring warm clothes. ||||Getting there was also a little difficult to figure out. If you're coming from Mexico City, go to the CDMX Poniente Bus Station and get a direct bus to Zitacuaro (we used Zina Plus, which was excellent, about $15 one way pp). SOME taxis will drive you all the way from Zitacuaro to Rancho Cumbre Monarca but some will only want to drive you to Ocampo. We were able to find someone willing to drive us the whole way. If you are dropped off in Ocampo, ask where you can find taxis or if nothing else ask them to drop you off at the tourism info center. It's an outdoor booth just before the town clearly labeled with monarch butterfly signage and I'm sure they can get another taxi for you to get from there to Rancho Cumbre. We met another group that just rented a car from CDMX and drove- if you have a GPS and someone to help navigate, that seems...

This hotel will not be to everybody's liking, but it was to mine. I'll be as detailed as I can to let you make your own choice. Note as well the hotel did NOT accept credit cards onsite. I booked the stay online with a credit card, but for the extra meals I needed cash. They were very good in communicating this clearly ahead of time with me in email, so there were no surprises.||This is a very remote and very rustic lodge, with a bit of a working farm around it. First, it's best if you have your own car to come here, and they do have secured, on-site parking for free. If you don't, you need to take a colectivo from Ocampo which is easy enough. Getting a colectivo back, or to the butterfly sanctuary, can be very difficult as they run infrequently. In terms of walking to El Rosario, unless you are in great shape, don't. It's 3km dead uphill (and this is before the uphill walking inside the sanctuary to get to the butterflies). ||The rooms are solid adobe walls, and can be dark. Windows and doors don't seal tightly, and there is no central heating or air con. The furniture is very thick, handmade wood. For the cold nights, they provide a lot of heavy blankets and will light a fire in the fireplace for you. We thought this was very charming and romantic, and a nice change from more upscale hotels. ||There are no restaurants in the immediate vicinity, but the hotel offers 3 meals from their kitchen. Meals I think are a flat per person charge for each meal of around 135 pesos. Breakfast was a fairly simple menu (eggs, chilaquiles, etc.) and nothing all that great, except for the fresh papaya. Dinner we had a choice of 5 or 6 dishes. I enjoyed their pozole (perfect for the cold nights).||If you have spare time at the Rancho, they have a little hiking trail out back that is nice. Plus a grilling area, a tree house, and a play area for kids. There is also a field with a couple of sheep. The staff are very friendly and go out of their way to help you, but their English is...

Fantastic find indeed! Easy to book by contacting the phone number mentioned on the website by whatsapp ( english or spanish) and paying 50% deposit by bank transfer, balance by cash during stay. Or on airbnb with additional service charges. Just 3 km from the El Rosario monarch sanctuary, this is a lovely peaceful place. Comfortable rooms with thick blankets that keep out the night cold. Clean bathroom, excellent hot water. Rooms do not have a kitchen. But in house restaurant, with outdoor as well as indoor sitting areas, had vegetarian options too and friendly staff. The moonlit night was quiet. Most rooms sleep 4 with two matrimonial double beds, others with capacity of 5 or 6 people. The premises had a farm with sheep, a forest path, a indoor football table, a full size outdoor basketball court. Secure parking. The TV seemed to be for decorational purpose only. No wifi available. But 4G mobile signal was available on...