When planning your trip, you will be happy to know that Cuernavaca is dotted with several noteworthy hotels in addition to the Camino Real Sumiya. Travelers will likely find that luxury costs less here, compared to other higher-profile Mexican destinations (you can also rent entire houses via Airbnb for under $100 a night). Among the most interesting hotel choices is La Casa Azul (General Mariano Arista 17, Centro. Tel: +52-777-314- 2141. www.hotelcasaazul.com.mx), a boutique hotel that’s a member of the Tesoros de Mexico consortium. The property offers a central location and comfortable accommodations as well as an outdoor pool, spa, and fitness center.
To experience a bit of Cuernavaca’s historic upscale ambiance, consider checking into Casa de Campo (Mariano Abasolo 101, Centro. Tel. +52-777-318-5797. www.casadecampo.com.mx), which is set on an estate that dates back more than 250 years. This lushly landscaped hotel, which has a spa, pool, and restaurant, is also well positioned for exploring, since it’s just one block from the Cuernavaca cathedral and within walking distance of many downtown attractions.
Museum of Popular Art
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Expansive gardens and a swimming pool are among the draws at Hosteria Las Quintas (Blvd. Gustavo Díaz Ordaz 9, Cantarranas. Tel: +52- 777-318-3949. www.hosterialasquintas.com.mx), where every guest room has tile floors and a furnished balcony, providing plenty of space to enjoy the year-round agreeable temperatures.
Expansive gardens and a swimming pool are among the draws at Hosteria Las Quintas (Blvd. Gustavo Díaz Ordaz 9, Cantarranas. Tel: +52- 777-318-3949. www.hosterialasquintas.com.mx), where every guest room has tile floors and a furnished balcony, providing plenty of space to enjoy the year-round agreeable temperatures.
For contemporary design, one of the best options is Flor de Mayo Hotel & Restaurant (Matamoros 603, Centro. Tel: 52-777-312-1202. www.flordemayo.mx), which is a member of Design Hotels. Set in a 19th-century building that’s been attractively reimagined by Mexican architect Francisco Elias, the property is home to a spa as well as Patio 603, a restaurant that provides a modern take on southeastern and central Mexican cuisine.
Among the most luxurious accommodation options is Hacienda de Cortes (Plaza Kennedy 90, Atlacomulco, Jiutepec. Tel: +52-777-315- 8844. www.hotelhaciendadecortes.com.mx), a AAA Four Diamond property graced with lovely gardens, a spa, and an outdoor swimming pool. Set partially on what was once a 16th-century sugar hacienda, the hotel still features some of the original stone walls, and its restaurant, La Casona, is surrounded by gorgeous amate trees. Sunday is one of the best days to dine, when paella is a featured menu item.
Museum of Popular Art
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Also in a decidedly upscale vein is Las Mañanitas Hotel Garden Restaurant & Spa (Ricardo Linares 107, Cuernavaca. Tel: +52-777-362- 0000. www.lasmananitas.com.mx). A member of the posh Relais & Chateaux portfolio, this luxurious hotel offers supreme service and elegant décor. Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor, Maria Felix, and Omar Shariff are among the movie stars who’ve checked in here, but today you’re more likely to find peacocks than movie stars strutting around the lush gardens, which are accented with sculptures by Francisco Zúñiga. Suites are set in tile-roofed villas furnished with antiques and original artwork, and the award-winning restaurant serves creative Mexican delicacies and international dishes.
In case you haven’t noticed, it’s just about impossible to talk about fine dining in Cuernavaca without mentioning hotel restaurants, since upscale hoteliers here are among the city’s best restaurateurs. Even if you’re not staying at Anticavilla Restaurant, Hotel & Spa (Rio Amacuzac 10, Col. Vista Hermosa. Tel: +52-777-313-3131. www.anticavillahotel.com ), for example, you can still savor the tasty Mexican/Italian fusion at its restaurant. At the stylish La Provence Hotel Restaurant (Plutarco Elías Calles 22, Club de Golf de Cuernavaca. Tel: +52-777-310-3196. www.laprovence.com.mx), the dining venue is billed as the only French restaurant in the region, with a mouthwatering menu that includes crunchy duck leg confit, salmon scallops, and chateaubriand with Bearnaise sauce.
Unique flavors also await at Gusto Cuernavaca (Calle 16 de Septiembre 44, Acapantzingo. Tel. +52-777-318-3563. Where Mexican and Mediterranean flavors blend seamlessly, and La India Bonita (Calle Morrow, No 15-B, Centro. Tel: +52-777-312-5021. www.laindiabonita.com.mx) a long-time favorite in the historic city center that has been serving traditional Mexican cuisine since 1933.
