I wanted warmth. I wanted out of our miserable winter here in the Puget Sound. And I wanted something different.

Oh yes, and I wanted to log a bunch of frequent flyer miles on my Alaska Air account so I could move up to that MVP level.

Solution? A week in Mexico’s far corner — the Yucatan, another travel destination that had heretofore eluded me. Alaska Air flies to Cancun with daily non-stops — perfect. But Cancun, Cozumel and the Mayan Riviera are still digging out from last year’s hurricane, and I was yearning for something more relaxing and quieter than the beach scene. So, I landed at Cancun and immediately hopped a local bus into town, and then another to Merida.

I was glad I did. Merida, located toward the northwest corner of the Yucatan Peninsula is “old Mexico” in the best sense of the term. In fact, after decades of being somewhat ignored, Merida is the new “in spot” — not for tourists, but for Mexicans themselves who seek a safe, clean, wholesome alternative to Mexico City, Acapulco, or Cuernavaca, where crime and grime are frightening young families.

As we strolled the streets of this ancient colonial city, we were aware of how neat and friendly the streets and homes seemed. The entire Yucatan Peninsula is flat, and that certainly is true of Merida too. The lack of hills made for easy walking, and Merida is peppered with lovely parks and shady squares.

The Mexican state of Yucatan, with Merida as its capital, is the center of the vast and impressive Mayan Empire and civilization. Had Cortez come to Mexico several hundred years earlier and landed on the Yucatan, he would have encountered 20 cities that each surpassed any municipality he had seen in Europe in size, wealth and sophistication.

Today that Mayan world is revealed at Uxmal (“X” is pronounced “sh”), Chichen-Itza, Dzibilchaltum, Izamal and 20 other archeological sites in Yucatan, all within a two-hour drive of Merida. We visited the beautiful site of Uxmal, a campus of grass, trees, white limestone pyramids, stadiums, palaces and ceremonial halls, far from the tour bus crowds of Chichen-Itza. Uxmal’s grounds cover several square miles, and the size of these Mayan buildings is on a par with the grandeur of Rome or Washington, D.C. today.

Another Mayan ruin, Dzibilchaltum, located within 20 minutes of Merida, couples a modern historical museum with ancient archaeology. This museum and its ruins manage to bring both pre-Columbian and post-colonial stories together.

Nature lovers know the richness of Yucatan’s vast biosphere reserves. We visited Celestun, a small beach town on the inside Gulf of Mexico Coast. Inside the sandy beach lies a 20-mile-long shallow estuary, home turf to 3,000 pink flamingos. We sat in our $20 tour boats 100 feet from the flamingos, in awe as they would take off and land. The birds are a magnificent sight in the air, a 6-foot-long spear of pink.

It’s important to know that historically speaking, remote Merida was no backwater. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Merida and the entire Yucatan was certainly Mexico’s most affluent corner. Some say that Merida rivaled New York as the wealthiest city in the Americas around 1900. The reason is “green gold.” The Yucatan climate and limestone soil is perfect for growing sisal, sometimes called hennequen, the ingredient for rope. During that era, a nation’s power was in its commercial shipping fleets and military armadas, and a nation didn’t have a navy if it didn’t have a good relationship with Yucatan. It was all about rope.

Wealthy plantations developed throughout the Yucatan, where sisal was not only grown, but processed into cord, rope, hammocks, rugs, hats and hundreds of other useful items. These plantations, called “haciendas,” are similar yet grander than the cotton plantations of the American South. They employed hundreds of workers, had their own rail-lines for hauling sisal and shipping finished product off to port.

Yucatan’s sisal industry died with the acceptance of nylon cording, and for decades the grand haciendas fell into disuse and disrepair. Over the last 10 to 15 years, an association of Mexican developers has acquired these haciendas and converted them into luxurious boutique hotels on a par with the finest castle hotel properties of France, Germany, Italy or England.

We stayed in two of these Mexican Boutique Hotel properties during our Yucatan visit, and each was exquisite in different ways.

