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The Best Places to Get Away from It All
Isla Mujeres: If there's one island in Mexico that guarantees a respite from stress, it's Isla Mujeres. You'll find an ample selection of hotels and restaurants, and they're as laid-back as their patrons. Here life moves along in pure mañana mode, with little sign of the bustling commercialism that exists just across the bay. Visitors stretch out and doze beneath shady palms or languidly stroll about. In fact, Isla Mujeres feels worlds removed from Cancún, yet remains comfortably close for those who choose to reconnect.
The Yucatán's Riviera Maya: Away from the busy resort of Cancún, a string of quiet getaways, including Capitán Lafitte, Paamul, Punta Bete, and a portion of Xpu-ha, offer tranquillity on beautiful beaches at low prices.
Tulum: Near the Tulum ruins, about two dozen beachside palapa inns offer some of the most peaceful getaways in the country. This stretch just might offer the best sandy beaches on the entire coast. Life here among the birds and coconut palms is decidedly unhurried.
Rancho Encantado Cottage Resort (Lago Bacalar; tel. 800/505-6292 in the U.S., or 983/101-3358; www.encantado.com): The attractive casitas are the best place to unwind at this resort, where hammocks stretch between trees. The hotel is on the shores of placid Lago (Lake) Bacalar, south of Cancún near Chetumal, and there's nothing around for miles. But if you want adventure, you can head out to the lake in a kayak, follow a birding trail, or take an excursion to Belize and the intriguing Maya ruins on the nearby Río Bec ruin route.
Hotel Eco Paraíso Xixim (Celestún; tel. 988/916-2100; www.ecoparaiso.com): In these crowded times, space is a luxury that's getting harder to come by. Space is precisely what makes this place so great: Fifteen bungalows and 5km (3 miles) of beach bordering a coconut plantation. Throw in a good restaurant, a pool, and a couple of hammocks, and you have that rare combination of comfort and isolation.
Hacienda San José Cholul (tel. 800/325-3589 in the U.S. and Canada; www.luxurycollection.com): Owned by Starwood Hotels, this hacienda is only an hour east of the bustling city of Mérida, toward Izamal, but it feels like another world. The quiet, unhurried manner of both guests and staff, and the beautiful tropical surroundings make it the perfect place to recoup some of the silence and slow time lost to the modern world.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without
notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before
planning your trip.
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