Blame it on the beautiful landscapes, delectable cuisine, intriguing cultural sites or simply the sunny weather, but sometimes it seems that Mexico is just a little too popular. That said, a honeymoon there does not have to mean booking into an enormous resort or sunbathing on a crowded beach.
From intimate hotels to hidden beaches and local restaurants, we’ve uncovered the best of pure, authentic Mexico.
Mérida
Founded in 1542, the Yucatán city of Mérida is nicknamed La Ciudad Blanca (the white city), for the white limestone used in its attractive colonial-style buildings. the city, which was built of carved stones by the spaniards on an ancient Mayan site, also has a strong indigenous culture and an identity that is distinct from other parts of Mexico.
What to Do: Stroll along the picturesque Avenida Paseo de Montejo past some of the city’s most beautiful buildings. There’s the Catedral de San Ildefonsol, which dates from the 16th century, making it one of the oldest in all the Americas, and the Museo Regional de Antropología that’s housed in a beautiful baroque-style mansion and features exhibits on Mayan culture.
Where to Eat: One of the colonial city’s best restaurants is located in the Rosas & Xocolate Hotel. Mexico city-born chef David Segovia offers a changing menu of his contemporary take on traditional Yucatecan dishes, making use of locally sourced ingredients. You can dine al fresco on the patio with water gardens or in the intimate space of the contemporary bistro. For pre-dinner cocktails, choose between the rooftop moon lounge with live jazz, or the lobby-side bar, filled with plush leather armchairs and over 200 varieties of tequila.
Photo courtesy of Design Hotels
Where to Stay: Housed in two colonial mansions with a striking bright pink façade, Rosas & Xocolate Boutique Hotel and Spa has 17 charming guest rooms with private terraces and open-air bathtubs — they’re especially inviting under the twinkling nighttime sky. True to its name, fresh-cut roses are scattered throughout the rooms; chocolate-based treatments are available in the spa, and there is a boutique by belgian master chocolatier mathieu brees (rooms start at $245 a night and include breakfast; rosasandxocolate.com).
Photo courtesy of Design Hotels
