Luckily, I work for a company that closes our office for the week between Christmas and New Year's Day. Last year I went to San Francisco for the week and had a great time, but this year I decided to look for a relaxing getaway where it will be warm and quiet.
I decided to look for somewhere in Mexico. My criteria were that it had to be relatively easy to get to and it had to be a place that wouldn't be overrun with tourists (especially American tourists).
After doing a lot of research, I settled on Tepoztlán, in the state of Moreles, about an hour drive south of Mexico City.
There were other places that might have been easier to get to, but I eventually found an air itinerary that is reasonably priced and practical, flying on two different round-trip tickets, Seattle to Las Vegas on Alaska Airlines and Las Vegas to Mexico City on Interjet. From there I can take a bus or Uber to Tepoztlán.
And I found this lovely Airbnb right in the heart of town.
It's a bungalow adjacent to the owner's house, and the garden is shared with them, so I should have the perfect combination of privacy and engagement.
My main goal for this trip, as the title of this blog post suggests, is to have a relaxing vacation to help recover from my big trip. So I'm not really going to plan on any sightseeing. But there are hikes in the hills adjacent to town, including up to the ruins of an archaeological site, a temple honoring El Tepozteco, the Aztec god of the alcoholic beverage pulque.
There are a few other sites in Tepoztlán, including the Ex Convento de la Natividad de María.
In addition, I hope to make a day trip to Mexico City (maybe heading up there a day early and staying overnight before my flight home), as well as to Cuernevaca, which is just about 25 km away.
But mostly, I plan to relax in that garden, or in cafes, do some reading and some writing, and come back rested.