Below Playa la Ropa in Zihuatanejo-home of The Tides. TIDES ZIHUATANEJOTIDES ZIHUATANEJOYucatán PENINSULA the tides zihuatanejo Sitting beside the pretty beach of Playa la Ropa this is a well-run, friendly hotel; its beautifully decorated cool, stone-washed cottages have either a terrace or a balcony. The tranquillity here makes for a very relaxing stay, but there is plenty to do if you're feeling energetic, with 4 pools and, floodlit tennis court. Horse-riding can be arranged. You will find yourself sitting on probably the most attractive beach in the country... 020 8747 8315 / journeylatinamerica.co.uk bookings, consultant advice and additional information 17Yucatán Escape* 11 days, 9 nightsCancún 1 night, Chichén Itzá 1n, Mérida 3n, Holbox island 3, Cancún 1n.Day 1 Daytime flight to Cancún on the Caribbean coast. Collect your car at the airport. Overnight at the hotel Villas at Kin Ha. Day 2 Drive south to the cliff-top ruins at Tulum, facing the sunset: the God of the Falling Sun was worshipped here. Continue to Cobá, deep in the rainforest, built around a group of lakes and as yet little-excavated. Drive on inland to Chichén Itzá, you might stop off at a refreshing cool-water cenote en route. Overnight at the Hacienda Mayaland. Day 3 Explore the vast well-tended site (Chichén Itzá). Continue to colonial Mérida (2-3hrs), the agreeable white-stone capital of the Yucatán. You'll stay at the hotel Casa del Balam a colonial style hotel, with an idyllic location. Day 4 drive to Celestún for the day. Day 5 At leisure to explore other ruins and cenotes in the area. Day 6 Having dropped off your car in Mérida, you'll be transferred to Holbox Island for a 3 night stay. The island is separated from the mainland coast by a shallow lagoon which gives sanctuary to thousands of flamingos and pelicans. Stay at top-quality Casa Sandra, a small property at once rustic and arty, with highly-personalised service. Days 7&8 At leisure on the island where fishing is still a bigger source of income than tourism. For a bit of excitement, you can dive with the whale-sharks (Jun-Sep). Day 9 Transfer by ferry and road to Cancún for a further night. Day 10 Transfer to the airport for your flight back to the UK arriving day 11. Prices from £1,111pp based on two sharing, including car hire but excluding transatlantic flights. Daily departures from the UK *This itinerary can also be taken with a car and driver, in which case a full-day private trip to Cobá and Tulum archaeological sites, visiting Dzitnup cenote en route is included; along with a guided tour of Chichén Itzá and a full-day guided excursion to Celestún. Prices from £1,629pp based on two sharing, excluding transatlantic flights. Further details about driving in Mexico and terms and conditions of car hire are available on our website.The Yucatán Peninsula and Mayan Riviera There's a network of good, fast roads across the scrubby forests and jungles of Mexico's lowland south-east. The area is dotted with Mayan ruins, including some little visited sites such as Campeche's Edzna, alive with exotic tropical bird sound, or Dzibilchaltun, garlanded with tropical vegetation and inhabited by exotic birds and monkeys. With your own car, you'll be able to discover these for yourselves: you may well be the only people there, soaking up a truly evocative atmosphere. If you're nature lovers, you might drive to the Sian Ka'an Biosphere, an extensive wetland where you can kayak and may spot crocodiles, deer, armadillos and sea turtles. For details of the principal places visited on this itinerary, please see pages 18-21.MEXICOCelestún..Mérida Holbox Island..Cancún.Tulum..CobáChichén ItzáBELIZE

Sublimely grand -The Hacienda TemozonISTOCKPHOTO.COMThe states of Campeche, Yucatán and Quintana Roo form the huge wedge of low-lying, forest-covered territory of the south-east. It is here that vestiges of the Mayan civilisation loom out of the undergrowth at every turn. Sites replete with temples and pyramids festooned with sacred carvings were, once abandoned, swallowed up by a rapacious jungle but are now gradually being revealed, and the sites constitute some of Latin America's most popular attractions.The best known sites, Chichén Itzá, Uxmal and Tulum are easily accessible and have been spruced up for visitors, with hotels and restaurants nearby and a plethora of eager guides. Each of these major sites has its own ambience and appearance, and should notbe missed. The Hacienda Chichén Itzá is a particularly delightful place to stay close to the ruins, enabling guests to explore after the daytrippers have gone. There are lesser-known sites rising from an untouched natural setting and their discovery comes as a surprise and a delight. Edzná, for example, is a huge ceremonial centre featuring the 30m high Temple of the Five Storeys. At Chicanná the great doorway of the House of the Serpent Mouth is elaborately decorated with masks. Along with Xpujil and Calakmul, this is the biggest archaeological area in Mesoamerica with 7000 buildings in the central zone. The Great Pyramid is the largest Mayan building in existence with an amazing rainforest view from the top.Kohunlich is a large site deep in impenetrable forest. The Temple of the Masks has a central stairway flanked by three metre high stucco masks of the Sun God. Visit it from the Explorean Kohunlich hotel, where large thatched cabins and a beautiful infinity pool sit on a ridge with views over the forest canopy.Spanish colonial domination has left a series of graceful towns and villages which co-exist and intermingle with the Mayan ruins. Mérida is a cheerful and bustling place where colonial churches and mansions cram the grid of streets; plazas host markets and impromptu musical and theatrical performances. There are plenty of places to stay here; a long-standing favourite of ours is the Casa de Balam, housed in a Mexican art deco refurbished mansion and with plenty of cool greenery within its walls. The port of Campeche has restored 18th and 19th century houses crouching behind the bulky defensive walls and fortresses.The Yucatán and Campeche 18 MexicoHACIENDAS