Merida, oh, Merida

The hubby and I just got back from a week in Merida, Mexico.  Merida, which is in Yucatan, is a beautiful place.  Flying into Cancun, we took a four hour bus trip across Quintana Roo into Yucatan.  The bus was very comfortable -- air conditioned with two movies to watch (although both were in Spanish).  Flying into Cancun was about $300 per person less than flying directly into Merida.  So the $40 per person bus tickets were much more economical and gave us a chance to see a bit of the countryside along the toll road.

In Merida, we stayed at the beautiful Luz En Yucatan hotel on Calle 55 (between Calle 58 and Calle 60, right beside Santa Lucia church).  I have never stayed in a more lovely, laid back hotel.  It was within walking distance of nearly everything we wanted to do in the historic district.  The staff (Donard, Augustine and Lupita) were so great!  Since we did not have a phone in the room, they took care of everything we needed, including calling to get us tour tickets for Chichen Itza, ordering out pizza for us, and even arranging for our bus tickets and taxi back to the airport in Cancun for our return trip.  They made sure we had everything we needed...from ice cold beer in the fridge to changing currency for me one night after the currency exchange down the street was closed.  I doubt we will ever stay anywhere else in Merida, as there was nothing about our stay at Luz we would change.   Here are a few quick pics of the place...




The patio outside our room.  We had breakfast there each morning, as well as dinner a couple of times.

The lovely pool at Luz.  We spent both days and nights here to escape the Yucatan heat and humidity.  I will always remember the sky above as the hubby and I swam late on Thursday night.  There was a fiesta in the park and we could hear the music playing while we swam under the stars.

The rooftop terrace.  We enjoyed sitting up there often.  It had a lovely view of the top of Santa Lucia church's bell.

The "lobby" at Luz.  It was a great place to sit and people-watch through the huge front window. 

Our first night in town, we ate at La Chaya Maya for our first taste of Mayan food.  I think the hubby was a bit hesitant to try the chaya, a nuclear green drink, but I think it grew on him by the time we'd finished our large platter of pok chuk.



Chaya - refreshingly sweet!





Pok Chuk





On our second day in Merida, we took the air-conditioned bus (about $1.50 USD) to Progreso, a beach town to the north.  Our afternoon was spent playing in the waves and wandering around the town.  We ate some good seafood and live music at Eladio's on the beach and, oddly enough, I met a vendor who was from my own home town in Florida.  Small world.



The beach at Progreso

Our third and fourth days were spent touring old colonial houses in dire need of renovation.  We have been seriously considering Merida as a place to buy and renovate one of these lovely high-ceilinged ruins.  Anyone who has ever seen an episode of "House Hunters International" can understand, I'm sure.  For less than the price of an SUV, you can get 3,000+ square feet of original tile, 10' ornate doors, and stone walls just begging to be restored to its original splendor.  We took so many pictures, it will likely take us weeks to get them all uploaded and organized.  Whether or not we'll "take the leap" with this type of adventure remains to be seen over the next year.  But what an experience those two days!

Our fifth day (a Saturday) was spent simply wandering around on foot -- a long way.  We saw the Cathedral and the main market (picture a whole city block of chaotic tiny stalls piled high with exotic fruits, live/dead meat, spices, etc.), got some fabulous ice cream, and just generally goofing off. 

Our sixth day was spent at Chichen Itza, which was an amazing experience.  I got way too hot in the "jungle humidity", but it was all good by the time we got to the hacienda where we had a great lunch and watched some Yucatecan dancers.  My husband said the fish he had there was maybe the best fish he's ever had.  I had cochinita pibil, a flavorful red-colored pork dish that had been cooked in banana leaves in a pit underground for a full day. 

 

The Great Pyramid at Chichen Itza



Our last day in town, we did nothing.  Seriously, we did nothing.  We slept late, had breakfast out on the patio, splashed around in the pool, sat in the hotel's comfy common areas and chatted with other guests.  We toyed around with various "nice" dinner options for our last night there but instead chose to get take out from Cafeinosense, a little bistro around the corner.  (Believe me, they knew us by that time.  When I came by to order, the guy asked if I wanted my usual!)

So in the coming days (as we get more photos uploaded), I will post additional reviews of various restaurants, details about places we went, etc.  I just wanted to give a quick "day-by-day" of our trip.

Stay tuned for more!