On September 12, 2024, the very first list of Mexican Key hotels was announced. While every hotel below is recommended by our Inspectors, many of the following earned the special Key distinction denoting the most outstanding hotels in the country.
It's a more than logical development. The last handful of decades have seen a tourism boom in places like Cancún and Tulum on the east coast of Mexico, but the west is more than ready to reestablish its bonafides. This is Mexico's Pacific Coast we're talking about — the long meeting of land and sea that stretches along the country's southwest rim from Nayarit to Oaxaca.
It's where you find some of the country's first major beach destinations (like Acapulco and Puerto Vallarta) and, more recently, some of its most thrilling boutique hotels.
Xinalani
Puerto VallartaYearning to get away from it all? Puerto Vallarta probably isn’t quite the first place you’ll think of. But then there’s Xinalani, just awarded Three Keys by our Inspectors, a gloriously secluded eco-resort wedged between the jungle and the water. Technically, it’s in Puerto Vallarta, but it’s actually twelve miles down the coast from the city proper, and only accessible by boat — which makes all the difference.
Book Xinalani on MICHELIN Guide →
BellView Boutique Hotel
Puerto VallartaAny hotel that’s memorable and presents a unique point of view on its setting qualifies as a boutique hotel, in our book. Puerto Vallarta’s BellView Boutique Hotel fits the bill. For while there are plenty of bigger and more contemporary hotels in this town, there’s nothing else like BellView, whose four rooms and suites are overflowing with the sort of historical elegance that’s in painfully short supply around here.
Book BellView Boutique Hotel on MICHELIN Guide →
Casa Kimberly
Puerto VallartaThis lovely pair of adjoining villas in Puerto Vallarta was once home to Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton — and while the connection is part of its charming history, what’s important about One Key Casa Kimberly is the sheer extravagant romance of the place as it stands today. The suites are all different, but all are exceedingly comfortable and elegant in a way you have to imagine Ms. Taylor would have approved of.
Book Casa Kimberly on MICHELIN Guide →
Hacienda San Angel
Puerto VallartaPuerto Vallarta was, at one time, among the most glamorous of Mexican destinations — and though it fell victim to overdevelopment, it’s never completely lost its magic. These days there’s a bit of a resurgence at hand, with a few absolute gems among the big hotels. One of the better examples is the Hacienda San Angel, which offers a measure of privacy and exclusivity that might be without equal anywhere in town.
Book Hacienda San Angel on MICHELIN Guide →
Playa Viva
ZihuatanejoWhatever your mental image of mass tourism on the Mexican coasts, Playa Viva is more or less the opposite of that. Just 19 rooms, for starters, is about as far as it gets from mass tourism in the first place. And this location, on protected land a half hour outside of Zihuatanejo, has a long, long way to go before it could be considered developed, much less overdeveloped.
Book Playa Viva on MICHELIN Guide →
La Casa Que Canta
ZihuatanejoLa Casa Que Canta sits high over the water, cut into a hillside above Zihuatanejo Bay, offering an extraordinary sea view as well as a splendid sense of seclusion. There are just twenty-five suites, all with terraces overlooking the sea, that combine with classic traditional architecture and outstanding service to create a sort of private residential atmosphere.
Book La Casa Que Canta on MICHELIN Guide →
Thompson Zihuatanejo
ZihuatanejoThe old Villa del Sol, a Zihuatanejo beachfront classic since 1978, is now the Thompson Zihuatanejo. New ownership hasn’t changed the essential appeal of the place one bit; it’s still right on Mexico’s longest beach, the suites are still spacious and private as ever, and the service is still tireless and efficient.
Book Thompson Zihuatanejo on MICHELIN Guide →
Zoa Hotel
MazunteThis stretch of south-facing beach on Oaxaca’s Pacific coastline, spanning the villages of Mazunte and San Agustinillo, is spectacular, and the towns are in that sweet spot: lively but not crowded, off-the-radar but not impossible to reach. And while the beginnings of a luxury travel scene are present, they’re tasteful and restrained — a description that suits Zoa perfectly.
Book Zoa Hotel on MICHELIN Guide →
Costa Careyes
CareyesWas it Walt Whitman or the nation of Mexico that said “I am large, I contain multitudes”? It was the poet, of course, but it’s equally true of Mexico — whether your picture of it is the ruined pyramids of the Yucatán or the hip nightspots of the Distrito Federal, you can bet there’s another side of Mexico you’re not considering. In the case of Costa Careyes, it’s the exclusive, relatively undeveloped, upscale yet unpretentious side.
Monte Uzulu Boutique Hotel
San AgustinilloSan Agustinillo is in the midst of transforming from fishing village to holiday destination. So far it’s proceeding slowly and sensitively; you wouldn’t mistake Monte Uzulu Boutique Hotel for a big all-inclusive resort. The buildings are a contemporary version of traditional thatched-roof palapa structures, and the experience balances sensitivity to the locale and the environment with the demands of modern boutique hospitality.
Book Monte Uzulu Boutique Hotel on MICHELIN Guide →
Hotel Escondido
Puerto EscondidoGrupo Habita made its name over the past two decades with boutique hotels of the high-design variety; thanks to Carlos Couturier and Moisés Micha, the Mexican hospitality scene could boast some of the most stylish hotels anywhere. Less polished than its urban sisters — though no less memorable — is Hotel Escondido, a minimal-rustic beachfront boutique hotel on Oaxaca’s Pacific coast.
Book Hotel Escondido on MICHELIN Guide →
One&Only Mandarina
Lo de MarcosAn hour or so up the coast from crowded Puerto Vallarta, the spectacular One&Only Mandarina (another Three Key selectoin) combines eco-lodge sensitivity, boutique-hotel good looks, and luxury-hotel comforts and facilities, all in a tranquil setting amid 80 acres of coastal rainforest. The treehouses and villas are stunning, inside and out, and come with every conceivable luxury, from plunge pools to butler service.
Book One&Only Mandarina on MICHELIN Guide →
Top Image: Costa Careyes — Careyes
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