Mexico’s Cancun International Airport is the gateway to the Yucatán and the Riviera Maya, with direct flights from over 30 U.S. cities on multiple airlines. Cancun Airport’s proximity to the United States means that if you leave in the morning, you might even make it to your hotel by lunchtime.

Begin your vacation with a relaxing three-night stay at our newly recommended property Hotel Esencia. Equidistant between Playa del Carmen and Tulum, this hideaway resort situated on 50 pristine and private beachfront acres was originally the vacation villa of Italian duchess Rosa de Ferrari. The 45 guest accommodations feature dazzling white-on-white interiors, and many are enhanced by private terraces with heated plunge pools.

Spend your days snorkeling along the nearby Mesoamerican Reef, sailing on Hobie Cat excursions, deep-sea fishing, paddling out to a cove inhabited by a group of manatees or swimming in the crystal-clear water of the hotel’s private cenote. Encounter endangered green and loggerhead turtles in their natural habitat while snorkeling in nearby Akumal Bay. Take a day trip to tour the impressive ruins in Tulum’s Archaeological Zone and eat lunch at Cetli, then visit the off-the-beaten-path Cenote Caracol on the way back.

You will not need to leave the hotel for fine meals, as the three on-site restaurants offer distinctive cuisine. The grilled seafood, fresh ceviche and 180-degree views of the aquamarine sea are the principal highlights at oceanside Mistura.

From Hotel Esencia, it is a two-hour drive to the enchanting colonial city of Valladolid. As seaside towns like Tulum have become heavily developed, more of the people who first made them fashionable are moving inland to this lovely place. A stay at the intimate family-owned Mesón de Malleville provides an oasis from which to explore the city. Of the four guest rooms available, delight in the beautiful and spacious Master Suite and its private walled patio with plunge pool and shower.

Visit the church and former convent of San Bernardino de Siena, which was built by Franciscan missionaries from 1552 to 1560. One of city’s most interesting sites, it includes a chapel with 16th-century frescoes, catacombs, crypts and a cenote (swimming is not permitted).

Valladolid is also an ideal location from which to visit the pre-Hispanic city of Chichén Itzá. As one of the Seven Wonders of the World and a UNESCO World Heritage site, this sacred destination encompassing 26 Maya ruins can get impossibly overcrowded, so it is best to arrive before the gates open at 8 a.m.

In Valladolid, Yerbabuena del Sisal is perfect for a casual lunch of smoked-meat tacos and spicy chiles rellenos. And located just outside of town, rustic Ix Cat Ik offers a fascinating and uniquely authentic experience of traditional Maya cooking, as the chefs are local women who use traditional methods and indigenous produce. If you have time, book one of their well-organized cooking classes.

As the 100-mile drive west from Valladolid to the fascinating city of Mérida takes two hours, you will arrive at the seven-room Casa Lecanda just in time for lunch. This serene hotel, with three patios linked by tropical gardens, was created by the renovation of a colonial mansion. The property has a beguiling atmosphere of an elegant 19th-century private residence and is a tranquil base in which to explore the Yucatán’s largest city.

Visit fascinating haciendas in the vicinity: Hacienda Yaxcopoil is perhaps the most interesting and best preserved, while the Cenotes Hacienda Mucuyché has a striking double cenote linked by a cana. A tour of the latter includes a visit to the original building with its gallery of Moorish arches and a swim in the cool waters of the cenote.

Casa Lecanda has a pleasant bar that mixes excellent cocktails, and dinner is available by advance request. But since Mérida has become a great food city, it makes sense to dine out. For lunch, consider Oliva Enoteca, an Italian restaurant located just across the street, or Los Almendros, a long-running tavern serving Yucatán clas­sics. There are also two excellent dinner options. Perhaps the most avant-garde restaurant in the city, K’u’uk, which means “sprout” in Mayan, serves tasting menus of molecular gastronomy dishes, as well as Maya specialties like suckling pig with lentil stew and grouper with black gar­lic, guacachile purée and avocado soup. Sitting outside under the ceiling fans in the arcade of Apoala overlooking the lovely Parque de Santa Lucía and enjoying dishes like seared tuna tiradito, enmoladas (stuffed tortillas in mole sauce) and tlayudas (large tortillas accompanied by sliced beef, black beans and Oaxaca cheese) is one of the best culinary experiences in the city. The talented young chef, Sara María Gómez, is from Oaxaca, and her cooking is a mixture of traditional dishes from her home province and the Yucatán.

A 45-minute drive southwest of Mérida takes you to Chablé Yucatán, which is set on a 750-acre estate surrounded by jungle. This beautiful wellness retreat is housed within a restored 19th-century hacienda on an old sisal plantation. Lodgings are exceptionally spacious (even the lowest room categories are 2,200 square feet) and come with private plunge pools or hot tubs and sundecks. The chief amenity is a dramatic spa complex encompassing a cenote, an outdoor infinity swimming pool, a temazcal sauna and a flotation room.

The resort’s four restaurants are overseen by brilliant chef Jorge Vallejo, including Ixi’im, where the finest local produce, much of it sourced from the flourishing on-site kitchen garden, is used to create exceptional regionally inspired dishes.

Besides relaxing, enjoying the fine cuisine and partaking in the cooking classes and tequila tastings offered at the resort, golf outings can be arranged. The property is also conveniently located less than an hour from the spectacular ruins of Uxmal, a complex of awe-inspiring temples built by the Mayas around A.D. 700.

Feeling rejuvenated from the warm Yucatán hospitality, head back to Cancún for a late departure home. If you’re unable to book a late afternoon flight, you can explore connecting flights from Merida, or spend an extra night at a Riviera Maya resort that’s close to the airport. Chablé Maroma is just 45 minutes from from the Cancun Airport and offers luxurious rooms, excellent dining, and a perfect white-sand beach with warm, clear water. Alternately, the new Casa de la Playa, part of the Xcaret group, is a luxurious adults-only resort just over an hour from the Cancun Airport. Your journey has come to a close, but your stories and memories will be never-ending.