A few hours inland you’ll find centuries-old haciendas transformed into luxury inns.
BY CHESTER DAWSON
BusinessWeek®, EXECUTIVE LIFE- TRAVEL, June 19, 2006
Mexico’s lush Yucatán peninsula comjures up images of mindless hedonism, be it idle sun-bathing or seductive nightlife. Yet the area offers far more than sun-baked beaches. Just a few hours inland are majestic Mayan pyramids, colonial-era cathedrals, and a trail of historic haciendas restored to their former splendor.
A dose of hacienda culture can be a fascinating way to explore the peninsula. That’s possible because in recent years many of these once-abandoned plantations have been turned into upscale restaurants or luxury hotels. Dining in the leafy courtyard of a pastel-hued mansion or waking to the sound of chirping jungle birds in a thatched-roof hacienda villa can be a welcome antidote to the tourist traps of Cancún.
The best hacienda inns boast rooms with cathedral ceilings and period furnishings such as four-poster beds. All have updated bathrooms, some with bonus features such as outdoor jacuzzi baths. But the real highlight is the Spanish-influenced architecture: soaring arches, thick walls, and intricate tile flooring. Many.... offer an assortment of resort amenities, including holistic Mayan spa treatments using native flowers and locally produced honey. That can help work out the kinks after hiking through the 1,000-year-old ruins of Uxmal or exploring the streets of Mérida, the region's capital and host to the continent's oldest cathedral.
The Yucatán's haciendas date as far back as the 16th century, when they served as cattle ranches or corn farms. But these feudalistic agriculture hubs only began to flourish in the late 1800s, when demand soared for sisal, a crip used to make ripe that is related to the agave plant used in tequila. That Gilded Age boom lasted only a few decades– by the 1950s petroleum-based fibers made sisal obsolete. The plantations, most of which are located in distant rural areas, were deserted in the 1960s and fell into disrepair. Many still haunt the landscape.
Staying at one is much more than an extended history lesson. Hacienda San José Cholul, one of the five Yucatán haciendas .... boasts an inviting infinity pool bordering a shady grove of coconut trees. Those who don't want to get wet can kick back on a poolside chaise longue while sipping tamarind margaritas, the house specialty. Remember to save time for onsite diversions. Hacienda San José offers guests free horseback rides, garden tours, and contemplation space in the property's traditional chapel.
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Most of the inns fall into the luxury category, with rooms starting at upwards of $300 a night. Rates come down in the late-summer and fall low season and can be as much as $700 during peak season, which runs from Christmas through Easter. Spanish-language skills help but are not critical....
While some haciendas provide transportation from Mérida's airport, renting a car is a better way to get to them– and to explore the countryside. Sure, you can see the sights by making day trips from Cancún, but that entails driving several hours each way that could otherwise be spent sightseeing. A hacienda hop makes for a great Yucatán visit before or after spending a few days on the beach.
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Sisal or sisal hemp is an agave Agave sisalana that yields a stiff fiber used in making rope. (The term may refer either to the plant or the fiber, depending on context.) It is not really a variety of hemp, but named so because hemp was for centuries a major source for fiber, so other fibers were sometimes named after it.
Sisal plants consist of a rosettes of sword-shaped leaves about 1.5 to 2 meters tall. Young leaves may have a few minute teeth along their margins, but lose them as they mature. Sisals are sterile hybrids of uncertain origin; although shipped from the port of Sisal in Yucatán (thus the name), they do not actually grow in Yucatán, the plantations cultivating henequen (Agave fourcroydes) instead. Evidence of an indigenous cottage industry in Chiapas suggests it as the original location, possibly as a cross of Agave angustifolia and Agave kewensis.
In the 19th century, sisal cultivation (the plant being propagated via offsets), was spread worldwide, from Florida to the Caribbean islands and Brazil, as well as to countries in Africa, notably Tanzania and Kenya, and Asia. Among flax, hemp, abaca, sunn hemp and other agro-based fiber species, annual sisal production (not counting cotton) is the largest worldwide; refer to the statistical databases by FAO, the United Nations Organisation for Food and Agriculture (www.fao.org)
 
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