Mexico is one of those places where it seems like you never stop hearing about the next big thing.
Almost as soon as a hot new Mexican destination pops up on the global radar, it’s declared to be over, replaced by a different flashpoint just a bit further down the road. For evidence, simply chart the evolution of popularity that started in Cancun and spread out to Playa del Carmen then Tulum then Holbox and Bacalar. And that’s just one corner of the Yucatan. Trend seekers plant their flag, then move on in search of the next magical little fishing village.
In some ways it’s been problematic. In other ways it’s hard to blame them. This type of growth happens everywhere, but it can feel like it happens in Mexico more than most anywhere else, a testament to the government’s enthusiastic support and to the country’s abundant gifts. Mexico’s size and its diverse landscapes, customs, and cuisines are endlessly appealing and effortlessly romantic.
The result: continually expanding tourist zones and unprecedented hotel openings. Some of those openings are sitting below, and each helps you discover a unique corner of Mexican culture.
Hotel Sureño
Mérida, Mexico
Mérida is full of colonial buildings turned into appealing modern hotels, like Hotel Sureño, which recently opened in the historic center. The hotel sees a steady stream of people, thanks to a great restaurant and a stylish rooftop bar and pool deck that regularly hosts happy hours, DJ sets, and live jazz. But it’s particularly pleasurable to check into one of Sureño’s 17 rooms.
Wakax Hacienda
Tulum, Mexico
Slightly inland from Tulum’s busy beaches, Wakax Hacienda taps into some of the region’s other assets — namely its Mayan history, its lush jungle setting, and a network of cenotes, or limestone sinkholes fed by underground rivers. The hotel is strategically positioned right beside a trio of cenotes, and easy access to these ethereal, turquoise-hued, all-natural swimming pools is reason enough to stay.
Hacienda El Santuario Centro
San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
Nestled among the picturesque Bajio Mountains, San Miguel de Allende is the perfect setting for an unassuming, historically inclined boutique like the Hacienda El Santuario Centro. Originally a Spanish colonial residence dating back to the sixteenth century, the hotel has been effectively yet subtly modernized, while retaining the intimate, personalized feel of a Mexican bed & breakfast.
Casa Blanco Madera
Todos Santos, Mexico
Just up the coast from the artsy village of Todos Santos, a string of stylish boutique hotels line the beach road. The intimately sized Casa Blanco Madera is one of the finest. Run by a Mexican couple who fell in love with the region on a road trip through the Baja California Peninsula, it’s made up of just three rooms housed in a low-lying whitewashed building surrounded by desert gardens.
Casona los Cedros
Espita, Mexico
The main building at Casona los Cedros, an old colonial villa framed by tropical foliage, was abandoned for decades before a French architect snapped up the property and transformed it into a modern boutique hotel. The original structure now houses the reception and bar, while the new addition, built by local craftspeople using traditional materials like stone and wood, features nine minimalist guest rooms.
Casa Chablé
Tulum, Mexico
There are hotels closer to Tulum National Park, just 30 miles north, but Casa Chablé puts you directly in Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage site dedicated to preserving the flora and fauna of the Yucatán coast. This hotel single-handedly demonstrates that the desert-island atmosphere of a true eco-resort is entirely compatible with the white-glove elegance of a modern luxury hotel.
Boca de Agua Bacalar
Bacalar, Mexico
There’s visiting the Yucatán, and then there’s fully immersing yourself in it. Boca de Agua Bacalar offers an experience that falls firmly in the latter camp, plopping you right on the banks of the Bacalar lagoon and its outrageously clear turquoise waters. Rooms come treehouse style, lifted on stilts to minimize their footprint while also affording sweeping vistas of the jungle — and maybe a spider monkey or iguana.
Casa9 Zocalo
Mexico City, Mexico
Casa9 Zocalo is a new boutique hotel located in one of Mexico City’s oldest houses, which itself stands on the grounds of an older ceremonial temple. The property has undergone a transformation, as a team of architects, blacksmiths, stonemasons, and carpenters has restored the house’s colonial grandeur. The result is striking. Passing through the entryway is like stepping back in time.
Muaré Tulum
Tulum, Mexico
Set neither in the coastal hotel zone nor the busy town center, Muaré Tulum makes its home in the hip, largely residential district of La Veleta. From within its walls, however, the setting is lush and verdant, and the grounds are dotted with plunge pools in addition to a winding, lagoon-like main pool. Muaré’s structures, meanwhile, are crafted in a style that marries modern design and traditional Mayan architecture.
Maison Mexique
San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
What makes Maison Mexique special is its worldly air; the owners are well-traveled, and the place represents a mélange of cultural influences. Located inside a beautifully restored historic home, this boutique hotel is also grounded in its place, the terracotta walls proudly featuring a collection of paintings and collages by local artists, as well as historical graphic prints and black-and-white photographs.
Desierto Azul
Todos Santos, Mexico
In the once-quiet Baja beach village of Todos Santos, Desierto Azul is eco-friendly and minimalist, with just four cottage-like rooms set around a quiet saltwater pool. Inside, they’re open-concept, lined in polished concrete and artisan-made tiles. Each is unique, but they’re all outfitted with natural materials, from linen duvets to woven raffia lampshades. Bonus: Desierto Azul doubles as a foodie hotspot.
Octavia Casa
Mexico City, Mexico
Octavia Casa is a calm refuge in which to recover from the sensory overload that is Mexico City. Located in Condesa, one of the city’s hippest neighborhoods, this boutique hotel is the passion project of Mexican designer Roberta Maceda, who enlisted architect Pablo Pérez Palacios to create a space in the same spirit as her modern women’s clothing line. The result is stylish yet refreshingly down-to-earth.
Awa Holbox
Holbox, Mexico
Once a quiet tropical island off the coast of the Yucatán Peninsula, Isla Holbox is now a stylish hotspot with hundreds of hotels to choose from. Only a handful are right on the beach, though — among them is Awa Holbox, a modern boutique hotel that’s a 10-minute golf cart ride from the ferry terminal. The design is contemporary, but the hotel channels the island’s laid-back spirit.
Nueve 25 Hotel Boutique
Guanajuato, Mexico
To call Guanajuato an old mining town hardly does it justice. It’s perhaps better described as the one-time location of the world’s largest silver extraction site. Nueve 25 Hotel Boutique is one of a handful of luxury hotels in the UNESCO-honored historic center. It’s housed in a historic building with high beamed ceilings and exposed stone walls, but has been refreshed with a sleek, contemporary sensibility.
Real de Minas
San Miguel De Allende, Mexico
San Miguel de Allende emptied out after the Mexican Revolution and a flu epidemic, leaving its colorful houses nearly abandoned for decades. Many have since been turned into hotels, and even more recently built properties, like Real de Minas, take inspiration from the past. The hotel is modeled after a countryside hacienda, complete with decorative stucco buildings, stone archways, beautifully landscaped gardens, and even a Spanish-style bullring.
Hero image: Casona los Cedros — Espita, Mexico
