Merida, Mexico: A Definitive Guide (Part 1)
Outside the Palacio de la Musica in Merida, Mexico in the Yucatan. Photo by: Gabriel Benois
Life in the Yucatan
EXPLORING MERIDA, MEXICO
A very popular destination for Expat travel, it took us well over a week to feel like we knew the lay of the land and had a handle on the myriad of things to do in Merida, Mexico. From galleries and museums, open air markets and shopping to fabulous food and music along with history and Mayan culture, this is the first of a three part series on this little jewel of the Yucatan State.
ARRIVING IN CANCUN
You can fly directly from Atlanta to the Merida airport. They have a nice one and it has made travel in and out a lot better for those who actually live there. Since we are always on a budget and don’t mind train and bus trips, we decided to fly into Cancun, save big bucks on the ticket and pick up a luxury bus for the slightly over two hour ride.
It was very affordable at around $35 a ticket and we booked ahead of time from the States and caught it right outside the airport. You could take drinks on board and movies played the entire time in English. It was nice to see the landscape and get a feel for where we were headed.
WHERE WE STAYED IN MERIDA
We rented a house through Airbnb of which there were literally a thousand wonderful places to choose from. Ours was located a little further from town than we would have liked but it was quiet for the most part and a short Uber ride to all the popular spots.
Rental ran around the equivalent of paying $40 a night for a hotel. Very affordable for a two bedroom 2 bath house with plunge pool and garden. In Merida, if it is not the hot, buggy summer days, it is all about your outdoor spaces. We loved ours and the weather was fantastic so we got to eat, tub, lounge and read in the inner garden most every day.
We took the first day to gather some additional groceries over the stock the management had already put in for us; right around the corner including fresh breads and buns for next to nothing ( around $30 for the week). We also picked up some maps so we could visually see the city in full. (Right…errrmm…we don’t use our phones for that)!
No problem with the grid system as odd streets ran on the horizontal and even on the vertical. It would take awhile to learn to drive there. I wouldn’t suggest you rent a car. We used Uber everywhere for over ten days and our credit card bill came in for under $100. You can’t rent a car for that in Cancun or Merida.
WHERE TO BE: BARRIO de SANTA LUCIA
We headed out for our first of many meals on the Santa Lucia square; the hot spot best spot to be in we decided. Lots of shopping, as many as 10 or more excellent restaurants around the plaza itself and some great hotels and rentals too. If I was looking to buy in Merida, this is the area I would be wanting the real estate to be located in.
We had a lot of surprisingly good beef dishes at Apoala and La Recova; tender and as flavorful as any from the best states in the US. Seasoning was very traditional Mayan and served with fresh avocados, or chick peas and bits of tomatoes, peppers and arugula. Truly fresh and scrumptious!
Another evening we enjoyed lovely music outside with drinks and had a fabulous fondue with all manner of meats, veg and breads at 500 Noches. We also ate twice at La Tratto for excellent Italian with wonderful pizza and fresh pastas. It is a big hangout for the large Expat community in Merida and is always jumping with energy!
These restaurants were not the cheapest we could have gone to but we still thought they were inexpensive for excellent value by comparison to the states averaging $20 a person with drinks and tips. Not bad right? They also clear the plaza and bring out the big band for Sunday dancing. It was so fun and enjoyable to watch the locals do their thing!
Exploring the Santa Ana barrio will get you great parks, churches, restaurants and open air markets
WHAT TO SEE IN BARRIO de SANTA ANA
Another hot spot we enjoyed checking out was the area of Santa Ana. They had great parks, a lovely church which was setting up for a beautiful wedding the day we visited with lots of fresh exotic flowers. A weekly pop up open air market gave us plenty of inexpensive options for cool gifts to take back to family and friends.
GRAN MUSEO del MUNDO MAYA
Located on the outskirts of Merida, the contemporary museum for the Mayan culture is a do not miss! We spent the better part of a full day there and managed to only see a decent portion of it. The Museum exhibits a magnificent collection of more than 1,160 pieces that allows you to enjoy, among other examples, textiles, religious elements, pieces and various objects and furnishings that reflect the current daily life of the Mayans.
Museums may not be your thing but even so, the exhibits are done in a really nice, more sleek kind of way utilizing colored lights and even the inside of the floors for ooohhh ahhhh sorts of moments. There are also engravings, books and historical documents, as well as artistic and religious works from the colonial era; collections from pre-Hispanic times that include stelae, bas-reliefs and sculptures in stone; pottery, trousseau and ceramic offerings, as well as adornments and luxury objects of gold, jade and shell.
I particularly enjoyed the sculpture, pottery and adornments on display. They were beautiful and would have looked as good on a shelf or table today as they did back then-classic in design. The museum is open Wednesday to Monday from 9 to 5 and the cost to get in is around $4.00 US. The Uber ride out there and back was around $5.00 US.
PLENTY OF THINGS TO DO IN MERIDA
Our first four days went by in a whirlwind simply seeing and doing all the sites in Santa Lucia, Santa Ana and the Gran Museo del Mundo Maya. We were really blown away by the quality of the food and all the ethnic restaurants available not to mention the authentic Mayan choices.
There is still so much to tell you about that I decided I needed to do at least three posts on this area of Mexico for you to feel like you have some awesome tips and a good itinerary for your next adventure there. You might also want to read some more blogs in the Explore the World category. I have a great series on Ireland and a series on Prague will be coming soon.
Hey, don’t be a stranger! If you have been to Merida and have some super hints or help for my readers, let me hear from ya! Tell me what you would like to read about in the future too OK? Until next time…
Cheers,
ArtsyChowRoamer
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