How would you feel about sleeping on the edge of a cliff? During my recent trip to the state of Chihuahua, I discovered that I loved it. After several days touring around the capital city of Chihuahua, I hopped aboard the famed Chepe train that runs through Mexico‘s legendary Copper Canyon. I’ve already written some helpful travel tips for visiting the Copper Canyon in TravelAge West as well as a 5 Reasons to Visit Chihuahua.
One of my favorite experiences during the Copper Canyon trip was the stay at the Hotel Divisadero Barranco, a rustic Mexico hotel that offers spectacular views. This is a review of my experience.
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THE AMBIANCE: Imagine spending the night on the edge of a cliff, with a deep canyon outside your balcony and mountains rising in the distance beneath billowy clouds. That’s what you can expect at this scenically situated, rustically themed hotel, which offers postcard-perfect views and easy access to the natural beauty and indigenous culture of Mexico’s Copper Canyon.
We arrived via the Chepe train, a scenic, 7.5-hour ride from the city of Chihuahua. A quick walk through the bustling food and crafts market (where we picked up some tasty gorditos) brought us to the hotel, a lovely inn where hungry hummingbirds dart about the feeders, and the lobby bar and restaurant offer great views of the legendary Copper Canyon.
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MY ROOM: I was lucky enough to stay in room 51, one of the balcony rooms in the newer building, which is a further walk from the lobby but offers the best canyon views. My room had a high ceiling, two double beds, two bottles of water, a coffee maker, a bathroom with shower. There is no television and no WiFi in most guest rooms (and my regular roaming cell signal didn’t work either).
HOTEL FEATURES: We had a delicious lunch of beef and vegetables, accompanied by lentil soup and apple pastry, on our first day, before heading out for a hike up a mountain, where the reclusive Tarahumara people sell their crafts and make their homes out of caves and found materials. At the end of the day, it’s lovely to sit in front of the lobby bar’s giant fireplace to warm up and enjoy a drink.
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Indeed, the hotel’s location within walking distance of natural and cultural attractions — not to mention its highly photo-worthy views — are among its biggest selling points. The food is good and served group-style in the large restaurant. The WiFi is free in the lobby but it comes and goes. But after all, you don’t take a Mexico vacation in the Copper Canyon to stare at your cell phone, right?
MORE INFO: Visit the state of Chihuahua’s tourism site or the Mexico Tourism Board’s Chihuahua travel section.