The Camino Real in Puebla, formerly a convent, took five years to rebuild from dereliction - its frescoes and courtyards have been exquisitely restored, and to stay in the hotel is reason enough to visit Puebla. They didn't just refurbish the hotel so it looked faithful to its historical context – they really have restored it.
The Camino Real has a huge (40m²) central courtyard, and a second smaller courtyard with an unusual double layer of arches reminiscent of the cathedral in Cordoba in Spain.
The hotel and its rooms are decorated in beautiful soft Mexican reds and deep yellow ochre. In reception there is a monolithic door carved from a single piece of volcanic rock. There is no swimming pool.
Location
Puebla lies in the central highlands of Mexico. There's a fast motorway from Mexico City - the drive takes about an hour and a half. About 20km to the north of Puebla is the city's domestic airport, but proximity to Mexico City makes the latter a better bet for most people.
The Mexipass allows you to economically link by air virtually all cities in Mexico using the services of AeroMexico, Mexicana, AeroCaribe and AeroCozumel.
Things to do
In your humble researcher’s view, to stay in the Camino Real hotel is reason enough to visit Puebla - less than two hours' drive from Mexico City.
However, the town has a wealth of museums and colonial buildings in the Centro Historico (as well as plenty of chaotic traffic). Much of the city's decoration is in the Palafoxiano style where terracotta bricks are set in herringbone pattern around blue glazed tiles. The tiled cupola dome of the San Jose church – shown in our picture - is exquisite.
Within easy reach is the hilltop town of Cholula. It's a memorable sight, since the cathedral sits astride not a hill, but the world's largest pyramid - itself dwarfed by the mighty active volcano, Popocatepetl. |