Last updated: April 2024
Hacienda Uayamon, Campeche: this luxury hacienda hotel boasts beautifully restored rooms, savory cuisine, rooted wellness and a fabulous pool.
Hacienda Uayamon, Campeche: Origins
A thirty minute drive outside of San Francisco de Campeche – the fortified seaside capital of eponymous Campeche state in Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula – brings you to the small Maya community of Uayamón. And here, Hacienda Uayamon. Tucked in the middle of remote jungle, the origins of this storied property stretch all the way back to the 17th century when it was nothing more than a humble cattle ranch. Later, it became one of the largest and most prosperous henequen haciendas in the region.
Related: This Pretty Seaside City is Mexico’s Newest It-Destination (Campeche Travel Guide)
Henequen: a native agave plant producing a prized textile fiber from its sword-shaped leaves. So prized, in fact, the henequen industry became known as “green gold” and solidified the Yucatán Peninsula as one of the wealthiest destinations in the world in the late 19th century.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. This means if you click on one such link and make a purchase through it, we may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.
Hacienda Uayamon: Today
Today, Hacienda Uayamon exudes artisan revival as a luxury boutique hotel boasting preserved historical beauty, untouched remoteness, savory local cuisine, restorative wellness offerings and twelve palatial rooms and suites. All, immersed in vast verdant surrounds anchored by a 300-year old ceiba tree welcoming guests to the property. The hotel is a reflective blend of original and restored, as centuries-old facades like the chapel, stables and endless rows of arched stone walls sit in wistful disrepair. Others, mindfully revived into components of a luxury-grade hotel.
Hacienda Uayamon: Rooms & Suites
The sense of history here is palpable, as each room resides in a restored, colonial-era building scattered throughout the enchanting grounds. Individual casitas – past homes of the hacienda’s highest ranking employees – each accommodate one of ten Deluxe Rooms, while the property’s own former, on-site hospital frames two stately King Suites.
Related: Tulum’s Best Boutique Hotels & Resorts by Neighborhood: Beachfront to Beyond
Original floor tiles, wood-beamed ceilings and belle époque facades are all beautifully preserved to lend an air of colonial nostalgia. There’s no shortage of modern luxuries, too, like sumptuous king beds wrapped in Egyptian cotton bedding, plush bathrobes and slippers, pampering bath amenities, walk-in showers and decadent dark wood furnishings. Book a King Suite to enjoy your own private, outdoor cabana – cushioned and covered in a decidedly zen setting – and stone-carved jacuzzi tub.
Hacienda Uayamon: Dining
A grand stone staircase leads to the on-site restaurant, serving some of the best regional dishes I had in Campeche. Here, the queso relleno (stuffed cheese) is savory in the best comfort food kind of way; the cochinita pibil (stewed pork) and relleno negro (stewed turkey) both perfectly succulent. The latter two, slow cooked in centuries-old Maya tradition: underground and overnight, resulting in marvelously tender and flavorful cuisine. Many of the menu’s ingredients – fruits to vegetables to herbs – are grown in on-site gardens.
Related: The Insider Hotel Booking Hack Giving You Free Perks & Upgrades – No Loyalty Points Needed.
At night, dining becomes a magical affair as candlelit dinners are served in various bewitching settings: an intimate private dining room, outdoors under the stars or even under the legendary ceiba tree. My dinner on the outdoor back patio, surrounded by flickering candles, gently rustling trees and a starry sky above, is a standout experience I won’t forget.
Hacienda Uayamon: Wellness
Wellness can be achieved with a rooted body treatment at the on-site Hol-Be Spa, focusing on locally sourced botanicals that may even come from the hacienda’s own herb garden. Or, by blissing out at the award-winning swimming pool. This unexpected oasis – imagined by Indonesian architect Jaya Ibrahim – was once a machine room of the site’s bygone henequen days.
Related: Your Definitive Travel Guide to Izamal: Yucatán’s Sun-Kissed Yellow City
Now, a gorgeous refuge of relaxation enclosed in mottled stone walls and dotted with aged pillars rising gracefully out of the water. The restaurant provides service here, too, where light bites like guacamole, chaya empanadas and sikil pak (a savory regional dip) pair with mezcal cocktails or the carajillo maya (espresso cocktail with local xtabentún liquor).
Hacienda Uayamon: Day Visitors
If not spending the night, you can still visit by dining at the restaurant for breakfast or lunch. Or, pay a $100 peso (approx $5 USD) entry fee for a tour of the primary property grounds. Note pool access is reserved exclusively for hotel guests.
TIP: Hacienda Uayamon is located just 30 minutes from the nearby archaeological site of Edzná, famed for its magnificently preserved acropolis. Stopping at this stunning hacienda pre or post-archaeological adventure to dine, tour the grounds or spend the night (or longer) isn’t a question, it’s a must.
You must be logged in to post a comment.