Haciendas and cenotes, the Caribbean, Oaxaca's architecture and the capital
17 hotels3 regions
Mexico is three trips in one country, each a flight apart. Yucatán is the old henequen haciendas around Mérida, the cenotes in the limestone and the Caribbean coast down to the lagoon of Bacalar. Oaxaca is the country's kitchen and its mezcal, a colonial city in a valley and a Pacific coast where some of Mexico's best architects have built small hotels. Mexico City is where most trips begin, and it deserves more than a night between flights.
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The Mexican peso. Cards are taken in hotels and most restaurants; carry cash for markets, taxis on the street and small places.
Very regional: cochinita pibil and recado negro in Yucatán, moles, tlayudas and mezcal in Oaxaca, and in Mexico City everything from street tacos to some of the continent's most celebrated tasting menus.
Domestic flights link Mexico City with Mérida, Cancún, Oaxaca and Puerto Escondido in one to two hours. Within Yucatán a car or a driver is the practical choice; in Mexico City, use app-based cars rather than street taxis.
Customary: 10–15% in restaurants, usually added by the guest rather than included, and small tips for porters and drivers.
November to April, the dry season, on both coasts and in Oaxaca. Hurricane season runs from June to November, and sargassum seaweed can reach the Caribbean beaches in the summer months.
Yucatán for haciendas, cenotes and the Caribbean; Oaxaca for food, mezcal, architecture and a wilder Pacific coast; Mexico City for museums, neighbourhoods and restaurants. A first trip of two weeks can join the capital with one of the other two.
At least ten days for two regions, allowing a travel day between them. Mexico City rewards three or four nights on its own.
From June to November on both the Caribbean and the Pacific coasts, with the highest risk from August to October. The dry season, November to April, is the safest and most comfortable time to go.
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