Hacienda San Jose Cholul, an IHG Hotel, San Jose

This is a stunning place to stay for a couple of nights.  We stayed here for a couple of nights as part of our honeymoon and had a fantastic time.

The Hacienda is small, intimate, and peaceful.  There were only a few guests when we stayed which meant we received fantastic service throughout our stay.

The best part of our stay was the staff.  Rodrigo, one of the waiting staff, went above and beyond to make us comfortable and make our stay extra special.  The reception team were great, organised taxis for us, and talked us through the history of the resort.  We also received excellent service from Aitor, another member of the waiting team.  Not all of the waiting staff speak English, but all of them try their best.

The on-site restaurant is excellent, we were able to walk over anytime for both breakfast and dinner, and found the food to be fantastic with good portions, with plenty of traditional Yucatan dishes on the menu.  The cocktails were also surprisingly good, including the complimentary drink on arrival.

We paid extra for the Banyan tree dinner.  The location was magical, and was one of the highlights of the trip.  There isn't much information on it on the IHG site, but it was a 4-course meal where you get to choose from a selection of options, with a bottle of wine and a private waiter.  We had to ring up to organise it, as we couldn't work out how to email the Hacienda directly.

We stayed in Room 3, a large and spacious king suite within the old owners building.  A complimentary coffee service is provided to your room every morning, and bottled drinking water was topped up every day by housekeeping.  A plug-in mosquito repellent was provided, but recommend bringing plenty of repellent yourself given the location of the Hacienda.

The IHG site isn't great for listing the activities on offer - when we were there bikes were available to use, bird watching classes were on offer, and the reception staff talked us through the history of the Hacienda.  They also offered cooking and cocktail classes but we didn't try any of these out.

As some other reviews have pointed out, the grounds are a bit tired in places.  In a way, it adds to the charm of the Hacienda - tree roots are growing into the landscaping walls, iguanas burrowing under the steps - but it does mean the paving is uneven in places and there are cracks in a lot of the landscaping.  I hope they get some additional investment to properly fix this up, it is a truly magical place which deserves to be restored to its full potential.

Stayed here for 10 as our base for day tripping, the location is reasonably convenient for east of Merida sites.

A beautiful and calm paradise with wonderful staff. Really gorgeous property in a restored hacienda. Compliments as Bonvoy titanium members were a nice touch too. Can’t wait to return!

Hacienda San Jose is simply stunning ! The rooms are immaculate and the staff is very attentive. The hacienda is very romantic and the massages were a great experience. I regret not staying longer but I will be back for sure.
I can really recommend this hacienda for anyone who wants to explore the Yucatán area and wants to be pampered whilst doing so.
Thank you for the lovely experience.

We spent two nights there and had a very good time! The staff is very kind and supportive and always has a smile for you! We felt very welcome. The pool is very large and fun to swim in. The rooms are amazing and the food is delicious. Everything deserves 5 stars and is definitely worth a recommendation!

Amazing hotel. The rooms are great, but the grounds make it worth staying. More beautiful than any park or garden I've visited. There are flowers, butterflies and birds everywhere.

Staff are attentive and very friendly, they put some extra touches in when they can which helps you feel valued. Food is great. Most of our meals have been here with no complaints at all.

Definitely happy to have stayed here.

Absolutely beautiful in every way. Like taking a step back into time to the colonial days, but surrounded by by luxury at every step. From the spacious, delicately furnished rooms to the amazing pool area, the whole place will leave you breathless from the moment you arrive. We felt like we were living in our own personal paradise. And the staff, oh my god - the staff. Just beautiful! From the reception staff to the restaurant and grounds keepers, everyone that worked there was attentive, delightful, ever-smiling, and eager to help us in any way they could.

My wife and I stayed here for one night on a short visit from Merida using a free night certificate courtesy of my Chase IHG credit card.

The hotel is incredible - a collection of old colonial buildings that have been completely renovated. Large olympic sized swimming pool with hammocks suspended over the water at one end, and beautiful grounds. Our suite was luxurious with a very comfortable king size bed, large bathroom, cable TV (only 4 channels) , minibar, etc.

Food in the restaurant was ok - Our dinner and breakfast was good but nothing special.

In the morning, we were brought complementary coffee to our room

The hacienda is in the middle of nowhere, about a 1.5 miles (2km) up a potholed road off of the highway. There isn't much else to do or see in the immediate area so bring a book to read and prepare to relax

It's a jewel with high standards of gastronomie and accomodation. If you are looking for rest, nature, good food and unmet friendly staff, it's the place to go. We were staying in onrnof their 4 villas mayas which are reconstructions of ancient mayan houses. The villas are very spacious, have a terrace and a plunge pool, which is filled upon request also with hot water for charming late night hours.

This is perfect place in all details! If you like history, nature and birds and you don't feel boring staing with yourself - you'll love this amasing Hacienda. It's more than just hotel, it's a chance to live another live, even for a shot time. Very caring and helpful staff doing their job as well as possible!

Absolutely amazing. The grounds and the room were both unbelievable. Service was outstanding, and the restaurant had great dinner and breakfast. Highly recommend one of the rooms with the private outdoor tub, which the staff will set up for you.

AMAZING PLACE. The Hacienda is gorgeous, the staff are all soo nice and attentive, and the food…omg the food. One of the best places to eat in all of Yucatán.

What a wonderful place to stay, the rooms are incredible, we had room number 9 that has a tree in the bathroom. The food is amazing, the staff are one of the nicest people I’ve ever met.

Absolutely magical experience!! The grounds are incredibly beautiful, the food was delicious, the room had many unique amenities (like viewing a full moon above the trees from a private plunge pool lined with candles), but by far the best part was the staff. I have never experienced that level of service. Rodrigo, Felipe, Marta and all of the staff members are so friendly and attentive. Everyone knew us by name from the moment we arrived, remembered every detail of our preferences and recognized my husband's birthday. We felt so pampered the entire stay. All of the great reviews about the staff and property encouraged me to book, but I saw some less enthusiastic comments about the food... NOT our experience at all. Everything we ordered (which was most of the menu!) was superb, so many delicious local dishes. Beverage selection was also great, I would go back just for the "el mestizo" cocktail. The location was ideal, remote, but central and within a manageable drive of Merida and so many towns and destinations. We highly recommend it to anyone looking for a unique, laid-back, relaxing retreat. Can't wait to return!

It was amazing nice breakfast we came here with friends just for few hours ....it is about an hour from Merida , kind employees , prices are acceptable ....the nature is all around you

Hacienda San José de Cholu is a wonderful place to relax and enjoy delicious Yucateca food and excellent staff with great comfort

This place totally rocks !!! Absolute beauty and taste. Colonial ghosts all around the beautiful garden shouldn t scare you. Pricy but worth it !!!

Wonderful Hacienda with great friendly staff, beautiful gardens with a very nice pool and 15 charming rooms.

Amazing, peaceful. Wonderful and impeccable service. I've never tipped so much in my life. I highly commend my time here.

Beautiful hotel in an old hacienda, which was completely renovated - however very carefully and not over the top.