Hacienda Sac Chich
Casa des Maquinas
This old vine covered arcade was a storage room with a roof deck until the renovation of 2009-2010. It was beautiful then but more functional now and someday the vines might grow back.... I hope.
At the end of a palm lined lane on the edge of a Mayan village the Haciendas Sac Chich is hidden away. It seems as if a fortified Norman castle was plucked from the cliffs above the the Mediterranean sea and dropped into the Yucatan jungle. In reality the estate is a renovated hennequen factory that was once part of a larger 19c colonial plantation. First rescued a dozen years ago by an artist couple it has since been luxuriously renovated by a “gourmundo” couple from San Francisco. Leaving the bohemian chic house that was once the engine room intact they concentrated their renovation on 3 suites in the old disfribradora building. The two houses are joined in a U with an elevated arcade forming an inner coutyard. This romantic vine covered portico is the best place to dine alfresco or hang a hammock to avoid the mid-day sun.
Salvador Reyes Rios designed the suites in the Disfribradora and decorated them with help of his wife Josephina Larrain. The master suite is one of his largest and most dramatic rooms. In a private garden at one end is a Mayan chultun bath. The bedroom has ceilings that soar 20 feet with a skylight and a sunken lounge area with views onto the garden. The two guest suites are equally sumptuous with their use of beautiful hardwoods, limestone and custom designed furnishings.
Across the lawn in Casa Viejo, the former engine house, is the famous kitchen published in “The New Hacienda”. It has been updated but retains the antique tiled counters and it’s rustic charm. It has an ample table where 12 can dine comfortably. Here also is the living room and two guest rooms one with a bed designed by the former artist owner, Paul Fullerton. In the kitchen garden stand the 80 foot stone chimney that once served the hacienda. Through a grotto is the tropical garden with over 20 varieties of palms and plants that attract the butterflies, songbirds and parrots. Here is the pool formed from the old irrigation tank and shaded by tall coconut palms.
Sac Chich lies between Ticopo and Acanceh 30 minutes southeast of Merida. There are good regional restaurants within 20 minutes at Hacienda Teya and Hacienda Tepich. The Mayapan ruins and the working henequen plantation at Hacienda Ake are 20 minutes drive. Within 45 minutes are the Hacienda Temozon, Hacienda Sotuta de Peon and the Convent town of Mani.
3 comments:
I've stayed at Sac Chich twice in the past few years and as a New Yorker who needs to seriously disconnect to relax Sach Chich is the place for me.
The place is such an oasis in so many ways. The atmosphere of the "old" part of the house is soulful and welcoming and the more contemporary part is elegant and kind of contemplative....not to mention the grounds, so beautifully landscaped, and the pool out back. Once I'm there there is nothing else I want to do...
Plenty of interesting day trip things to do but I'm perfectly happy to just stay there all day and watch the sun move across the grass, read and sleep. The Yucatan is not everyone's cup of tea as it's less "scenic" than some areas of the world, but there's a kind of rough beauty to it I find really compelling. The opportunity to really slow down is something I find hard to resist.
Sac Chich...drop the 'h' and
there you have it. It is true that extracting yourself from the hacienda is a challenge at times. You might have the need for an outside adventure and there are many ways to venture out, but there is something that happpens while strolling around and becoming immersed in the simple pleasure of looking. The colors, the textures, the sounds...it is a multi-sensory experience.
Sac Chich (White Bird). No banks, no cafes. A chicken, a dog, a cow. Village children and music.
A symphony of jungle sounds. Cartoon clouds in the
Yucatan's endless blue skies. You stay, you sit, you
read, you nap, you walk, eat and drink, and you smile. You sleep in comfort and style. Is it a dream?
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