As pointed out on the front page of this section, if you want to avoid the tourbus crowd, its a good idea to stay close by. This hotel (and the Mayaland across the street) are essentially on the grounds of the archeological zone and either is a good option. The Hacienda Chichen however, has a historic past dating back to the 1500's and the structures, along with the lush grounds, make a fitting backdrop for your exploration of the ruins.

The main building was built using stones salvaged from ruins from the outlying areas of Chichen Itza. It was occupied as a hacienda from the 1500's till the 1800's when it was destroyed in the War of the Castes. It was rebuilt and in the early 1900's was used as the base of operations during the initial excavation of the ruins. As a matter of fact, the guest rooms are the cottages that housed the workers during that time.

The grounds are very lush and there is a network of paths that lead from the main house through the guest cottages. Considering the origin of the place, all the rooms (I suspect) are different. They do all have A/C and are billed as having hot water, although ours did not work while we were there.

The main building contains the dining area (where reservations were required for dinner - don't ask me why... it wasn't that crowded). The pool area (pictured below) is also surrounded by lush vegetation.

JB on the porch of the Morley cottage.

The Pool Area.

So... if you plan to spend more that just a few hours at Chichen Itza, the Hacienda Chichen is an appropriate setting from which to base your visit (and within walking distance of the ruins).