Whenever I’m searching for hotel in a new destination, I’m always drawn to the most unique luxury hotels I can find. When searching for a Tequila hotel, I came across perhaps one of the most unique yet.
Matices Hotel de Barricas is not only located in a tequila factory, it offers primarily guest rooms in the shape of a tequila barrel. Located on the Tequila Hacienda La Cofradia property, guests can walk through agave fields and tour Cofradia’s tequila distillery.
The hotel’s primary restaurant is an underground cave restaurant, similar in style to the cave hotels and restaurants of Cappadocia, Turkey. Upstairs, the hotel’s secondary restaurant and bar features floor to ceiling windows of Cofradia’s blue agave fields.
Intrigued, I knew that I had to stay here while visiting Tequila for a couple nights.
How to Get to Tequila from Guadalajara
Tequila is most easily accessed by flying into the Guadalajara airport. From GDL, book an Uber or taxi to reach Tequila. Personally, I recommend Uber as the fare is set and you can ensure that you won’t be scammed by a taxi driver. Uber does surge, and during peak hours it does make more sense to take a local taxi. Expect to pay $40-60 for the hour and 15 minute long drive. There is a $7 USD toll depending on which path your Uber driver takes.
The drive to reach Tequila is beautiful. Once you’re in the mountains, you can see sprawling blue agave fields reach all the way out into the distance. We drove in during sunset, and got to see the sun setting behind the nearby volcano amongst the blue agave. It was incredible!
When you arrive in Tequila, expect a bit of bumpy road getting to Matices. As Matices is located outside of the main area of town, the road leading up to it is dirt and a bit uneven.
After reaching Tequila, try to get the phone number of your Uber or taxi driver, if you can. Uber is moderately easy to get from GDL to Tequila, however much more difficult from Tequila to GDL. Uber does exist in Tequila. I was able to book one once, when trying to get back from the town to our tequila barrel hotel room at Matices Hotel de Barricas, however we had to wait 20+ minutes for the driver to arrive.
Matices Hotel de Barricas does have the number of a wonderful Uber driver, Omar, as well as the number of a taxi service. Omar was able to shuttle us between the hotel and where we needed to go in town, the rate was just slightly higher than Uber. He also drove us to the airport, which was about on par with Uber’s rate. I recommend using him as a driver in Tequila if possible, as his rates are overall reasonable, he’s very friendly, and also speaks English for non-Spanish speakers.
I do not recommend having a rental car from Guadalajara to Tequila, Tequila is small, and finding parking is difficult. Getting between the hotel and downtown Tequila only cost $3-5 each direction in Uber or a taxi, making taxi transportation much more affordable than a car rental.
Matices Hotel de Barricas Location
Matices Hotel de Barricas is not located in the main square of Tequila, unlike most of the best Tequila hotel options. Instead, it is located less than 10 minutes away, in Cofradia’s blue agave fields.
At first, I was concerned with being outside of downtown Tequila, as that’s where most of the things to do are. By the end of my trip, I actually really preferred that we were outside of the town center.
Tequila as a town is very appropriately, like one big block party. It is SO much fun to be in and explore for a few hours, however it does get quite noisy between several mariachi bands, people on the street, markets, and vendors. It was exciting and fun to be in for a day, but if I had been staying in a hotel in the main part of town and hearing that noise all day and night long, I think I would have gone a little crazy.
Whether you prefer staying on the outskirts of town at Matices or in the town proper is totally up to personal preference and what you want to see when in Tequila. We were most excited to see the blue agave fields and a tequila distillery, so being in the middle of that was the best option for us. Getting in and out of town was so easy and quick that it really wasn’t an inconvenience at all.
Being in the blue agave fields meant feeling as though you are in a secluded, quiet oasis. It was a relaxing reprieve from the energy of the town. There is no other hotel in Tequila that allows you the unique opportunity to stay and walk in the agave fields like this one.
The stars were beautiful at night. Being in the blue agave fields rather than in town meant having a clear view of those famous Tequila sunrises over the horizon, and the spectacular sunsets in the evening. Tequila truly had some of the most beautiful sunsets I’ve ever seen!
Click below to discover Matices Hotel de Barricas:
Booking.com
DRESS | SHOES
The Tequila Barrel Hotel in Tequila, Mexico
Actually arriving at Matices Hotel de Barricas was a bit confusing. We arrived at night, and the property is quite dark, so that alone was difficult.
