9 Best Hotels in Around Mexico City, Mexico

This marvelously renovated colonial building may no longer be a private home, but it still has the same cozy environment. Many of the original details have been preserved, but there are also modern furnishings, luxe linens, and a pillow menu. The central patio is home to the restaurant, which serves well-prepared and beautifully presented traditional Mexican dishes and interesting international fare. Keeping watch over the dining room is a large statue of the place's namesake: China Poblana, the daughter of a Mongol king who was kidnapped and brought to Mexico.

This stately 19th-century home is one of Cholula's finest B&Bs, and a stone's throw from the Great Pyramid and other attractions. The courtyard has a Talavera-tile-lined fountain and huge laurels for shade, and there is a rooftop terrace with a pool and spectacular views. The high-ceilinged rooms are either elegantly simple or coolly sparse, depending on your taste.

Resembling an old castle, this hacienda was made famous as the backdrop for the 1955 film La Escondida. Converted into an elegant and welcoming hotel, it is a true gem seemingly in the middle of nowhere—51 km (32 miles) from Tlaxcala—but a five-minute bus ride from the hotel to the charming pueblo mágico of Huamantla. The stately restaurant ($$), watched over by two stuffed bulls, serves delicious regional fare and has a cozy fireplace to warm up the chilly winter nights. It is a hive of activity on Sunday, when people from around the area come here to lunch. Best of all, the hotel gives tours to other remote haciendas of Tlaxcala State, an eye-opener into the history of the rural region, along with other activities like hot-air ballooning and horseback rides.

This small hotel is the best option on Plaza Independencia. There are crafts in every room and hallway, in some of the most unexpected places. The terraced rooms present great views of the plaza. There are tables in the quiet courtyard, where tasty typical cuisine and a range of fruit and vegetable juices are served.

The elegance of this boutique hotel—a five-minute walk from the zócalo—was crucial in putting Cholula back on the map. The 17th-century mansion, built around a central patio with a fountain, was restored (and is operated) using environmentally sound practices and as many of the original materials as possible; the well-stocked library was built entirely from repurposed vigas, or beams. The property is solar powered, and even the paints are naturally derived to match the original colors. Immaculate, spacious rooms have polished wood furniture and floors, and high, exposed-beam ceilings. King-size beds are wrapped in luscious, down-filled bedding and supplied with a pillow menu. The outstanding restaurant ($–$$) creates Mexican and nouvelle dishes and is worth a visit in its own right.

Las Luciernagas, with its bucolic location off a remote gravel road a few miles from town, is a rare cross between a B&B and a five-star hotel—what other B&B has a wine list? Four of the five rooms have fireplaces, and all have luxury bedding, artisanal toiletries, minibars, and a unique sense of privacy thanks to the rooms being spaced quite far apart, and the helpful but unobtrusive hosts. "La Cima" is an expansive suite with a terrace that overlooks the stunning manicured landscape of giant agaves, calla lilies, and birds of paradise; "Los Encuentros" opens to what is essentially its own private garden, with a stone path that leads to the Jacuzzi. The public spaces include a range of quiet terraces and seating areas, and top-notch dinners (with both Mexican and international dishes) are available by request. There's no better choice in Valle for a romantic getaway, or just a quiet home base.

This funky inn a short block from the main square, once a convent, absolutely oozes charm, from the fresh flowers strewn throughout the cabinlike rooms to the overgrown courtyard where the exceptional breakfast buffet is served. Room 11's large terrace was built around a massive tree, lending dappled shade and giving the effect of living in a tree-house suite. Rates are discounted by about a third during the week.

If any of the antiques that decorate your room strike your fancy, you might consider taking home a souvenir; they are all for sale. Warming touches are both figurative and literal at this converted colonial mansion; you'll be welcomed with a plate of cookies, and if it gets chilly, heaters are brought to your room. The rich colors of folk art pervade the cozy but stylish bar. The lovely restaurant ($$) serves tasty regional dishes such as carne San Pascual (steak with corn fungus), and cooking clsses are available. There is live music in the evening.

Formerly a convent, this 16th-century building radiates historic character, from its luminous restored frescoes to its wooden shutters. Large white rooms have colonial antique furniture and exposed beams. The junior suite was once the convent's chapel, and the presidential suite has original 16th-century gilded furnishings and carpeting. The staff is warm and professional.