The Journal

Guadalajara is Reopening!

Guadalajara is Reopening!

The most popular historic sites, activities, and tourist attractions are now ready to greet you

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UPDATE 13/11/2020: The temporary restrictions on some activities since October 30 have been ended by the government of the State of Jalisco. Activities in Guadalajara and throughout Jalisco are again occurring as described below. We hope to see you soon!

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With everyone excited to start travelling again, many of you want to visit Guadalajara again or for the first time. We are ready to host you at La Fe Hotel and Arts!

After so many months of uncertainties about the COVID-19 pandemic, we are getting a lot of questions about what activities are open now in Guadalajara. We have good news – you will have a lot to do when you visit!

Plaza de la Liberación y Catedral de Guadalajara

After the lockdowns, Guadalajara first began to carefully reopen business and travel activities in June. Now, as a result of current data showing that hospital occupancy and positive COVID-19 testing numbers are low, the city is further expanding its economic reactivation. Since September 1, the following reactivations have taken place:

  • Museums and galleries can be open regular hours.
  • Restaurants can be open until midnight daily.
  • All shops and shopping centres can be open every day of the week.
  • Tianguis street markets continue to operate with health controls at entrances.
  • Theatres and circuses can operate with audiences up to 25% of capacity.
  • Sports centres can open with a maximum of 30% of their capacity.
  • Hotels and motels, first allowed to re-open in June, can continue to operate up to 50% capacity.

All businesses and services are required to maintain health controls at entrances and restrict the number of customers inside at any given time. Government inspectors will be conducting routine surveillance and inspections to ensure businesses are properly following the protocols. In addition, everyone is required to wear a face mask or face covering when in public in Guadalajara and throughout the state of Jalisco.

Cactus view at a vivero nursery near Ajijic on Lake Chapala

At La Fe Hotel and Arts, we are following all government-required health protocols, and we are taking additional measures to ensure the health of our guests. Remember, we are a very small property with only 7 guest rooms, so your interactions with other guests and our small staff will be minimal. Read more about our cleaning and health protocols in our recent blog post.

Guadalajara is a beautiful city, and there are so many amazing historic sites to see and things to do here (like Templo Expiatorio) and in our adjoining cities of Tlaquepaque and Zapopan. As always, we can also arrange tours for you to visit beautiful locations outside of the city, including the town of Tequila, Ajijic on Lake Chapala, and more. Check out American Airlines’ Guadalajara City Guide for inspiration!

We look forward to hosting you in La Fe Hotel and Arts! Get the best rate by booking directly on our website or contacting us directly by email (), social media, or WhatsApp at .

And if you have any questions about Guadalajara activities, local health protocols, or our hotel, please contact us!

Photos:

  • Featured image of a recent art exhibition by Museo Tamayo in Centro Comercial Plaza Patria
  • All photos copyright La Fe Hotel and Arts 2020

La Fe Hotel and Arts is Back!

La Fe Hotel and Arts is Back!

La Fe Hotel and Arts has been authorized by the Government of Jalisco to reopen hotel services

We have implemented all government-required cleaning protocols related to COVID-19, and proactively taken additional measures to ensure your health when visiting us in Guadalajara:

  • We do not allow guests to check in to the hotel if they have a high temperature or display respiratory symptoms.
  • Staff wear face masks at all times, and we ask all guests to do the same. We respect and request appropriate physical distancing.
  • Hand sanitizer is available in every guest room and at several points throughout the building. We encourage guests to use it when entering the home and frequently during their time here.
  • We close guest rooms for AT LEAST 24 hours after guests check out, followed by thorough cleaning and disinfection of surfaces (door handles, remote controls, light switches, bathroom fixtures, etc.).
  • We disinfect common area surfaces (handrails, door handles, etc.) frequently throughout every day.
  • Our free daily continental breakfast has been reconfigured to reduce risk of contamination between guests.
  • Our dining area and common areas are restricted to enable healthy social-distancing.
  • All guests are provided with information on the nearest hospital, pharmacies, and COVID-19 testing sites.

 

We are a small property with only 7 guest rooms, which means interaction between guests is minimal. We also provide a personal service to our guests with a very small staff, which further reduces your chances of interacting with others while inside the home.

 

 

We look forward to hosting you soon! Remember you can SAVE BY BOOKING DIRECTLY WITH US. If another website advertises a lower rate, tell us and we will beat their price! BOOK ONLINE BY CLICKING BELOW, or send us an email, message on social media or WhatsApp (+52 1 33 2254 8714), or call.

