Hacienda de los Santos in Ajijic

True Mexican Colonial design in a U-shape with courtyard and fountain. Boveda vaulted ceilings. Private gate. Huge areas for entertaining. Quiet cobblestone street. Cleaning service twice weekly.

Heated jacuzzi, WIFI, palapa, BBQ, washer/dryer, and fully stocked kitchen.

1 mile from shops and entertainment. Thermal hot springs nearby. Excellent restaurants in a friendly community. Horseback riding, golf, tennis, shopping, dining, art galleries, Guadalajara, hiking and relaxation. A bird and botanical haven. Wonderful Wednesday open market. Picturesque views!
CHAPALA - A TOURIST CENTER
Besides the attractions of its climate, scenery and the ever-changing light on the lake, Chapala today has a wide range of tourist facilities including more sports facilities than any other lakeside town.

But you don't have to be an active or sports-minded person to enjoy Chapala. There are numerous restaurants, open-air cafes and ice-cream parlors in which to while away the siesta-time. A walk around the town should include the parish church, San Francisco, which while not particularly old, has a literary distinction, having been immortalized by D. H. Lawrence in the last pages of his novel, "The Plumed Serpent", written during Lawrence's brief stay in Chapala at number 307 on Zaragoza street. Across from the church, it is worth stepping inside the dining room of the Nido Hotel to look at a collection of old photographs of Chapala. These include some thought-provoking pictures of when the lake threatened to overwhelm the town, for several weeks people preferred canoes to bicycles!

The origins of tourism in Chapala go back to the mid nineteenth century when only a simple guest-house existed in the town. Later, Mexican national Railways began to offer daily trips by train to Ocotlan, with connecting lake steamer service to Chapala. In the early years of this century, President Porfirio Diaz stayed with friends in Chapala. With the presidential seal of approval, the popularity of Chapala grew. One very distinctive, European-style building became the home of Alberto Braniff, a member of the famous airline family. Today, his house is a restaurant, the Cazadores.

On the pier, boatmen, competing fiercely with each other, will try to convince you to visit Scorpion Island and its restaurants. A longer, but more interesting, boat trip is to Mezcala Island, and the remains of a fortress dating from Independence times. East of the pier, past the well-kept lakeshore gardens and a small children's park1 the Chapala Yacht club is an attractive building, often used for art exhibitions and cocktail parties.

A row of small fish restaurants is next to the Yacht club. At weekends, this area, like the lakefront Beergarden restaurant, near the pier, is a cacophony of mariachi sound. Just across from the Yacht Club is the Chapala handicrafts market, an excellent place to shop for inexpensive gifts - ranging from leather jackets, wooden furniture, and hand-embroidered dresses to decorated glassware, ceramics and trinkets.

$200 per night
$950 per week
$2900 per month