Finca Margaritas — Hotel in Oaxaca

We stayed a few days few days at the DREAMS HUATULCO resort and I wanted to go on a trip to see something unique to this part of Mexico as it was our first time in Oaxaca. I chose an excursion called Magical Towns and found that Maxi Travel that works with WestJet Vacation had a good price and promising itinerary. Their desk is at the ground floor close to the spa. The young gentleman at the MaxiTravel (at Dreams hotel) desk, Rafaelo, was very pleasant, patient and informative. The trip did not disappoint! Both driver and the guide, Miguel (Mike) and Raciel (Razo) were great, spoke English fluently and knew what to show to someone who wanted to see some unique local scenery and ways of life. Our group was small, about 7 people and we got a lot of attention and had all our questions answered promptly. The guide kept buying us local fruits and by the end of the trip we get to taste so many varieties of bananas and pineapple that I forgot their names... It is quite interesting how different they all taste. Also he got us some other tropical fruit to taste and some local snacks, like chunks of soft coconut dipped in a spice mix made with paprika, lime and chili. All delicious. Soft drinks and cold Coronas were available at all times. On some of the stops we could buy some local produce - that was fun. I got delicious local honey, propolis candy, mangoes and cactus leaves (nopales) as I love to taste and cook local ingredients on my travels. All were very inexpensive and fresh.||The highlight of the trip was a visit to a working coffee farm that grows organic coffee - FINCA MARGARITAS. The farm is really beautiful and located near small town called Pluma Hidalgo, it is located in the lush jungle in the hills. You drive on a narrow path through gigantic ferns and feel like you are in a Jurassic Park movie with a tyrannosaur ready to jump out of the greenery...You hear so many birds! At the farm we did a walk around the grounds and a short walk in the jungle saw rich tropical foliage and beautiful flowers. The owners are Alberto and Adriana and they were great. Adriana took us on the walk and showed us orchids, a cinnamon tree, a vanilla plant (I did not know it was a kind of orchid!), lots of cultivated and wild fruit trees, they have beautiful parrots and a peacock on the grounds so it is fun for all ages. She gave us a lot of information about all we saw around us and the life on the farm. We were served delicious local lunch cooked by Finca Margaritas stuff, it was all local Oaxaca’s dishes. I loved cold drinks made from scratch on premises - one was bright red, fresh and delicious hibiscus ice tea and the other - iced melon juice. We had delicious Oaxaca’s soup and get to build our own tacos and my personal favorite was empanadas (I confess to asking for second helping) - it was made right there in the kitchen by the local lady, she even made tortillas right there and then from corn flower, filled it and fried, so it could not be any fresher and more authentic. Alberto, the owner, did a coffee tasting presentation for us. It is amazing how much this man knows about coffee and he constantly strives to know even more, he also comes from several generations of coffee farmers and overall Alberto’s and Adriana’s family history is amazing and we felt privileged to hear some their fascinating stories from them. They were great hosts! It’s humbling to know how much labor goes into growing, harvesting and processing coffee beans, how many factors play a role in the taste and quality and how many unpredictable things can go wrong, how delicate those coffee plants are! Not an easy trade for sure but I always feel huge respect to people who are so truly passionate about what they do and such experts in their field, yet act like humble people and always ready to share their knowledge and expertise. We all definitely learned a lot about coffee, local produce, plants, animals and...

What a fantastic place!I had planned to stay only one night but I ended up prolonging my stay and I attended a cupping workshop. As I had had a bad experience with a so-called visit of a coffee farm in Huatulco (it gets sold as "Tour a cascadas y fincas cafetaleras and is even advertised in Lonely Planet), I was a bit skeptical at first. - Completely unnecessary! Finca Margaritas offered exactly what I was looking for. The family is really committed to producing excellent specialty coffee and sharing their knowledge. As Cole is doing his training as a Q grader, he's the perfect person to give a cupping workshop and I learned a lot!On the other hand, the glamping site is also a perfect place to relax and immerse yourself in nature. The bed was very comfortable and the tropical garden and surrounding areas were really beautiful. Adriana is a fantastic host and cook and made me feel at home immediately. She speaks English very well, so she could translate some things that I didn't understand in Spanish, and the food she prepared was delicious.I would recommend this place to everyone who loves coffee and (/or) wants to have a relaxing...

I had planned to stay only one night but I ended up prolonging my stay and I attended the cupping workshop. As I had had a bad experience with a so-called visit of a coffee farm in Huatulco (it gets sold as "Tour a cascadas y fincas cafetaleras" and is even advertised in Lonely Planet), I was a bit skeptical at first. - Completely unnecessary!||Finca Margaritas offered exactly what I was looking for. The family is really committed to producing excellent specialty coffee and sharing their knowledge. As Cole is doing his training as a Q grader, he's the perfect person to give a cupping workshop and I learned a lot!||Furthermore, the glamping site is also a wonderful place to relax and immerse yourself in nature. The bed was very comfortable and the tropical garden and surrounding areas (there's even a waterfall) were really beautiful. Adriana is a fantastic host and cook and made me feel at home immediately. She speaks English very well so she could translate some things that I didn't understand in Spanish, and the food she prepared was delicious.||I would recommend this place to anyone who loves coffee and (/or) wants to have a relaxing...