Cuernavaca, Mexico Luxury 3 bedroom vacation rental

Luxury Vacation Rental - Cuernavaca, Mexico

Pass through the wall via an intricately-carved wood door and step into a courtyard that is filled with a profusion of plants in large pots – including an old urn that holds water hyacinths and, on the shady side of the courtyard, a gigantic tree fern. Above the doorway, on a landing, is a mural

Luxury Vacation Rental in Cuernavaca, Mexico

Walk up a few steps to a roofed inner hall the sides of which are open to the front courtyard and the rear gardens. A long antique pew on the stone floor and a very old carved wooden statue of a saint and grace and interest to this area. A guest powder room, on the left of the hallway, has blue and white tile.

The enormous drawing room is to the right of the entry hall, along an open portico. The living room is gracious, luxurious and vwey impressive. There are two separate large sitting areas each with comfortable furniture covered in pristine white cotton. Each of the sitting areas has two large sofas, easy chairs, ottomans, a large coffee table made from an antique door, an antique bench. The room has fine antiques and artifacts, sculpture, art on the white walls and vases filled with gorgeous flowers. There will be a fire lit in the corner fireplace. Warm breezes waft in through the open wall-to-wall windows that look down onto the gardens and the pool. The room's ceiling beams are stenciled to reflect the pool's blue.

The kitchen is off the drawing room. This is the chef's territory, but you are welcome to visit her!

The large dining room is to the left of the entry hall. It has a long wood table that is usually set for eight people, but 12 can easily dine here. Two antique carousel animals, a horse and a lion, will keep watch for you. Whenever there's a chill, a fire will be lit in the large stone fireplace. Windows set into the 2 foot thick walls look down to the gardens and the swimming pool.

Mario, your butler, will keep liquid refreshment coming from the tiled bar.

Back at the entry courtyard, walk down a few steps and into the garden and pool area. More about these gorgeous grounds in a bit.

The master bedroom suite is near the pool and gardens. The door on the left opens into a small entryway that leads to a beautifully-decorated, cozy sitting room. There is a sofa with two chairs all covered in white cotton, a wood coffee table, a Mexican Colonial desk and chair, a phone and fax machine. Two beautiful Mexican rugs in brown and beige lie on wood floors that have the rich patina of the years. Two tall built-in bookcases are filled with books and Mexican crafts. Walls are white. Large windows look onto the gardens and one window looks onto a tiled wall that has a Mexican motif. We spent our evenings here feeling very at home.

The master bedroom is off the the sitting room through the en suite bathroom (or you can enter it directly from outside). It is a large room with a king bed that has a cane and wood headboard and is covered with crisp white linens. There's a huge antique armoire, a dressing table, a large antique desk made from mahogany and inlaid ebony wood. There is a TV, well chosen art on the white walls and pottery and many nice things to admire. The door and windows look out to the gardens and the casita.

The tiled master bathroom/dressing room is between the sitting room and the bedroom. It has a long deep tub with shower over tub, a sink, a bidet and a toilet. The dressing area has lots of closet space, a chest of drawers and a safe.

Leaving the master bedroom for the garden, turn left and walk on ancient stone pavers down a few steps to a sunny terrace that has a deep border of plants and tall trees, and a large stone urn filled with water hyacinths. Just beyond this garden terrace is the tile-roofed casita. It contains a guest suite downstairs and a guest room upstairs each with its own private outside patio.

Go to the upstairs guest bedroom via an outside stairway. Through the antique arched door is a small entrance hall that has an antique door to a large closet. The large bedroom has a king bed with a fabric headboard and white bed covers. There's a low chest of drawers, a comfortable easy chair and ottoman covered in white cotton, drawings, old prints, Mexican artifacts, a TV and a phone.

The en suite bathroom has a tiled tub with shower over tub, a pedestal sink, a toilet and antique tables. Two window look down onto the gardens. One of the windows is covered by an antique wood shutter that has an intricate stenciled design.

A very large balcony is just off the bedroom. It has two chaise lounges and many pots of flowers. Through treetops, the balcony looks down to a lower garden and over to the pool and the main house. This balcony is private and very sexy.

The downstairs bedroom suite is on the ground floor of the casita via a little plant-lined walkway. The first room in the suite is a small, well-furnished study. There is a comfortable antique day bed covered in white cotton - this is a nice place for a child to sleep. There is a comfortable easy chair and a glass-topped coffee table. A white bookcase holds books and family photos and Mexican pottery. A TV and DVD player is in a corner (and there are some good DVD's). You can set up your computer on the pine desk (there is high-speed internet) and gaze at the garden while you read your e-mails.

The bathroom is along a short hall toward the bedroom. It has tiled floor and walls, a long, deep tub with shower over tub, a pedestal sink and excellent storage.

The bedroom is large and very nice. It has twin beds that can be pushed together to make a king bed. The beds are covered with a white cotton quilt. There is a tall armoire with mirrored inserts, a dressing table, a comfortable chair and ottoman covered with white cotton. A floor-to-ceiling window lets in the sun and breeze. A door opens onto a large, open terrace that has comfortable and very attractive outdoor furniture.