The lobby is a single barrel with clear glass doors. When you arrive, walk to the center of the property. You can’t cross the ditch without going into the lobby.
Reception only had one employee who spoke English, who only was there the night we checked in. Otherwise, asking questions and checking out were a game of broken Spanish and Google translate.
Being in a small town in Mexico, I wouldn’t expect any hotel to have English speaking staff. That being said, Matices Hotel de Barricas markets itself as a luxury hotel, and is significantly more expensive than any other hotel in Tequila. Typically starting around $200 per night, the nightly room rate would be considered standard or premium even in some major US cities. Additionally, Tequila attracts quite a few tourists. Given that Matices Hotel de Barrices is a luxury hotel with a premium price tag, I would like to see them make a point of having at least one staff member on the property a majority of the time who speaks conversational English, just as I would expect a luxury hotel in the United States to have a staff member who speaks Spanish or French.
The hotel has two sides, one with the barrel rooms, and one with the standard rooms, restaurants, outdoor bar, gift shop, and distillery. The distillery side had large birds everywhere! If you’re not a fan of birds, don’t worry. These birds minded their business and were really no issue at all, despite blocking the paths.
Matices Hotel de Barricas Tequila Barrel Hotel Rooms
The barrel shaped Tequila hotel rooms at Matices Hotel de Barrices were surprisingly roomy. I booked a double room, with two queen beds. The room came equipped with a Smart TV, WiFi, mini fridge, and heating and cooling unit. Each barrel is names after a different tequila brand, our barrel was named “Diosa.”
Find Matices Hotel de Barricas hotel rooms in Tequila by clicking below:
Booking.com
The Tequila Barrel Room
The crown jewel of the room was the mural on the far wall of the barrel. Colorful and creative, it had been painted by a local artist just a month prior to our arrival. It really brightened up the room and was much more intricate and impressive than the murals in the barrels we had seen online.
The room was missing a couple key things, namely, nightstands and additional outlets. We ended up turning over one of the trash cans and using it as a makeshift nightstand, so I could place my glasses and phone on it. There were two outlets in the room, and one in the bathroom. For a room that can sleep up to four people, we really would have preferred four or more outlets to be able to charge both of our phones, as well as laptops, cameras, and tablets more easily.
The room could get a bit noisy, especially when people were outside. One night, my friend had to ask people to mind the noise as it was past midnight, and loud in our barrel. Luckily, we were able to have quiet following. Most of the time, it was quiet and peaceful, especially in the morning when stepping outside to view the sunrise.
The Bathroom
The bathroom was clean and modern. The shower was great and quite spacious, however there was only about 5-10 minutes of hot water. The hotel had one of the best assortments of personal care products out of any hotel I’ve been to, including shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, body wash, a shoe polishing kit, and a sewing kit, amongst others.
The Porch
Each barrel at Matices Hotel de Barricas Tequila hotel has its own porch. This was honestly one of the best parts about it! The porch was perfect for looking at the beautiful property, or having an appetizer and a drink during sunset.
Matices Hotel de Barricas Amenities
Complimentary Breakfast
Matices Hotel de Barricas does offer a free breakfast to hotel guests. This breakfast is honestly one of the best free hotel breakfasts I’ve ever had. It was definitely the best Huevos Rancheros I had during this trip to Mexico. Their breakfast was full service, and offered a decent selection of authentic Mexican breakfast dishes. The breakfast did have vegetarian options, which I really appreciated! I’m honestly a bit disappointed that our flight out of Guadalajara was so early in the morning, so we missed having breakfast there a second time.
Room Service
The Tequila hotel does offer room service. The hours are a bit limited, service ending at 9pm. Room service offerings are also a bit limited, just a few select items from La Taberna del Cofrade’s expansive menu.
Cofradia Tequila Distillery Tour
If you’re a Matices Hotel de Barricas hotel guest, a free tour of the Cofradia Tequila Distillery and tequila tasting are included with the room. This was one of the coolest parts of staying in the hotel.
