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Published: March 11th 2010
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“Las Sabilas” is the name of the hotel where we stayed in Guadalajara, which means “the succulents”. Garden designer Robert Clark won an award for his design of this place, which, true to the name, contains many different varieties of succulents (succulents you may be familiar with are jade plants and sansaveria that we have at home as house plants). There are also many vines covering the walls - some that bloom are varieties of thumbergina - like the brown-eyed susan hanging vines that we can grow in the summer - but many different colors and shapes that we have never seen before. Palms, bougainvillea, even a pomegranate tree. We stayed in the original building that was on the property when Robert took it over - 200 years old with foot-thick walls and 15 foot high ceilings - ours had a couple of glass blocks set into the ceiling to allow some natural light to filter through. These rooms are a basic bedroom and bathroom. There is also a new building on the back of the property with three suites in it - but you wouldn’t know the building is new since its design and construction makes it look like
The outside wall of our room
The design is made of marbles set into cement on the wall the old original building. It is also covered with plants and vines. There was a small swimming pool in the middle of the common area, with a comfortable sitting area to one side where many of us gathered at night for drinks and conversation. And a communal kitchen with laundry facilities, stove, fridge, microwave, etc. In addition, a computer that we were welcome to use, or Wi-Fi if we wanted to use our own computer. Oh yes, and a big fish pond, along with several fountains. The birds loved the place, and we enjoyed watching the hummingbirds flit around. This place was only a few blocks from the historic central area, and an easy walk to the markets, churches, fountains, squares, and bus stops. We were actually sad to leave this place. The owner, Robert Clark, and the manager, Max, sat and visited with us often, and were more than helpful with restaurant recommendations, advice, directions, etc. Robert and Max even came to say goodbye and had handshakes and hugs for us when we left. What a special place! We didn’t give ourselves enough time to see everything in this big city, so if we ever go back, we will
be sure to stay with Robert and Max at Las Sabilas.
Robert lives at another renovated property about 2 blocks away, and he gave us a tour of his own house and garden, which were also very beautiful. His house had an open design with lots of big windows which allowed him to look out onto his garden from any place in the house. His garden also had a pool for plants and fish, and he even had a couple of peacocks strutting around. In a separate building, he has 3 or 4 long-term renters. Robert was kind enough to try to arrange accommodations for us in Chapala, which was our next stop, but when he found that the casita at his other property was already rented, he recommended another place in Chapala that had a design much like Las Sabilas - several rooms situated around a central garden area - which we were able to make reservations at for the next day. It was nice to go somewhere with a recommendation like that - we knew it had to be nice. And after three days of non-stop sightseeing in Guadalajara, we really needed a nice quiet place to
rest.
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