Old Guadalajara Bed and Breakfast

I've known Paul Callahan and Arturo Mercado Arreola for much longer than I have lived in Guadalajara, but until recently I'd not visited their sumptuous bed and breakfast lodgings. The unassuming outside of the building purposely tells the passerby nothing about the beauty that waits inside.

"These old city houses were enormous," Paul said, once we were comfortably ensconced in the patio's period chairs. "They weren't built to be elegant or all gussied up. It's kind of odd that people think Mexican architecture is about cupolas and domes and exotic colors. City architecture has always been extremely simple. The old houses were huge, but they were simple to the point of severity.

"This house was once part of the Santa María de Gracia Convent. When we bought the 16th Century house about 30 years ago, it was a white elephant. No one, but no one, wanted to live in downtown Guadalajara in those days. We bought it at a bargain price and started fixing it up."

Arturo continued, "We met here in Guadalajara 33 years ago. Even way back then, when we bought the house, we were thinking of opening a B&B. It took us a while to get around to it, though."

Paul nodded in agreement from his cozy chair across the room. "We've only been taking guests for the last year and a half." He laughed. "At the time we bought the house, it was divided into a lot of tiny rooms, and it had no bathrooms. Now we have eight very large bedrooms, each with a private bath. We have our own quarters, as well."

Arturo gestured across the patio. "Would you like to see where we live?"

I followed the two men across the simple patio that they have planted with elegant bamboo that reaches to the second floor balconies. They led me through a hallway and into another patio which seemed miles away from the bustling Historic Center of the city. In the old houses of Guadalajara, there was often more than one patio, for increased ventilation and light, with each patio surrounded by rooms opening onto it.

Both patios feature covered terrazas (terraces that serve as outdoor rooms) furnished with comfortably soft-cushioned furniture, antique paintings, Oriental rugs, period lighting, and the many small treasures that Paul and Arturo have accumulated over the course of their life together.

We chose our chairs in this terraza and continued our talk. Paul pointed to the back of the house. "That part of the house used to be the stables," he reminisced, thinking of the house as they found it. "This patio was the corral. We didn't need room for clotheslines or chickens, so we put a partial roof over the patio and made it a terraza."

Arturo gave me a pensive look. "You know, so many people have strange notions about what it's like to live in the city. Pollution, crime—you name it, people think it's a problem here. The truth is that it's so safe here. We love the city. And we've had this upholstered furniture out here for years. It's not the least bit dirty from pollution."

Paul nodded. "If I feel like going for a walk at three in the morning, I never feel the least bit afraid to go out. The Historic Center is probably the safest part of the city. Best of all, everything we want is right at our fingertips. Sometimes months go by and we don't take the car out of the garage. We walk, or we take a cab or a bus."

Paul excused himself to consult with a repairman who was working in the house while Arturo continued talking with me. "Our guests just love it here. Even though we've only been open a short time, we've had repeat customers. We don't take children; the B&B is for adults only. The whole house is completely non-smoking. Plus, of course, as Paul said, everything is right here. The Teatro Degollado and the Cathedral are just a couple of blocks away, along with all the plazas, museums, and monuments in the colonial center of Guadalajara."

I glanced around at the beautiful outdoor room we sat in. Lush plantings combined with exquisite antiques to create an atmosphere of quiet luxury. "Arturo, are your rooms usually completely booked?"

"Often all of our rooms are full during the winter, when people want to escape the cold in the north. Summer is less busy. We do love having guests. The people who choose to stay with us are so very interesting, so very sophisticated."

Paul walked into the room again and picked up the conversation. "We don't advertise aggressively at all. You know we have a website, but it's very simple. There aren't a lot of places to click the mouse to go to other pages—it's just that one page. If someone wants to email me with questions, of course I answer with all the information the person needs or wants. But we don't advertise very much."

Paul continued, "The longest anyone has stayed with us is sixteen days. That couple loved it here so much that they just couldn't leave."

Arturo explained that the B&B is gay-friendly and that they do advertise on a gay Mexico travel website. "It's very low-key," he mentioned. "Once in a while we have male couples, sometimes we have women couples, but all of our clients socialize together here, gay and straight alike. Breakfast is always a wonderful event."

