Luxury Mexico: Yucatan in style

Be amongst the relatively few tourists to pay a visit to the lesser-known Mayan ruins of Edzná, an important ancient site situated in a tranquil valley. Wander through the uncrowded plazas and soak up the sense of centuries past, admiring the impressive structures. A sophisticated and extensive canal system radiates out from the centre of the city to the agricultural areas beyond.

The illuminating commentary of your guide will help you imagine everyday life in this Mayan settlement, watched over by the five-storey central pyramid with its shrine and altar. Close by is the Temple of the Masks, etched with depictions of the sun god, while other buildings still lie hidden beneath a thick mantle of vegetation.

Find out how a variety of agave plant came to shape the fortunes of a vast region of Mexico on this tour of the Yucatán's henequén (sisal) plantations. The strong fibres yielded by the plant were found to be the most effective raw material for rope-making – a booming industry in an era of seaborne trade and transportation.

Begin by visiting a working henequén hacienda to see for yourself how the substance is cultivated using centuries-old machinery that recalls the sisal boom years of the 1800s. Ride out on a wooden cart pulled by mules to tour the plantation and stop for a swim in a cenote (a natural sinkhole typical of the peninsula).

Founded more than 450 years ago on the site of an important Mayan city, the relaxed capital of the Yucatán peninsula has a grandeur and elegance undiminished by the ages. Much of the colonial architecture was built with stones from toppled Mayan temples, and the cultural vestiges of the Maya are equally intertwined in the city's modern-day society.

The main sights are clustered within a compact area, so a walking tour is an ideal way to visit them while getting your bearings. Begin at the main square, shaded by laurel trees and surrounded by handsome buildings including Latin America's oldest cathedral. Visit Casa Montejo, the grandiose home of the city's founder, complete with ornate porticos. Next, take a look around the Governor's Palace, with its collection of unflinchingly graphic depictions of the region's violent history, before a final promenade along the stately boulevard of Paseo de Montejo in a horse-drawn carriage – a fitting mode of transport for exploring this sedate and historic city.

Visit the home of Mexico's most famous and charismatic artist, Frida Kahlo. Known as the Casa Azul ('Blue House') for its bold colour scheme, this was the house where Frida's life began and ended and it brims with the painter's unmistakable personality.

Some of her original work is displayed here alongside personal collections of ceramics and indigenous crafts. While these items all inspired her, arguably no object in the house had more of an influence on her work than her hated orthopaedic corset, symbolic of the suffering she felt cursed to endure throughout her life and which manifested itself in the morbid themes of her paintings.

Outside, Frida's garden is a tranquil and sunlit haven, while the charming surrounding neighbourhood invites idle wandering.

Nothing quite prepares you for the first sight of the immense temple complex of Teotihuacán, once the largest and most populated city in the New World.

As impressive as their Egyptian counterparts, the pyramids at either axis of the central Avenue of the Dead are awe-inspiring in their scale and grandeur. The larger of the two is the Temple of the Sun, a mystical construction aligned with the sunset and believed by the Toltecs to imbue all who climbed it with its sacred solar energy. You can try it for yourself by ascending the 243 steps – even if you don’t feel a charge you’ll certainly be dazed by the magnificent panorama of the ancient site unfolding before you, crowned by the corresponding Temple of the Moon.

One of the most striking aspects of the site is its sheer size, and there is a huge amount to discover along the 4-kilometre Avenue of the Dead connecting the most significant structures. Your knowledgeable guide will build a picture of life in the ancient city, describing the religious rituals and sacrifices to the sun that once took place atop Teotihuacán's majestic pyramids, and the significance of the wonderfully charismatic sculptures of serpent and jaguar gods that guard the temples.

Perched on a cliff top overlooking the Caribbean sea, Tulum surely enjoys the most spectacular setting of all Mayan sites. Reaching its zenith between the 13th and 15th centuries, the walled port city was one of the last major settlements built by the Maya and survived for decades after the arrival of the Spanish.

As a result of its relative youthfulness it's a well-preserved site with some impressive frescoes and bas-reliefs. However you don't need the slightest interest in archaeology to appreciate the magnificent natural backdrop of azure seas and soft white sand over which the Mayan monuments stand guard. Once you've explored the compact site with your guide you can even take a dip in the gentle waves yourself, looking up at the ruins above.

Rather like Swiss cheese, the Yucatán landmass is honeycombed with holes: over 3,000 cenotes, a type of sinkhole characteristic of the peninsula. Formed by underground rivers, these atmospheric limestone grottoes contain clear turquoise water and their walls are often draped with tree roots straining to reach the water below. They are also shrouded in the mysticism of the ancient Maya, who revered them as entrances to the underworld of Xibalba.

The Yucatán's cenotes make for fabulous swimming: with a snorkel you can even observe a wondrous sculptural display of stalactites and stalagmites within their cool depths. There are countless cenotes to visit across the peninsula, but one of our favourite options is to explore the dual pools of the Cenotes de Abala, where you can clamber down into contrasting chambers to swim beneath sheer walls dripping with foliage or surrounded by extraordinary rock formations.

Bookend your bathing experience with visits to haciendas dating back to the colonial era, characterised by grand colonial architecture and reflecting the prosperity engendered by the 19th century sisal boom.

The stunning Riviera Maya is a true Caribbean idyll of aquamarine seas washing palm-lined, white-sand shores. Turtles, rays and a dazzling variety of tropical fish all form part of a thriving underwater ecosystem centring around a colourful reef system, providing excellent snorkelling opportunities.