Hacienda Ucazanaztacua

I wanted to experience Lake Patzcuaro for myself. The reputation of Michoacan is very well known and I wanted to stay at a hotel which had a great view of lake and was very peaceful. Also, I wanted to see some pyramids and other attractions in the area. I planned this trip like two months in advance. So, for an easy bus ticket out of Mexico City and some research I chose this place. Let us just start with the good stuff first. The grounds are amazing. The open spaces for hanging out are great. It is very big and lush. The views of the lake and the mountains are amazing. It is only a 200 peso taxi ride from Patzcuaro, as we chose not to drive ourselves. The service among the staff is fantastic. They are VERY attentive to your needs and will help you with what you need if that means a taxi, information on surrounding activities, etc. They do have an issue, if you are like us and didn’t drive to the hotel, of not having many ways to get you around. You are kind of on your own. The restaurant is delicious. Honestly, the food is great. The breakfast, which was included with our room, was freaking huge and well prepared. The room we had was a tree house (Parikuni). At least that is what it felt like to us. The bar? Great selection of booze. They have two mezcals made just for the hotel and they are crazy yummy. Also, the drinks are not crazy expensive, which when enjoying the view, makes a big difference. They have a donkey that talks to you. Seriously. Not a bad thing but the restaurant and the bar tend to close a little early, 8 pm, at least when we were there. Which, if you wanted to just hangout a little late you are kind of forced to plan ahead and grab a bottle of your favorite yummy in town. Also, the web page says the rooms have mini bars, which isn’t accurate for this room. There is a fridge but no bar. You know there are always more to what you see and this place has a few things which, for me, hurt the experience. This is not a five star hotel. It kind of pumps itself up as this all to do fancy place. Most of the reviews on here what I would call skewed and not looking at the big picture. So, in my opinion it is not a high end place. It is close, but I would give this place three stars at best. I am being generous here because, well, you are paying for the view. The rooms are pricey but again, the view is what you are getting. The rooms are, how do I put this, worn in? The rooms need a little work. I understand rustic. I also understand the hotel is right on the water and that the weather is giving it a beating. It is like they opened and then chose to not maintain the properly. So, they are nice, but not five star nice. Smells of mildew in the room we had was obvious. The blinds on the windows were not working properly and really could use a good cleaning. The chord for the blinds was held together with electrical tape. The door was swollen making it hard to get in and out of the room. I would suggest that a five-star high end hotel would

This is a beautiful hotel, built with great attention to detail. Our suite was spacious, impeccably clean, and wonderfully decorated. The staff was over the top with service. My partner has mobility issues and the grounds are steep and uneven in places. The staff was always attentive and ready to assist him. We would go back without hesitation!