Safa1

Folks

My son and I will be in Mexico in March, arriving in Mexico City and leaving from Acapulco. Both Mexico City ( which we have already been to) and, to a lesser extent, Acapulco, will be short stays, possibly one nighters, as we like to spend most of our time in the small colonial cities and a bit on the beach, for my son who loves to swim (I am thinking of Zihu/Ixtapa for this). The towns that are candidates are the following, which are in various directions so we need to make some choices:

- Taxco
- Oaxaca
- Colima

- Towns around DF, including Xochimilco, Cuernavaca (read mixed reviews on this), Morelos and Ruta Del Vulcan path,

- Puebla
- Morelia

Any suggestions as to which ones to pick, or any other suggestions? Assume we can do two or three, with day trips to two and overnight in one. By the way, last year, we went to DF and drove to Guadalajara, Tequila (drive through), and then on to PV – loved it! I am planning to drive again (we only drive during the day and use main highways, as much as we can)

Thanks for your help.

Safa1

updating....

marilynl

My favorites on your list are Oaxaca and Morelia. Cuernavaca is sort of the weekend resort for DF, with many small characterful hotels with pools, so not sure if this is somewhere you should schedule given that you will be beaching it.

Oaxaca has a wonderful walkable centro with the best zocalo in Mexico. It is a great craft area, with small villages and markets nearby, and also offers Monte Alban, which is very impressive.

Morelia is more of a ively provincial capitol, with wonderful views, a very pretty cathedral, and good sightseeing nearby as well. Could schedule a trip to the butterfly sanctuaries from here depending on your dates.

Safa1

Thank you marilynl. Have you been to Colima? What are your thoughts on that, since I may have to choose between a southern trip (to Oxaca) and a northern (Morelia, Colima.

Stewbear

Just in Colima in December & was just a bit disappointed. Town square is marvelous as our the Volcanoes & step earthen Pyramid but the rest of the town of Little interest. Morelia/Patzcuaro is a much more interesting & varied destination.

marilynl

Have not been to Colima, but would rate Oaxaca above Morelia.

laustic

On you list I've only visited Puebla and I loved it. Beautiful and safe zocalo. Great food and shopping. We stayed in an awesome boutique hotel and took cooking classes. It was a fabulous experience. The nearby town of Cholula has a wonderful market and interesting pre-hispanic pyramid topped with a cathedral - great view from the top.

pipingcat

Dear Laustic, what hotel did you stay in, in Puebla?

Clifton

Puebla is a very pretty and has a unique cuisine. Not sure I found it as "warm" as say, Guanajuato. Puebla to me seems more upscale and affluent in a way. Cholula though is completely the opposite. Guess I'm agreeing with Laustic actually. Sure seems to be quite a few interesting old hotels in Puebla. Ours was the Camino Real in the old convent.

laustic

I stayed at Meson Sacristia de la Compania. The sister property is Meson Sacristia de la Capuchinas. That's a mouthfull isn't it?

Anyway, they are both adorable wonderful little boutique hotels and the food can't be beat!

Both hotels are a short walk away from the zocalo and from eachother. The hotels will arrange any tours or drivers that you might want.

Having seen both properties I liked Sacristia slightly better than Capuchinas. Capuchinas is a bit more modern (still in a beautiful old building though). Capuchinas is also more quiet because Sacristia has a restaurant and bar area in the courtyard. We liked the liviliness of Sacristia.

You can read my review on tripadvisor if you're interested. My screen name is the same.

Gosh I love Mexico!!!

Cimbrone

I loved both Puebla and Oaxaca. Of the two I preferred Puebla. But they make a nice trip out of Mexico City (2 hours to Puebla and 4 more hours to Oaxaca by bus.)

One warning: we were in Oaxaca in March and the afternoon heat was almost debilitating to us Floridians. It had a quality to it I'd never experienced before (perhaps because it was a dry heat). And in case you don't know, the summer is cooler in much of Mexico's interior than the spring for some reason. Anyway, just a thought...

If you're going from Mexico City to Acapulco, the route that would make logistical sense includes Cuernavaca and Taxco. But I agree with others that Cuernavaca is not a great example of a colonial town. Taxco is picturesque, but small and without the interest or vibrancy of Puebla or Oaxaca.

Puebla is said to be the most Spanish and aristocratic of Mexican cities. I stayed at the Holiday Inn Centro Historico and liked it. Lovely lobby and breakfast room. It all depends on your budget. The Hotel Camino Real and La Purificadora are two others that look nice. The Hotel Colonial is a bit cheaper.

sfmaster

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