The Big Six: Mexican hideaways
Windswept beaches, chocolate-based spa treaments, rustic rooms, art hotels, edible blooms, and old colonial buildings
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Your support makes all the difference.Hotel Escondido, Oaxaca
The latest outpost from the design-focused Mexican hotel chain, Grupo Habita, opened earlier this month. Located near the charming fishing village of Puerto Escondido, it's surrounded by windswept beaches and rolling waves that make it an ideal spot for surfers and sun worshippers. The 16 cabañas are impeccably stylish, with mint-green chevron prints on stripped wooden floors, thatched roofs, rattan chairs and their own private plunge pool. Elsewhere, there's a restaurant, spa and even an underground club for a spot of beachside hedonism.
Hotel Escondido, Puerto Escondido (00 52 555 282 2199; hotelescondido.com). Doubles from US$300 (£200), room only.
Rosas&Xocolate, Yucatán
The colonial city of Mérida stands on the western edge of the Yucatán peninsula. On the main street, you'll find Rosas&Xocolate, a boutique hotel which announces itself with bright pink walls. The first part of the name pays tribute to the owner's mother; the second to the ancient Mayan tradition of cacao production. Accordingly, the in-house spa specialises in chocolate-based treatments, while the 17 rooms continue the rose-coloured theme.
Rosas&Xocolate, Paseo de Montejo 480/41, Mérida (00 52 999 924 2992; rosasandxocolate.com). Doubles from US$273 (£182), B&B.
Amansala, Quintana Roo
This laid-back retreat offers yoga holidays and fitness bootcamps on the Caribbean coast near Tulum. It combines healthy food and cooking demonstrations with power-walks on pristine sands and bike tours to nearby nature reserves. After a day's activity, guests can retire to one of 25 rustic rooms complete with canopied beds, colourful woven fabrics and cool terraces for soaking up the sea views. The all-inclusive price also covers massages and tours to the area's Mayan ruins and caves.
Amansala, Casa de Agua Km 5.5, Tulum (amansalaresort.com). Doubles from US$375 (£250), all inclusive.
Hotel Matilda, Guanajuato
San Miguel de Allende is the cosmopolitan face of central Mexico. Settled in the 1940s by artists who came to take courses at the town's Escuela de Bellas Artes, it's now awash with good restaurants, designer boutiques and modern hotels. Matilda is one such property. Labelling itself as an "art hotel", it displays works by Mexican painters, such as Diego Rivera, alongside international photographers and sculptors. An upmarket street-food restaurant confirms its creative flair.
Hotel Matilda, Aldama 53, San Miguel de Allende (00 52 415 152 1015; hotelmatilda.com). Doubles from US$512 (£341), B&B.
Flor de Mayo, Morelos
Flor de Mayo's name refers to the native tropical flowers that bloom in the Sierra de Chichinautzin mountains, just outside the hotel's hometown of Cuernavaca. You'll find the orchids on show throughout the retreat, along with pretty pink hibiscus bushes that flourish around the pool and other edible blooms used by chef Víctor Olvera as garnish in his restaurant. Rooms also feature hand-painted floral motifs on tiled floors, with fragant honey-scented toiletries and beeswax candles.
Flor de Mayo, Matamoros 49, Cuernavaca (00 52 77 7 312 1202; flordemayo.mx). Doubles from M$2,075 (£95), B&B.
Hotel Bo, Chiapas
The inland town of San Cristóbal de las Casas rests in a highland valley in the far south of Mexico. Here, amid old colonial buildings, you'll find Hotel Bo, which brims with beautiful gardens, lined with tropical plants, palms and pools. Interiors feature warm tones that are intended to reflect the area's natural setting, with local textiles from the Chiapas region. Eames-esque rocking chairs and toiletries from Italian fashion brand Etro, add contemporary edge.
Hotel Bo, 5 de Mayo 38, San Cristóbal de las Casas (00 52 96 7678 1515; hotelbo.mx). Doubles from M$2,756 (£131), B&B.
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