Hotel Rancho San Cayetano

This is a magical place. The grounds are exquisitely planted and maintained. The trees are many and varied. It feels as if an arborist had selected the trees for an arboretum. There are lovely animals; sheep, cows, deer, rabbits, ducks, dogs and at least one rooster! The rooms are comfortably appointed and each has a fireplace. The buildings are beautiful and well maintained. The food is good. The service from all staff was excellent. Especially helpful to our group was Zyanya who was exceptional in every way. She also arranged for a guide, Siddartha, to take us to Sierra Chincua Monarch Sanctuary. We could not have been more pleased with Siddartha’s service. A trained botanist, he was also a history buff and a genial traveling companion with whom we spent the entire day. All in all, our stay at the Rancho and accompanying tour to the sanctuary was like a visit to the Garden of Eden and The Peaceable Kingdom.

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 place to stay.

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 also flying.

Lovely quiet beautiful place( i don't want to call it a hotel, more like a retreat). Large beautiful grounds with some sheep and dear, very nice swimming pool, and it is nestled away from any busy roads or traffic. Recommend ubee into town, the hotel restaurant did not have very good food- in this small town probably best not to try to go to any fancy restaurants, but just try to find a local popular place.