The little beach town of Veracruz is the perfect place for a design-savvy eco-retreat like Hotel Azucar — instead of post-industrial concrete and oil tanks, here we’re back to thatched-roof bungalows, albeit ones with crisp all-white contemporary bedrooms inside. The construction is sustainable and environmentally friendly, a reaction against the despoilment that followed in the wake of Mexico’s first mega-resorts.

This four-acre private-island resort is home to a mere 30 suites and a couple of rules: no guests under 18, no audible cell phones. Thus, the atmosphere properly tranquil. Suites are divided among a number of thatched-roof bungalows, some more secluded than others, but all more than private enough. The look is classic, in the British West Indies mode, and the comforts are delightfully low-tech.

The focus at Nomade Holbox is on wellness: Mayan-inspired sound healing, breathwork, and yoga are offered inside a structure that’s unironically called the Gratitude Tent. And even outside the tent there’s plenty to be grateful for, starting with the hotel’s series of modern treehouses, each with a queen-sized bed facing the water, an indoor-outdoor shower, and a rooftop terrace offering 360-degree views over the island scenery.

Key West has its charmless and overdeveloped side; but Old Town, home to the incomparable Marquesa Hotel, belongs to the locals, and to history — this is the Key West of Hemingway, of Tennessee Williams, an oasis of old-world refinement. The hotel itself is an assembly of four separate buildings, varying from the rustic charm of the original 1884 conch house to the sleeker modern additions.

Once a quiet tropical island off the coast of the Yucatán Peninsula, Isla Holbox is now a stylish hotspot with hundreds of hotels to choose from. Only a handful are right on the beach, though — among them is Awa Holbox, a modern boutique hotel that’s a 10-minute golf cart ride from the ferry terminal. The design is contemporary, but the hotel channels the island’s laid-back spirit.

The Celestine is a reminder of what makes the French Quarter one of the most unique neighborhoods in America. Ten rooms and suites decorated in a retro European-inspired style look out over either busy Toulouse Street or the tranquil inner courtyard; while they’re plenty comfortable, they’re more notable for their eclectic and richly detailed style.

There’s no place, in Texas or anywhere else, quite like Galveston — and the same can be said of the Carr Mansion, an 1866 Greek Revival mansion that’s lived several lives before its most recent transformation into an adults-only boutique bed and breakfast mere blocks from the great gulf. The house is fantastically well-preserved and beautifully updated, with every room an experience unto itself.

In the early 19th century, this was a working plantation, practically a tiny city, a self-contained environment housing the owners and workers alike. Today, improbably enough, it’s a small-scale luxury hotel — each of the cottages that once made up the servant’s quarters has been converted into a single luxury villa, and what was once the hospital is now a pair of sprawling suites, each with a private plunge pool.

This is one of those moments when you’re glad for the consistency of an established chain. The Naples outpost is simply Ritz-Carlton through and through, pure old-world décor and refreshingly formal service — including afternoon tea. You’re far enough north of town to feel comfortably secluded, and the beach, right on the gulf, is as tranquil and pleasant as they come.

Like New Orleans, Alabama’s coastal metropolis of Mobile has more than a little bit of French heritage — and it’s this connection that serves as the Admiral Hotel’s historical inspiration. Not that it’s a historical hotel — the current incarnation of the 1940s-vintage Admiral is a modern luxury experience, mixing classic elegance with bold colors and an eye-catching graphic sensibility.

Cancún technically faces the Caribbean, but if you go up to the roof at SLS Cancún and look left, past the impeccable white-sand beach, far out over the turquoise waters, you can maybe catch a glimpse of the gulf in the distance. Either way, this hotel aims to bowl you over with contemporary design and state-of-the-art luxury, and provide a memorable, self-contained experience. We consider it a success.

The coastal French enclave of San Rafael is home to a nineteenth-century estate, fringed with lush vegetation, surrounded by banana plantations, operating today as a small boutique hotel called Maison Couturier. The style is broadly historical, but assembled with a designer’s eye. This is a Grupo Habita production, which means it’s philosophy comes from Mexico’s hippest boutique chain.