I'd heard about the sumptuous Old Guadalajara breakfasts from some of their former guests. "I've heard rumors that you two are quite the cooks," I smiled.

Arturo's eyebrows jumped up. "Not me!" he exclaimed. "Paul's the cook. He prepares exquisite breakfasts for the guests. Tell her, Paul."

Paul grinned. "Of course we set the breakfast table with linens, crystal, china, and silver. There are always fresh flowers. Our guests come downstairs and gasp—then they have to run right back up to get their cameras, the table is so beautiful.

"We start with freshly squeezed juices, excellent coffee, and English teas on the table for him or her. There are always four or five types of seasonal fruits on the table. If a guest wants something special, a tropical fruit like guanábana or carambola, we make sure it's on ready for him or her. Then we serve eggs any way the guest wants them, or hotcakes, or any number of things. There are always breakfast meats, such as smoked pork chops, bacon, or sausages. I always make muffins—they're served with my own homemade marmalades. Sometimes I even make my own butter. I'd much rather prepare too much food than have a guest want something that isn't available. No one staying here has complained about not having enough to eat."

"My goodness, Paul, I just might show up for breakfast myself some morning." I was practically drooling over his descriptions. "All of that sounds out of this world. Do you offer lunch or dinner to your guests?"

Arturo laughed. "You should have seen him at Christmas. The rooms were full and on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day nothing in Guadalajara was open. Paul prepared a full dinner buffet for the guests on Christmas Eve—and then did it all again on Christmas Day so that our guests wouldn't have to go out hunting for food. They would never have found a restaurant open."

Paul shook his head. "It was a lot of effort, but it was so good to see our clients so happy. We had a wonderful time with them."

"And are there other services that you offer your guests?"

"We do keep ice on hand for people who want to have a drink here, and we're thinking of selling some good table wines to those who want them during their stay. There's not a liquor store here in Guadalajara's Historic Center that stocks that sort of thing. Our guests sometimes want to have a glass of wine here and then go out to dinner. It would be a convenience for them." Paul motioned to Arturo. "Let's show her the guest rooms and the rest of the house."

We started our tour with the kitchen, a well-used and obviously well-loved area. The stove, a professional model, dominates one wall. Cooking equipment including an Italian ice cream maker cluttered the counters. "I built this kitchen for me," Paul said. "I love to cook and we rarely eat in restaurants, so this is my retreat."

Through the swinging kitchen doors is the formal dining room where breakfast is served. Across the first patio, we climbed a flight of stone steps to the second floor guest rooms. A collection of antique Mexican masks hangs on one staircase wall; paintings of every style and age cover the other walls.

At the top of the stairs, Paul and Arturo guided me into the first guest room. A bed draped in hangings from a princess's fantasy stood against one wall, antique rugs hung on another, and more paintings covered the rest of the walls. The room is at once simple, graceful, and very well furnished. The bathroom is well-appointed and large.

As we walked along, we talked about the décor and the various styles of art and artifacts found in the B&B.

"We don't want the house to be too fussy," Arturo said. "We want our guests to have the experience of elegant luxury of a kind they wouldn't find in a hotel."

"How have you priced the rooms?" I asked.

Paul answered, "We still charge just $125 USD per night for a room, whether it's occupied by one or two people. All our rooms have queen size beds, and of course they all have private baths."

"You'll see that all the baths are very simple—large, but simple. All of the tile is white, all the shower curtains are white, and all the towels are white. White is sparkling clean, which is what we emphasize. Beauty and cleanliness are our hallmarks."

Arturo mentioned again that the neighborhood is exceptionally safe, even late at night. "Our guests enjoy going to hear the Philharmonic, going to a late dinner at one of the restaurants near here, or staying out late for drinks and talk. There's never been a moment of concern for anyone's safety.

"We cater to real travelers, people who have experienced several different cultures and want to experience Mexico in all its glory. We think we offer that experience right here in the heart of Guadalajara."

I think so too, and so will you.

The Old Guadalajara B&B  is located at Belén 236, Centro Histórico, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico.

For more information, see the Old Guadalajara B&B  website at www.oldguadalajara.com or Email: information@oldguadalajara.com

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