Chapala Activities
Your location at the center of Chapala affords you ample opportunities to enjoy the waterfront activities of the Chapala Malecón. Restaurants and bars, sidewalk vendors, art fairs, veladores, mariachis, paleterros, dulceros and gastronomic events celebrating the cuisines of Mexico are guaranteed to entertain your senses for hours. Walk for blocks along the safe and scenic waterfront, past historic buildings on the shoreline and and colorful fishing boats bobbing in the lake. Enjoy a Michelada and some Papas con chile y limon, buy a sombrero or an embroidered blouse from Michoacan.
Visit Nearby Places
45 minutes from Chapala you can stroll through the historic town of Tlaqueplaque, the old artisan center of Guadalajara, where former homes of the prominent gentry of the region have been converted into restaurants, shops and galleries where the finest examples of Mexican crafts, furniture, jewelry and art can be found.
Family Fun
Tobolandia, in Ajijic, and Pargue La Cristiania, just blocks away from the hotel in Chapala are water park amusement areas for families, where you can enjoy water slides and family fun.
Treking
There are many nearby day hikes mapped and described in a local guide books by John and Susy Pint’s Outdoors in Western Mexico I and II. These books are available for sale in our lobby.
Spa treatments
You can have spa treatments right in your own room! Just ask at reception and a phone call away, you can have a relaxing massage or facial in your room. Our poolside massage salon is opening soon, and a short walk from the hotel you can find salons for nails, hair, manicure and pedicure, or massage. Just ask us for the cards, brochures or fliers and choose your own.
Dinning
Name the cuisine, and it can be found Lakeside in Chapala or Ajijic. We keep a list of our favorites at reception, and you’ll find links to some rating sources below. From east to west and across the oceans of the world, many cuisines made their way to Mexico, where native ingredients met and melded with exotic spices and techniques to blend and create some of the most memorable foods on the planet. real gourmets are now at Lakeside, cheffing some f the finest flavors in Jalisco.
Horseback Riding
Nothing compares to a trail ride into the hill country to give you the best vistas of the lake and a truly peaceful escape from the world. Birdsong and butterflies, wildflowers and wilderness, cattle lowing in the fields and free-ranging horses drinking from the dams; you’ll feel like you’re in a western and you’ll want to swap your helmet for a stetson.
Rancho San Francisco is a short drive from the hotel, and we have 12 beautiful horses available for your adventure. Guided trail rides are our specialty, and we never have less than a five star review from all our visitors. We tailor the ride to your ability, and promise to match you with a horse that you’ll feel comfortable with. First time riders get special care, and you can be led by an expert until you feel confident. Advanced riders are promised a chance to run like the wind in safe areas with good footing. Most of our trails have a water hole as a destination, and we can even get splashed.
We operate six days a week, Monday through Saturday, and charge 500 pesos for a two hour guided trail ride. Boots and helmets are available. Sunday rides, premium priced at 550, are possible with one day advance notice. Ask reception to call the ranch and schedule your ride. It will be the highlight of your stay!
