During a recent trip to San Carlos (near Guaymas) we wanted a change of scenery and chose Alamos for a short destination trip. I was very interested in Casa de los Tesoros because of the history of its building. Our room, at $125/night, was beautifully furnished with a comfortable king-sized bed. It was absolutely clean and quite large with a huge attached bathroom. This is a place for anyone who would like to sample a bit of old Mexican hospitality: quiet, restful & refined.

Like the rest of Alamos, entering the hotel feels as though you've either come into a museum or gone back two hundred years: there is no hustle, everything seemed sleepier and with an air of a much, much older time. Check-in for us was casual. Nobody needed an imprint of our credit card, we were quickly ushered into an absolutely delightful room on the back patio. The front desk is rarely manned -- if you have questions, you ask one of the waiters who always seem to be floating nearby. Not much English spoken here. There are very few signs to tell you where to go or what to do -- few signs to show that this is a hotel at all. There are fountains and water features and ancient, heroic-sized oil paintings all along the courtyard walls of beatific saints and proud nobles that you pass. Walking from our room to the street we would pass comfortable and inviting chairs and garden seating set up to enjoy the cool ambiance, the tropical garden plantings, even the hummingbirds nipping the flowers. There are two open patios, the front is for the general public who may stop in for a drink, a meal or a performance while the rear patio is only for guests. A pool takes up a lot of the room. It appeared clean if green, and was unused. I'd imagine that in the heat of summer, it would be a welcome respite but this was February and there was a slight chill in the air.

The breakfasts which come with the room were okay (with truly amazing fresh OJ). The dinners we had lacked luster. We went around the corner to The Charisma on our last evening for a fantastic dessert & coffee (best coffee we had in all of Mexico) and would definitely recommend it.

For a reasonable fee considering the distance, Jaime, driving the Tesoros hotel Suburban, picked us up at our condo on the beach and brought us to Alamos and returned us to the beach after our stay. It was a three-hour drive each way. That was a little luxury for us that allowed us not to worry about renting a car, insurance, and finding our way through Obregon and Navajoa.

The Tesoros is a place to come back to. I recommend it for anyone who'd enjoy a little luxury in sleepy Alamos, not for someone who needs to find a newspaper at the door every morning. (I'm still not sure where you'd buy a newspaper in Alamos; there must be someplace........)

We made arrangements for our stay by contacting the hotel management via email, using their website, because we needed to assure ourselves that there would be transportation before we made our reservations.

We paid for a private tour of the town at the tourist office from a guy who said his name was Joe but everyone called him Trini, like Trini Lopez. We also arranged for a private guide for a bird-watching hike in the hills (an Elegant Trogon was the highlight) by asking Marta at a bookshop off the town square. In both cases we paid the requested $10 each and doubled that with tips.

I'd also recommend the short hike up to the Mirador for an early morning view of the town waking up. As we looked out over the town and the hills, we listened to the beginning sounds of the day. It started with the roosters crowing, then one dog after another in a chain-reaction of barking, followed by cars starting and car horns hooting and even a donkey braying. It was a tender and amusing way to start the day.