From Campeche, the trip can continue in two directions. South lie the forest and the lagoon of Bacalar, which we cover in Campeche to Bacalar. North lies inland Yucatán: cenotes, haciendas, towns of old casonas and, at the end, the Caribbean. This is the northern road, told through the houses along the way.
The road, in brief
Mérida is about 180 km (112 miles) away, roughly two hours and fifteen minutes. You can stop in Becal, the town of jipi hats, or give the day to Uxmal. You can also take the Tren Maya. All three options, with their timings, are in Between Campeche and Mérida.
Credit: Las Casas de la Península
See the route and plan the stages
The cenotes: sleeping in the forest, half an hour from Mérida
Mérida deserves at least a morning. For the night, one alternative is to stay outside the city. About 35 km (22 miles) away, within the Ring of Cenotes state reserve, Galopina Casa Silvestre sits on a former henequen estate. Its five suites are scattered through the forest, each with a terrace and a hammock. Elisa and Guillaume describe it as a house for travelers rather than a hotel, and they welcome guests themselves.
Nearby are the cenotes of Homún, cenote diving for beginners or experienced divers, Javier Marín's workshop and a henequen hacienda that still works. In the morning and at dusk, the birds, with the house's binoculars and species guide. Galopina holds a MICHELIN Key for 2026.
Espita: the village, on the way to the Caribbean
If your trip continues toward Valladolid, Chichén Itzá, Holbox or Cancún, eastern Yucatán has a stop of its own. Espita, known as "the Athens of Yucatán", keeps its double-height 19th-century casonas with their patterned cement-tile floors.
This is where you'll find Casona Los Cedros. Once a family home and later a cantina, it stood abandoned for some thirty years. Today the original house holds the reception and the bar. The rooms, pool and terrace are set around a garden of aromatic plants. The table is part of the stay: its restaurant cooks with seasonal produce from the region and from the house's own garden. From Espita there are outings to Ek Balam, the X'Canché cenote and community-run cenotes, and Valladolid is less than an hour away.
Between the cenotes and Espita lie about 140 km (87 miles). You can drive straight through, a little over two hours, or choose an alternative: Izamal, on state roads, or Chichén Itzá, just off the highway. The options and timings are in the route's Espita to Seyé stage.
To the sea: Holbox
From Espita, the north ends at the Caribbean. Espita to Chiquilá is about 150 km (93 miles), roughly two and a half hours, via Tizimín or Río Lagartos; then the ferry. Holbox, at the northern tip of the peninsula and within the Yum Balam reserve, has sandy streets and hardly any cars.
In the village, right on the beach, is Casa Cat Ba. Colette and Pierre-Marie renovated a seafront villa themselves with local materials, antique furniture and regional crafts. Every room faces the beach and has a balcony or terrace, and the house terrace, with loungers facing the sea, is the place for sunset. It is the last house on this road, or the first, if your trip begins in Cancún.
A journey from house to house
Casonas MX is part of Las Casas de la Península, which connects five independent projects in Holbox, Espita, Seyé, Campeche and Bacalar: island, village, cenotes, walled city and lagoon. Each keeps its own identity, team and booking system. Together, they offer different ways to discover the Yucatán Peninsula. Choose just one house or combine several, in the order and at the pace that suits your trip. Each house is a destination. Together, they make the journey.
Discover the route and its five houses · What Las Casas de la Península is
FOR THIS TRIP
Your house before heading north
Casonas MX brings together nine 18th-century casonas (large traditional houses) within the walled city of Campeche. Seven are booked whole, and two house the four Narrativ Lofts; all have hotel services and one local team. Two or three nights let you see the city without rushing before you continue.
Frequently asked questions
Where to go after Campeche?
South, to the forest and the lagoon of Bacalar, or north, into inland Yucatán: the cenotes near Mérida, the towns of the east and the Caribbean.
Where to stay near Mérida?
In the city or outside it. Galopina Casa Silvestre, in the Ring of Cenotes, is about 35 km (22 miles) from Mérida.
How do I fit Espita and Casona Los Cedros into a trip to Holbox?
As a stage between the Ring of Cenotes and the island. Espita is a little over two hours from the Ring of Cenotes and about two and a half hours from Chiquilá. From Los Cedros, Valladolid is less than an hour away.
Do I have to travel every stage?
No. Stay at a single house or combine two or three, in whatever order you like. Each house is booked directly on its own website.
Distances and times are approximate road estimates, taken from the stages published by Las Casas de la Península. Confirm schedules and visiting conditions before you go.
