A short flight east and you arrive at the small and friendly town of Chocholá. Winding dirt tracks, rusty signs, bicycles and long grass are the main attractions here, but that is part of its charm.
Turn off down a discreet road and you’ll find Chablé Resort & Spa Yucatán set on a grand 750-acre estate.
It’s time to turn off your phone and unplug the internet as staff receive you at the gates and bundle you into a buggy for a tour of the steamy jungle-like terrain.
The resort is made up of 36 casitas and four family villas, each with a private pool; there’s almost no need to leave your abode.
Tea is brought each morning to the door, which can be drunk as soon as you’ve managed to pull yourself out of the four-poster bed and draw back the blackout blinds.
The shower is quite the experience, too – cover yourself in soapy suds with only a glass door separating you from the leafy outdoors.
In the main part of the building, there are three restaurants to choose from: the Asian-inspired Ixi’im, the poolside Ki’ol or the Spa Restaurant with its healthy vegetarian-only menu and freshly-pressed juices.
These wholesome offerings, alongside the clipped lawns, the old 19th-century stone buildings, calming water features and palm-tree covered pool, are sure to relax your soul.
The perfect place to unwind, Chocholá isn’t too far from the buzzing town of Merida, the Yucatán state capital, nicknamed Ciudad Blanca (White City).
There’s the food market piled high with fruits and vegetables; a rich calendar of dancing and music most evenings; and a few trendy bars, such as La Negrita with its Wild West swing doors and an impressive array of tequila.
About an hour away is the Mayan city of Uxmal with pyramids much like those found at the more renowned Chichén Itzá complex.
Bucket-list activities should also include a visit to a cenote. These underground pools of water decorated by stalagmites and stalactites have been transformed into a tourist attraction of winding wooden steps and pop-up shops.
From $974 per night, chableresort.com
1 comment
I’ve been repeatedly to Yucatan, but I’ve never visited that place, it looks great in the photos and so you tell us that it would be worth going and knowing! I definitely have it written down for my next trip!