Casa Xtakay

Valladolid in Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula was named a Pueblo Mágico in 2012 – meaning a town or city offering visitors a magical experience. The town is often referred to as a living museum, and you can still see local women wearing traditional embroidered huipal blouses or selling artisan products in the stone-paved streets. Spanish colonnades and pastel stucco buildings give Valladolid a quaint colonial charm, while cenotes (natural swimming holes) surround the city. The ideal base for exploring the Yucatán region, Valladolid is close to world-renowned archaeological sites and unspoiled beaches.

You can expect to stay in houses with traditional features like inner patios and plant-filled gardens. Embrace the slow pace of life by taking a siesta in a shaded hammock or choosing a Valladolid hostel with a pool to relax beside. Free breakfasts provide enough fuel for a bike ride out to the cenotes. Accommodation in Valladolid hostels ranges from mixed dorms to private rooms with en-suites to campsites kitted out with sleeping mats, sheets, towels and pillows.

Calzada Los Frailes is a narrow street with brightly painted buildings dating back to the 16th century, now filled with artisan shops selling everything from handmade chocolates to jewellery. The social hub of the city, Parque Francisco Cantón Rosado is ideal for people-watching in the sunshine. La Candelaria is a peaceful residential neighbourhood with beautiful colonial architecture and authentic eateries.

Open-air Cenote Zaci is a few blocks from the city centre and the perfect place to experience your first swim in a water-filled sinkhole. Cenotes Samulá and X'Kekén, around 7km away, are caverns with stalactites dangling over the water. Río Lagartos is a small fishing town 100km north of Valladolid, famous for its high concentration of flamingos and nearby pink lagoon Las Coloradas. You'll also be in easy reach of Mayan ruins including Mexico's Wonder of the World Chichén Itzá and the lesser known Ekʼ Balam.

Valladolid is easy to get around on foot, but a bike will help you reach some of the nearby cenotes. For destinations around the Yucatán Peninsula, you can catch a bus from the ADO bus terminal in town or travel like a local by flagging down one of the minivan services known as colectivos (check the destinations painted in the windscreen). The closest major airports are Cancún International Airport and Manuel Crescencio Rejón International Airport in Mérida. To get to Valladolid, you'll need to change buses in Cancún or Mérida centre or book a private transfer direct from the airport.