5 Best Hotels in Palenque, Chiapas and Tabasco

A large natural pool forms in a bend in the Río Nututún, which runs through the grounds of this hotel. The rooms in the low-slung main building are plain but ample. Book a suite and you'll have a terrace overlooking the gardens.

If you want to stay near the ruins, this is the place. Amid colorful wild ginger and aromatic jasmine, this cluster of spacious bungalows feels miles from anywhere. Your bungalow has a dressing room, sitting area, and a bedroom with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking gardens. If you aren't already close enough to nature, there is a pair of mahogany rocking chairs on your back porch. From many rooms you can see the nearby stream that fills the immense lagoon-style pool. Don't confuse this Chan-Kah with the hotel of the same name in town (that one is called Chan-Kah Centro.) This hotel has more character, and it's closer to the ruins.

This colonial-style hotel is surrounded by thriving gardens. A small waterfall and creek run through the grounds. All the rooms, with fabrics made by local artisans, have balconies facing the gardens. The palm-lined pool has several hammocks where you can spend a lazy afternoon.

Although this hotel is uninspiring, it's quiet and well located on a posh suburban street, La Cañada. The spacious terrace is marked by a huge thatch-roofed sitting area where people meet for coffee in the morning or drinks in the afternoon. Nearby is the tree-shaded pool, which has a mosaic of a hibiscus blossom. Rooms are adequate, marred only by fluorescent lights.

This comfortable hotel is one of the newest in the area. Spacious, modern, and clean rooms are distributed in 16 large buildings with thatch roofs that they call bungalows. The inviting lobby is also under a palapa roof, as is the large adjacent restaurant. You can access Wi-Fi in the lobby.