There are those who will tell you the best coffee in Mexico is grown in Coatepec and that the little hotel that bears the name of the town is perhaps the most delightful inn you will discover anywhere. While I am not prone to argue, we must remember that beauty and charm lie in the eye of the beholder, that one man’s paradise may be another man’s hell.
Having said this, I cannot refrain from raving about Coatepec. The coffee? Delicious, although I enjoy the blends from Oaxaca and Chiapas equally as well. The town, however, is a sheer, unmatched delight. Although the scent of orange blossoms wafts through the air, Coatepec seems to belong more to the Andes than the Sierra Madre. Landmark is La Parroquia, topped curiously with an onion dome as if it were a Russian Orthodox church. Orchids cling to towering trees in gardens kept green by almost constant rain. The past lives on here in stately mansions and Don Porfirio might still be guiding the destiny of the nation. But this you will have to see for yourself.
A good place to start is the Posada Coatepec, where you might merely stop by for a drink, then decide to stay and dine. The chef at the hotel's Maria Enriqueta Restaurant rarely fails to triumph. Among my favorites are sopa de pan, langostinos del rió en salsa chipotle. Maria Enriqueta? She was a well-loved Coatepec poet.
Classically Andalusian in design, the posada is unprepossessing from without. Within its Moorish arches frame tropical gardens in a patio where a fountain splashes. Wrought iron railings guard tile steps leading to large, cozy rooms beneath ceilings of tile. The talavera tile pool in the garden is small, understandable in these rainy climes. The spa salon, with its sauna and individual Jacuzzis, beckons in any kind of weather. All rooms are designated as suites, and there are only 23 of these.
The young at heart head to Coatepec both for romance and excitement, signing up for a day of river rafting down the La Antigua or Actopan or through the El Encanto Canyon, easy one-day excursions arranged.
Whitewater rafting involves navigating a raging river in an inflatable boat, being carried along over the rapids while attempting to keep the craft from flipping over and, while doing so, remaining in it. People pay good money to do this. They enjoy the adrenaline rush. River rafting is more exciting that a roller coaster ride; on a roller coaster you may be scared, but you know you will survive. Rafting companies, on the other hand, ask their customers to sign a waiver declaring that they know very well that they may be killed and stating that the company is not at fault.
The first raft expedition set out in the morning and I succumbed. There were moments when I had my doubts as, for example, during the orientation lecture, we were told what to do should we fall out of a raft. I never have paid much attention to safety demonstrations on airliners or at lifeboat drills, but this time I hung on every word. No one, I was told, ever has died while rafting in Mexico, and serious injuries are rare. That I would question. Any injury is serious if it happens to me.
Outfitted with lifejackets, helmets on our heads, we were bused to the shore and clambered into our yellow inflatable rafts. Our guide told us when to paddle, which way to paddle, when to stop and when to throw ourselves onto the rubberized canvas deck. The rafts hold as many as 10 people each. Many of these boats already had shot out into the river. Local lads in kayaks darted among them, floating traffic cops, ready to pluck out any unlucky passengers awash in the chilly waters.
They had their chance to pluck out quite a few. At least one boat flipped. Others passengers simply were tossed overboard. Watching them, I huddled on the rubber floor, trying to paddle from the safest place I could find. The Río Pescados – the part we were on – roars over 35 rapids, places with names like Devil’s Toilet Bowl. Most are Class III, but one is Class IV, the equivalent of what skiers would call a black diamond run. Anything beyond Class IV is a challenge even for champions.
After a nearly three hours riding the white water, soaked but happy, we were back on shore sipping beer. I went back to my inn in Coatepec. All of this is to explain that no visitor need ever be bored in Coatepec. There is plenty to do. Or, if you prefer, simply relax and then rest after that.
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