Las Casas B+B Hotel

Eleven rooms in a colonial house in downtown Cuernavaca, with white-and-gray minimalist interiors laid over the original architecture. It calls itself a B+B Hotel, which sounds redundant until you see the full-service spa and the California-inspired restaurant drawing a crowd well beyond the guest list. A Michelin Key boutique stay that splits the difference between intimate and polished, two hours from Mexico City for when the capital gets to be a lot.

One honor, in evidence: