Raffles

We have just returned from two weeks in Mexico. This is an excellent way to burn your BA Miles, as there is generally good availability in J and F. It is a 747 (so the best F product and an upstairs for J) and you benefit from a day flight on the outbound and a partially day flight on the inbound. Mileage required is 100k for J, 150k for F (we did F).

Mexico seems to be a generally a misunderstood country from a tourism point of view. I thought I would therefore summarise what we did during our 2 weeks to help anyone planning a similar trip, since I must have spent a good 50 hours or so researching itineraries and hotels. The route we took was similar to that used by most upmarket tour operators.

Stop 1: Mexico City (3 nights)

Hotel: Top choices are the Four Seasons or the JW Marriott. The FS is the better choice by most accounts and is just $249 for a suite at weekends. However, it is not in Polanco, which is the upmarket area where most of the business hotels, restaurants and luxury shops are located (and where there is the heaviest police presence). The Marriott is in Polanco, but is a luxury four star at best. Next to the Marriott are an InterCon, a W and a Nikko if you have points to burn, although none are as well regarded.

Sights to see: the Frida Kahlo museum, the Trotsky museum, the Greenwich Village-style area of Cayoacan (near the above), the Anthropology Museum, Polanco shopping. You can also do a day trip to the pyramids 25 miles north.

Helpful hint: Take the Friday BA flight. Hotel rooms in Mexico City are AT LEAST 50% cheaper at weekends, and the traffic is lighter. Get your hotel to pick you up – not cheap ($70 one-way, $100 return) but a lot safer. And believe what the hotels, guide books and indeed the Foreign Office website say – do NOT hail a taxi on the street. Go to the nearest hotel and take one of their cars.

Stop 2: Oaxaca (3 nights, flew from Mexico City)

Oaxaca is a lovely small colonial town, with a very laid back feel and lots of interesting shops and galleries. The main hotel is the Camino Real, a converted 16th century convent. We stayed here and it is not bad at all, although the rooms are not huge. You MUST take an interior room – the exterior rooms are cheaper but suffer heavily from street noise. Take a day trip to Monte Albarn, the Aztec site nearby – the Camino Real does a good day trip for $30 per person that also includes some other sites nearby.

Helpful hint: Internal flights are not cheap. We spent £700 between us for three internal flights. You will not find them cheaper than the Mexicana website – believe me, I tried. Business class flights are 2-3 times the price so not worth it, in my view. Neither Mexicana or Aeromexico are in any of the major alliances so no lounge access unless you have a Priority Pass, although you can credit Mexicana flights to an AA account. We stuck to Mexicana flights (all new Airbus planes, most codeshared with Aeromexico) although Click Mexicana (its budget offshoot) flies some routes on Avro’s if you want to save a few pounds. You will be impressed by the domestic and indeed international terminals at the Mexico City airport.

Stop 3: Merida (3 nights, flew from Oaxaca via Mexico City)

Merida is a bigger version of Oaxaca, although not as pretty. However, the main reason to come here is to stay at one of the fantastic restored haciendas. Five of these are managed by Starwood, and are worth a look if you have points to burn. However, I strongly, strongly recommend that you stay at Hacienda Xcanatun. This is a truly stunning place and - unlike the Starwood properties – only a few minutes drive from Merida. We paid $300 for a Master Suite, and I can honestly say that I have never stayed in a better room for less than £200 anywhere in the world. As we left, the Crown Prince of Japan turned up for lunch – I kid you not.

There are also chain hotels in Merida, including an InterCon, but you’d be crazy not to stay at Xcanatun. The main day trip from Merida is to the ruins at Uxmal, about an hours drive away.

Helpful hint: We hired a car from Avis, picked up at Merida airport and dropped at Cancun. Car hire is NOT cheap – we paid $500 for a week, of which $160 was the one-way fee. Only Avis of the majors lets you book a one-way online. The roads are excellent in Yucatan, far better than in Oaxaca or Mexico City. The roads are straight, wide and very empty. Merida has a six-lane ring road around it and was never busy. If I can drive there, anyone can. Cars are manual, not automatic.

Stop 4: Chichen Itza (one night, drove from Merida)

Chichen Itza is the most famous Mayan site in the country, and a convenient stop about 200km from Merida. Take the toll road. There are a number of hotels nearby, of which the best is Mayaland. That is not saying much, but it is fine for an overnight stop. You can pass the evening by returning to Chichen Itza (2 mins walk from the hotel) for the sound and light show, which is a bit pants but is free if you keep your ticket from earlier in the day. We got a cheap £78 rate on octopustravel.com.

Stop 5: Beach resort on the Riviera Maya (two nights, drove from Merida)

We ignored Cancun on pure snobbery grounds, and stayed at the new minimalist Esencia resort about 100km south of Cancun (about 200km in total from Chichen Itza, most on the empty toll road). There are many resorts here in all price brackets, so pick one that suits you and your budget. The best one, Paradisa de la Bonita, I think its called, reopens in April post hurricane. There is a Mandarin Oriental resort opening in the Autumn which may be even better.

We dropped our car at Cancun Airport and took the 3.30pm Mexicana flight to Mexico City (arrived 5.30pm) in time for the 8.40pm BA flight back to London.

I hope this gives you a feel for how you can have a decent holiday in Mexico. The best time to go is January to April. During the Summer it rains for 1-2 hours per day and is very hot. You also have the hurricane season from July to December. We did not see a drop of rain during our two weeks, and it was constantly 25-30 degrees centigrade.

Please post if you have any queries and I’ll do what I can to answer.