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From The Sunday Times

October 17, 2004

Travel brief

Tour operators: Cazenove & Loyd (020 7384 2332, www.cazloyd.com) has a two-week package, staying at any three of the featured haciendas and at the coastal Maroma Resort, from £2,795pp, including flights with British Airways and Aeromexico, via Mexico City, and car hire. Connecting flights from Manchester, Newcastle, Edinburgh and other UK airports start at £60pp.

Or try Cox & Kings (020 7873 5000, www.coxandkings.com); Exsus (020 7292 5060. www.exsus.com); Journey Latin America (020 8747 8315, www.journeylatinamerica.co.uk); or Tim Best Travel (020 7591 0300, www.timbesttravel.com).

Getting there: Trailfinders (020 7938 3939, www.trailfinders.com) has flights from Gatwick to Cancun with Continental Airlines via Houston, or from Birmingham, Glasgow or Manchester via Newark; from £518. For the same price, it is also possible to fly into Cancun and back from Merida, or vice versa.

In Ireland, Trailfinders (01 677 7888) has flights from Dublin with KLM and Martinair via Amsterdam; from about €800. Or try Dial a Flight (0870 333 4488, www.dialaflight.co.uk); Flight Centre (0870 499 0040, www.flightcentre.co.uk); or Travelbag (0870 814 4441, www.travelbag.co.uk).

Charter airlines also fly to Cancun from Gatwick and Manchester. Expect to pay between £300 and £600, through Charter Flight Centre (0845 045 0153, www.charterflights.co.uk) or Air 2000 (0870 240 1402, www.air2000.com).

Where to stay: double rooms at the haciendas cost from £125 to £400, depending on room type and season. There are cheaper options, too: in Merida, for example, the Caribe (00 52-999 924 9022, www.hotelcaribe.com.mx) is a good option, with a rooftop pool and double rooms off a colonial courtyard (from £33). In Campeche, try the Hotel Lopez (981 816 3344), with pleasant rooms from £25.

Getting around: a week’s inclusive car hire, picking up in Cancun, starts at £180 through Avis (0870 010 0287, www.avis.co.uk); or try Alamo (0870 400 4562, www.alamo.co.uk). Regular coaches run between the main cities: Merida to Cancun, for example, costs £8 and takes four hours.