Northwest of Mexico City are crumpled ranges of gnarled, humpy but starkly beautiful hills. Here, and in the bountiful valleys of the Bajío, Spanish colonists built fortunes from the mining of precious metals, especially silver, and a necklace of prosperous towns sprung up which share a heritage of baroque churches, leafy squares and pastel-washed houses.

Each has its own character: the university town Guanajuato, built in a narrow gorge, is a centre for music, theatre and dance, while Morelia shows off some of the grandest monumental colonial architecture. Querétaro is renowned for its impressive colonial aqueduct.

Continue for some beach time at a luxurious and utterly romantic first class resort, La Casa que Canta, on the glorious sands of the Pacific coast at Zihuatanejo.