20 Best Hotels in Side Trips from Mexico City, Mexico

Set in an imaginatively updated 19th-century building with stone walls, high ceilings, and floor-to-ceiling windows, this posh and peaceful urban oasis on the edge of Centro Históric abounds with pleasing amenities, including three excellent restaurants, two bars, and a sublime spa offering Thai-style massages and body treatments. Even the standard rooms are spacious and have deep soaking tubs. The rooftop bar is a wonderful spot for cocktails at sunset, with views of Puebla's historic skyline. Some larger rooms can sleep four and are a great option for families. Valet parking is included in the rate.

Fragrant gardens, mature shade trees, and a small pond dot the tranquil grounds of this small, sustainably designed eco-resort with six contemporary suites and a quiet location a few kilometers south of Malinalco's village center. The individually decorated rooms have tall windows, wood paneling, and high ceilings. The hotel offers a variety of packages that include up to three meals a day in the excellent restaurant, in-suite massage and body treatments, or excursions to nearby attractions and outdoor recreation sites. 

Occupying a magnificently transformed pair of 17th-century buildings, one of which formerly held a ceramic-tile factory, this plush urban oasis with a rooftop pool and a soothing spa is part of Puebla's new wave of chic—and surprisingly affordable—boutique hotels. The hotel is on a beautiful street in Centro Histórico, just a block from the craft shops of colorful Sapos Alley. Artfully outfitted rooms contain plenty of modern perks, including minibars stocked with complementary beverages. There are two fantastic restaurants in the hotel, including the celebrated Salón Mezcalli. This is a sister property to the exclusive Chablé Resort & Spa, near Mérida in the Yucatan. 

This marvelously renovated colonial building may no longer be a private home, but it still has the same cozy environment, with an enchanting mix of original accents, antique and modern furnishings, and luxe linens. The central patio is home to the well-regarded restaurant, which serves beautifully presented traditional Mexican dishes and interesting international fare. Keeping watch over the dining room is a large statue of the place's namesake: China Poblana, the daughter of a Mongol king who was kidnapped and brought to Mexico.

Resembling an old castle, this hacienda was made famous as the backdrop for the 1955 film La Escondida. Converted into an elegant and welcoming hotel, it is a true gem seemingly in the middle of nowhere—51 km (32 miles) from Tlaxcala—but a five-minute bus ride from the hotel to the charming pueblo mágico of Huamantla. The stately restaurant ($$), watched over by two stuffed bulls, serves delicious regional fare and has a cozy fireplace to warm up the chilly winter nights. It is a hive of activity on Sunday, when people from around the area come here to lunch. Best of all, the hotel gives tours to other remote haciendas of Tlaxcala State, an eye-opener into the history of the rural region, along with other activities like hot-air ballooning and horseback rides.

Among Tepoztlán's several holistic-minded spa resorts, this centrally located boutique hotel known for its polished service and peaceful setting is one of the best, thanks to its soothing spa and first-rate restaurant, La Veladora, which is worth seeking out even if you aren’t an overnight guest. Set amid carefully tended gardens, Casa Fernanda offers a dozen individually appointed rooms with sleek, uncluttered designs, slippers and robes, and top-of-the-line bath products; many have deep soaking tubs. 

A five-minute walk from the Zócalo, this elegant boutique hotel set inside a grand 17th-century mansion with a central patio and fountain was restored (and is now operated) using environmentally conscious practices and with as many of the original materials as possible; the well-stocked library was built entirely from repurposed vigas, or beams. The property is solar powered, and even the paints are naturally derived to match the original colors. Immaculate, spacious rooms have polished wood furniture and floors and high, exposed-beam ceilings. King-size beds are wrapped in luscious, down-filled bedding and supplied with a pillow menu. The outstanding restaurant serves contemporary Mexican fare and is worth a visit in its own right.

The chic, contemporary rooms in this imaginatively transformed mansion in the center of Taxco---just down the hill from Plaza Borda---are decorated with green-tile floors, high beds with plush linens, and soft lighting, and amenities include an excellent shop specializing in locally crafted silver jewelry and a fashionable restaurant and bar. With attentive and friendly service, the well-located hotel is worth the price, which is considerably higher than most of its neighbors.

Las Luciernagas, with its bucolic location off a remote gravel road a few miles from town, is a rare cross between a B&B and a five-star hotel—what other B&B has a wine list? Four of the five rooms have fireplaces, and all have luxury bedding, artisanal toiletries, minibars, and a unique sense of privacy thanks to the rooms being spaced quite far apart, and the helpful but unobtrusive hosts. "La Cima" is an expansive suite with a terrace that overlooks the stunning manicured landscape of giant agaves, calla lilies, and birds of paradise; "Los Encuentros" opens to what is essentially its own private garden, with a stone path that leads to the Jacuzzi. The public spaces include a range of quiet terraces and seating areas, and top-notch dinners (with both Mexican and international dishes) are available by request. There's no better choice in Valle for a romantic getaway, or just a quiet home base.

