3 Best Hotels in Cuernavaca, Side Trips from Mexico City

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.

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.