Personalized trips to Mexico
for independent travelers

This is a beautiful hotel right in the center of Valladolid, with an authentic, traditional character. The staff is courteous and attentive, the grounds are beautiful and the courtyard and pool provide a peaceful setting. Unfortunately the first night we were assigned to an extremely noisy room overlooking a busy street. We could not get any sleep. After we were moved to a different room, our stay was much more pleasant. The restaurants is very good. I wish we knew about the roof terrace bar while there!

As of February 2025, the only reason to be at hacienda Morelos is the location. It is located right in the center of Puerto Morelos, with direct access to the beach and with sea view of most rooms. The rest however, is in grave need of attention. There is a feeling in the hotel that there is no management, the employees where often uncourteous and lacked initiative. There are renovations going on in the restaurant, so you are walking in a building site and to reach the pool and sea you have to go through all the kitchen equipment left in what would be otherwise a nice restaurant area. We constantly had to request extra towels and toilet paper for our 4 people room, like it was not possible to give anything extra. The coffee in the foyer was alway empty, in a container way too small for the demand. The pool and other part of the hotel cleanliness is questionable. The fee parking was half a building site, we were blocked in by a van at one point. They should have closed during the remodel and train their staff better.

Beautiful peaceful cenote, staff explained well how to reach it and showering procedure. Friendly staff and nice food at lunch, lovely environment.

What an amazing place, a world a part from the crowds of Chicen Itza. I hope ek balan retain its character. The local guide , Baldasar, was knowledgeable and friendly to us and our children. We learnt so much! The team managed to change around our booking times to see the cenote after the archeological visit. The cenote was beautiful, with a nice relaxing area with hammocks, changing rooms and lovely staff explaining the site facilities and rules. I wish we had longer there. After that we went to the village tour that felt authentic, again with welcoming and friendly people, showing their homes and their craft. We purchased locally made crafts, although we never felt pressured into it.

Overall a fantastic day. Francisco was accomodating as we arrived 30 min late. I had flagged the start time of 10 as too early from valladolid , with the time change. He was extremely friendly and professional. Francisco was so nice and friendly, a father himself he was caring and engaging with the kids and explained a lot about his culture but also took great interest in us! The cooking was a fantastic experience with the children, we picked and made everything from scratch! The family cooking was super hospitable and jovial. The laguna tour was very special and packed with activities !

Beautiful dive, great staff, small group and great equipment. Knowledgeable and eco conscious owner of the diving service. Despite the mishap with my diving start time, Ernesto Hevia was quick thinking into finding a solution for me, he also took care of me picking me up from the ferry and taking me back there after. There needs to be more direct communication between the diving center to the client directly. I understand the diving did not have my direct contact info. I filled in the questionnaire but at that point I should have also scheduled a call or have a direct message to the provider to go over details and questions.

Friendly staff, great equipment, eco conscious tourism, a great experience. Joaquin was so friendly and our captain Arturo took care of our children on the boat. I love how everybody receives and explanation before snorkeling on how to protect the environment. The floatation devices definitely limits people diving down and grabbing things or inadvertently damaging corals. We saw a lot of fish!.

This hotel seems fairly recently renovated, and has lovely decor. It is convenient and modern in comfort, yet retains historic charm. The staff are friendly and accommodating. I had several breakfasts there, which were delicious. The hotel is conveniently located in the historic center, close to places of interest, shopping and restaurants.

My room was large and comfortable. The hotel is very conveniently located. The reception staff were extremely friendly and helpful.

My guide Yimnah was wonderful - friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. She chose excellent food samples so that I could experience many flavors of Mexico, and some foods specific to Mexico City itself. We walked to a local market in an area of the historic center that I would never have thought to explore on my own (not because it was dangerous, just because I didn’t know it was there). Yimnah also shared interesting facts about that specific area of Mexico City.

With my guide Luis, I believe that I was able to visit the areas of greatest significance of Teotihuacán.

The visit to the Talavera workshop was great. I was a fan of Talavera ceramics before my arrival, and was thrilled to tour the Uriarte factory, one of the most historic and iconic Talavera factories of Puebla. It was informative and after the tour, for better or for worse, I was able to paint my own piece. We later had a fantastic walking tour of the city of Puebla.

My guide Lupita chose typical dishes of Puebla for us to sample - tacos de canasta, tlayoyos, quesadillas (not like those in the US), and sweets. Although there were other dishes, like cemitas, that we were unable to try (because too much food) Lupita provided background information about those foods. While we were in the street of dulces, she pointed out the former home of the Serdán family, which continues to display bullet holes from the start of the Mexican Revolution on its facade.

We visited a famous Talavera factory, Talavera de la Reyna, on the way to Cholula. The tour was fascinating, and included a thorough explanation of the process of producing the ceramics. We then proceeded to Cholula, where the guide discussed the largest pyramid in the world, located there. We visited the museum and walked around the pyramid, viewing the excavations of previous pyramids. We then climbed to the top to see the famous church of Nuestra Señora de los Remedios. Additionally we visited Templo de Santa María Tonantzintla and La Purisima in San Andres Cholula.

This class was very well-organized and incredibly fun. I was the only tourist in this activity, which added to the experience since I felt like I was really able to participate in the cooking. However I think that a larger group would be great as well.

To my delight, Lupita was my guide for this day’s experiences. It was a day full of unique experiences; we visited 2 of Mexico’s Pueblos Mágicos, Zácatlan and Chignahuapan, and hiked to a waterfall Cascadas San Joaquin Tomatlán. Zácatlan is a town bejeweled with beautiful and intricate mosaic murals which depict the history of the town, early Mexican history/mythology, and things of cultural interest such as typical clothing from each state of Mexico. To add to the value and interest of this excursion, the actual artists were working as we toured and spoke with us about their work! The hike to the waterfall took place through a cool refreshing mountainous area, and the local guide discussed the indigenous plants of medicinal value. During this tour I sampled some local delicacies such as bread stuffed with an entire apple, elote and a maguey worm (actually very tasty and a good source of protein, no kidding).

I visited the forts commemorating the battle of Cinco de Mayo, and the Ex-Convento de Santa Rosa. I wanted to visit the house of the Serdán family but was unable; it was closed for some sort of maintenance.

Spacious rooms, great buffet breakfast and central location.

Very comfortable hotel, spacious room with a separate lounge area, an excellent buffet breakfast and a great pool to cool off in during the evenings. Wonderful location, few minutes from the beach and quinta avenida.

Boutique hotel, spacious rooms and excellent central location in the heart of the city.

Tranquil location overlooking the lagoon.

Brilliant location, right on the beach.