When you choose accommodations with verified sustainability certifications, you're making a meaningful impact.

Why Choose Certified Sustainable Hotels?🌱

Certified sustainable hotels demonstrate commitment through:

  • Verified Environmental Practices: Third-party audited standards ensure genuine sustainability efforts, not greenwashing.

  • Community Support: Local hiring, fair wages, and support for indigenous communities.

  • Resource Conservation: Measurable reductions in water, energy consumption, and waste.

  • Cultural Preservation: Protection of local traditions, architecture, and ecosystems.

  • Transparency: Regular audits and public reporting of sustainability metrics.

Before booking, look for these trusted certifications:

  • EarthCheck Certified: Science-backed certification requiring annual audits against international greenhouse gas protocols and UN Sustainable Development Goals.

  • Green Key: Awarded by the Foundation for Environmental Education with 13 strict criteria categories, including energy, water, waste management, and community involvement.

  • Check Official Certification Websites: Visit earthcheck.org and greenkey.global to verify current certification status.

Adventure curated by the brands you trust

Hike the legendary Nüümü Poyo (John Muir Trail), while forming lasting bonds with like-minded travelers.

Set up camp with iconic backdrops, enjoying an authentic travel experience in the outdoors.

This trip is inspired by REI Co-op, operated by Intrepid Travel. REI Co-op members save 15% on this itinerary.

For T&Cs and more info, click here.

Featured Sustainable Hotels in Yucatán 🏨

Chablé Yucatán - Chocholá 🛎️

Combines renovated 18th-century hacienda buildings with contemporary Mexican design by Paulina Morán. Each 1,700 sq ft Casita features original 19th-century walls from the working hacienda, natural stone floors, locally crafted textiles, hand-carved wooden furnishings, and intricate tilework. Winner of the Prix Versailles for architecture. Seamlessly integrates indoor-outdoor living with private terraces, pools, and a connection to the surrounding jungle.

Chablé has 40 rooms, 36 Casitas, three villas, and a presidential villa.

Chablé's culinary offerings are as extensive as its beauty. The Ixi'im restaurant, helmed by chef Luis Ronzón, pays homage to the region's traditional flavors, highlighting their unique characteristics. For an even more authentic Mexican touch, Ixi'im boasts one of the world's most comprehensive tequila collections, comprising 3,435 bottles. These range from special vintage editions by José Cuervo to bottles adorned by Rufino Tamayo.

Staying here is synonymous with immersing yourself in the local culture, while relaxing and enjoying the pools in the middle of the jungle. Chablé is a pet-friendly accommodation.

Chablé Yucatán.

Sustainability and Practices 🌱

Chablé has two certifications that endorse its sustainable practices: EarthCheck Award (2019) and Green Key Award (2021).

Here’s where the following takes place:

  • Utilized rescued materials from 16th-century hacienda buildings during construction.

  • Repurposed collapsed stones and fallen trees as unique furniture pieces

    100+ traditional Mayan Ka'anche gardens growing herbs and vegetables for the kitchen and spa.

  • Solar panels installed in 2021, generating 60% ofthe property's energy

    Ban on plastic bottles (eliminating 7,000+ monthly), providing purified water in glass bottles.

  • Highly controlled waste management with separate categories for organic, inorganic, plastic, glass, paper, and PET.

  • Bamboo products are replacing single-use plastics.

  • Collaboration with sustainable fisheries and the "Pesca con Futuro" movement.

  • Works with local communities to preserve Mayan culture and support the local economy.

Your reservation includes: a wellness program featuring traditional yoga and Mayan healing. An outdoor tennis court, a spa with shamanic experiences, cooking classes, a library, an art collection, a 24-hour concierge service, a service lounge, and a conference room.

You can make your reservation directly on their official website. They always have promotions, and the best prices are guaranteed.

Hotel Künük - Mérida 🇲🇽

Over 100 years of history preserved in a restored mansion blending traditional Yucatecan architecture with contemporary design. Features dramatic arched windows, period oil paintings, contemporary ceiling sculptures, high ceilings, long corridors surrounded by imposing trees, and lush tropical gardens. Each room is uniquely decorated with Mexican artisan works, macramé, palm crafts, and local artwork, creating an art gallery atmosphere.

Künük has 13 rooms, a swimming pool surrounded by native plants, and a garden that invites you to reconnect with nature through its ferns, palms, water lilies, and birdsong. The restaurant pays homage to the flavors of the region and uses fresh ingredients harvested from its organic garden. The bar offers traditional cocktails and Xtabentún, a Mayan liquor typical of the region.

One of the guests' favorite amenities is the Nespresso coffee machine in every room.

Here, pets are not allowed.

Hotel Künük.

Sustainability and Practices 🌿

The hotel does not have official sustainability certifications; however, it is committed to the environment. They have a wastewater treatment plant, work with local artisans, and have a rainwater harvesting system. The floors are made of handmade cement tiles and permeable paving that allows water to return to the water table.

Hotel Künük

You can make the reservation directly on their official website.

Hacienda Chichén - Chichén Itzá 🛎️

Historic 16th-century hacienda featuring Colonial Spanish architecture built with ancient stones from nearby Mayan ruins. Main house (Casa Principal) dates from the 16th century.

Individual cottages named after famous archaeologists who stayed during early 20th-century Chichén Itzá excavations led by Sylvanus Morley for the Carnegie Institute.

Rooms feature colonial-style design with Mayan cultural elements, colonial tiles, hand-woven bedspreads, and local fauna/flora artwork. Spaciously distributed throughout botanical gardens, providing privacy andan intimate connection with nature. Original historic walls preserved in structures like Sikar Bar (former foreman's home).

This accommodation is pet-friendly, and some rooms are specially designed to welcome them.

Hacienda Chichén offers exclusive services to its guests. These include a spa with holistic Mayan healing therapies and hot stone massages, a restaurant serving organic Mayan cuisine, a bar, a library, a swimming pool, a private wedding chapel, and personalized wellness programs. As a bonus, guests have exclusive access to the Chichén Itzá ruins before other visitors.

Hacienda Chichén.

Sustainability and Practices 🌴

Hacienda Chichén holds three certifications:

  • First Maya Eco-Spa hotel in the Yucatán state.

  • Multiple eco-tourism and sustainable tourism awards.

  • Green Leader recognition.

Some of the sustainable practices that earned them these certificates include waste management, recycling construction materials, wastewater treatment, BioProtect 500 antimicrobial protection treatment, preservation of the flora and fauna of the Mayan jungle, and reforestation and wildlife conservation on a 200-hectare private reserve.

You can make the reservation directly on their official website.

Slow Travel Starter Kit

Slow Travel Starter Kit

If you're planning your first slow trip, this guide will help you NOT forget anything during the planning process.

$2.00 usd

Best Time to Visit by Region & Season 🌳🫧

December - February (High Season - Winter)

  • Best overall time to visit Yucatán.

  • Cool, dry weather is perfect for exploring ruins and outdoor activities.

  • Average daytime: 82-86°F (28-30°C), nights: 65-70°F (19-21°C).

  • Minimal rain, clear skies.

  • Most expensive rates, highest crowds.

  • Book well in advance for Christmas/New Year.

March - April (Spring - Late High Season)

  • Excellent weather and warming temperatures.

  • Average daytime: 90-95°F (32-35°C).

  • Low rainfall, extended daylight hours.

  • March is an ideal month for Yucatán visits.

  • Spring break crowds mid-March.

  • May becomes very hot (100°F+/38°C+) - locals' least favorite month.

May - October (Rainy Season/Hurricane Season)

  • Hot and humid, with daily afternoon rain showers (typically 1-2 hours).

  • Hurricane season: June through October (peak: August-September).

  • Much lower hotel rates.

  • Fewer crowds except July-August (Mexican/European vacation season).

  • Rain rarely ruins the entire day - predictable afternoon patterns.

  • Cenote swimming is ideal as the water provides cooling relief.

November (Shoulder Season)

  • Best-kept secret month.

  • Weather improving, rain decreasing.

  • Lower prices, thinner crowds.

  • Pleasant temperatures returning.

  • Excellent time for ruins and cultural experiences.

Regional Climate Variations 🌴

Mérida & Interior Yucatán (Künük, Chablé) ☀️

  • Hotter than the coast, especially March-May.

  • No sea breeze.

  • Temperatures can exceed 104°F (40°C) in May.

  • December-January can feel cool at night.

Chichén Itzá Area (Hacienda Chichén) 🌳

  • Similar to Mérida - hot interior climate.

  • The jungle setting provides some shade.

  • Best visited early morning or late afternoon during hot months.

General Yucatán Peninsula 🌊

  • Sea temperature: 78-84°F (26-29°C) year-round.

  • Dry season: November-April.

  • Wet season: June-October.

  • Most sunshine: March-May

See you next time,

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