This summer, my parents took me on a two week road trip through the Yucatan Peninsula visiting the Mexican states of Campeche, Yucatan, and Quintana Roo! The Yucatan Peninsula is a unique part of Mexico – it maintains close ties to its Mayan culture so in addition to a dozens of Maya archaeological sites, the region also still uses typical dresses, Maya language, and my favorite part: traditional food! It’s very different from any part of Mexico I’ve ever seen or been, so I was super excited.. ROAD TRIP!

Unfortunately, none of the archaeological sites are pet-friendly, so we had to base our trip around something else the Yucatan is known for: haciendas. Haciendas, in short, are like big plantations that were owned by rich Spaniards who employed local Maya for arduous work. In the early 1900s the region became extremely wealthy for their ability to use henequen agave plants to produce, what at the time, was some of the most durable rope known as sisal. Eventually, synthetic material came along putting these haciendas out of business, but many have been restored into museums or hotels and offer a glimpse if what was one a grand period for the region.

So that was the plan for this trip: learn about haciendas and henequen! In total, we visited 4 haciendas! The drive from central Mexico to our first stop in the Yucatan Peninsula was long, 20 whole hours!,  but my perfect co-pilot skills of barking to keep everyone on alert kept us on track!

A video posted by Benito the Corgi (@benitoelcorgi) on Aug 23, 2016 at 4:43pm PDT

We first arrived to Campeche! The capital city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with a colorful downtown surrounded by thick fortress walls that were built to keep out pirates.  Walking around Campeche is like walking in a fairy tale, and I was off to find my princess to rescue! Unfortunately, it was too hot to search for my corgi-damsal, so I called my search a quit and asked Mom to take me to someplace with a pool. Right outside of the city about an hour away, hidden in lush green vegetation, was our first hacienda hotel, Hacienda Uayamon. My definite favorite of the haciendas, this place was luxury hidden deep off-the-grid in the jungle. Arriving to Hacienda Uayamon, I was greeted by name and welcomed to a giant yard to play in with a grand cieba tree -something that is very sacred to the Mayans that I wouldn’t ever even dare to pee on. In my luxurious lairs of a room, which were actually former workers’ quarters, the staff had left me a memory foam mat, water and food bowl, fresh water, a toy, treats, and even a hand-written welcome note! They made me feel real special here. Walking around the hotel was a dogs dream with acres of green grounds, cool crumbling walls of old structures to climb, and the coolest swimming pool I’ve ever seen just enough to get my paws wet! We spent most of our time in Campeche at the hotel because it was so fantastic, but we did take an excursion to Celestun, a tranquil fishing village and Biosphere Reserve of protected wetlands and wildlife refuge, notably flamingos that come in the thousands. Spanning over 14o,000 acres, we had to take a boat to explore the lagoons, flats, mangroves, and cenotes – my first boat ride and I just absolutely loved the wind blowing in my fur! I don’t think the park had ever seen a dog take the tour before, because everyone laughed at me! Celestun  is one of Mexico’s most beautiful natural areas and was very  happy to  have discovered it. After Campeche, we crossed over into the State of Yucatan where we stayed in two other hacienda hotels: Hacienda Temozon and Hacienda San Jose. Both are hotels under the same chain as Uayamon, but all completely different. Temozon is like a living museum, with the henqequen machinery still on display and even staff who once worked during the era to tour you around the property. Temozon was really an awesome place to walk around and discover, there was plenty of room for me to run around, hammocks strewn everywhere when I needed a nap from the heat, and even private cenotes for when I wanted to take a swim. We spent about a week between these two haciendas, just enjoying the essence of the Yucatan. It was very hot and humid, over 100°F everyday, so most of the time I was swimming in my plunge pool or laying on the cool cold tiles of the haciendas. While staying in beautifully renovated hacienda hotels gave me a glimpse of what was like during the prosperous times of the henequen era, there is one hacienda in particular that turns back time and shows you exactly how henequen was turned into sisal: Hacienda Sotuta de Peon. Hacienda Sotuta de Peon dates back to 1858 and invites visitors from around the world (both 2 and 4 legged) to learn in-depth about the interesting history and process of henequen. The tour starts with visiting the main building where the owners lived, a tour of agave plantation and how the leaves are turned into durable rope, and a horse-drawn train ride to a cenote. As a four-legged guest, I had absolutely no restrictions at all, and could not recommend this tour enough to anyone who visits the Yucatan Peninsula. The haciendas also has a hotel on site, and no doubt next time I will stay here!  
I was very surprised at how pet-friendly the Yucatan Peninsula is. It did take some research, but with a planned itinerary, we had no problems. Visiting cenotes are a hit or miss and unpredictable for pets, some places will let you only if there is no one else. I also got a lot of compliments on my guayaberas from Pet Pals Boutique – breezy shirts typical to this region! In another post I will write about my time in Quintana Roo (Cancun, Puerto Morelos, and Bacalar), stay tuned!

I give The Luxury Haciendas and Sotuta de Peon a 9/10 rating on my Mexico pet friendly hotel scale!