104 Best Hotels in Mexico

If any of the antiques that decorate your room in this beautifully converted colonial mansion strike your fancy, you might consider taking home a souvenir; they're all for sale. The rich colors of folk art pervade the cozy but stylish bar, and a lovely restaurant with live music in the evening serves tasty regional dishes. Cooking classes are also offered.

Owner Valerie Pickles has carved out a lovely little paradise with six bungalows, beautifully maintained gardens, and a wonderful restaurant on the outskirts of Santa Elena. Decorated with her own paintings and topped with palapa roofs, the simply furnished Maya-style rooms are remarkably comfortable. They don’t have air-conditioning, but powerful fans, tile floors, and domed ceilings help keep them cool. A delicious breakfast of fruit, bread, mango yogurt, and coffee is included in the rate, which is hard to imagine considering how little Valerie charges. This is also the best place to stop for authentic Yucatecan cuisine en route to the ruins.

Located in the small city of San Juan Teotihuacán, just a few minutes’ drive (or half-hour walk) from the nearest entrance gate to the pyramids, this charming inn is set in a walled 18th-century hacienda with a pool, a small candlelit spa, a restaurant, and beautifully landscaped grounds. Rooms are clean and simply furnished—they're not fancy but they are comfortable and have stone walls, wood-beam ceilings, and other rustic accents.

One of San Miguel's oldest families has opened its ranch-style home as a hotel, complete with a common area with fireplace and a library full of Mexican and international art books. Only blocks from the action of downtown, rooms here open onto lush gardens and trees. From an ample terrace with sweeping views you can enjoy an organic breakfast. One of the rooms has its own swimming pool.

This sophisticated country inn, which has both a pool and an inviting restaurant, is just a few blocks from Malinalco's main plaza and is filled with contemporary artwork and interesting decorative pieces collected by the well-traveled owner. The thoughtful staff is happy to provide recommendations of local attractions and restaurants, and massage treatments can be arranged in-room or in the garden. 

One block from Tlaquepaque's main plaza and shopping area, this B&B has rooms of varying sizes and degrees of natural light; suites are spacious and face out to the pool. There's remarkable tile work in the master suite. Hearty continental breakfasts—with fruit, cereal, toast, and sweet breads, plus juice and coffee—are served in an inner courtyard. Tasty pizzas are baked in the brick oven at the hotel's Mexican-Italian restaurant (closed Monday). If you stay three nights or more, they'll shuttle you to and from the airport or bus station.

The moment you arrive at this jungle hotel, you'll be invited to pull up a chair at the bar, flip through literature about the area, and swap stories with the owners and other guests before retiring to your freestanding "jungalow" or palapa cabana. The jungalows are separated by winding paths and have tin roofs, cozy beds with mosquito nets, ceiling fans, and either a shared or private bathroom. The roomier cabanas have one or two bedrooms and ensuite bathrooms. Both types of accommodations have a private terrace and 24-hour hot water and electricity. Reserve in advance if you're interested in visiting local ruins—the owners lead tour groups and are happy to slot you in if they have notice. Stays of more than a single night are discounted.

Designed with romance in mind, this boutique hotel has a roses-and-chocolate theme that carries from the pink exterior through to the Belgian truffles sold in the gift shop and the chocolate soaps provided in the bathrooms. All rooms have flat-screen TVs, Bose stereos, private outdoor shower-tubs, and espresso machines; three luxury suites in a private tower have spacious terraces. Common spaces are stunning, featuring clean, modern lines with antique ceramic tiles and pops of bright color. In addition to an acclaimed restaurant, there's also a courtyard terrace, a patio terrace with views of Paseo de Montejo, and an open-air rooftop lounge that often features live jazz. The spa specializes in holistic treatments, using chocolate in many of them.

Set on a lovely beach, this property has accommodations—all adorned with Mexican pottery and other collectibles—that include two apartments with private kitchens; a secluded jungle studio (which the owners refer to as "a tree house for adults"); and a house divided into three suites that share a kitchen, dining room, sundeck, and library full of books and board games. Yogurt and homemade granola prepared with coconut from the property's trees are stocked in the refrigerator for breakfast. Kayaks (suitable for both the ocean and the two lagoons just behind the property), fat-tire beach bikes, boogie boards, and snorkel gear are included in the rate. Guests are always greeted with free, strong frozen margaritas and a warm welcome from the friendly hosts.

This sparkling, French country–meets–Spanish colonial hotel, owned by a Parisian interior designer, is pristine and comfortable. Each one- or two-story apartment feels like a private home, with fresh flowers, a sprinkling of carefully chosen antiques, and blue-and-white Mexican tiles. The kitchenettes are sizable, and the shared pool area is a nice place to escape the heat. Wi-Fi is free. The hotel is a five-minute walk from Playa Carrizalillo, a good beach for swimming. Tax is already included in room rates, so they may seem higher than they actually are.

Located on a slightly busy street corner just a few blocks from charming Avenida Amsterdam, this early 20th-century inn has attractively priced, spacious rooms, some of which are interconnected with access to kitchens and can be rented together as two- or three-bedroom suites. In fact, the entire house can be rented out (it sleeps 12 total), which makes this an excellent choice for a big family or group of friends. A very tasty breakfast is included in the rates.

Beyond the lavender fields and orange groves of this 12-acre property are ranch-style adobe suites insulated with bales of hay and equipped with surprising amenities like organic bath products, plush robes, and private terraces. Sustainability at its best, the B&B runs on solar, uses only biodegradable products, and sources its water from an underground well. Rooms are spacious and soundproof thanks to the insulation, which keeps rooms cool in summer and warm in winter. Guests have 24-hour access to a communal kitchen and mountain bikes for exploring nearby vineyards. Expect to be greeted with a glass of wine upon arrival and treated to a glorious breakfast between 8:30 and 10 am. Homemade marmalades, eggs, breads, olives, and fruit—all from the farm—are just a few of the delights that might make you extend your stay.

This chilled-out, eco-friendly compound near a top surf spot is an affordable and sociable alternative in Troncones. Partially off the grid, the hostel has solar panels for electricity, outdoor showers, composting toilets, and a gray-water system for watering the plants. If the bunk-bed dorms aren't your style, there are also two private rooms with a private en suite bath and their own patios and hammocks. A tiny camping area offers a "luxury" tent for rent—complete with deluxe queen-sized blow-up mattress—as well as room to pitch your own. The lofted ocean-view communal palapa is the perfect spot to cook a group dinner, grab a beer from the honor bar, lounge with a book, or check out how the waves are breaking.

Villas El Tuito is a big, three-room house done in a contemporary Mexican style. As El Tuito has so few lodging options, clean rooms and Wi-Fi access are just about all you can ask for. The rooms include a TV, shared kitchen, bath, and shower.