[ad_1]
Ten million tourists arrived from Cancún in 2023, representing 1 in 4 tourists arriving in Mexico that year. For a country three times the size of Texas, rich in culture, art and nature, this figure is a perfect illustration of the problem of overtourism: People are flocking to one or two key points while dozens of spectacular spots remain largely under the radar.
As Mexico prepares for its high season – which runs from winter holidays to spring break – it is making every effort to disperse the crowds beyond Cancún. An airport opened in Tulum earlier this year, with flights from Dallas, Miami and New York City now landing daily. Another airport, in Mérida, is in the final stages of a massive expansion to double its domestic and international arrivals. And the long-awaited (but highly competitive) Maya Train, which inaugurated service in December and will connect destinations in the country’s five eastern states, has just added stations in Chetumal and Bacalar to its growing route network.
But that still leaves plenty of lesser-known destinations for those who want a crowd-free experience. Here are four places that still feel like a secret that deserves to be kept — even though it’s easier than ever to reach them.
seaside mystery
After a decade of government spending restoring and repainting many of its colonial city facades and installing reinforced walls, Campeche is ready for its close-up. The new $28.5 billion Maya Train makes access easier, stopping right in the middle of the city and giving commuters money to make the 300-mile, six-hour trip from Cancún to Campeche.
As things stand, most tourists to the seaside capital are “seasoned travelers from Europe,” says Sébastien Larmier, who owns and runs Narrative, a high-end rental collection in the city. “But more people are coming from the US and Canada. This is a new phenomenon.”
He admits that this train has come with a lot of controversies and environmental concerns. (Among other things, its construction has destroyed large swaths of rainforest and endangered local populations of jaguars, pumas, ocelots and armadillos.) But as a French native, Larmier says that He has seen firsthand how a train connection between two cities can transform the local economy. “This will be life-changing for small towns around the Yucatan Peninsula,” he predicts.
Make one of Narrative’s luxury residences – such as Casa Japa, a four-bedroom 18th-century manor opening in 2023 – your home base for exploring around the city, including its four-mile Malecón (boardwalk) path which touches the coast and provides the best view of the sunset in the city. Or try Hacienda Puerta Campeche, a grand dame hotel recently acquired by Six Senses Resorts & Spas.
The town itself is the main attraction, with excellent restaurants including La María Cocina Peninsular or La Casa de los Murmullos; The latter serves a seven-course French-Mayan fusion dinner. But you can also use Campeche as a launch pad for day trips to lesser-visited Mayan ruins like Edzna, which has 10 square miles of well-preserved pyramids and palaces, or from nearby Tarpon to Los Petanes. One can take boat trips through the dense mangroves.
A magical Tulum option
Tiny Bacalar has been a rising star since the Mexican government listed it as one of Mexico’s Pueblos Magicos, or Magic Towns, in 2006 – a designation that recognizes spectacular features like its namesake Lagoon of Seven Colors. In 2021 it received its first luxury eco-resort, an adults-only outpost of Habitas that surveys spectacularly painted Lake Bacalar from its A-frame tented cabins. But now, in 2024, the city has become easier to visit, thanks to the new airport in Tulum, which cuts the roughly five-hour drive south from Cancún in half.
Visit the cenotes and forests of Bacalar before this town becomes as popular as its northern neighbors. The local swimming holes are some of the largest in Mexico; They’re more like small lakes than the caves you’ll find up on the Riviera, with Cenote de la Bruja – the Witch’s Cenote – a favorite for its deep midnight-blue waters.
The habitat is also a destination in itself. There are special dinners in honor of the full moon, a DJ on the weekend, temazcal (sweat lodge) ceremonies and cacao rituals that involve hot chocolate and meditation (a hard combo to argue with!), a nod to the region’s Maya roots. . Don’t miss dinner at Siete, the resort’s two-story restaurant nestled among the forested treetops. Executive chef Jonathan Navarrete—who trained at NOMA Tulum and Barcelona’s Estimer—uses local ingredients to create dishes like slow-cooked pork with pineapple puree.
other side of the baja
The party capital of Baja California Sur has always been Los Cabos, but the real capital, La Paz, flies under the radar. It has been considered progressive for years, yet it has never been fully developed from the tourism point of view. Maybe this is by design.
While Los Cabos, at the very tip of Baja California, is filled with huge resorts and cruise ships, La Paz chose not to expand its port, preventing cruise ships from docking there. But new restaurants and bars are opening: Pujol’s former chef de cuisine Alejandro Villagomez is cooking up his first solo spot, Nemi, where he’s using local produce and seafood to create beautifully crafted plates. Sunrise/Sunset is a new juice bar that focuses on natural wines during the afternoon and evening. And Toto Frito (the name means “everything is fried”) has developed quite a following for its sustainably sourced oyster po’boys and fish tacos — all served in a plastic-free dining room.
There’s now also a great place to stay, courtesy of Mexico City-based Grupo Habita, which opened the five-story Baja Club Hotel in 2021. Its 32 mudrooms have access to a Miami-chic pool and rooftop bar with views of the Sea of Cortez.
About the Sea of Cortez: This pristine marine area is full of adventure, whether it’s swimming with seals, fishing for tuna or snorkeling through volcanic rock formations. And, unlike Cabo’s rocky beaches, some of the bays here are open for swimming, such as Playa Pichilingu and El Coromuel, which have thatched palapa umbrellas and clear, calm waters where you might see colorful small fish right around your ankles. Can. ,
san miguel swap
If trendy Mexico City is the obvious choice for urbanites south of the border, San Miguel de Allende is its artistic, historic counterpart: a colonial town just south of the capital, with character and less crowds. For similar attractions with less notoriety, try Puebla. It’s actually closer to the capital – 80 miles (131 kilometers) on smooth highways instead of 170. It’s also big (it’s Mexico’s fourth-largest city), yet it feels less crowded with tourists and full of art. Glazed Talavera tiles adorn most buildings, including the stately Banyan Tree Hotel in the center of town, and you can buy tableware made from the same brightly colored red clay throughout the city.
There are new reasons to go, including a burgeoning wine scene that benefits from the wide area of fertile land around the Popocatépetl volcano, about 40 miles west of the city limits. While many vineyards are still too new to visit, there are exceptions like Entreras, where you can pair Pinot Noir and Grenache with generous cheese and charcuterie plates on a beautiful terrace overlooking an active, smoky peak .
The same soil lends poblano chiles — traditionally from Puebla — the chili flavor that characterizes the most famous local dish, chiles en nogada, says Zach Rabinor, founder of luxury travel organization Journey Mexico. “The excitement and hope that the same unique soil that makes Puebla’s peppers so special will also contribute to unique and excellent wines,” he says.
Ironically, one of the city’s oldest features – a series of 500-year-old secret tunnels – is also one of its newest attractions, discovered only in 2016. The Banyan Tree is the main access for Puebla Hotel guests, as a tunnel leads directly to its garden.
[ad_2]
