Villa Azalea Inn & Organic Farm

About 30 minutes south of Puerto Vallarta by car, past the
small beach town of Boca de Tomatlan, along a long winding road leading into
the mountains, lies a little place called Villa Azeala. This property is more
than a boutique hotel, it’s also an organic farm with a number of fruits and
vegetables being grown and harvested. It’s a riverside retreat and restaurant
where guests are welcome to swim in the clear, cool water. It’s also home to a
small contemporary art collection and house-made tequila and jams.One of the coolest features of the property:
If the season is right and the water is low, the hotel puts picnic tables
directly in the cool, shallow water of the river for an extremely scenic and
memorable breakfast or lunch. A long, rustic wooden picnic table and benches is
set with fresh flowers under two large white umbrellas.A small outdoor lobby offers seating under a gazebo covered
in flowering vines. The large, main building is painted in a light yellow shade
and accented with brick. The entrance to the main building leads into a
beautiful, sunny courtyard that looks like a room in a modern art gallery. Contemporary
statues line the outside of the courtyard, reflected by a square, infinity pool
in the middle, which isn't just decorative – towels
are rolled up close by for swimmers. Tables around the courtyard offer a lovely spot for
breakfast or afternoon tea and in the back of the building, a terrace opens up
with great views of the pool below and down to the river.The overall atmosphere of the resort is chic, quiet, relaxed, with touches of luxury. It’s very grown up and polished, and
the attention to detail – like a welcome drink infused with mint and fresh
fruits – makes all the difference. It’s far away from the hustle and bustle of
the city, and the sound of the river flowing by creates a relaxing backdrop.
It’s truly a place to come to refresh and unwind – but not for those looking
for some nightlife. A rental car or expensive taxi ride is needed to reach any
bars or restaurants from this secluded property.

Villa Azeala stands out for its isolated location:
It is set far into the countryside, away from the bustling beach towns along
the coast of Jalisco. It’s about a 30- to 40-minute drive south from Puerto
Vallarta’s cafes and cobblestone streets, past the Vallarta Botanical Gardens, closer
to the inland village of El Tuito. This area, surrounded by forest and countryside, is a bit
cooler than Puerto Vallarta, a welcome respite from the hot, humid city
days.  There are no restaurants, bars, or
supermarkets within several miles of the property – so nothing is in walking
distance. A rental car or expensive taxi ride is needed to reach anything, including the beach. The closest beach is at the quaint, colorful little town
of Boca de Tomatlan, about a 15-minute drive away. It’s about an hour’s drive
to the airport. 

All of the rooms are in the main building, including two
suites downstairs and Standard Rooms up the staircase on the second floor. The
sunny modern rooms have crisp, clean lines and contemporary lighting schemes. Items
from the hotel’s art collection hang on the walls while modern furniture,
colors in dark yellows and burnt oranges, and deep wood pieces fill the space.The suites consist of a bedroom and a small living room with
a large flat-screen TV and a comfortable couch. Standard Rooms feature a large,
padded leather headboard and big sliding glass doors that let in plenty of
light. Most of the rooms have a small balcony overlooking the gardens and farm.
All rooms have a mini-fridge stocked with waters and soda, and iPod docks.The fully upgraded, modern bathrooms have glass-walled
walk-in showers and rainfall showerheads. Personal touches make this boutique
hotel extra special, like fresh flowers in vases and the unique robes hanging
in the closet – instead of traditional robes there are Mexican-style ponchos.

One of the most prominent features of Villa Azeala is the
landscape: There’s a lovely river streaming through the property, great for
cooling off on a hot day. Steps lead down to the clear water, where tiny fish
can be seen swimming around your feet, next to a small waterfall cascading over
the rocks. There are picnic tables with umbrellas place in the middle where
guests can lounge or enjoy a meal. Several sitting areas with tables and a few
hammocks are scattered around the property.There are two pools at Villa Azeala. The main pool is
outdoors, in the lawn area near the riverfront. This medium-size, rectangular
pool is perfect for a quick dip to cool off, and is often shaded by nearby
trees. A handful of comfortable, padded
lounge chairs and a few umbrellas are arranged around it. A tiny, square
infinity pool surrounded by river rocks is inside the main courtyard.A few tables on the terrace make up the hotel’s restaurant,
which serves breakfast and dinner. There is a cozy common area consisting of an
open living room and dining room, attached to a staff kitchen. The large dining
table seats eight and a plush wrap-around couch faces a large flat-screen TV. There’s
an extensive DVD collection which guests can borrow from. There’s no cable TV
at the hotel, but free Wi-Fi is available all around the property.The hotel offers an Honor Bar in a locked closet, which
consists of dozens of bottles of liquor and wine. Guests are asked to keep a
tally of the drinks they take from the bar in a notebook, to be charged upon
checkout. There’s a small spa room which consists of one massage table in a
peaceful nook of the hotel. Massages and other treatments can be arranged with
the staff. The hotel sells its house tequila and organic jams made from the
fruits on the property in the front office.

As the knowledgeable, eco-friendly staff gives you a tour of
the gardens and organic farm, the inn’s gregarious dog, Cassio, will follow you
around the lush, 10-acre property. The
farm spreads out across much of the land. There are big green fields leading up
to the forest and several large, netted-in greenhouse areas that house much of
the vegetable and herb gardens. The staff works hard on growing a diverse array
of sprouts into full plants in the greenhouse, including several varieties of
lettuce, tomatoes, chives, lemongrass, chicory, mint, basil, and dozens of
other exotic herbs. In the outdoor gardens, crops include jackfruit, mangos,
papayas, avocados, durian, guava, lemons and limes. There are banana trees,
soursop trees, and a few different kinds of coconut. A large lychee tree next to the hotel is covered with hundreds of small, red lychee nuts when in season. A grove of agave plants are used by the hotel to make its own
organic tequila, which can be sampled and purchased inside. There’s an outdoor
chicken coop where hens lay farm-fresh eggs, little chicks are common, and even
a few turkeys hang around. There’s a large man-made duck pond, occupied by
ducks, geese, and lots of other birds.