Laguna Juanacatlán

A block north and a block west of the Mascota town plaza, head out Calle Zaragoza by taxi, local minibus, or your own wheels, to Laguna Juanacatlán (12 mi./19 km; one hour), a 7,000-foot-high, clear mountain lake, framed by steep, pine-tufted ridges. Even if you only plan to have lunch in the hotel restaurant and enjoy a stroll around the lake, the stunning drive is well worth the effort. Following a good cobbled road, climb over a pine-crested ridge and descend into bucolic El Galope river valley, past rustic ranchos and rich, summer-green pastures and cornfields. After a steep final 2,000-foot ascent, the road levels out and winds through a sun-dappled evergreen forest to a lovely view of the lake. A few folks stroll its green grassy banks, small sailboats and kayaks rest by the shore, and smoke curls out of the lakefront lodge stone chimney.

  Inside the Sierra Lago Resort and Spa (toll-free Mex. tel. 01-800/725-6277, tel./fax 322/224-9350, sierralago@hotmail.com or rsierralagopv@villagroup.com, www.sierralago.com), the reception opens leads to a spaciously handsome, beam-ceilinged, knotty pine-rustic dining room and adjacent lakeview lounge and bar. Although the whole hotel layout is luxurious, it’s also unpretentiously modest in scale, blending unobtrusively within the gorgeous Alpine surroundings.

  The 23 accommodations, offered on either room-only or all-inclusive basis, divide into three categories, all deluxe: eco-suites ($65 pp), actually permanent, open-air tented platforms; comfortable standard cabanas ($90) with room for families; and cabana suites ($115), roomy rustic-chic hotel rooms. Amenities include in-suite hot-water shower baths, big, bubbling lakeside jacuzzi, and sauna. Add about $70 per person for all meals and in-house activities, such as horseback riding, mountain bikes, pedal boats, sailboats, and kayaks. Massage and spa treatments are available but cost extra. No food service is available except in the lodge dining room, so if you’re not going all-inclusive, bring with you all drinks and precooked food that you’re going to want.

  Although an overnight stay would run a minimum of $130 (or $270 all-inclusive) for two here, this spot is gorgeous, and could be easily worth a splurge for lovers of both comfort and the outdoors. Remember, however, that Laguna Juanacatlán is 7,000 feet (2,130 m) above sea level and during the winter is decidedly cool, even sometimes cold. Then, a dip in the lake would feel decidedly chilly (while, however, the big, steaming lakeside whirlpool bath would feel very welcoming). On the other hand, summer and the drier early- to mid-fall would be delightfully temperate at Laguna Juanacatlán.