Sustainably designed and located on a central street just a few blocks south of the pyramid, this hotel set in an updated Spanish colonial house offers plenty of pleasing amenities for a small property, including an all-day restaurant and a small spa offering a good variety of treatments. There are several inviting common spaces, including a patio with a fireplace and an upper terrace that's lovely for stargazing.

From the traditional adobe structure to the use of feng shui, this tranquil, holistic-oriented eco-resort at the foot of the Quetzalcóatl mountains in the village of Amatlán has an expansive spa and has been designed to blend with the environment. Rooms have meditation chairs set in bay-window alcoves where you can absorb the unparalleled views. Rates includes breakfast and some activities, and additional meals are available in the airy restaurant, with its high domed-brick ceiling. The resort is a 15-minute drive east Tepoztlán.

Wandering around the gardens and discovering cascades, fountains, abandoned pillars, and sculptures in this 16th-century former sugar mill that once belonged to the famed conquistador makes for an enchanting experience, especially at dusk. Ask for a room in the old part of the building to fully immerse yourself in the flavor of the place. Rooms have traditional Mexican furnishings and lovely patios or balconies. The restaurant is within old fort walls draped with vines—it's like dining inside a ruined castle. Facials, wraps, and massages are available in the plush spa, which also contains a cedar dry sauna.

This small hotel is the best option on Plaza Independencia. There are crafts in every room and hallway, in some of the most unexpected places. The terraced rooms present great views of the plaza. There are tables in the quiet courtyard, where tasty typical cuisine and a range of fruit and vegetable juices are served.

Set amid the gardens and weekend homes just south of Cuernavaca in exclusive Lomas de Jiutepec, this sustainably designed member of Fiesta Americana's luxury boutique Curamoria brand offers an array of eco-minded amenities to ensure a relaxing stay, including bike rentals, a good restaurant and bar, a conventional pool as well as a unique “biopiscina” natural swimming pond, an aviary, and a butterfly enclosure. Rooms are a bit cookie-cutter in design, but they're modern and comfortable. The 12 acres of grounds are beautifully landscaped and create a true sense of seclusion and serenity, even when the hotel is full. Standard rates don't include the extensive breakfast buffet, but many kinds of packages are offered.

Part of the trendy Grupo Habita brand, this striking hotel set in a former 19th-century water-purification plant helped put Puebla on the map with fans of design and architecture when it opened in 2008, and although it's been somewhat overshadowed by even newer and swankier properties in recent years, it's still a memorable place to spend the night without spending a fortune. Ultramodern materials were used for the building's transformation by famed architect Ricardo Legorreta; rough-hewn stone walls are paired with brushed metal and polished glass. The place has a whimsical attitude, with wonderful touches like the glass-sided rooftop pool, which you can view from the hip bar. The restaurant on the ground floor serves very good contemporary cuisine.

This funky inn a short block from the main square, once a convent, absolutely oozes charm, from the fresh flowers strewn throughout the cabinlike rooms to the overgrown courtyard where the exceptional breakfast buffet is served. Room 11's large terrace was built around a massive tree, lending dappled shade and giving the effect of living in a tree-house suite. Rates are discounted by about a third during the week.

Although located on the south side of town along the main road connecting Malinalco to Chalma and beyond, this friendly and informal spa retreat is quiet and surrounded by lush gardens, lawns, and terraces with grand vistas of the countryside. The simple but spacious rooms have high ceilings, adobe brick walls, tile floors, and colorful tapestries. Guests are treated to a complimentary full breakfast in the restaurant, which also serves à la carte lunch and dinner later in the day. A favorite feature are the heated and cool plunge pools, solarium terrace, and small spa where you can book aromatherapy massage and hydromassage treatments. 

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.

Enjoy splendid views of both the village and the pyramid as you stroll through the terraced gardens of this grand and historic hotel that has hosted numerous celebrities over the years---including Diego Rivera, Dolores Del Rio, and Gael García Bernal---and enjoys an ideal hilltop setting steps from downtown restaurants, shops, and attractions. A honeymooners' favorite, the inn is also a good place for families, with its pool table, pool, and several rooms with two beds. Most rooms have balconies and some have hot tubs---try to request one with views of the pyramid. The patio restaurant has a lovely setting, though somewhat mediocre food.

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.