Guadalajara Hotel Casa de las Flores Bed and Breakfast in Tlaquepaque, Jalisco, Mexico, the folk art capital of Mexico

A Letter from Your Hosts

Dear Guests,

We would like to welcome you to Casa de las Flores and to what we think is a special inn.  But most of all we would like to welcome and assist you to experience and enjoy more of what Mexico really has to offer .

Casa de las Flores has chosen a one of a kind location in a very special neighborhood and created a fantastic retreat that you will not find anywhere else.  One of the many reasons that make our location unique is the little shrine on the corner, just a few houses down from Casa de las Flores.  The shrine is the center of local celebrations and customs that have been passed down for generations and help keep our neighborhood traditions flourishing despite the surrounding urban growth.

We also chose our traditional neighborhood in part because of our neighbors.  They are folk artists and craftsmen that have not only kept artistic skills alive, but also the celebrations, pageants, pilgrimages and fiestas that make up our local folklore and culture.  We may not be the wealthiest of neighborhoods in terms of money but we are a gold mine of talented craftsmen, cooks, musicians and folk artists with a wealth of local tradition and family value — in that we are richer than most.

We have chosen our unique village Tlaquepaque which in some respects you can enjoy no matter where you stay.

Yes you can take a day trip from Guadalajara to visit the shops, but you will not find the calm village life or our central location in the busy city of Guadalajara.  There are more fine restaurants within walking distance of Casa de las Flores than in the whole historic center of Guadalajara.  If a visitor chose to stay in Guadalajara, the historic center of the city would be the place of most interest.  But, unless you like more traffic, more noise, smog and feeling a bit lonely at night as a pedestrian, I think you would have made the wrong choice in staying there .  It is much nicer to stay in Tlaquepaque and take day trips to Guadalajara — I think you will thank me for that advice.

Perhaps more importantly, and nowhere else in Tlaquepaque or Guadalajara, what we uniquely offer is our special neighborhood, the restored adobe garden paradise of Casa de las Flores, and the unique location allowing you to find more of the wonderful color, culture and customs of our area — no place is better for this than Casa de las Flores.  One of the many wonderful things about small inns, is that we can express a bit of our personality and style — something you are not going to find at rubber stamp hotels.  You are invited into a home and a neighborhood where you will be able to enjoy more of the culture

We are bit eccentric in our passion for local contemporary art and folk art, but we really think that is just one of the ways we can help you understand and enjoy more of the local traditions and beauty of the area.  Ask me for an in-house tour of our extensive collection of local folk art.  It is one of my pleasures to help guests understand and see more local art, and understand a bit more of the artistic traditions we are famous for.

Our gardens may not be huge, but they are a spectacular home garden — the likes of which you will not find anywhere else in the metropolitan area.

We wanted to create a space that is unique and at the same time refreshing and beautiful for guests to relax in and enjoy.  We have designed Casa de las Flores to enchant guests out of their rooms — and a lovely garden does just that.  To meet fellow guests and to celebrate the culture you are visiting .  Our other goal besides helping you see and enjoy more of Mexico is to offer you a comfortable retreat to relax in.  Besides the gardens , patios and terraces there are a few fireplaces on the property that during the cool winter months and cool summer evenings where our guests can gather around a blazing fire with a cocktail from the bar or complimentary a cup of tea from the tea room.

We have found that part of our success has been our guests themselves.  Just by not staying at a Howard Johnson or a Hilton Hotel we know our guests are people looking to experience a bit more of the country they are visiting.  They are more adventurous and curious, and we find those qualities and common interests seem to make for good conversation and enjoyable company.  Our guests in general are not tourists — they are travelers.

In my opinion there is really not much point in leaving home to visit another country and culture if you are not looking to enjoy the wonderful differences that make up each country and culture so interesting and unique.  And that is exactly our goal — to help you enjoy more of Mexico than you would have otherwise; with our support, information, color, art, comfort, elegance, location and unique style.

We offer guests the best support, with information and experience that we have acquired over years and years of living, working, building and studying in Mexico.  We welcome you to enjoy the fruits of our labor—whatever your interests, tasks, amusement or needed information — we will be able to help you achieve your wishes.

It is always a treat to see the monuments of the world, whether it be the Eiffel tower or our wonderful colonial cathedral, but I think it is even more wonderful to meet the monument makers and those are the craftsmen and folk artist families that make up our neighborhood.

You may find that you will discover a lot about Mexico just by stepping out our front door and participating in the colorful daily life of our street.  Or be a part of a neighborhood fiesta, visit a world renowned folk artist, enjoy an evening bowl of pozole or a tamale at Dona Victories in-home restaurant just across the street, or join in any of a number of local customs and celebrations that center around our colorful location — in other words come meet the monument makers.

We are not only about the great shopping and how close we are to stores; the shopping anyone can offer.  What they can't offer is our special spot and our support to help you see and enjoy more of Mexico.  I think you will be pleasantly surprised by Casa de las Flores — and pleasant surprises are what make for enjoyable memories.

We will look forward to hosting your visit and to helping make your stay effortless and unique

Thank you.

Your hosts Stan and Jose,
and all of the wonderful staff of Casa de las Flores