Minutes before crossing the timeworn entryway of Hacienda de San Antonio, a restored nineteenth-century estate in the remote mountains of the western Mexican state of Colima, cell phone connectivity begins to wane.
The last bar of service wavers, oscillating between there and not there, the 5G equivalent of a gymnast struggling to swing from Olympic rings. Eventually, any network connection drops out for good, leaving you to take in the endless flora and shades of green (so many, in fact, that you will soon lose count) of this sprawling heritage resort and its centerpiece: a 5,000-acre working ranch, Rancho Jabalí.
Here, days unfold as though time is both infinite and unimportant. You will admire floors made of antique blue tiles and shelves filled with toddler-sized ceramic Michoacán pineapples. You will fall asleep in a plush bed in a room that is the color of just-churned butter, lulled by the murmur of fountains run by an underground network of ancient aqueduct channels. Come morning, you will drop a match in the fireplace and sip a cappuccino made from coffee grown and roasted right here on the Ranch with milk proffered that morning by cows roaming the land.
You will become the type of person who has a favorite tree. A fuchsia bougainvillea spilling onto the grasses between the manicured garden and a wilder grove, perhaps. Maybe an olive tree weeping over the courtyard. In the weeks that follow, after you return home, you will think of those trees fondly — and pay little mind to whether your phone has service at all.
The Check In
Hacienda de San Antonio is remote. The nearest town is Comala, a historic area known for its white-facade buildings. The closest major city is Colima. Two international airports, Manzanillo and Guadalajara, are between two and three hours by car, regardless if you book a rental and brave weak GPS connectivity or schedule a driver through the concierge. For those fortunate enough, a grass airstrip is available for any arrivals by private charter in a single or twin-engine plane.
The primary entryway to the Hacienda has, more or less, remained intact since the late 1800s. An arched aqueduct constructed from black volcanic stone was added in 1904 as a means to power the estate. Today, the channels provide two services: gentle aural pacification and water for the property's many fountains. (A favorite was a Moorish one in the garden inspired by the Alhambra.) To the left of the main check-in lobby sits the Chapel of Saint Anthony, originally built in 1913 under the orders of Doña Clotilde Vogel, the wife of the estate’s then-owner. Doña hoped the saint would protect the coffee farm from volcanic forces. So far, the land has been spared.
The Look
After acquiring the hacienda from his father-in-law in the 1980s, Sir James Goldsmith hired the French designer Robert Couturier to assist with restoration, renovation and additions like a second floor and a grand staircase. The property’s current owner is Goldsmith’s daughter, Alix Maraccini, who worked with the designer Armand Aubery to fill the interiors with hand-woven Oaxacan rugs, antique wooden rocking horses and other traditional Mexican decor.
Still, it’s the outdoors that make Hacienda De San Antonio. The central courtyard is the type of place a fairytale character might awake after one hundred years of slumber. So lush are the lip-stick red flowers, reedy grasses and blooming bushes that Rancho Jabalí’s director said he couldn’t possibly guess the approximate number of flora species on display, though he added that the fiery ornamental ginger and flamboyant Tabachin tree were two of his favorites.
