Las Mananitas in Cuernavaca
by Vicky Cowal
Mexico City News, 1996
Anyone who has been to Mexico and has not gone to Las Mañanitas in Cuernavaca has missed a national wonder. This world famous hotel-restaurant, an annual winner of the Holiday Magazine Award since 1968 and a member, since 1990, of the renowned Relais and Chateaux Chain, is a tropical paradise dedicated to superior service and fine food.
Las Mañanitas, named after Mexico's beautiful happy birthday song, was the very special dream project of Robert Krause, an American lawyer who came to Cuernavaca in 1955 on a visit. To cut a long story short, he fell in love with this then quiet city of Eternal Spring and returned in a few months, after startling his family with his proposed plan, to buy a small restaurant/hotel, five rooms, five tables, a beautiful garden and a swimming pool.
This was the start of one of the most successful such businesses in the world (the first night he opened there were four guests).
He was a man of vision, extreme dedication and, according to all who had the pleasure of knowing him, great humanity. He created a very loyal team, many of whom have been at Las Mañanitas for decades. The present manager, Ruben Cerda, started there just three months after it opened, as a 15-year-old "handyman." He became the protégé of Mr. Krause who insisted that he continue his schooling. This included time in the United States and Europe, training which enable him to take over the reins upon Mr. Krause's untimely death in 1981.
Cerda, as anyone who has been to Las Mañanitas well knows, has kept up all the wonderful traditions of its founder and, under his highly personable and extraordinarily professional leadership, it gets better with time.
Las Mañanitas has grown over the years and now includes 10 guest rooms in the original house plus four patio suites and eight garden suites overlooking the pool as well as an incredible sweeping lawn leading down to a lake filled with geese, ducks and swans.
All the rooms are decorated with the best of Mexican furniture and materials, as well as paintings and local handicrafts. Every room is a treat to the eyes and as a getaway from the city, you simply couldn't ask for anything more pleasant and quietly luxurious.
The 150-strong staff treats the guests like royalty, but without great show. The rooms cost a little over 100 US dollars and the large suites will set you back about 230 US dollars. The large number of repeat visitors attest to the enormous pleasure of staying there.
Even if you are not planning an overnight visit, a day trip also makes a wonderful excursion, especially if you have winter out-of-town guests. From Mexico City, from the start of the Cuernavaca Highway, it usually takes less than an hour to reach Las Mañanitas. Leaving the smog of the city, the sky clears miraculously somewhere along the road and you will be breathing warm fresh air.
The bar opens at 12 p.m. and lunch begins at 1 p.m., but don't expect to eat right away. Half the fun of Las Mañanitas is having a drink in their huge, beautifully manicured gardens (their gardeners work continually to keep everything in the most impeccable condition).
Inspired by the calm and precision of Japanese gardens, the first sight of them is spectacular. Sculptures by the renowned Francisco Zuñiga grace the gardens, as do mammoth tropical flowering trees, fountains and a whole bevy of graceful exotic birds (cranes, peacocks, flamingos, ibises, guacamayas), some of which love to eat potato chips.
When you are happily into your second margarita (for those who don't drink alcohol, try their fruit "congas"), relaxing and taking in the magnificent scene, a large blackboard, the menu in either English and Spanish, will be placed beside your table. There are so many things to choose from that you will want to take your time -- and it will be granted you. No-one is in a hurry here, many of the staff speak English and will help you with the selection. There is truly something for everyone. Their food has never been particularly avant-garde, rather they serve very well prepared simple dishes. Also, in these days of tiny portions, it is a welcome sight to see a full plate. Everything comes with side dishes (vegetables, rice, potatoes).
Highlights on the menu include the tortilla soup with an array of ingredients to add and the chicken curry, which also comes with all the condiments. Their Mexican plate is again, delicious and includes a very tender piece of beef, strips of chile poblano, refried beans, an enchilada and guacamole. For those who want to test the waters of Mexican food, this is an excellent place to begin. If you are a beef eater, try the arrachera (very tender and flavorful) or a fillet. They make a great béarnaise sauce and will serve you as much as you want. And if you have room for dessert, try their very special black bottom pie.
How much will you spend? Almost as little or as much as you want. The price of any single dish compares favorably with any good restaurant in Mexico. If you are on a limited budget (around 100 pesos per person) and just want to savour the thrill of being there, you can find plenty to choose from. If you want to treat yourself and work your way through several courses, expect to spend 200-250 pesos per person, including drink and tip.
Do call ahead for a reservation, especially for a room. You might be lucky enough to find that they have a cancellation, but don't count on it. And, two more bits of information: If you are going there to eat, remember that this is a fairly formal place: (leave your shorts at home), and the only credit card they take is American Express (until recently, it was cash only). With these reminders taken care of, don't pass up the experience.
Las Mananitas: Ricardo Linares 107 Col. Centro.
Tel: (52) (73) 14-14-66, 14-14-01, 12-46-46.
Open every day of the year. April, 1996
