7 Best Hotels in Side Trips from Mexico City, Mexico

For the ultimate luxury spa getaway, treat yourself to a couple of days at the supremely cushy Amomoxtli, a hideaway that offers an extensive array of wellness services, including temazcal sessions, yoga classes, cleansing ceremonies, reflexology, and deep-tissue massage. Rooms in this adults-only, sustainably designed resort set in a lush valley a couple of kilometers from town range from standard-size to downright spacious, and all are exquisitely decorated with many locally made crafts and accents. Common spaces are filled with contemporary art, and the outstanding Mesa de Origin restaurant serves artfully plated, locally sourced fare. The pool is one of the prettiest in town, with sweeping views of the surrounding cliffs. 

A colorful history distinguishes this grand hacienda, built in 1529 under the orders of Cortés, now a magnificent oasis of quiet and lush gardens disturbed only by birdcalls, the splashing of a waterfall, and the ringing of a chapel bell. Antiques fill both the public areas and the spacious, beautifully restored guest rooms, which are located both in the main hacienda and several outbuildings. You can bliss out with a treatment in the well-designed spa, which includes a traditional temazcal. Outstanding Mexican food is prepared in an inviting open kitchen close to the pool. The hacienda is about a 40-minute drive southwest of Cuernavaca and an 50-minute drive from Taxco, making it a good base for exploring either place.

This former country club morphed into the one of the most upscale resorts in Valle. All guest rooms have fireplaces and great views of the pine forest. If the 18-hole, par-72 golf course doesn't tempt you, perhaps a massage, facial, or yoga class at the high-tech spa will. The property is about 10 minutes from Valle de Bravo, so if you didn't come by car you'll need to take taxis into town.

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.

With a knockout view of town, multiple dining and nightlife options, a pool, Saturday night fireworks, a golf course, a spa, and kids' activities, this modern, upscale resort named for the mountain on which it's perched has the most extensive amenities of any property in town. It's a great choice for families, but the location across the valley from downtown can be a little inconvenient, especially in the evening when the funicular is no longer running. Rooms are comfortably furnished, most with wonderful views, but they're a bit lacking in character.

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.

An American expat opened this hacienda-style hotel in the 1950s, and it remains one of the most exclusive lodgings in Cuernavaca, even though its somewhat stodgy personality doesn't appeal to every taste, especially younger travelers. The ample rooms are outfitted with traditional fireplaces, hand-carved bedsteads, hand-painted tiles in the bathrooms, and gilded crafts. The restaurant, with its spectacular open-air terraces and garden inhabited by flamingos, peacocks, parrots, and African cranes, is a wonderful place to spend an afternoon enjoying a leisurely meal. Again, though, the very traditional food is less a reason to dine here than the chance to soak up the splendid scenery.