A Solo Traveler's Guide to Yucatán, Mexico

Staying at this boutique retreat on teeny, car-free Isla Holbox is a great choice for solo travelers. With just 18 rooms, the dreamy rustic-chic spaces are designed with terracotta tiled floors, gnarly beams, beds draped with floaty white fabric and original art, for an authentically Mexican feel. Ditch social media, your emails, Netflix and any other screen for that matter, as this tech-free holistic beach retreat would rather you unwind and de-stress with al fresco yoga and meditation, padding about on the palapa-dotted beach and savoring healthy regional fusion dishes.

The “gran” part of this 19th-century mansion’s name is justified by the ornate columns and courtyard patios furnished as lavishly as the interior spaces, with ceramic floors, fancy sofas, framed paintings and dangling chandeliers giving the space plenty of character. Sturdy dark-wood pieces set a traditional tone in cooling rooms that face either the garden or the pool – both a joyous mix of green foliage and palms. Alone or with your group, you’ll enjoy the 10-minute walk to the laurel-shaded Plaza Grande, with a daily flag ceremony, live music and a Sunday craft market, meaning no thoughtless last-minute duty-free gifts for your cat sitter.

This cute collection of colorful thatched beachfront cabanas with hammocks strung outside are far from the throngs of touristy Cancún, north of the Maya Riviera. If that sounds too rustic, there are also self-catering houses with gardens and pools, which are perfect for groups of solo travelers. Californian-Mexican fusion food will put a smile on your face, as will the pelican sculptures dotted among the coconut trees in the grounds. If you fancy a fresh coconut, just ask – someone will shin up and get you one.

You’ll spend a night at Zamas Hotel as part of Culture Trip’s exclusive nine-day Yucatán Peninsula trip.

One of the best things you can do in Cancún is sample Yucatán flavors in this longed-for Caribbean setting. This breezy treehouse-style cafe features barbacoa, quesadillas and fresh corn tortillas on the menu – with a side order of live music come nightfall. There are French and Italian dishes to try too – and you can get into the groove inside or outside, with their heady array of margaritas, sangrias, Mexican beers and wines.

One of the country’s “Pueblos Mágicos”, Izamal is home to one of Mexico’s finest and most unassuming restaurants. Step through the butter-yellow facade of Kinich, flanked by vines and plants, and you’ll find a lively atmosphere with local women dressed in traditional huipil white tunics bringing freshly-made tortillas to tables set beneath a cathedral-style palapa roof. Try the rolled tortillas stuffed with diced egg and topped with pumpkin-seed sauce, and the smoky sausage – a conversion starter for any group of friends, whether old or new.

Let the sea breeze cool the balmy night air at this jungle setting close to the beach. Head there late – after 11pm – and you’ll soon be toe-tapping to live sets from local and international DJs. Well crafted cocktails such as the Crisanto – a mezcal-infused mix of chile serrano, cilantro and pineapple, with spicy salt around the rim – are the main draw, soaked up by grilled seafood hot from the wood-fired oven. Chatty bartenders are happy to share their on-the-ground local knowledge – as well as their impressive cocktail know-how.

Mérida, the peninsula’s cultural capital, is shaped by a blend of the original Maya civilization and the invading Spanish conquistadors. Colorful Spanish-era architecture painted foodie shades of pink and green lines narrow streets, while the main zócalo (plaza) is home to one of the oldest churches in Latin America. Elsewhere, the Gran Museo del Mundo Maya de Mérida gives an educational account of the Yucatán’s ancient history and more recent colonization, while the heady blend of crafts, local cuisine and market stalls piled high with spicy habanero peppers is seriously impressive.

The Yucatán peninsula is home to a seemingly endless supply of cenotes – natural sinkholes and caves filled with fresh water, used by the Maya for drinking and rituals. Just off the main highway south of Playa del Carmen, rainforest-fringed Cenote Azul is certainly one of the most noteworthy. With shallow parts appealing to less confident swimmers and snorkelers, and a cliff for daredevil divers, the dreamy blue waters will tempt any passerby in for a swim.

The multi-stepped pyramids and temples of Chichén Itzá are feats of Maya science and astronomy that would be no less impressive if built today. The best-known is the Temple of Kukulkan, also known as El Castillo, with a step for every day of the year. Abandoned before the arrival of the Spaniards, the former city is rightfully bestowed with the double glory of being a Unesco World Heritage Site and one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. Luckily for visitors today, the Maya people built their complexes close to cenotes – so small tour groups can slip away for a cooling swim after a sweaty day of clambering around.

A trip to the amazing Maya ruins is just one of many authentic activities you’ll experience on Culture Trip’s nine-day Yucatán Peninsula tour, led by our Local Insider.