Page 83 - washington state wine

We can die happy

For the last three days, we’ve been living not so easy being a rock star.
like rock stars. Literally. We’re at Hacien-
da Petac, a refurbished sisal plantation This is life at Hacienda Petac. Once a
30 miles south of the Yucatan capital Mayan settlement, then a 17th century
city of Merida, where Peter Gabriel once cattle ranch, then a sisal plantation, then
stayed. a crumbling wreck, it’s now a restored
full-service getaway for the rich and
Tomorrow we’re headed to reality via a famous or, in our case, the grateful-for-
bus to the Cancun airport and a flight the-kindness-of-strangers-and-schedul-
home. But right now, we’re lying on ing-fluke.
chaise lounges by the pool, sipping ja-
maica lemonade, listening to the birds Petac can accommodate up to 14 and we
call, and writing the lead to this story. piggy-backed onto a group of 10 who
came for cooking lessons and relaxation.
The pool is made to look like a limestone We arrived via a 40 minute cab-ride from
pit, if limestone pits were designed by Merida on an afternoon in late February.
Ralph Lauren. It’s surrounded by palm We were greeted by manager Colleen
trees and flowers and artfully crumbling Leonard at the central fountain with
walls from the glory days of Mexico’s si- the aforementioned jamaica lemonade
sal empire. It’s 85 degrees, there’s a soft (made with hibiscus flowers). Before us
breeze blowing and we’re posting pic- were the hacienda’s magical Scheheraza-
tures on Facebook of us lounging in ham- de arches and colorful walls; all around
mocks to torment our friends back home were carefully groomed, palm-accented
battling the blizzards of 2015 in Virginia. grounds with meandering stone paths.
We glance toward the white Moorish And it only got better from there. Col-
arches framing the main house of the leen, who was as welcoming as a long-
hacienda where we will soon be eating lost friend, showed us to the Casa Ra-
another delicious meal on a table paint- mon building and our flower-strewn
ed in intricate designs bedroom (then
with flower petals. Not tried to explain the
that we’ve been hun- high-tech walk-in
gry since we arrived. shower, which had
Just a few hours ago so many options
we feasted on poblano it took us a day to
chili soup, shrimp ta- figure out the hot
cos, fried plantains and water). "Bedroom"
mango sorbet for lunch. doesn’t begin to do
justice to where we
A young woman in a slept for two nights.
beautiful embroidered How about: Sump-
blouse is about to break tuous master suite
our reverie. She’s carry- with soaring 30-
ing a tray of margaritas. foot ceilings, inlaid
Margarita or more ja- tile floors edged in
maica lemonade? De- wood, a massive
cisions, decisions. It’s hand-crafted Haci-

Author Jody Jaffe living the life at the Hacienda Petac.
Right:”Flower-strewn bed that greeted us in the Casa
Ramon guest quarters.
Wine Dine & Travel Summer/Fall 2015 83