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.

Where do you think the photo above was taken? At a beach resort maybe? At some sleek designer hotel on the coast somewhere? No, it was taken at a city hotel smack in the middle of Mexico.

A few weeks ago I posted some photos of Rosewood San Miguel del Allende on this blog to give a taste of things to come.

Now we’ve got the full review of Rosewood San Miguel posted so you can go check out all the details on this stunning new hotel. Despite being a few minutes walk from the main plaza in the center of town, this resort-like hotel has a great pool complex and lots of breathing room, including on a fantastic roof deck.

Yesterday I got back from the brand new Rosewood Artesena in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. It’s their third property in Mexico and the first one not on a beach.

I’ll be posting a full review soon, but here are a few photos to give you a sense of the place. It occupies a large footprint with a great pool complex and plenty of room to roam, but it’s only a five minute walk from the center of town, 60 seconds from the city’s largest park. As you would expect, a terrific spa, great restaurant, and comfy bar with 100+ bottles of tequila are in place.

But that’s just the start. The roof deck bar has amazing views and tapas, there’s a real wine cellar and art gallery in the basement, and guest rooms have raised the bar yet again.

Stay tuned for more in a couple weeks. Meanwhile, see the official Rosewood Artesena website.

We continue to ignore Fox News drumbeat of “Mexico is scary! Mexicans are scary!”

Exhibit M: Morelia. One guidebook writer called this “the coolest city in Mexico you’ve never heard of.” These days it seems even more of a secret, the place that nobody goes to, nobody except those in the know, those who do their homework rather than listening to coiffed newscasters who wouldn’t know Michoacan from Mykonos.

It’s a gorgeous place filled with gorgeous places to stay and we just posted a review of one of them: Villa Montaña. This is a historic home on a hilltop perched above the city.

The person who reviewed this for us, Molly Beer, is a writer who is living there now, and we shared a few drinks in the center, during a lazy afternoon around a cafe table late last year. Here’s a taste of what she says about this fine inn:

Overall, the Villa Montaña is a place in balance with itself. In individual rooms and across the grounds, obvious attention has been paid to natural light and shade, warmth and cool, exterior and interior spaces, as well as old (antique tapestries) and new (immaculate linens and snappy Wi-Fi).

See more in our full review of Villa Montaña in Morelia.

When I first visited Tides Zihuatanejo a few years ago, the Tides group had just recently taken over management, changing the name from the old Villa del Sol. That was already a quality operation and the facilities were already primo, so thankfully the new group just tinkered around the edges instead of ripping things apart and feeling like they had to put a fat stamp of their own on everything.

Fast forward a few years and they’re still refining, but in nice subtle ways instead of showy brash ones. When I went back again, I was struck by a few nice details, plus the staffers were so bilingual it threw me for a loop, coming from central Mexico where that’s a rarity. At one point the rooms manager tracked me down on the property and said, “I hope you don’t mind, but we took the liberty of scheduling your spa treatment for three o’clock.” (It’ll be a good while before I’m able to say that in Spanish!)

But anyway, an explanation of the photos. At the top is a pillow, welcoming me with my name in flowers. Nice touch.

Next one. On the table, brought in between the time I checked in and when I got inside the door after a stroll to the room, was a freshly made margarita and a pitcher of Jamaica tea. Accompanied by some chips and guacamole. Very nice touch.

This last one is a woven necklace. Inside it is a key fob. You don’t ever have to remove that key from the little woven holder and you don’t have to stick anything into a door mechanism. You just wave that near the door and it unlocks.

As I mentioned in our updated review of Tides Zihuatanejo, a staffer will also ask you what time you would like to have your coffee in the morning. They place it, unobtrusively, on a shelf outside your door, ready when you are. Did I mention that you can check your e-mail for free on the Wi-Fi while you’re sipping?

These guys get it.