La Hacienda Xcanatun (pronounced “sh-CAY-nah-TOON”) sits 10 minutes north of Merida, located midway between Merida and the main beach town of Progresso. Cristina Baker, a New York-born world traveler, along with her successful architect husband Jorge Ruz, developed the buildings that today house 18 of the largest suite rooms I’ve ever stayed in. With massive tiled marble bathrooms, private outdoor Jacuzzis on the shaded verandas complete with hammocks and lounges, king beds, air conditioning and ceiling fans, these suites are the essence of idle luxury.

Outside are two well-built swimming pools, a communal large screen TV room (it was the NFL playoffs, after all) and the best restaurant we’ve sampled in 20 different trips to Mexico — La Casa de Piedra. Their French onion soup, the best I’ve ever had, is but one example of their gourmet approach to the best of Europe and Mexican cuisines. La Hacienda Xcanatun’s spacious garden grounds feature assorted palm trees, fish ponds and soothing fountains to take the heat off the day.

Villa@Merida is another brilliant re-creation of a historic property, this time only a 20-minute walk or three-minute bus ride from Merida’s central plaza. The creation of Vancouverites Ben Fitzner and Grace Quaglio, this more intimate, seven-suite restored 19th Century nobleman’s home manages to be close to the heart of Merida and yet feel like it is miles from anything.

The quiet pools, gardens, open-air tiled alcoves and walkways all combine to lower blood pressure and invite idleness. The suites feature ceilings that approach 20 feet in height. The fans and air conditioning keep things fresh, and the special toiletry products are quite unusual, locally made and of the highest quality.

Original art is everywhere at Villa Merida, not surprising given that Quaglio, who has a doctorate in music, is considered among the top musical artists of the British Commonwealth.

Hotel Marionetas, another downtown B&B, also delighted us. It is an excellent value for overnights in the city. The building and grounds were once the workshop and playhouse of Merida’s puppeteer, and the owners wanted to keep that spirit of joyful happiness alive. Owners Daniel and Sofi Bosco, of Argentina and Bosnia respectively, have traveled the world and bring sensible style and knowledge to their affordable ($80 per night, double, breakfasts included) B&B. Happy colors, a small pool and courtyard, air-conditioning and ceiling fans, and only 10 minutes to the central square are reasons to consider this well-run B&B.

IF YOU GO

By air, there are at least two choices. Alaska Air flies to Cancun airport. From there, catch a bus to the central station in downtown Cancun. Cost: $2. From the central station, buses to Merida leave about every 30 minutes with choices of basic travel or premier buses complete with clean bathrooms, air conditioning, movies and reclining seats. Cost: $27. Figure four hours from Cancun to Merida. The second option is to fly American airlines into Houston, and connect from there to Merida. The problem with that choice is that the flight times are not advantageous.

Mexico Boutique Hotels: This excellent association of some 45 independent properties in Mexico is an essential resource for any American traveling throughout Mexico. The quality of these properties is invariably the highest, with room costs coming in the $150 to $400 range, depending on season and property. Both La Hacienda Xcanatun (and its restaurant Casa de Piedra) and Villa@Merida are members, along with properties elsewhere on the Yucatan including at Cancun, Isla Mujeres, Holbox, Campeche and Playa del Carmen. For more information on Mexico Boutique Hotels, or to book a reservation at Hacienda de Xcanatun or Villa@Merida, visit info@mexicoboutiquehotels.com or call toll-free 1-800-728-9098.

Hotel Marionetas: on the Web at info@hotelmarionetas.com or by international phone at 52-999-928-3377.

My favorite tour by far was at the grandly restored hacienda Sotuta de Peon, 45 minutes south of Merida. There you can see all the steps in harvesting sisal, making rope and cord, done with the same exact machines that were used more than 100 years ago, operated by local laborers in costume. The tour has elements of a Mexican “Williamsburg,” but there’s more. We also got a full tour of the main hacienda house, a ride on the mule-powered track carts, a visit to a Mayan home, and the chance to explore one of the Yucatan’s most unusual land forms, a “cenote” or underground cave and pool (yes, swimming is encouraged, bring a suit). For more information, visit www.haciendatour.com.

The Luxury Collection: The Starwood (Westin, W, Marriott, etc.) hotels and resorts operate four immaculately restored haciendas dotting the rural corners of Yucatan and neighboring Campeche. These properties are ultra high-end and very nice if you have the time to visit them. For more information, call 1-800-545-7802 or visit their Web site at www.thehaciendas.com.