Must-see hotels in Northern Central Highlands

  • La Casa del Atrio

    Querétaro

    This pretty spot has morphed from its original three-rooms-in-an-antique-store to a stunning boutique hotel, with 12 rooms built around interconnecting…

  • Hotel Amparo

    San Miguel de Allende

    This sublime hotel set in a painstakingly restored building pleases anyone lucky enough to snag a room, each of which is wildly different. You want…

  • Mesón de Abundancia

    San Luis Potosí State

    Easily one of Mexico's most atmospheric hotels, this 19th-century former treasury building has been wonderfully renovated with exposed stone walls and…

  • 1850 Hotel

    Guanajuato

    There's nothing 18th century about this stunning hotel except perhaps the building it's housed within. One of the most memorable hotels in central Mexico,…

  • Mesón de los Poetas

    Guanajuato

    If only all hotels were like this! This hotel's labyrinth of rooms – each named after a poet – totter up a hillside and offer spacious (though singles are…

  • Hotel Museo Palacio de San Agustín

    San Luis Potosí

    Formerly a house for retired monks of the nearby San Agustín monastery, this extraordinary property has been restored to its original condition, including…

  • Posada de las Minas

    Guanajuato State

    This beautifully restored 19th-century hacienda offers charmingly old-fashioned rooms and apartments complete with Mexican ceramics and period furnishings…

  • Antigua Capilla

    San Miguel de Allende

    Constructed around a tiny 17th-century chapel, this utterly stylish, spick-and-span place is hard to fault; it boasts every mod con and service imaginable…

  • Casa Maricela

    San Miguel de Allende

    Offering perhaps the best value for money in town, this superfriendly, Mexican family-run place (great English spoken) is an absolute charmer. The homely…

  • Cielito Lindo Hostal

    Zacatecas

    There are few budget options in Zacatecas, but this delightful and stylish hostel, which is in the former home of a religious padre, has been lovingly…

  • Casa Zuniga

    Guanajuato

    This charming B&B is run by the charismatic duo Carmen and Rick, who are famous for their warm welcome and generous breakfasts. It's located on the hill…

  • Hotel Camino Surreal

    Xilitla

    This is the friendliest and most comfortable place in town and makes for a very pleasant oasis of cool after a day tramping around the jungle. There are…

  • Hotel Villa María Cristina

    Guanajuato

    This series of stunning converted colonial mansions, joined by a maze of patios and gardens, is one of Guanajuato's most exclusive addresses. The decor in…

  • Rosewood San Miguel de Allende

    San Miguel de Allende

    The Rosewood is an over-the-top palace of a place, where seamless service, gorgeous classically decorated rooms and fairly staggering levels of opulence…

  • Casa de la Noche

    San Miguel de Allende

    This fascinating boutique guesthouse claims to offer 'exceptional hospitality' and that seems appropriate considering that it was once a brothel! Despite…

  • Cabaña Sierra Gorda

    Northern Central Highlands

    The best budget choice in Jalpan, these simple but charming and comfortable rooms can be found in a pleasant garden site a 15-minute walk from the center…

  • Corazón de Xoconostle

    San Luis Potosí

    The best hostel in San Luis is this delightfully renovated house named after the flowering fruit of the nopal cactus. The hostel has good dorms with bunk…

  • El Molino

    La Huasteca Potosina

    Based in the rather scrappy agricultural town of Rio Verde, on the edge of the Huasteca Potosina, ‘The Mill’ has 15 neat and tasteful rooms (some around…

  • Hotel Salto de Meco

    La Huasteca Potosina

    This small and quiet hideaway is set on a turquoise river, framed by a green lawn and surrounded by thick forest. Chill over a pool-bar margarita, swim in…

  • Hotel Matilda

    San Miguel de Allende

    A slice of thoroughly modern luxury makes a striking contrast to the rest of San Miguel's staunchly colonial accommodations, but it works well here…

  • Hotel Mesón de Jobito

    Zacatecas

    Guests come here to soak up the old-fashioned charm and sense of history that permeates pretty much every corner of this atmospheric hotel. Its 53 rooms…

  • El Zopilote Mojado

    Guanajuato

    You can't miss this summer-blue place on a quiet square. It has three traditional fan-cooled rooms in a converted old colonial home, many of which feature…

  • Corral d Comedias

    Guanajuato

    Unusually, this hostel is run by volunteers whose presence makes it feel like more of a hangout than traditional hostel setup. There's lots of communal…

  • Casa Florida

    San Miguel de Allende

    Muted tones and subtle design choices define this ultra-attractive, intimate boutique hotel in the heart of San Miguel. The four rooms vary in size, but…

  • Quinta Real Zacatecas

    Zacatecas

    This luxury treat is hands down the best hotel in Zacatecas. Spectacularly situated around the country's oldest – and now retired – bullring and near El…

  • Dos Casas

    San Miguel de Allende

    This sleek sleep oozes contemporary style with its cream and black hues, fireplaces and mirrored, mosaic bathtubs. Twelve stunning rooms across two…

  • Hotel Emporio Zacatecas

    Zacatecas

    Zacatecas' most upmarket hotel boasts a superb location, large and luxurious if somewhat bland rooms and pleasant public areas. Service is professional,…

  • Posada El Castillo

    Xilitla

    The former Gastelum home where Edward James stayed in Xilitla is now a verdant, Pozas-esque guesthouse run by his niece and her family. Its unique rooms…

  • Hotel Amor y Paz

    San Luis Potosí State

    How you feel about this hotel's spiritual pretensions (its business cards come with Buddha quotations) might affect your overall opinion, but what cannot…

  • Hikuri Hostal

    San Luis Potosí

    A pleasantly converted house on the edge of the colonial old town, this fun place sets the tone by placing one end of a combi van in reception. Elsewhere…

  • Hotel Plaza Elite

    La Huasteca Potosina

    This very comfortable place has charming staff and a rather strange location in a small shopping mall. Rooms are large and spotless, with desks, big…

  • Hostal La Vie en Rose

    Aguascalientes State

    It's all about bicycles at this friendly and good-value hostel. They hang from the ceiling and are stenciled onto the walls, which gives this place a…

  • La Casa del Naranjo

    Querétaro

    The six rooms here are decorated in an eclectic but stylish manner and surround a lovely roof terrace with a Jacuzzi. Each room is named after a fruit,…

  • Blue Bicycle House

    Querétaro

    Located just on the edge of the center, with a view of the aqueduct, the Blue Bicycle House (look for the bicycle hanging outside) is a highlight of…

  • Hacienda El Santuario

    San Miguel de Allende

    The communal areas of this boutique place, which is in a quiet part of town, are stuffed full of extravagant statues and other works of art (admire that…

  • Kuku Rukú

    Querétaro

    This funky hotel-hostel hybrid has both private rooms and dorms. Dorms are good value and simple, while the price hike for the private rooms gets you one…

  • Refugio Romano

    San Luis Potosí State

    This true oasis at the far end of town opens up into a lovely green garden of cacti and fruit trees surrounded by four simple rooms furnished with dark…

  • Alonso10 Hotel Boutique & Arte

    Guanajuato

    A stylish boutique hotel located a street away from the centralized chaos. White and taupe hues rule, as do smart rooms with all the trimmings. The front…

  • Hotel Quinta Allende

    Querétaro

    A good value and architecturally interesting city-center option. The front half of the hotel is housed within a tenderly restored old building made up of…

  • Mesón Cuévano

    Guanajuato

    Superbly renovated hotel with rough stone walls, exposed wooden roof beams, lots of art and all round great insulation from the heat of the day and cold…