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A Luxury Hacienda That's Not So Lonely: Xcanatun

Where: Tablaje Rustico Catastral, Mérida, Yucatan, Mexico

You may be inclined to feel sorry for the Mexican investor who turned five crumbling haciendas of Mexico's Yucatan region into Starwood Luxury Collection Hacienda Hotels. Upkeep has to be a pain and it costs good money to market them, yet years after opening, they're still empty more often than they're full. We've seen this first hand, but a March 17 Wall Street Journal story summed it up with a round-up piece called "A Hacienda of Your Own". (Scroll down to second story.) Their point? The haciendas look grand, but you'll probably have the whole thing to yourself when you go. (A hint from us: Temozon is usually the liveliest of the five and is a good base for exploring both Mérida and Uxmal.)

That investor is Banamex founder Roberto Hernandez though, who sold his company to Citigroup in 2001 for $12.5 billion. So we don't feel all that sorry for him really.

Meanwhile, you can get the hacienda experience in a less isolated setting at Xcanatun (pictured here). Their ugly web site is pure amateur hour, but take our word for it that this is the best small hotel in the region. In a way it's sort of a semi-hacienda experience. You get the 18th-century historic structures and the sense of place, but the grounds are not all that extensive because you're just a 15-minute drive from central Mérida. This refined boutique hotel has large, well-stocked rooms, a sizable pool for cooling off, a full spa, and a restaurant that wins plenty of local "best of" awards.

There are only 18 rooms though, so you still get the personal service and that privileged bigwig feeling. Since Xcanatun can pick staffers from a city of one million, English proficiency is also much better here that at the Starwood hotels. If you truly want to get away from it all and have the Mexican equivalent of a plantation all to yourself, try Hacienda San Jose or Hacienda Santa Rosa. Otherwise, this one gives you a more polished experience, with alternate dining and entertainment options (plus golf and a beach) a short drive away.

As with all the hacienda hotels, however, don't expect chain hotel standards: there are no TVs in the rooms and Internet access is iffy. They make up for it with peaceful gardens, stereos in each room, and Mexican antiques throughout.