Honest Hotel Hacienda Sepúlveda Lagos de Moreno Review

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Want to stay at Hacienda Sepulveda and wondering if it’s worth it?

Staying at the Hacienda Sepulveda boutique hotel in Lagos de Moreno is one of the most authentic and under-the-radar gems that Jalisco has to offer. Located just two hours from Guadalajara or one hour from Guanajuato International Airport, Lagos de Moreno was an important stop along the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro silver route. The hacienda is a luxurious reminder of what life was like in centuries past.

 The Mexican state of Jalisco has some truly enchanting small towns that are easily accessible from Guadalajara. Staying at the lovely Hacienda Sepulveda boutique hotel, riding horses, and exploring the historic downtown is an experience that I loved and that I love to recommend. 

Lagos de Moreno is one of the least visited Pueblos Mágicos that really should be on your radar. The historic downtown is listed as part of the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro UNESCO World Heritage Site. The area created a unique culture of social, and religious links between Spanish and Amerindian communities.

To this day, the Highlands of Jalisco and the Bajío Region of Mexico are at the heart of the Mexican identity. 

Hacienda Sepulveda Hotel is an excellent example of this living history. 

Lagos de Moreno is one of the least visited Pueblos Mágicos that really should be on your radar.

Hacienda Sepúlveda Lagos de Moreno Summary

This is an honest review of the Hacienda Sepúlveda Hotel. Nothing was sponsored or comped during the entire length of our stay. I paid for everything out of pocket.

The historic nature of the hotel is absolutely fascinating and there interesting details that will encourage you to explore the estate. This is an old property so the floors creak and the windows let in a few mosquitos. The hotel is not representative of modern luxury but historic luxury that will leave you dreaming about the Spanish colonial hacienda system in Mexico.

The hotel is a part of a working ranch that grows alfalfa and has a lot of horses. They offer horse-drawn carriage rides through the fields to see the far ends of the estate. Competent equestrians can take long rides across the backcountry to visit other historic haciendas. Horsemanship is a big part of the local culture and this is an excellent place to learn about the local cowboys. 

If you enjoyed watching Downton Abbey, you will fall in love with this hotel. 

The gardens are breathtaking and kids will love running around the huge grass lawns. We visited in winter when it was too cold to use the pool. The outdoor jacuzzi under a pergola of flowers was a magical touch. Between the sunset and the big robes, we had an amazing evening in the jacuzzi.  

If you don’t have time to get through the entire review, here’s a quick summary of my Hotel Hacienda Sepulveda reviews:

• Location Rating: 9/10
• Room Rating: 8/10
• Gardens Rating: 9/10
• Pool & Jacuzzi Rating: 9/10
• Restaurants Rating: 8/10
• Service Rating: 8/10
• Value Rating: 10/10

Hacienda Sepulveda Review: Quick Facts

Here are the quick resort details about the rooms, facilities, and amenities at Hacienda Sepúlveda:

Number of Rooms:	26
Number of Restaurants:	1
Number of Pools:	1
Number of Jacuzzis	1
Family Friendly?	Yes
All Inclusive?:	No
Price Range:	💲💲
Star Rating:	⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Book Now:	↳ Check rates here

Hacienda Sepúlveda Review: Pros and Cons

Next, let’s take a look at the pros and cons of Hotel Hacienda Sepúlveda which I’ll explore further in this post:

Is Hotel Hacienda Sepúlveda All Inclusive?

No, Hotel Hacienda Sepúlveda is not all-inclusive.

Hotel Hacienda Sepúlveda Review: Location

Location Rating: 8/10

Hotel Hacienda Sepúlveda is located 8 km north of Lagos de Moreno in the heart of the Highlands of Jalisco (Los Altos de Jalisco). It is a two-hour drive from Guadalajara, one hour from Aguascalientes, and one hour from the Aeropuerto Internacional del Bajío in León. 

