Chablé Yucatán
Hotel Name: Chablé Resort & Spa Yucatán
Number of Rooms: 40
Location: Twenty-five minutes from Merida Airport by car; 3.5 hours driving from Cancun.
A 19th-century hacienda sits at the center of this blissful resort retreat on the Yucatan Peninsula, complete with antique tiles and crumbling stone arches. Continue further into the property, a former agave plantation, and you'll find forty casitas with hammocks and private plunge pools, guarded by giant palms and bedecked with a drapery of vines and woven lanterns (not to mention Chablé has the world's largest private tequila collection). But the real draw here is the spa, which measures 32,000 square feet and is built around a cenote. Unwind to the melody of jungle birds in the place Conde Nast Traveler calls Latin America's coolest spot to relax.
What We Loved: The free-standing villas are surrounded by gnarled trees, perky palms, and hanging plants – so use your outdoor shower and personal plunge pool with abandon!
What We Didn’t Love: Those who love the hacienda vibe of the public spaces may find the rooms themselves lack a bit of local charm.
Right For: Tequila aficionados, those looking to unplug, couples. Come after that Tulum wedding with all your college friends where you spent the weekend pretending you were 21 again.
Wrong For: Travelers who equate Mexico with sand and sea – beach bums should head around the peninsula to Esencia.
Best Time to Visit: December to May.
TLF Tip: Purify mind, body, and soul in the Temazcal, a pre-Hispanic Indigenous sweat lodge. The ritual ceremony involves heat, chanting, rocks, fire, and teas to liberate the senses and encourage spiritual renewal.