Get over the Tex-Mex Tijuana thing (you’ll see more sombreros on an flight from Malaga than you will here) and discover a truly diverse country. Central America’s Big Brother has it all — cultured colonial cities, fiery cuisine, Aztec and Mayan ruins, the mighty Copper Canyon and whale-watching in the sparkling Sea of Cortez. May to September is hot and wet, so winter is an ideal time to travel. December to March sees whale and dolphin migrations along the Pacific.