Have you ever wished to go back in time and experience another epoque? Well, visit this hotel and you will be transportet back to the glory of Yucatan and it's haciendas!

We spend a beautiful girlfriends week-end/getway from husband and family at the Hacienda San Jose and boy wold we have wished to stay!

The grounds are simply gorgeous and stunning! A vast tropical and lush garden and a few historic building restored for you to enjoy your stay!

The room was spacious, high ceiling and antique furniture mixed with electronics of our time.

As you arrive you are treated to a refreshing local ice tea with herbs and a hotel staff member guids you to your room while giving you a quick overview of the hacienda.

Come with a book, sit back and relax, listen to the birds and all sorts of species sum out in the garden, take a dip in the hotels large pool or chill in the hammock by the pool. You will fall in love! You will never want to leave again!!

My wife and I had a lovely time, despite some unseasonal afternoon rain the first 2 days of our stay. A little off the beaten path, the property has 15 rooms, 4 of which are the Mayan villas where we stayed. You should expect the intrusion of a little nature into your life, as the bush jungle surrounds you and the villa is not sealed against it. We had a couple large millipedes wander through, I easily evicted them back into the bushes, and a large toad took up his post outside the front door one morning to keep watch for other insects. Although the hanging bed (king size bed hangs by thick ropes from rough-hewn log beams across ceiling) is equipped with mosquito netting, we had no need for it except for the intimate atmosphere it created. The mini-bar is very expensive, even for a mini-bar ($5 USD for a Coke?). They have marble and tile everywhere, an outdoor plunge pool that is great for midnight bathing (with the supplied bath salts and candles). We took everyone's advice and stuck with bottled water, which we would re-stock at local and more remote villages (Izamal, Merida, Tixkokob, Motul, Celestun) as we would visit them. Never had a single problem, stomach-wise. Food was excellent everywhere, although the San Jose menu is limited. We were transferred midweek to another Starwood property, the Temozon Hacienda (The Temozon I will review separately), due to a large wedding party (this had been pre-arranged with me 2 weeks prior, they gave us free breakfast for the length of the stay as partial compensation). Belen, the San Jose manager, is lovely and very friendly and accomodating, as are all the staff. The waiting staff are very attentive (Alfonso and Alberto were great), and Mario, who seems to do many roles, was excellent in getting us familiar with Merida.

This was the first stay of 5 SPG-managed Haciendas. We arrived quite dusty after the easy drive from Cancun and visiting Chichen Itza. Upon arrival, every detail was well-rehearsed and perfectly executed. The tone of the stay was clearly set. While we had a tour of the property, our bags were transferred to our Mayan Villa. Welcome drinks and refreshing towels followed shortly. We were delighted to see the room (and hear the Mexican music playing – later to realize that all of the haciendas play music upon arrival)….in addition to the sleeping area; the well-appointed room (with wine refrigerator) had a sitting room on the way to the bathroom. We had a super large outdoor verandah and private swimming pool. Our room was adjacent to a large backyard and adjacent to the library (equipped with 24 hour internet) and chapel.
We enjoyed our meals at the hotel and the accommodated our dietary needs enthusiastically. We enjoyed the pool and hammocks ad we also had his/her massages by the local sobradores.
This stay was truly transforming in so many ways. Cheers to Belen and her staff!

Hacienda San Jose is one of those rare places that combine a magical environment, privacy, tranquility, and top-notch service. Located deep in the Yucatan jungle, it is a place to connect with your quiet side, with nature, with the sounds of the jungle, and with your partner. It is really a destination location. You are within a few hours drive of Chichen Itza, Uxmal, and other small towns and historical sites, but many days we were content to spend the day relaxing on the property, getting a massage, horseback riding, or unwinding by the pool. The hacienda itself is fairly spread out. There are sixteen rooms but during our visit, the occupancy was fairly light, and we rarely ran into other guests.

The staff at Hacienda San Jose is really beyond compare. Most of the staff comes from the nearby towns and villages, and their hospitality and ability to exceed your expectations rivals the finest hotels anywhere. The staff gets it right from the beginning, but each day you stay, they turn it up a notch. They get to know you better, and soon are anticipating your needs with uncanny accuracy. One thing they are especially well-trained on is creating moods and environments, particularly at night. Half the time we ate in the restaurant, the other half they set up romantic tables for us in various corners of the grounds with tealights, torches, and tablecloths. The food in the restaurant was great for our tastes. The menu is fairly limited, and the ingredients change daily based on what's fresh and what's in house, but the quality was always excellent. They had the best margaritas we had in Mexico.

We never saw the housekeepers because they were probably trained to come in our rooms while we were at dinner. Every day and night our room was clean, bright, and full of fresh flowers and fruit. We stayed for three nights in the master suite, with a huge outdoor balcony, adjacent to the chapel and the library. At the end of our three day stay, we left for Hacienda Santa Rosa, and after a very short visit there requested to return to San Jose. These are two totally different experiences. San Jose is quiet, tranquil, and in the jungle. Santa Rosa is smaller, located near a small town, and is somewhat less private and remote. When we returned to San Jose, they put us in one of their Mayan cottages, with a bed hanging from the ceiling by ropes and a thatched roof, large outdoor bathtub and a beautiful private garden. When we returned, they put fresh flower petals on our bed in the shape of a heart! Their service was among the best we've ever had. The Mayan cottages are a 3-4 minute walk from the dining area and the pools, but we liked the remoteness of the dwellings and the walk, especially at night through the jungle, was very romantic.

The Hacienda provides all the bottled water you can drink. The spa services were very good. Try the Mayan massage for a unique spa experience. Horseback riding and mountain biking is available on site. Be sure to visit the nearby 'yellow city' of Izamal. Do your best to get to the Hacienda by daylight. Driving at night is challenging in mexico.

On this trip we flew into Merida, spent the night and drove the next morning by daylight to the Hacienda. If you can get to Merida in daylight hours, you'd be best off heading straight from the airport to the Hacienda. The drive will be nearly twice as fast, and driving through Merida city can be very difficult and there can be lots of traffic. If you are planning to visit other Haciendas, Hacienda Santa Rosa is about a two hour drive, Hacienda Tamazon is probably just over an hour. All can be reached from the Merida airport and daytime driving is easy. Just plan carefully because once you go to San Jose, you may not want to leave, and other places may pale in comparison. I cannot wait to return.

One word of advice. Hacienda San Jose is in the jungle. Jungles mean bugs, mosquitos, bird noises and even the occasional tarantula. None of that took away from the experience one bit, in fact, its part of what made the place so magical. The staff even goes through extensive training to minimize any guests bug and spider anxiety! I had no anxiety and felt every ounce of stress leaving my body at Hacienda San Jose. I almost hesitate to write this review as I'd like to keep this place my little secret, but it truly is a magical place to visit.