When I was initially looking into Matices Hotel de Barricas it was unclear whether or not the included tequila factory tour was offered in English or only offered in Spanish. I’m here to confirm that the tequila tour and tasting is only offered in Spanish. Despite the slight language barrier, we still really enjoyed our time and loved learning about how tequila was made and the differences between blanco, reposado, and anejo. We even ended up making friends with some of the other people on the tour!
Matices Hotel de Barricas Restaurants
La Taberna del Cofrade – the Best Restaurant in Tequila
La Taberna del Cofrade is one of the best restaurants in Tequila. The signature restaurant of Matices Hotel de Barricas, La Taberna del Cofrade is reminiscent of the cave hotels and restaurants of Cappadocia. Beautiful and romantic, this Tequila restaurant appropriately boasts and extensive selection of tequila.
La Taberna del Cofrade’s menu is organized by state, featuring dishes from five different states in Mexico. These states are Jalisco, Nayarit, Michoacán, Guanajuato and Tamaulipas. It’s rare for me to find a new vegetarian dish unlike anything I’ve tried before, however La Taberna del Cofrade’s chile relleno earned the distinction. For starters, we ordered the guacamole and crema de elote. The guacamole was the biggest mount of guacamole I’ve seen! The crema de elote was a totally unique soup to any I had previously tried. It was delicious and creamy.
While you’re at La Taberna del Cofrade, try one of their signature giant margaritas! We couldn’t believe just how large they were.
The service at the restaurant was great. Our waitress was friendly and attentive.
Both restaurants at Matices Hotel de Barricas were a bit difficult to find. We actually came across two other groups trying to find La Taberna del Cofrade in the dark, just as lost as we were! To get to the restaurant, go through the lobby of the hotel, to the side with the standard rooms and distillery. Walk straight across, then take a left at the end. Both restaurants will be the first left. Go down the stairs to the left for Taberna del Cofrade, and up the stairs to the right for the Hacienda La Cofradia Restaurant + Bar.
Hacienda La Cofradia Restaurant and Bar
Hacienda La Cofradia is Matices Hotel de Barrica’s more casual dining option. Used by the hotel mostly for breakfast and tequila tastings, this restaurant offers beautiful floor to ceiling views of Cofradia’s agave fields and factory.
I came to this Tequila restaurant both for the hotel’s breakfast and the factory’s tequila tasting. Service was decent, and the food was amazing. There’s even a staircase accessible from the restaurant a viewing deck of the property from above!
Be careful at this restaurant — La Taberna del Cofrade gave us bottled water, however this restaurant served us tap water, resulting in my friend getting a bit of food poisoning shortly after.
Is Matices Hotel de Barricas Worth It?
Matices Hotel de Barricas is a hotel like no other. Although this Tequila hotel may not be the most luxurious option, staying here is truly a unique experience, and well worth the price tag. While yes, the hotel has some room for improvement, I loved my stay at Matices Hotel de Barricas and would absolutely stay here when in Tequila again.
More Luxury Hotels in Tequila
Not feeling like Matices Hotel de Barricas is quite your style? Here are a few more Tequila hotels that may be more to your liking:
Click below for the best luxury boutique hotels in Tequila, Mexico:
Booking.comHotel Solar de la Animas
This boutique hotel owned by Jose Cuervo features beautiful rooms, and one of the best restaurants in Tequila, La Antigua Casona. The hotel also features a Sky Bar at the rooftop pool’s gorgeous view, and a Mexican-style bar as well, featuring art by local Jalisco artists.
Hotel Villa Tequila
Another boutique hotel owned by Jose Cuervo, Hotel Villa Tequila is set in a 19th century house. This home once housed retired landowners, and members of the families who owned Jose Cuervo. Despite the grand exterior of the hotel, the rooms are rather basic in style. The hotel does have an elegant exterior pool, as well as an onsite restaurant.
Casa Salles Hotel Boutique
Casa Salles features contemporary rooms, just slightly outside of the main town square, behind the Jose Cuervo facilities. Although the location of this hotel is less ideal, it makes up for it with floor to ceiling windows with volcano views. The hotel has a restaurant and two bars onsite, as well as a spa and an outdoor pool.
More in Tequila, Mexico
Tequila, is one of the best cities to visit in Mexico. The whole town is charming and beautiful. To find the best things to do in Tequila, click here to read my complete guide. For the best destinations in Jalisco, Mexico, click here.
xx,
E
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