One of the most interesting reasons to get away from the coasts in Mexico and head to the interior is the gorgeous converted haciendas dotted around the country that have been converted into hotels. Some of them are simple affairs, others are elaborate luxury hotels that pile on the pampering. The best manage to dish out the creature comforts while still retaining all the core aspects of the original estate.

Into that category falls Hacienda Sepulveda, near Lagos de Moreno in Jalisco State, not far from Leon’s international airport (BJX). This gorgeous hotel is run by 4th generation owners, who take great pride in the history, the horses, and the 300 acres surrounding the buildings. Look for a full review in a week or so, but meanwhile I’ll let these photos do the talking…

Want to read about other hacienda hotels? Start with our reviews of luxury hotels in the Yucatan.

Adding to our coverage of fine Mexican haciendas converted to luxury hotels, we just posted a detailed review of Hacienda de San Antonio in Colima, Mexico.

There’s no shortage of hacienda hotels in Mexico, but while a few in the Yucatan are true luxury affairs—like Temozon—most of the rest are more rustic and simple.

Nothing was done halfway in the restoration and conversion of Hacienda de San Antonio though:

Touring the accommodations is like visiting a Mexican interor design museum. Talented artisans from through the country have restored brick boveda ceilings, covered walls with handpainted tiles, and woven one-of-a-kind tapestries and rugs. Each suite has a different color scheme and design theme within the larger consistent country-estate style. Tailored couches and chairs, beds dressed in the softests sheets possible, and enormous bathrooms with deep tiled tubs and rainshowers make you want to stay in your room night and day, but there’s much to explore beyond your hand-carved door.

This particular hotel needs to be a destination in itself: it’s a drive of two or three hours from the airports at Manzanillo or Guadalajara. Unless, that is, you can land at the private airstrip in your own plane. It’s hard to imagine a more relaxing setting after you arrive, however, and service here will make you feel like a billionaire who owns the place.

See our full review of Hacienda San Antonio in Colima. Follow this link to more reviews of the best hotels in Mexico.

A few months back I was fortunate enough to get that “once in a lifetime experience” sailing around the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador. For many tourists that’s the whole focus and Quito gets a day in the itinerary—if they don’t just fly from Guayaquil to the islands instead.

That’s a shame really, because Ecuador’s capital really is worth some extra time. When I go back to Ecuador someday, I want to spend at least a week in that region, with a few nights at the lovely estate hotels like Hacienda Cusin and Hacienda Zuleta.

We just posted a story on the time I did get to spend there, with a couple days in the city and an excursion out to the nearby Andean market towns: Quito and the High Valley of Ecuador. It’s a story of food and flowers, of masses and markets, from the historic center to a town of leather crafters. If a trip to Ecuador is in your future at some point, I hope this convinces you to not pass Quito by. Not all Latin American cities are pleasant places for tourists, but this is one that’s definitely worth the lingering. If you get in touch with Metropolitan Touring, you’ll be in good hands.

Almost right across from a long-stemmed-roses farm near Otavalo sits Hacienda Cusin, offering a rustic but luxurious country home experience near a lake.

If you’ve got some time to get out of Quito and stay a while instead of doing a day trip to the market and back in the same day, a stay at Hacienda Cucin will allow for a much more relaxed time. Instead of just zipping in and out of the Otavalo market along with all the other tourists, you can visit the town as a less hectic time. Plus you can take advantage of all the region has to offer in the beautiful outdoors: hiking, horseback riding, biking, or just exploring the countryside.

See our full review of Hacienda Cusin in the luxury Ecuador hotels section.

Related post: Dining at La Mirage in Cotacachi, Ecuador