In the second part of a two-part Mexico feature, Janine Kelso looks at cultural tourism. Part one covers the all-inclusives that dominate Mexico’s big coastal resorts.
If you’re looking for the real Mexico, make for the unspoilt interior, which is awash with boutique hotels and authentic haciendas that have a distinct Latino flavour.
It’s possible to stay in converted convents, 18th-century houses or former plantations by booking with specialist operators such as Journey Latin America, Sunvil and Cox and Kings. There are also some boutique properties available on the coast – even in Cancun.
Mexican roads are well trodden by backpackers, but it is only in recent years that the country has begun to attract more UK visitors. Between January and October 2007, 246,333 British tourists took a holiday in Mexico.
Some, at least, will have been attracted by the 26 World Heritage Sites. The most famous of these is Chichen Itza, recently hailed one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.
Sunvil has added Mexico to its Latin American programme and director Lloyd Boutcher thinks the country has a rich and vibrant culture, which easily rivals that of Central and South America.
He said: “There are many beautiful colonial and archeological sights, not to mention an abundance of great restaurants and a high standard of accommodation that is on a par with Costa Rica and is better than most countries in South America.”
Mexico is renowned for its food – no trip is complete without a meal of tasty tacos or burritos, and if you’re feeling adventurous, a toasted grasshopper. Several operators are cashing in on Mexican cuisine by organising cookery classes. Journey Latin America offers lessons in Mexico’s gastronomy capital Oaxaca. Guests stay at Hacienda Los Laureles, which dates back to the 18th century, while shopping for food at the market and taking tuition from local chefs.
Mexico’s top cultural attractions
- Explore the ruined city of Chichen Itza, a collection of 30 crumbling buildings in a jungle setting.
- The Day of the Dead festival, during which the souls of the dead are said to return to talk to their relatives (Oaxaca, October 31 to November 2).
- Bullfighting has a 500-year history in Mexico, and every major city has a bullring.
- The colonial town of Guanajuato offers the home of Mexican painter Diego Rivera as well as a mummy museum, housing more than 100 mummies.
- The Mayan site of Palenque has pyramids, towers and temples and lies in the heart of a jungle inhabited by toucans and monkeys.
Sample packages
Sunvil offers a 16-night Highlights of Mexico tour for £3,523, including all accommodation, flights, transfers, guided excursions and some meals. The price applies for departures from April 1 to June 30 and August 21 to December 15.
Collette Worldwide Holidays offers a 14-day Colonial Jewels tour, which includes visits to seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites for £1,704, in November 2008 including flights, transfers and most meals.
