This article is from the July 1997 The Mexico File
newsletter.
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Lodging in and Around Patzcuaro
Hotel Posada de Don Vasco: Av. Las Americas No. 450. Tel (434) 2-2490, fax (434) 2-0262. About $50 US per night. Major credit cards accepted. Situated between the lake and the town, this 102-room two-story sprawling Best Western hotel is the best in town. A swimming pool, tennis court, and a corny bowling parlor reminiscent of the 40's are part of the 7-acre gardens. This is the only hotel in Patzcuaro that comes close to handicapped-accessible, and it's one of the few that offers free self-parking. Rooms fronting the boulevard can be noisy. The restaurant has the family feel of the Catskills retreat — including weekly Italian, German, and Michoacano theme nights. Fancying myself far too cool to patronize such organized nonsense, but faced with no other alternative a few years ago, I was pleasantly surprised to find the Friday night "Noche Mexicana" buffet a warm and delightful experience.
Posada San Rafael: Plaza Vasco de Quiroga (south side). Tel (454) 2-0770. $20 per night. Credit cards not accepted. This 105-room old hotel is the largest and perhaps the most popular. The somewhat spartan rooms are clean but adequate. Not all have private baths. Valet parking (but I'd be hesitant to try to park anything other than a small car here). The front desk and switchboard are classics: stop in for a glance at the 1930's.
Mansion Iturbe: Portal Morelos 59. Tel (434) 2-0368. $30-$50 US. Major credit cards. Parking, bike rental, restaurant. On the north side of Plaza Vasco de Quiroga, this dowager of a colonial mansion, now a small elegant hotel, is a favorite for its personal attention to its guests. Major credit cards.
Los Escudos: Portal Hidalgo 73. Tel (454) 2-0138. $25-$35 US. Another colonial surrounding a pleasant courtyard, on the west side of Plaza Vasco de Quiroga, the restaurant's known for the best Sopa Tarasca in town.
Hotel Posada de la Basilica: Araga 6. Tel (454) 2-1108. $18-$25 US. Atop the hill, across from the basilica, superb morning views across the town's rooftops compensate for plain and simple rooms.
Hotel Meson del Gallo: Doctor Coss 20. Tel (434) 2-1474. Fax (434) 2-1511. Major credit cards. Pool, parking, restaurant.
Trailer Park El Pozo: Carretera Patzcuaro-Morelia. Tel (434) 2-0937. Clean but rustic near the lake. Showers, sanitary and gas facilities for RV hookups, laundry room. Camping allowed.
Cabanas de Tzintzuntzan: Tzintzuntzan. Tel (43) 14-8022, (43) 13-1053. Fax (43) 12-1252. Clean and basic, but modern and well-designed.
Cabanas de Yunuen: Yunuen. Tel (434) 2-1072, (434) 2-0929, Fax (434) 2-1072. Rustic yet immaculate, these cabins are the only offshore lodging in the area. Camping privileges are negotiable.