Tequila; Not Only a Great Drink, but also a Great Destination

Margaret & I decide to take a break from the "War Against Trash" and go to Tequila, Mexico. We decide to take the public bus from Mascota that took 6 hours. Next time we'll go by car that takes only 4 hours.

We left on Dec. 24 to take advantage of a special Holiday Package offered by hotel Solar de las Animas.We paid for 2 nights with the third night complimentary.It included the Christmas dinner and three great American breakfasts.

The hotel that we refer to as the "Royal Palace" has several unbelievable gardens throughout and was conveniently located across for the Main Plaza & Church. From the moment we arrived till the final breakfast we were treated as royalty.

We have stayed in many hotels in Mexico and this was a 8 Star in our opinion. After checking, in I decided to unwind from the long bus ride and took a swim in the heated pool surrounded by palm trees.

Our first full day we had a tour of the Jose Cuervo Factory that was just one block away. Our guide "Rosie" gave us the grand 1 hour tour that included every step to create one of the best tequilas in the world.

We then took a guided tour through the newly constructed Casa de Cultura,located just 1 block away,that included artifacts and tools from before Christ to the mid 18 century. Within each chamber there was a brief video explaining what we were about to see.

The hotel has a Sky Bar overlooking the Main Plaza and surrounding mountain range covered,with you guested it, fields of agave. The Sky Bar also has a pool and lounge chairs for relaxing in the afternoon sun. In the distance we could see a large cross on the peak of the nearest mountain or what some might see as a hillside.

Being hikers and explorers,we asked the best way to reach the cross.The front desk staff gave us the directions that anyone could follow.The main street called Calle Jose Cuervo took us to the trailhead that also crossed the local train tracks. Once we reached the cross we took a break to enjoy the spectacular view of the town with its many tequila factories. Just above the cross was a wide dirt road covered with small pieces of obsidian,a rare stone that was created by the original volcano and used by the indigenous people to make arrow heads and jewelry.Of course, we had to take one as a souvenir.

We decided to do some more hiking and followed the road behind the cross that was surrounded by hillsides covered with agave. We got high just imagining how much future tequila we were seeing.Upon our return to the cross we met four men with a metal detector who gave a brief history of the cross and showed us the old coin and bullets that they had found.

Just a few more points about the hotel.Every morning and evening we were serenaded by sparrows and doves.On our second full day we decided to see the arrival of the famous Jose Cuervo Express that brings visitors from Guadalajara at 9 am and arrives about 11 am to the Tequila train station. A full Mariachi band greets the train that has people from all over the world disembarking with smiles on their faces, of course,due to the tequila severed on board. Fortunately, we were greeted by Noemi,the manager of Solar de las Animas who gave us a tour explaining the history and details of every cabin of the train.

The bilingual staff in the dining room of our hotel and especially "Felix Lopez" ,the captain, and our waiters "Guadalupe" or "Brayant" made us feel like we were VIP's at every meal.

Our room had slippers,robes plus herbal soap and the most comfortable beds and pillows ever.

When it came time to leave we left feeling like we were in a dream compared to the normal life in Mascota, that we also love.