Hacienda las Moras

We went back the other day to a special place we discovered by chance last year--it's the Hacienda las Moras (or the House of the Blackberries).  This place is perhaps the most serene location I've ever experienced.  It's about 45 minutes by car from Mazatlan but it feels as though you're in a different world. We came in on a dusty road, about three kilometers off the secondary road.  There's a sign that says hotel and restaurant but it feels like you're going to the end of nowhere.  Finally you come to a gatehouse and the gate is open, you drive along past herds of cattle and a chapel in the distance, to arrive at a gravel parking lot.  It was empty, but we got out and walked in to a place that felt suspended in time.

Across the grassy courtyard was a woman sweeping the walkway.

The veranda led past some colourful antiques and into a timeless Mexican sala

And then out to patio and a swimming pool.

A waiter greeted us and invited us into the restaurant for lunch.

Nobody else was there.  We sat down at a table and ordered a delicious lunch in the al fresco dining room.  Beyond the wall was a corral with horses

and high above some circling hawks. The air smelled so sweet.  The only sound we heard was the wind and the occasional rooster.  This is a place with the feeling of another time.  I'll show you more of this beautiful place tomorrow.