I've relaxed between market days at Hacienda Cusin, which I once described as the rare example of a seventeenth-century hacienda ‘that has been restored into complete comfort with no accompanying glitz.

It's a testament to its English owner's perfectionism as well as the hacienda's 390 years of existence. This manicured and buffed complex has 45 rooms, suites and cottages.

... The bar, library and other common rooms at Cusin are cozy places that invite guests to curl up in front of a fire with a locally woven alpaca wrap or a vino caliente to keep the evening chill at bay.

After dinner I retreat to my garden cottage, which has white embroidered linen on the bed and shutters painted with rustic scenes, and nurse a nightcap in front of a bountiful log fire.