The casita is in a grassy area that has deep borders with tall trees and incredible native plants: a gigantic elephant ear plant, palm trees, banana trees, diffenbachia, glorious hanging orchids and many other tropical plants What a profusion of shape, color and tones.

The pool area is private, large and beautiful. We ate most of our meals pool-side. There are potted plants and many architectural remnants including one tiled wall of the house that dates from the early 16th century. From here, you can see the top of the Palace de Cortez: old against old. There is light, sun, blue-blue sky, water sounds, birdsong, flower fragrance. You'll never want to leave this quiet and beautiful oasis.

Luxury House Rental in Cuernavaca, Mexico

There are four staff people at this house. The butler, Mario, who speaks English, and the chef, Marie Elena, the housekeeper, Consuelo, and the gardener, Sergio. They are all invested in making your stay perfect. You can have breakfast, lunch and dinner there every day or you can choose which meals to have at home. Meals are sophisticated Mexican, but Marie Elena is happy to make anything you like and she will work around any food aversions or allergies.

Mario will drive you within the city. We can refer you to two excellent driver/guides who will take you to Mexico City or any of the other nearby attractions.

For you gardeners, here is a partial list of plants you'll see on this property: many flowering vines including climates and clerodendrum, passion flower and bougainvilla, Mandevilla, pineapple, Petrea Santa Rita, ficus, fuscia, Chicozapote (chewing gum tree), Haamuchi tree from Oaxoca, Sansiviera (mother-in-law's tongue), Crown of thorns, Pakistaqui, Anturio, Singonio, Tulipan, Clivias, Canas de Moises, Anturio Elegante, Orquidea, Mosaenda, Patos en aqua. Impressed?

Luxury Vacation House in Cuernavaca, Mexico

Cuernavaca, known as "The City of Eternal Spring", is a large, cosmopolitan city that is bustling with people and cars. There are fine restaurants, bistros, bars, shopping, cultural activities. For many years, the city has attracted artists and writers from all over the world; among them, Erich Fromm, Diego Rivera, Carlos Fuentes, Helen Hayes, Gabriel Garcia Marques, Barbara Hutton and David Alfaro Siqueiros.

The house is across the street from the Museo Robert Brady. Once the home of American painter and traveler, Robert Brady, it has a unique collection of fine and decorative arts from all over the world. The house and gardens, part of a 16th-century Franciscan Friary, are impressive, but it's the art and craft (including a well known Freida Khalo self portrait) that makes this a truly special experience.

The Palace of Cortés, three blocks from the house, was built between 1522 and 1532 over an Aztec Temple which Cortés destroyed. Originally Cortés's summer home, it is now houses one of Mexico's finest museums, the Museo de Cuauhnahuac, which features exhibits on the pre-Columbian cultures and the Spanish conquest. You will be stunned by the beauty and passion of the Diego Rivera mural that covers three walls of a large portal. Two other Rivera murals are in other parts of the museum. Everything is interesting here, but the Rivera murals are astounding.

Just down the street from the house is the Cuernavaca Cathedral. Dating from 1552, the cathedral has beautiful Japanese-style frescos dedicated to Felipe de Jesus, Mexico's first saint, who was crucified by Japanese Emperor Hideyoshi in 1597. The frescoes depict his departure with 24 other Franciscan friars from Mexico on a missionary journey to Japan which resulted in their martyrdom.

Just up the street from the cathedral, the splendid Borda Garden is one of the few remaining colonial gardens in Mexico. Created in 1778 by order of the priest Manuel de la Borda, it has the first mangos trees ever planted in Mexico. The lake and the baroque-style 18th Century mansion complement the beauty of the garden. This is the Cultural Institute of Morelos. It has a collection of the historic furniture of the times of the Emperor Maximilian of Hapsburg and a permanent exhibit of contemporary works of local artists.

The Centro Cultural Muros (The Gelman Museum) is devoted primarily to a fine contemporary Mexican art collection assembled by Jacques and Natasha Gelman (who bequeathed 85 works to New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art upon her death in 1998). The building and the collection are beautiful.

You can learn Spanish in one of several fine schools that have a curriculum geared for short, intensive classes or longer somethings.

Teopanzolco Pyramid is considered one of the most important pyramids of the Pre-Hispanic Tlahuica Culture in the Region. It supports the ruins of double temples dedicated to the Aztec twin gods Tlaloc and Hutzilopochtli. Other structures in the complex were dedicated to other gods worshipped by the pre Columbian inhabitants of Cuauhnahuac.

The Tepozteco pyramid is high on a mountain overlooking Tepoztlan, about 15 miles from Cuernavaca. It was built by the Aztecs to honor Ometochtli-Tepoxtécatl, god of the harvest and fertility, on the site of a previous Tlahuica temple. This is an example of conquerors building their own sacred sites on the sites of the conquered culture. The village of Tepoztlan, at the foot of the mountain, is friendly and casual.

Mexico City is very easy to visit from Cuernavaca. You can go by car or bus - it's about 40 minutes. This is one of the best ways to see Mexico City: enjoying the day there, but then coming home to this house for a swim.

ACCESSIBILITY NOTICE:

This property is accessible to people with moderate mobility limitations. There are stone stairs down to the bedrooms and pool and up to the public rooms.

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ENGLAND	SCOTLAND	WALES	IRELAND	LONDON