Luxury dog-friendly hotels in Bacalar, Mexico

An officially magic town (ever since the government declared it a pueblo mágico) down near the Belize border in the south-eastern Mexican state of Quintana Roo, Bacalar is mostly known for its lagoon, of seven shades of blue fame. The limestone-soil lake is one of just a handful of places on Earth salty enough for stromatolites to form – these layered, living rocks are one of the earliest life forms on the planet. Geologists will have a field day (literally); for the rest of us, there’s kayaking, paddle-boarding and boat trips on the lagoon, visits to cenotes, pirate-displeasing forts and quieter Mayan sites like Kohunlich, or just drinks on a deck at the water’s edge.