Xpujil town has some basic, affordable hotels, but the area’s best lodging options are a few kilometers west of town, near the ruins on Highway 186. If you’re planning to visit Calakmul, consider spending at least one night near the site.

In Town: A short walk from the bus station, Mirador Maya (Av. Calakmul s/n, tel. 983/871-6005, US$32.50 s/d cabin, US$42 s/d with a/c) looks like a Girl Scout camp transplanted from the shores of an Alpine lake to a grubby lot in Xpujil overlooking the highway. The cabins themselves are dark with high A-frame ceilings but have fairly large bathrooms and a porch. Not a bad budget option—just make sure it has a working fan and good mosquito net. In the main building, there are two hotel rooms, which are significantly more comfortable—air-conditioning, cable TV, hot-water bathrooms, and good beds. A good option, especially if the electricity doesn’t go out; if it does, the only ventilation you’ll get is from a tiny window or the door.

On the same side of the highway a bit closer to town, Hotel Calakmul (tel. 983/871-6029, with private bath US$43 d, US$22 d with shared bath) has rooms of a little higher—and a little lower—standard. The better ones are small, clean, and comfortable, with air-conditioning, cable TV, and comforters with unicorns and tigers: very 3rd grade. The budget rooms are tiny wooden cabins perched incongruously at the end of the hotel parking lot; each has fan and palapa roof, and share recently renovated toilets and showers. The restaurant here is reliable, and open 6 a.m. to midnight.

Outside of Town: Río Bec Dreams (Carr. Escárcega-Chetumal Km. 142, tel. 983/124-0501, www.riobecdreams.com, US$40 s/d jungalow, US$76–81 s/d cabin) is a good choice if you don’t mind the sound of an occasional truck passing late into the night. Four “jungalows”—small cabins with good screens and nice touches such as curtains, hand-painted sinks, and purified water—are set in the woods behind a well-tended jungle garden. These share outdoor bathrooms, which are kept spotlessly clean. Two new higher-end cabins with equally charming decor plus private tiled bathrooms, screened-in porches, and lots of space also are available. The hotel restaurant is one of the best in the area; owners Diane and Rick are extremely knowledgeable on the area, and give guided tours of the ruins.

Across from the ruins by the same name, Chicanná Ecovillage (Carr. Escárcega- Chetumal Km. 144, tel. 983/871-6075, chicanna [at] campeche [dot] sureste [dot] com, US$100 s with fan, US$114 d with fan) is the most comfortable hotel in the area. One- and two-story stucco villas rest on manicured grounds, with an inviting pool; rooms are spacious, with Maya-theme decor and modern amenities, except air-conditioning, as the hotel is mostly solar-powered. All also have a terrace or balcony with lounge chairs—a great place to relax after a day of ruin-hopping. It’s not perfect—the beds are aging, the restaurant is overpriced, and you can count on only basic information and advice about the ruins—but given the challenges of running a high-end hotel in this neck of the woods, it’s a real oasis.