Mexico Great Values

This six-room bed and breakfast has something special – its own museum. The American couple who own and run it, the LaVasseurs, are collectors of ceremonial masks and folk art, and they’ve added an impressive small museum onto the back of the property, which is reached by climbing a dramatic stairway lined with similar striking masks. The bougainvillea- and fountain-capped courtyard is also home to wonderful folk art. Each of the six rooms is different, although all have fireplaces, and some have private terraces. It’s a short, easy walk down to town and taxi ride to and from costs only a few dollars. The full breakfasts are lavish, and fresh-baked cookies are set out most afternoons.

With only seven stylish and intimate suites, this is a choice find for the money. Expect Mexican hacienda architecture with a Zen-like vibe; a carved Buddha watches over the small pool and its saltillo-tiled terrace. The suites have CD players and TVs, with hammocks on the patios. Beds have romantic mosquito netting canopies and each suite has a full kitchenette with complimentary coffee. At night the property is dimly lit with flickering candles, while incense wafts throughout. Service is personal and attentive, and the boutique provides guests with towels and beach mats.

Whitewashed walls and comfortable sitting nooks distinguish this pretty guesthouse in a quiet section of town. Four rooms and two full apartments open onto a small garden. The rooms access a shared kitchen – but don’t pass up the delicious breakfasts.

This hotel caters squarely to divers with a dive shop on premises, plus a pool and protected wade-in area for training. The 22 rooms are large and simply furnished, with balconies facing the sea.

You’ll need to book way in advance to score a room at this popular six-room boutique. Most of the rooms surround a pretty patio that’s shaded by trees and centered by a trickling fountain. In the back of the complex, a pool patio has a fiery terra-cotta wall which one of the chambers overlooks. All the rooms are different, but the décor is a whimsical mix of contemporary furniture and 18th-century architecture. One of the units is a stylish duplex with the bedroom upstairs. The food is fantastic and the service is personal. The staff is great at directing guests to all Oaxaca has to offer, including tailoring individual tours. The hotel also offers a temazcal steam bath led by a local shaman.

An atmospheric villa stay at a reasonable price can be had at this seven-suite villa-cum-bed-and-breakfast – a special sanctuary situated on a dazzling cove on Playa Conchas Chinas, just south of Mismaloya. The unique “Mexatarranean” inn, as it’s often described, offers tall doors with lattice terraces, a thatched-roof dinning room, and a pool with a sun-drenched terrace. Eclectic decorum – a mix of elegant European styles, quirky trimmings, and original art – fill the common spaces and guestrooms. A quaint living room with a cozy fireplace and trophy antlers mounted on the wall (one of the many surprising touches that make the place so memorable) serves as a welcoming gathering area, while the palapa dining room hosts breakfast Monday to Saturday from 9am-10am. A shorefront veranda with Roman columns has beach chairs for lounging and the massive rocks just offshore create calm pools, perfect for a refreshing dip. All seven charming suites, which occupy one of the seven floors, are completely original with a whimsical grandeur all their own. The lot comes complete with a kitchenette or full kitchen, air-conditioning, private baths, and balconies or terraces (with the exception of the Jessica suite which has no balcony and limited views). We love the Maria, all 12000 square feet of it, with its dramatic sumptuous style, rich colors, antique armoires, graceful canopied bed, and superb ocean views. The split-level Guadalupe suite is also fabulous with a fantastic beachfront spot right on the sand.

The only hotel on Cozumel’s east side runs entirely on wind power (that means no a/c, but the steady breezes make up for it). The 16 enormous rooms all overlook the ocean and just north is a wide beach that is perfect for sunbathing.

Enveloped by jungle and overlooking the Pacific, the mountains, and the thatched-roofs of Yelapa’s village, Verana is a destination on its own. Six fantastical little houses, all with a completely different style and ambience ranging from bohemian to minimalist, dot the lush hillside. Mango and lemon trees, an infinity pool (fed by natural spring waters), bar, and restaurant flank the tropical grounds while a posh spa offers soothing treatments. With steep stone walkways and the ever-present threat of scorpions (keep those shoes on!), a young hippie-chic, nature lovin’ set follows. A European chef prepares praiseworthy meals, mostly international-style cuisine with a touch of Mexican flair, twice daily. Verana also offers boat trips, walks to the waterfall, and yoga classes. Owners, Heinz Legler, former set director, and Veronique Lièvre, interior designer, often refer to Verana’s rooms as six movie sets. Pick from a palapa-style cottage with no walls, stone floors, eclectic furnishings, and gauzy drapes; a Mediterranean-style stone house with rustic adornments and warm colors; or a striking minimalist studio with polished cement.

Save money and help the environment at this eco-friendly hotel that uses solar energy and a water recycling system. There’s also a spa, a well-kept garden, a pool, and eclectic artwork throughout the 25-room property.

Like most of its neighbors in the Mayan Riviera, Hacienda Tres Rios fronts a gorgeous stretch of white-sand beach. But, unlike many of the region’s oceanfront resorts, this all-inclusive has transformed an adjoining mangrove forest into a nature preserve where you can kayak along a quiet river to the ocean, explore native plants and, best of all, snorkel in private cenotes (deep freshwater pools that speckle the region but are often crowded with day trippers). Dark mahogany furnishings and an earth-toned color scheme offer up a soothing, organic vibe, while marble bathrooms and private balconies overlooking the ocean are posh touches. Another noteworthy amenity is the exit lounge, which provides guests who are booked on late flights with a comfortable place to pass the time.