There are good, modern toll highways heading in three different directions making it easy to get here on private transportation or public transportation. It is an 8 km taxi ride from the bus station in Lagos de Moreno to Hacienda Sepúlveda

A lot of people are going to find it hard to leave the hotel but I highly recommend spending at least a morning exploring Downtown Lagos de Moreno

Hotel Hacienda Sepúlveda Review: Rooms

Here’s a look at the rooms at Hacienda Sepúlveda Hotel Boutique rooms:

Hacienda Sepúlveda Room Types

Hacienda Sepúlveda offers 4 different room types:

Junior Suite: A standard hotel room with one queen-sized bed perfect for one to two people.

Suite: A larger hotel room with a two-person loveseat sitting area. Most of the suites have king-sized beds but there is one with two twin beds. 

Master Suite: A one-bedroom apartment with a sitting room and a bedroom separated by a door. 

Master Suite with Jacuzzi: A one-bedroom apartment that has a jacuzzi tub somewhere in the unit. Casa Santiago has the coolest setup with a jacuzzi tub in the sitting room in the middle of everything. 

Master Suite Review

Rating: 8/10

We stayed in the Pendajaus Master Suite on the second floor. The sitting room is huge and has a fold-out futon, a table with two chairs, and a small desk. The bedroom has a king-sized bed and a medium-sized flat-screen TV. The master suite is more than spacious. It felt huge.

The decoration is beautiful and historic but there are some rough edges here and there. Some of the doors and trim are very old pieces of wood that are not smooth. You need to be very careful with kids here. Some of the decorations and lamps are fragile. 

Both the sitting room and the bedroom have a balcony overlooking a garden and spa. 

Even though this is a very old building, the renovations are tasteful with a nice use of tiles in the bathroom. Our bathroom was small but many of the other rooms have large bathrooms. 

The Chula Vista Master Suite has the coolest patio overlooking the main entrance to the estate. The view at sunset is amazing. 

Hotel Hacienda Sepúlveda Review: Pool & Jacuzzi

The pool is nice but we were there in the wintertime and it was too cold to use. I like the setup with a few lounge chairs in the shade. It is not a large pool but the hotel only has 26 rooms and I don’t think it gets crowded except on the holiday weekends.

During the hot spring months, the pool at Hacienda Sepúlveda is a perfect place to cool off.

The hot tub is on the other side of the hotel but sits underneath a lovely pergola with vines and flowers. We caught the sunset from the hot tub and treasured the experience. It is more than picture perfect.

Hotel Hacienda Sepúlveda Review: Ameneties and Grounds

I loved exploring the property with my kids. There are secret gardens around every turn with peacocks and animals running all over the place. They really pay attention to the details and have created a beautiful property.

I didn’t start horseback riding until a little bit later and I really regret not scheduling a long ride with their tour guides. They have some beautiful, well-cared-for horses.

We did take the horse-drawn carriage ride around the property that the whole family loved. They talk to you about the history of the property and what they grow on the working ranch.

Downtown Lagos de Moreno Centro Histórico

One of the most important reasons to visit Hacienda Sepúlveda is to enjoy Lagos de Moreno. The Downtown area has wide sidewalks and great stone work adorning most of the buildings. The looks like the city government has spent a lot of time and money to maintain the historic nature of the city.

The catholic church is much larger and more ornate than I would have expected for a town this size. It took a good deal of money to put up a temple like that.

Drag yourself away from the hacienda for one morning to enjoy walking around Downtown Lagos de Moreno. We found a couple of good, middle-class restaurants serving local dishes for great prices. The restaurant scene in a town the size of Lagos de Moreno is much more affordable than in Guadalajara. This is the country.

Final Thoughts: Hotel Hacienda Sepúlveda

I was surprised to learn just how many people in my wife’s family in Mexico City knew of and had stayed at Hotel Hacienda Sepúlveda. On a national level, this is a very famous hotel.

This was the first luxury, hacienda hotel that we have stayed at. It kind of sent me down the rabbit hole learning about a whole new class of hotels. I didn’t realize that there are historic hacienda hotels all over Mexico.

As much as I loved this hotel, we are not going to return anytime soon. I have a list of 15 other hotels that I need to see before I can repeat one of them.

Many of these hotel hotels preserve a piece of agricultural history. The hacienda hotels in Morelos grew sugarcane. In the Yucatán, an agave was farmed to make twine and rope generating a fortune. That money built palatial estates and the gardens still exist.

You have got to see and experience these resorts. They are special.