This hotel is not even rateable. We were guests at a 40th birthday party. We have stayed at top chain hotels and have never had the staff anticipate our needs. We never had to request a thing! During the day at the pool dishes of fresh mango and fruits kept arriving. Then trays of margaritas, then lunch poolside. You rarely saw housekeeping staff, yet we would leave our room and presto clean. The splashes in the common area restrooms would disappear between visits as would the one towel that was used for your last visit. The gardens and fountains were flawless.

Hacienda de San Antonio is one of a kind. (It is such a favorite of mine -- ten visits in ten years -- that I have actually been reluctant to write it up before now.) It combines natural beauty, a magnificent building, a warm welcome and a platform for refined relaxation. The hotel was built as a private and very grand country mansion, rather than a hotel; it is still run in the spirit that the guest are truly guests, not customers. The emphasis is on peace and quiet, and enjoyment of natural beauty. The setting -- between a (live) volcano and a steep valley -- is stunning. The grounds, planted with specimen trees, including a large and beautiful pool, are glorious. (The 40 foot high bougainvillea is beyond glorious.) Everything is in exquisite taste, mixed with a local flavor and sense of place. To me, it ranks as one of the most romantic hotel/resorts anywhere in the world.
The (local) staff is genuinely friendly and interested in helping. The rooms are all large and comfortable, and have marvellous views. Every evening, hundreds of candles are lit, giving the open courtyards and hallways the aura of a renaissance palace.

The kitchen produces excellent, fresh mexican food, including many ingredients from the the nearby farm operations owned by the hotel's proprietor. With advance notice, the kitchen can produce dishes you choose (although you shouldn't expect the range of choice you would find in a similarly luxurious city hotel, or a large resort). There is a tennis court and exercise room; and internet via satellite, though (thanksfully!) no TVs in the rooms. Evenings are quiet.
In my view, the unique attributes of the Hacienda can only exist because of certain things it does not have -- this is not the place to go if you are looking for a constant choice of diversions, restaurants or a generally busy feel; you are in the middle of a fairly remote, mountainous area, so visiting other towns for meals is not easy. Because of the location well above sea level, the humidity level is comfortably below that of the coast. As for value, it is certainly not cheap -- but if this is the place for you, I think you will agree it offers true value in the sense of being a unique experience -- indeed, one that is almost priceless in today's world.

A beautiful and famous location with great history. I would recommend to combine a short stay at the Hacienda with a nice beach holiday (at Cuixmala or FS Punta Mita). The food was excellent. The service sometimes seemed a bit untrained and some of the staff lacking English skills. I hear that this was better, when the hotel was still managed by AMAN. The gardens and the swimming pool are world class, as well as the view on the (active!) volcano.

Under the volcano! This place is heaven on earth. Rooms beautifully furnished, high wooden cealings, lovely bathrooms, patios , terraces, gardens, an olympic size swimming pool, internet connection, very attentionate staff. The excursion on horses in the neerby Ravali estate around lagunas surrended by steep hills covered with tropical trees, the bamboo forest , the water falls, the picnic with barbecue organised, everything was a dream.