February 2022 - It's time for some Tequila!

Jimador statue

Our original travel plan for Mexico was based on long-term stays in each destination. This would let us really get to know each city, and also stretch our travel dollars by getting discounted lodging rates for the longer-term stays. As we put together the plan for this spring, we knew we were going to move from Mazatlán to Puerto Vallarta. Looking at the travel routes, we saw that Tequila was “close by” though not really on the way. Thinking back to our visits to Guadalajara last fall, we had seen multiple ads for visits to Tequila, and had tried a couple of tequilas at local restaurants. But we didn’t have a good basis for tequila, or know what we liked and didn’t like. Really, it just made sense to take a side trip to explore the region, find some distilleries, learn about the tequila-making process, and hopefully find a few favorites.

Capital O Hotel grounds

Volcano and Tequila from hotel

For lodging in Tequila, we looked at Airbnbs but could not find one that we thought would have a good area for Gunner to exercise. Eventually, we found a hotel – the Capital O Posada Terreza – that was dog-friendly and seemed like it would work for us. Upon arrival, we were very pleased with the large grounds of the hotel. In addition to the flagstone driveway and parking areas, there was a large agave field with a dirt road through it. This made for a nice loop to walk Gunner morning and night without leaving the hotel property.

The hotel itself was clean, with a great staff, perimeter wall and electronic access gate, and decent wifi. Some of the property is still under construction, though not at a rapid pace. The bed was comfortable, the AC was sufficient (though we changed rooms during our stay), and there was plenty of hot water for bathing. The hotel served breakfast every morning (buffet the first day, Sunday, but made-to-order for the rest of the visit). The booking stated it was at a cost, but the hotel staff did not charge us for our meals. There were no appliances at the hotel, i.e., we did not have a refrigerator and were not able to do any laundry during our stay.

Perhaps the only downside to the hotel was its location a couple of kilometers north of town. We drove into town a couple of times, but had some difficulties finding parking, so we relied on taxis for the majority of our visit at a cost of 70 pesos each way. One afternoon, we tried walking home. The distance wasn’t bad, but there was not a consistently good path next to the highway, and we decided that would be a one-time thing.

Cantarito at Sauza

The town of Tequila is quite busy with both local and expat tourists and is well-maintained for the constant flow of people through the town. On the weekend, the Plaza Principal fills with vendors and artisans. During the week, there is less activity, but vendors are still available with food or to promote local distillery tours. Our main goal in Tequila was to visit some distilleries and try their tequilas. We had expected this to be similar to wine tasting in the U.S., or perhaps to micro-breweries with tasters or flights. However, we found this to not be the case. Prior to the visit, I had located 10-12 distilleries in Google Maps. The large/famous ones, such as Sauza and Cuervo, had extensive haciendas and were set up for continuous tour groups for a fee. Based on internet research, we selected a Sauza tour for mid-week. While wandering the town on Sunday, we were approached by a vendor and quickly signed up for a tour of the Orendain facility for 250 pesos each. We confirmed that the tour would be Spanish-only, but decided to give it a try. Overall, the tour was very good, from the fields, through the entire cooking and distillation process, to multiple tastings. But we really missed having a full understanding of the tour due to the language gaps. Mid-week, we took the Sauza tour for 320 pesos each. This tour included a better explanation of the agave planting and harvesting, but did not include the distillery and went straight to tasting. Throughout the week, we also tried knocking on doors at distilleries and asking people in town, but did not get much feedback on tequila tastings. On our last full day in town, we discovered that the best way to try tequilas is to look inside each liquor store. Many are affiliated with specific distilleries and have a selection for people to try. There is sometimes a tasting fee, but most often the tastings were free. We really wish we had found these shops earlier in the week to give us more time to explore and compare the tequilas. In the end, we bought 5 different bottles. A reposado from Inquieto (795 pesos), an añejo from Cavo de Oro (790 pesos), and a sweet coffee liqueur (similar to Kahlua, 150 pesos) for drinking, and 2 others to take back to the U.S. to share - Casa Gonzalez Grand Commander Extra Añejo (850 pesos) and Cavo de Oro extra añejo (830 pesos for a smaller 375 ml bottle).

In addition to exploring Tequila and tequilas, we also explored the surrounding areas. Tequila has a large, extinct volcano south of town, providing for a scenic backdrop to the area. One day, we drove to the south side of the volcano to walk through the historic area known as Guachimontones. This area is known for its pyramidal structures that were built between 2-5,000 years ago. The grounds and museum were very interesting, and were also very welcoming of Gunner, even allowing him inside the museum! On another day, we took a hike to a local waterfall. There were many crisscrossing trails and a steep hillside. A local man convinced us to hire him as a guide (for 500 pesos!), though it probably wasn’t necessary. The steep trails were enough to cut our exploration short and we were all still tired from the hike in the following days. As we explored, I tested out a new app I found called "Relive". It records a GPS track of any activity (hiking, biking, driving, etc.) and then converts the track to a short video with an aerial view of the route traveled. I plan to record our travels from city to city with the app to post along with our photos on Facebook.

Guachimontones

Cascada Los Azules

The food during our week was generally very good. We ate at a couple of Mexican restaurants in town, eating tacos, tortas, chicken mole, beef strips, and birria. We also found a wood-fired pizzeria that was quite good. On our Guachimontones trip, we ate fish and shrimp at a lakeside restaurant in Teuchitlán. All of our meals were very reasonable, averaging $20/day including drinks and tip.

We really enjoyed our week-long stay in Tequila, and we both agreed that we would like to return again in the future. The one-week trip seemed about right, given the small town and the lack of variety of things to do. Next time we won’t spend as much time looking for distilleries though, and will focus on the local shops for our tastings. With only a week-long duration, other costs for the trip were higher than normal. Our hotel averaged $60/night and our “entertainment” costs were higher due to the 2 distillery tours and the guide to the waterfalls.

It won't last long!