Quick Review: El Eden Boutique Hotel (Pátzcuaro, Michoacán)

Usually when we head out to Michoacán on one of our pottery runs we stay at Casa Encantada. During this last trip, however, we came out a little closer to actual día de muertos dates, and Casa Encantada was already booked by the time I got around to reserve our accommodations. This gave us the opportunity to try a new(ish) place that opened across the street from Casa Encantada in the last 2 or 3 years I think: El Eden Boutique Hotel.

I have held off on trying it for a few reasons:
* We like Casa Encantada
* Casa Encantada is normally priced lower than El Eden
* The rooms didn't appear to have much in the way of ventilation

However, given the circumstances our hand was forced a bit, so we stayed with them for 3 nights, from 10/28 - 10/31. On the whole, our stay was fine. I do not have any complaints. But I would still look to stay at Casa Encantada first, when it's available.

My takes on the key elements of our stay, with an eye toward comparing them against our standard (Encantada):

Service / attention - very good.
Communications through Booking.com were good and quick. The man who greeted us upon arrival, Rafael, was very helpful in allowing me to use their load/unload only parking space for two full days. He also procured a fan for us to use in the room. Anything else we needed or wanted during our stay, Rafa and the rest of the staff were there for us. Service at Encantada is great, too, but I'll rate this aspect a tie.

Room quality.
Solid, with some relative strengths and weaknesses. Bed was pretty comfortable, a bit softer than what we're used to at Casa Encantada. Bathroom was spacious, but the water pressure in the shower was not great. Maybe 5/10. Ventilation was indeed a concern. We had a deluxe room and it had one small window that opened up onto the interior courtyard. It helped a little bit, but I cannot imagine it would be great during warmer weather. Rafa provided us with a medium size fan, which was good for us. But the property really should consider ceiling fans.
Oddly I did not snag any pics of the room itself. But you can check out their website or see them on Booking.com and get an idea of what they offer. Overall the slightly more comfortable bed at Eden does not in my mind outweigh the superior shower and ventilation at Encantada.

Breakfast
Our first breakfast was served in the small, homey dining room, which was nice and cozy.

The next day we ate in the common area between reception and the rooms, which is nice but also a little cool.

Food was tasty and service was warm. But Encantada's dedicated and spacious breakfast / kitchen setting offers a more pleasant overall experience. Also, we noticed they use Talavera serverware from Puebla, rather than the local pottery from Capula. Odd choice. I'd think they would support the local artisans rather than pay the premium to bring pieces in from Puebla.

Common areas / design.
Eden is smaller than Encantada, which has a couple of well-designed common areas / courtyards featuring plenty of plants and artwork, providing an open oasis-like feel. Eden's design is well-done, too, but by the nature of the property it is darker, more closed, and includes a lot of religious artwork and symbols (I didn't make that 'Eden' connection until seeing the pieces all around the hotel).

They put forward some great, creative work in decorating for the holiday. We witnessed the work in progress and saw the full picture come into focus during our stay.

Both Eden and Encantada offer elements of a traditional, colonial style property where clear attention is paid to the details. While I prefer the layout and aesthetic of Encantada, I'm sure others will have more appreciation for Eden.