A Hungry Hacienda in Honduras

I’m a city girl – or at least I thought I was until I visited the Hacienda San Lucas in Honduras, hidden away in the hills with not a square centimetre of asphalt to be found, and offering a culinary experience that’s not quickly forgotten.

The ‘Getting There’ tab of the Hacienda San Lucas website shows a picture of a man dragging a tired looking mule with a boy astride it up a hill on a dirt track through the jungle. The shot may be more anecdotal than accurate, but the sense when I arrived here of having made it right to the heart of the Honduran hinterland was real and exciting. And reason I’ll make the trek back there is the food.

The owner Flavia borrows from the local traditional techniques and produce, but brings in personal touches and contemporary know-how, to produce ‘fusion-maya’ cuisine, which quite frankly is fantastic. The experience begins with a fully personalised breakfast, every ingredient tasty and fresh, and culminates in a  5-course dinner served by candlelight out in the garden, while the nearby villages twinkle in the dark silhouette of the surrounding hillside.

Hacienda San Lucas has an intentionally rustic charm and a secluded nature throughout, to set off the family feel. You can sit in the living room and leaf through family albums, or chat with Flavia herself and hear stories of the renovation of the property as archaeologists rubbed shoulders with workmen. Within the hotel grounds and accessible by walking path are the ancient ruins of Los Sapos (literally ‘The Toads’), while the nearby Mayan ruins of Copán can be seen from the garden at cocktail hour, and shouldn’t be missed. Indeed if you can tear yourself away from lunch, there is horse-back riding on offer, visits to local coffee producers, abundant hiking, and visits to various local ruins.

Carola Fresno knows no bounds in her search for a good lunch. Based in Santiago de Chile, she’s our nose to the ground in Latin America. Email her here to discuss planning a trip.