Back in May we posted reviews of the three best hotels in Morelia, Mexico, but I’m just now getting around to linking to two of them from here on the blog.

Both of these are right by the main cathedral, as close as you can possibly get to the center of the city. The top choice in town (unless you want to see the city from a hilltop at Villa Montana), is Cantera Diez Boutique Hotel—lobby pictured at the top. This is an effective marriage of colonial architecture with contemporary style, usually a tough thing to pull off effectively. It’s a beautiful space though, with some of the best rooms in town, and a popular restaurant and bar. See the full review of Cantera Diez.

The other central hotel worth considering is Los Juaninos. Apart from the out-of-place glass elevator in the lobby, this is a colonial charmer apart from the roof. High beamed ceilings, heavy wooden doors, and original shutters that do a great job of keeping out the morning sun and noise. Some look directly at the cathedral, all lit up at night.

The top floor is all about the here and now though, with a striking contemporary design for the bar and restaurant, but with the best view in town, especially when there are fireworks over the church and plaza. See our complete review of Los Juaninos.

Not many foreign tourists get to Morelia, but it’s one of my favorite inland destinations in Mexico. In any other Latin American country this colonial city would be their main attraction, splashed on every tourism brochure. Here, it’s just another fantastic destination in a country filled with them.

I spent a week checking out the luxury travel scene in Mazatlan, Mexico recently to fill a whole we’ve had in our coverage. This is not known as a real luxury travel destination compared to some other Pacific Coast resort areas, but there are a few gems around if you know where to look.

The first review we’re posting is for Casa Lucila, a beautiful 8-room boutique hotel on the waterfront, a ten-minute walk from the heart of historic Old Mazatlan. Besides being a more sophisticated option than anything else in town, it also offers the chance to experience what makes this city unique among Mexican beach resort areas: it’s a real city, not a purpose-built destination with little history. The locals do more than just serve sunburnt tourists.

At this unique hotel you get a sumptuous room, personalized service, and a great spot to take in the sunset while watching people on the move on the malecon. The Mexican and Mediterranean food is good, the atmosphere is inviting, and you won’t see a beer funnel or hear techno music your whole stay.

See our full review of Casa Lucila in Mazatlan.

There’s a great article in USA that came out about a month ago called, Is Your Hotel Too Hip for You? It runs down, in detail, all the problems people past the young, hip, and single phase of life have with designer boutique hotels.

“…complicated in-room control panels that bewilder, oddly placed fixtures (think bathtub in the middle of the guestroom) and lighting so dim it’s hard to see what’s where — are signs that your hotel might be too hip for you.”

Unfortunately, this applies to about half the hip boutique hotels in Europe, and by association, half the boutique hotels in Buenos Aires—since they think they’re part of Europe. Some guests have lobbed the same complaints about Faena Hotel, but I’ve met other people who think it’s one of the coolest hotels they’ve ever experienced. Which just goes to show you, if if a modern boutique hotel is driving you crazy, you’re probably not its target market.

As the recession wears on though and the number of new dot-com millionaires slows, hotels may be taking note. The W hotels brand recently announced that its new resort hotels will have curtains that can be drawn over those glasses-in showers that can be seen from the bedroom. Apparently not everyone is so cool that they want to give a show while they’re applying shampoo.

What about you? Have you had a frustrating experience at a too-hip designer hotel?

We’re continuing to beef up our coverage of luxury hotels in Brazil. After all, the country has the World Cup and the Olympics in their future and a booming economy that has been saying, “What world recession?” Our latest new review is Casa Brancas Boutique Hotel & Spa in Búzios.

Just two hours north of Rio, this area has long been a playground of the rich and famous, both internally and from abroad. It’s where many escape to when they leave the hustle, bustle, and crowds of Brazil’s most famous destination.

It’s a white-on-white boutique hotel of just 32 rooms, with multi-level decks and two restaurants to take advantage of the views. The food and full spa are a big draw and this is apparently a popular spot for gals’ getaways. Our reviewer may have found a key reason why:

“The owners also run the beautiful beach lounge and restaurant Rocka Fish at Praia Brava. Here, you can continue lounging on white beds while waiters dressed in skimpy shorts will bring you cocktails. Stay for lunch, and you can savor the fish they just caught this morning. Then, you can have them drive you back to Casas Brancas — also in their skimpy shorts, if you so please.”

See our detailed review of Casas Brancas Boutique Hotel in Brazil.

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I spend a lot of time in Mérida, Mexico as I own a beach house near there. I’ve always come up short when people have asked for a recommendation of the best place to stay in the city though. The best hotel has been outside the city (Hacienda Xcanatun), which is a drag if you like to stroll and see music performances in the parks without depending on a car.

Finally, says our correspondent who reviewed the new Rosas and Xocolate, “this small hotel on the edge of Mérida’s historic center is the luxury lodging the city has been waiting for.”

The color scheme follows the name, with lots of rose-colored walls offset by chocolaty browns. In other words, the place has character. Here’s the kicker though: it’s far closer to the historic center than the Intercontinental Villa Mercedes at the other end of Paseo Montejo. So you can avoid the taxis altogether until it’s time to go to the airport. (Though touring the city by one of the horse-drawn carriages passing the hotel is a must.)

This is Merida’s first design hotel with real substance and a sense of place, eye-catching without being too gimmicky, and retaining an old-fashioned sense of space and grandeur. Historic details, such as the intricately patterned concrete floor tiles and beautifully carved wood doors, are offset with sheer, color-saturated walls, in line with Mexican modernist architecture. In the lobby, a massive braid of rope hangs from the ceiling, alluding to the mansions’ roots in henequen (sisal) fortunes.

See our full review of Rosas y Chocolate in Merida, capital of the Yucatan.