5 Best Hotels in Zacatecas, San Miguel de Allende and the Heartland

This is one of the world's more curious hotels: it's built around Mexico's first plaza de toros (bullring), which is the second-oldest in the Western Hemisphere. Pastel fabrics complement dark, traditional furniture in the large, bright, and plush rooms. Some of the former bull pens are part of the bar, which is a great place to unwind; candles supply the lighting, and there are cozy corners. Two levels of the spectator area make up an outdoor café. The formal restaurant ($$$) offers Mexican and international cuisine and, from the upper level, an awesome view of the bullring and the aqueduct beyond.

For an authentic Zacatecano hotel, consider this clean, quiet place. The spacious brown-carpeted suites have dark antiques; some are equipped with a small kitchen (but no cookware). Sprawling plants and singing birds—Pepe the parrot leads the choir—enliven the two-story interior courtyard. There's also a breakfast room.

The 18th-century pink-stone facade of this lovely old colonial building faces the Plaza de Armas and the cathedral. During festival season, rooms looking onto the plaza are within earshot of late-night and early-morning tamborazo music. That said, you'll get a great view of the festivities from your small balcony. It offers lots of services, such as parking, babysitting, a bar-restaurant, business center, and a small gym.

This shiny, modern hotel, with its prime location on Avenida Hidalgo, has taken the city by storm. A marble staircase leads up to the first floor, past gleaming glass structures. Rooms are top-of-the-line, simple and sleek, with dark-wood floors, lovely bathrooms, and, in some cases, terraces that open onto terrific views of the city. The restaurant isn't as exciting.

Once an early-19th-century apartment building, this hotel is absolutely sprawling, with courtyard upon courtyard giving way to more rooms than you imagined could exist here. There are two levels of guest rooms, all of which are done in tasteful, if somewhat bland, furnishings. The Mesón's placement on a little plaza set back from and above the street enhances its tranquil quality.