From the moment you arrive, Robb and Ana welcome you as family and you are immediately immersed in true Mexico culture- a welcome change from some of the more "touristy" vacations in Mexico. The cooking classes were very hands on, and Ana is a fantastic teacher. Your level of culinary expertise doesn't matter- novice or expert- you will learn something new! I have been able to recreate the meals at home, much to the delight of my family and friends! The guest rooms are very nice, as are the common areas, and the views are amazing. There is a great balance of classes, excursions, and downtime, all of which adds up to a vacation which is relaxing, rejuvenating, and engaging. One of my favorite parts was visiting the markets-- my local grocery store will forever pale in comparison!

My husband and I had a fantastic time and can't wait to go back!

My sister and I visited in November and we also went on the Living Social package deal, which was misrepresented. Living Social wanted to offer a resolution after we purchased, but by then we had also purchased airfare and taken the time off work. So we decided to go ahead - we love Mexico. The pros were that the accomodations are very lovely and Tepoztlan is a really wonderful town. Our ONE cooking class included in "the deal" was really fun, informative, and delicious. Ana is very personable. Our guide, Arturo, was great. The cons were that it was quite expensive. Breakfast at $15/day is way too much money. Our extra nights were $150 per night and didn't include anything other than the room, not even a cup of coffee in the morning. The guide, arranged by La Villa Bonita, was more than we have every spent on a guide in Mexico, about 4X more. We didn't have the magical experience that others have had, and yet we had a great time because we love Mexico and are comfortable doing things on our own. Robb was not there on the week we stayed and perhaps Ana was stretched a bit thin in managing everything with her kids, workers, life. FYI; We each spent about $2K for the week. Not quite the deal we thought we were buying.

I returned this past Saturday from a visit to La Villa Bonita booked for myself and my adult daughter through Living Social. I found the details to be clearly spelled out in the special Living Social/LVB page that was linked to in our confirmation email, and prices listed for all offerings beyond the one cooking class day that was included in the package. We knew up front that this package included fewer cooking days than the regular 5- and 7-day packages, unless we wanted to add days for a fee, also spelled out up front. With the additions (pretty much all that were offered), we ended up spending about double what the LS package cost (bringing the cost up to about what a package of this size is listed for on the LVB website), but could have spent much less if we wanted to. I liked the flexibility of this approach; most of the guests did choose to add two more days of cooking lessons. Although the "big breakfast" was definitely more expensive than what might be available in town, it was indeed "big", and held us well until the meal we were cooking in class was ready mid-afternoon. The cooking classes were very informative, but also informal in that all participants got plenty of hands-on experience with all the dishes, and on more than one occasion we broke out the big juicer and made margaritas as we cooked! A manual was provided which included recipes for most of the dishes we cooked, except for the ones specially requested of Chef Ana for our third day of class by some of the guests, due to our own interest in salsas and traditional masa preparation. She tailored that class to our request without any hesitation, helping us make stacks of the freshest tortillas we had ever tasted, and at least 4 salsas! We thoroughly enjoyed getting to know our fellow travelers, Chef Ana, her husband Robb, and their friends and family who came and went during the week but were never intrusive. My daughter took only one of the additional cooking classes, and on her "free" day hung out at the lovely heated pool on the hotel property, fixed herself a light lunch from items she found in the kitchen and I was glad to see her unwind from a very stressful job in this place that felt like home after a very short time. The two of us took a tour on one day, to Cuernavaca, Taxco and the pyramids of Xochicalco, led by an excellent guide who was recommended by LVB. The first part of the week coincided with a Mexican holiday that everyone in the small town of Tepoztlan celebrated with gusto, so some of the early arrivals for the week got to observe the party in the town square complete with costumed revelers, live bands and lots of LOUD fireworks that continued to be set off for the next couple of days, reverberating off the hillsides and rousing all the local dogs and roosters to join in. Between the feeling of being family at La Villa Bonita while we learned to prepare authentic Mexican dishes (no TexMex here!), the beauty of the setting, and the charm of this "pueblo magico" (one of 40 magic places, so named by the government because of their historical significance, natural beauty and cultural riches), this vacation was everything my daughter and I expected, and one of the best we've ever taken.

My mom wanted to do a special mother / daughter vacation together and this was the perfect fit. We both like exploring new places, eating new foods, and experiencing other cultures. So we absolutely loved Chef Anna's culinary resort. This vacation met and exceeded our expectations. We found Anna and Rob to be great hosts, all prices to be reasonable, and our trip was awesome. Everyone at work today told me I looked happy and refreshed before I even told them where I'd spent my Thanksgiving holiday. Oh and I shouldn't neglect to mention that even though we were in Central Mexico, we were still treated to an amazing (and HUGE) traditional Thanksgiving dinner (that we didn't have to cook!) - for only $35. I would definitely recommend this resort. It's not the 4 Seasons; our room was not extravagant, but it was completely comfortable, which we expected. And the view from Chef Anna's kitchen and dining room rivaled some of the nicer hotels I've been to. It was a very serene experience. I'm sure my mom will write a detailed rave review about all of the dishes she learned how to cook - I only participated in a couple classes (sleeping by the pool is an essential part of a vacation for me), but I can't wait to eat the meals we (read: she) will prepare from Ana's recipes.

As a note - if you have food allergies or difficulty walking, Ana and Rob will accomodate you as best as possible. Their resort is on a hill, and you walk to the Tepoztlan market on one of the class days (which was an awesome experience). Cabs are available though if this will be difficult. And if you're a vegetarian or have certain food allergies, Ana will prepare (or help you prepare) separate dishes.