And while you’re preparing for your trip, explore the 15 Best Things to Do in Guadalajara. Tell us if you have any questions – we can make arrangements for you to see anything you have in mind!

An Interview with the Owner!

An Interview with the Owner!

We were excited to be profiled in the April 2020 issue of Travelling in Style magazine! Check out the interview with our owner, Patrick, to learn more about him, the story of the hotel and gallery, our BEINGS art exhibition, and some of Patrick’s top recommended sites to see when you visit Guadalajara!

 

Eva Fydrych of Toronto, Canada is the Founder and Art Director of both Travelling in Style and Fashion Studio magazines. And she is an artist! We were proud to have her participate as one of the artists in our BEINGS exhibition, and we were thrilled to collaborate with her for this interview in her publication. 

 

Read the full interview inside the April issue of Travelling in Style!

And remember you can check out all of our guest rooms and book online by clicking the button below!

GDLUZ Festival 2020

GDLUZ Festival 2020

“The festival that illuminates all of Mexico”

GDLUZ is a festival of lights that shines in the Centro Histórico zone of Guadalajara every February. It was first held in 2017 in celebration of the City of Guadalajara’s 475th birthday! It has now become an annual festival to mark this milestone, with the fourth edition appearing February 12-15, 2020.

More than 40 attractions for the entire family include video mapping, multimedia shows, 13 pyrotechnics shows, music, and live classical ballet performances. The shows and performances are held nightly at 8:00, 9:00 and 10:00 pm. The theme for 2020 will highlight Mexican culture including color, food, music, clothing and art.

The events fill the streets and plazas surrounding the Catedral de Guadalajara and for 2 kilometers to Hospico Cabañas. This year the festival is expanding to also light up Paseo Alcalde and Ciudad Creativa Digital. More than 1.1 million visitors from Mexico and around the world are expected to attend the four-day festival!

You can find all of the details about the festival including the schedule of events, maps, and more on the GDLUZ Festival website.

Centro Histórico is a comfortable and scenic 30-minute walk from La Fe Hotel and Arts. If you can’t attend this year, it’s never too early to start planning for “the festival that illuminates all of Mexico” next February! 

 

Guadalajara Sightseeing – Templo Expiatorio

Guadalajara is rich in sightseeing opportunities, and many are within walking distance of La Fe Hotel and Arts. In this post we will be focusing on Templo Expiatorio del Santísimo Sacramento. This church is considered the greatest example of neo-Gothic architecture in all of Mexico.

Archbishop Pedro Loza y Pardavé, along with a committee, held a competition and selected Adamo Boari, a famous Italian architect, to design the church. Boari was originally brought to the country by Mexican President Porfirio Díaz to work on several other projects including the Palacio de Correos de Mexico in Mexico City.

Construction on the temple began in 1897, with the cornerstone laid on August 15, 1897. By 1911, all of the interior columns were complete. However, during the Mexican Revolution, work on Templo Expiatorio stopped for reasons of religious persecution and insufficient funds. In 1920, work resumed and was finally completed in 1972, 75 years after construction began.

The church’s three tympana (triangular decorative wall surfaces on the front facade) include Italian mosaics created at the Vatican by Francisco Bencivenga, who at the time was a painter and expert on the Vatican Museums. Bencivenga came to Guadalajara to oversee the placement of the pieces.

Perhaps the most prominent feature of Templo Expiatorio is its clock. It was imported from Germany at a cost of over $450 million pesos and was installed by German technicians. The clock has four lighted dials, and a carillon of 25 bells playing 25 pieces of both religious and popular music. The chimes can also be played via a keyboard from the choir. The most interesting feature of the clock is the 12 statues of the apostles which rotate in and out of the clock tower whenever a musical piece is played.

Parque Expiatorio

The church square is a wonderful place to relax and people watch. You can find many vendors selling traditional Mexican souvenirs, drinks and food.  One of the prettiest fountains in all of Guadalajara can also be found in this square. Weekends are an especially great time to visit.

There are many other Guadalajara sightseeing opportunities around the Templo Expiatorio del Santísimo Sacramento including the University of Guadalajara Museum of the Arts (MUSA). MUSA houses rotating national and international exhibitions. It is also home to several renowned murals created by Maestro José Clemente Orozco.

You can easily walk to Templo Expiatorio from La Fe Hotel and Arts in under 15 minutes via Calle Manuel Lopez Cotilla. If you need help with directions, feel free to ask our front desk staff and they would be more than happy to help you!