DK Travel : Cancún and the Yucatán

Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula has a special atmosphere and an immense variety of attractions, including some of the world’s best beaches and diving areas. The modern, glittering resorts of the east coast’s “Mayan Riviera” lie alongside charming old Spanish Colonial towns, sleepy Mayan villages, and the awesome remains of ancient civilizations.

La Cocay, Cozumel

This mellow, restaurant in a Caribean-style wooden hut offers a wide range of Mediterranean- inspired dishes, including pasta, light fish specialties, and excellent salads.
La de Michoacán, Valladolid

Near the Chispa, this simple combination café, bakery, and ice-cream stand is a backpackers’ favorite, and offers fresh juices and bargain snacks.
La Habichuela, Cancún

Excellent Yucatecan and Mexican cooking, with Campeche dishes such as camarón al coco (prawns/shrimp with coconut). Fine presentation and original touches, all superbly served in the tranquil surroundings of a lush garden.
La Habichuela, Cancún

A charming specialist in Yucatecan and Mexican tropical seafood in a softly lit garden by the tranquil Parque de las Palapas.
La Isla, Cancún

The latest and most stylish of the Hotel Zone’s malls, built as an artificial island surrounded by Venetian-style “canals”. It’s the place for major fashion names, like DKNY and Dolce e Gabbana.
La Madonna, Cancún

A strikingly elegant bar-restaurant in Cancún’s smartest mall, La Isla, with decor that’s a hybrid of Baroque and Art Nouveau.
La Mejorada, Mérida

This large church with a very Spanish-looking plain façade was built as part of a major Franciscan friary in 1640. It was the last occupied monastery in Mérida, and closed only in 1857. Behind the church, some of the former monastery buildings now house a school of architecture.
La Misión de Fray Diego, Mérida

Restoring old buildings is now in vogue in Mérida, and this grand 17th-century house has been expensively converted with a mix of antiques and all-modern bathrooms, a pool and other services. Some rooms have a real Spanish-mansion air; others are less exciting, and prices vary accordingly.
La Palapa del Lodge, Uxmal

Located opposite the ruins of Uxmal, this restaurant has a tropical garden, ethnic artworks, and fine local and international cuisine.
La Palapa, Celestún

Automatic first choice in Celestún, an ideally comfortable beach terrace beneath a palapa roof, with succulent, coriander-rich platters of fish, shrimp, and octopus.

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Restaurant price categories

For a three-course meal for one with half a bottle of wine (or equivalent meal), taxes and extra charges.
- under $5
- $5-$10
- $10-$20
- $20–$35
- over 35
Hotel price categories

For a standard, double room per night (with breakfast if included), taxes and extra charges.
- under US$20
- US$20-$45
- US$45-$80
- US$80-$130
- over US$130