From Espita to Seyé: a stop along the way

Via Chichén Itzá, Valladolid or Izamal, depending on your interests and the time you have.

Espita: Casona Los Cedros

Casona Los Cedros rooms at dusk, contemporary in line, among the trees and plants of the tropical garden. — Credit: Manolo R. Solís

In Espita, the village once called “the Athens of Yucatán”, the double-height 19th-century casonas (large traditional houses) still keep their cement-tile floors. Casona Los Cedros was a family home, then a cantina, and stood abandoned for about thirty years. Its restoration kept the original house, which now holds the reception and the bar, and built the rooms, the pool and the terrace around a tropical garden of aromatic plants, in a contemporary language.

Stone, chukum, lime, wood and natural fibers, together with furniture made with craftspeople from the region, give the house its texture. The rooms open onto terraces over the garden. And the table is part of the stay: its restaurant cooks with seasonal produce from local producers and from the house’s kitchen garden. From here, Espita is lived on foot, from the square to the church of San José.

In practice: outings from the house to Ek Balam and the X’Canché cenote, and to community-run cenotes such as Sac Aua.

The church of Espita, with its two towers, seen from the fountain in the square among palm trees. — Espita: the church from the square, and papel picado in front of its tower. Credit for both photos: Katie & Alex.

Colorful papel picado in front of the church tower in Espita, beside a palm tree. — Espita: the church from the square, and papel picado in front of its tower. Credit for both photos: Katie & Alex.

Casona Los Cedros page · Official website (opens the official website in a new tab)

A stop along the way

From the Pueblo Mágico of Espita to the scrub forest of the Ring of Cenotes is just over two hours by road. You can drive straight through or choose a stop according to your interests and the time you have. The additional minutes shown are added to the direct drive; visiting time comes on top.

Via Chichén Itzá, leaving the highway

The direct route takes Highway 180D, which passes close to Chichén Itzá, a World Heritage Site since 1988. Its highlights include the pyramid of Kukulkán, the Great Ball Court, the Temple of the Warriors and the Observatory, known as El Caracol.

Road: about 25 minutes more than the direct drive.
Visit: allow about two or three hours; arriving early is best.

Via Valladolid and Chichén Itzá, a longer day

Valladolid, a Pueblo Mágico, lies southeast of Espita, in the opposite direction from Seyé. Its Calzada de los Frailes leads to the former convent of San Bernardino de Siena, founded in 1552. Combining Valladolid and Chichén Itzá on the same transfer means planning a long day; Valladolid, less than an hour from Los Cedros, can also be visited during your stay in Espita.

Road: about an hour more than the direct drive.
Visit: one or two hours for central Valladolid, plus two or three hours at Chichén Itzá.

Via Izamal, by state roads

The yellow facades give the walk its unity, but the interest of Izamal, a Pueblo Mágico, lies in how its eras live side by side. The Franciscan convent of San Antonio de Padua was built on a pre-Hispanic platform. A few streets from the atrium, the pyramid of Kinich Kak Moo is now surrounded by the streets of the town; its ceremonial core spans more than 2,500 years of occupation.

Road: about ten minutes more than the direct drive; the route uses state roads instead of the highway.
Short stop: allow about an hour for the convent atrium and the squares.
With more time: you can spend half a day: extend the walk to Kinich Kak Moo and have lunch in the center before continuing.

Arriving at Galopina

Galopina’s round pool in front of two gabled buildings surrounded by greenery.

At Galopina, the architecture follows the lie of a former henequen plantation, within the state reserve of the Ring of Cenotes. The Yucatecan studio TACO spread the five suites through the scrub forest so that each one looks out differently: two up high, with an open view over the treetops; two set into the earth, surrounded by native vegetation; the fifth beside the house, with its own entrance. All have a private terrace and a hammock.

Elisa and Guillaume describe it as a house for travelers rather than a hotel, and they welcome guests themselves: she looks after the interiors and the kitchen; he looks after the land, the trees and the kitchen garden. The day begins with freshly ground coffee and seasonal fruit and ends with a dinner whose menu changes every day. In between, the birds: from the terrace or on a walk, with the house’s binoculars and species guide. One MICHELIN Key · 2026.

Arrive in time to enjoy the forest and the terrace before sunset.

Galopina Casa Silvestre page · Official website (opens the official website in a new tab)

In practice

Direct: about 140 km, just over two hours of driving.
Via Chichén Itzá: about 160 km and about two and a half hours of driving, plus the visit.
Via Valladolid and Chichén Itzá: about 200 km and just over three hours of driving, plus the visits.
Via Izamal: about 130 km and just over two hours of driving, plus the visit.
From Galopina, about 35 km from Mérida: cenotes, introductory cave diving, Javier Marín’s workshop and a henequen hacienda that is still working.

Reviewed on October 13, 2026.

A route of independent houses in Holbox, Espita, Seyé, Campeche and Bacalar. Each house is a destination. Together, they make the journey.