Luxurious living in La Peñita de Jaltemba

A serene, lush and very private oceanside oasis, Hacienda La Peñita encompasses an entire block near the southwestern end of La Peñita with over two acres of lawn, trees and tropical flowers.

The two-story casa includes a master bedroom with a queen-size bed and private full bathroom upstairs, as well as a large living room, a guest bathroom, the kitchen, and a large covered patio with a view of the beach, Jaltemba Bay and the islands.  Downstairs is a shared bathroom for two more bedrooms, each with a queen-size bed and both interior doors and ones leading outside to the palm grove and another expansive covered patio.

This is the Mexican getaway of well-known California-based interior designer Thomas Bartlett, and his Hacienda La Peñita has itself become widely known with a feature article dedicated to it in the June 2005 issue of the U.S. magazine Traditional Home.

Thomas has filled his casa with an eclectic selection of art and antiques, from French Provincial furniture to Huichol yarn paintings to antique tile, stained glass, ornate metal pieces and carved wood and much, much more.  An entire vacation could be spent contemplating these, but you’ll probably prefer to spend your days on one of the terrazas or the beach.

Hacienda La Peñita rents for US$500 per night, which includes the daily services of a gardener and a housekeeper; the housekeeper doubles as a cook, skilled in the preparation of traditional Mexican food (the cost of the ingredients is not included in the rental fee).  An English-speaking property manager lives on-site with her Labrador retriever in a casita at the rear of the property (and she's available for information and suggestions and to hire for outings in her late-model, fully-equipped SUV). Thomas's two very tiny chihuahuas patrol the property.

Guests who bring their laptop computers may use the Hacienda’s high-speed wireless Internet connection.

There is secure, enclosed parking for one vehicle.  There is no pool, and there is most emphatically no television.  There is a quality music system in the house, but you’ll probably prefer to hear the soothing sound of the waves as they meet the beach across the street while reading a book from Hacienda La Peñita’s well-stocked library.