A fiesta through Mexico

Smooth starts make for glad hearts; we’ll collect you from the airport and drive you to your hotel – the magnificent Casa Polanco Mexico. We chose this historic retreat for its artful merging of high-end comfort with the cosily exclusive vibe of a private residence.

In the late afternoon, you have the option to add-on a private, after-hours visit to the National Museum of Anthropology (MNA). Together, its treasure trove of artefacts tells the fascinating story of Mesoamerica – from Olmec statuary to turquoise skulls. Sated on all that history, we’ve arranged a dinner reservation for you at one of the city’s most in-demand eateries. First day, done.

Today, we’ll be taking out of the city’s bounds for a visit to the ancient floating gardens of Xochimilco. These ancient field systems have been used to grow crops sustainably for centuries, and you’ll learn from a local chinampa project run by the Xochimilco Agroecology Initiative. Oh, and you’ll be getting there by trajinera (a kind of Mexican gondola).

After you’ve eaten (expect huitlacoche and pumpkin flowers), we’ll take you to spend time at Frida Kahlo’s Casa Azul, her beautiful ochre-blue home in Coyoacán. Filled with artworks, mementos, and personal possessions, it looks much as it would have done in her time.

Today, we’ll be taking you horseback riding through San Miguel’s eye-catching highlands – over rolling plains and past roaming cattle as you make your glad way through Coyote Canyon and on to La Virgen River.

Then, we’ll show you around San Miguel itself – a city that grew to prominence during the colonial period before playing its role in the Mexican War of Independence. Dripping in bougainvillea, its tumbling, cobbled streets play host to pink-stoned churches, botanical gardens, artisans, markets, and over one hundred art galleries. It’s a joy to amble around. For dinner, your guide will help you choose from one of the city’s many popular eateries.

By night, we’re going to take you rambling through Oaxaca’s vibey streets; knocking back a mezcal at a perfect little ‘hole in the wall’ mezcalería we know and love. You’ll be dining on grilled tlayuda (a smoky sensation at the heart of Oaxacan cuisine) at another of our favorite places in the city. We’re not naming names here because (a) we like mysteries and (b) we want to keep them secret.

But Oaxaca is more than its (arguably unputdownable) capital city. Today, we’ll be taking you back in time to visit the archaeological site of Monte Alban, peering inside Tlacochahuaya – one of the colonial era’s earliest and most important churches – and spending time at Teotitlán del Valle, where historic Zapotec weaving traditions continue to this day. We also need to show you a very famous 2,000-year-old tree at Tule. We’ll explain why.

But we’re not quite done with the ancient past just yet. Today, we’re going to take you to explore one of the seven wonders of the world: the legendary Mayan site of Chichen Itzá. Your private guide will weave an enchanting tale of castillos, ‘Kukulkan’ pyramids, and ancient mythical snakes. You’ll also visit one of the sacred cenotes that played a (quite morbid) role in the Mayan’s sacrificial drowning rituals. You’ll eat locally (which is a very good thing). Then we’ll convey you back to your hotel.

Hear us out; we’re going to take you snorkelling again, but this time with a very important difference. That’s because you’ll be heading down into the Dos Ojos cenote – an ancient sinkhole that was considered deeply sacred to the Mayans. More than a simple ‘hole’, this is an ethereal, many-chambered subway river. It’s a very special – and very beautiful – experience. Back home at the Maroma, you’ll get to make the most of everything this peerless hotel has to offer.