Mérida Bed and Breakfast Association

Angeles de Mérida 74-A #494-A, between 57 and 59 streets.  Angeles de Mérida is located on one of the more quiet streets in all of Santiago Square, one way, with very little traffic, and perfectly charming, the kind of street you imagine when you think of colonial Mexico, with flowering bougainvillea or lime tree branches peeking over high walls, brightly colored houses, lined down the street.  It is a few minutes’ walk to Santiago Square (known as “Parque Santiago, although it is not a park in a traditional sense), which is the heart of the community, with the Church of St. James the Apostle (Iglesia de Santiago Apostol); a lively market for fruits, produce and over a dozen food stalls and small restaurants; the Hollywood movie theater, a throwback to the 1950s in its Art Deco décor, and its penchant for having “intermission” during children’s movies, so the kiddies can take care of business – and buy some snacks.  Depending on the time of day, or day of the week, Santiago’s square is used by school children who are engaged in some dance or recital, older kids on their skateboards, middle-aged families sitting around the fountain, residents feeding the pigeons, Maya women selling flowering plants.  There is also a monument to the Korean immigrants to the Yucatan, in Spanish, Korean and English.  The church bells tolls mark the day’s passage.  This is the world that Angeles de Mérida offers its guests.  As if inspired by the churches, schools, convents, merchants living and working in a neighborhood where the buildings date back to colonial times, and many were built between 1890 and 1910 – to commemorate Mexico’s Centennial in 1910 – Dawn has created a splendid B&B of exceptional intimacy, that is relaxing and welcoming.  With only four rooms, this is a place where your first name is remembered, and where you are treated as a welcome member of the family.  One of the things guests rave about is the time and care that Dawn has taken into offering services of great convenience, and wonderful indulgence.  Angeles de Mérida specializes in excursions, from city tours to outings to see the flamingos at Celestun; and in arranging for spa services.  From a body wrap to having a driver pick you up to whisk you away for a day’s adventure to the colonial city of Izamal, Angeles de Mérida offers you the opportunity to spend a few days in a comfortable home, in a vibrant neighborhood where schoolchildren, smiling and happy, remind you of the small-town values that permeate the city of Mérida.  Please click on the image to the left to visit their website.

La Casa Lorenzo  Calle 41 # 516A between 62 and 64 Streets in Centro.  La Casa Lorenzo is the most recent member of our Mérida B&B group.  It is the most recent member because it is the newest B&B in Mérida!  Housed in a colonial building that has been meticulously restored to it original glory, this B&B features state-of-art comforts, from the Sealy Posturpedic mattresses and luxurious linens, to Wi-Fi connections and noiseless air conditioning.  The attention to these comforts all contribute to making your stay new in Mérida comfortable and pleasant in every way.  The colonial building, boasting high ceilings and original paste floors, hallmarks of colonial construction in the Yucatan peninsula, you know you are in colonial Mérida.  Each of the new bathrooms, however, reflect the best in contemporary design and comfort with a style that evokes Mexican aesthetics, resulting in guest rooms that are equal to the best hotels.  La Casa Lorenzo is located in the Santa Ana neighborhood near art galleries, restaurants, museums, and historical the world-renowned boulevard Paseo de Montejo.  La Casa Lorenzo is truly different in the ways that count for most visitors to Merida: It is located on a residential street that is quiet, really quiet, and with plenty of parking available; it boasts professionally landscaped so you can wake up to the sights and smells of jasmine, bougainvillea and tropical exotics right outside your casita window and door; and it has an exquisite sparkling filtered pool is over 16 feet long and while it is 6 feet deep it has stairs with railing to enter and exit and has in-pool seating at shoulder depth.  What makes the pool so distinctive is that it is half above ground and half below, allowing you to sit shoulder to shoulder with one person in the pool and another outside sharing conversation and drinks.  There is also a guest-controlled optional waterfall adds fun and beauty to the experience.  At night, the beautiful garden and pool area is illuminated so you can enjoy the well furnished bar, kitchen facilities, and grill at your disposal.  Your host, Lorenzo, has gone out of his way to make his home comfortable and pleasant for himself and is now willing to share it with you!  In the public area there is a large screen television is in the main salon for the guest that wants to keep up with sports, CNN, or Katie Couric and the CBS evening news.  Or better yet, just enjoy the guest -controlled music in the breakfast and pool bar areas.  If you don’t have an iPhone or laptop, there is a computer available for guests to check email or satisfy the browsing urge.   Every room has a modern bathroom with a large shower decorated with beautiful colored Mexican tiles.  There is a remote controlled ceiling fan and remote controlled quiet mini-split air conditioner in every room.  La Casa Lorenzo has a toll free number from the US and Canada for you to make reservations and for the babysitter and broker to reach you in emergencies while you are here.  The U.S. and Canadian toll free number 1-866-515-4105 now.  There is a low introductory rates for guests booking through this Fall.  Visit the wonders of the Yucatan and Mérida, one of the Seven Wonders of the world Chitzen  Itza, and the gulf beach at Progreso while staying at the unique and comfortable La Casa Lorenzo.  Please click on the image to the left to visit the La Casa Lorenzo website.

Casa Mexilio, Calle 68 #495, between 57 and 59 streets.  Casa Mexilio is located in one of the more intriguing colonial buildings in the Historic Center.  Built by Vicente Solis Leon for two of his sons and their wives, the Classical Venetian-inspired townhouse looks east toward the colonial spires and belfries of Merida's historic center four blocks away.  He was also architect and builder of the Lighthouse of the nearby Port of Progresso, first lighted in 1897.  The Solis Family's principal manorial house and land holdings was the famous and legendary Xcanchakan Hacienda, located near the ruins of Mayapan about an hour south of the city, where, coincidentally, one of Casa Mexilio's present owners was born to poor Mayan workers bound to the land.  In 1900, one of Yucatan's intellectuals, the historian, journalist and politician, Serapio Baqueiro Preve, died here. His literary work detailed the horrors of that fifty-three year long struggle between The Maya and the Spanish, which we know as the Caste War of Yucatan.  And what have the proprietors, Jorge and Roger done with the place?  Here is a description from Conde Nast magazine: “This bed-and-breakfast is unlike any other I know. The owners show a genius for playing with space in an unexpected and delightful manner. Rooms are at different levels -- creating private spaces joined to each other and to roof-top terraces by stairs and cat walks. Rooms are large and comfortable; most of the central patio is taken up by a small pool and whirlpool and exuberant vegetation. Breakfast fare is wonderful.”  Please click on the image to the left to visit their website.

Casa Santiago, Calle 63 No. 562, between 70 and 72 streets.  Casa Santiago has four spacious bedrooms each with air conditioners and ceiling fans; private baths; and kitchen privileges.  The refurbished house has the original Spanish paste-tiled floors. There is an inner courtyard, parking for one car, lots of storage space for mountain bikes, canoes and other sports equipment.  There is a pleasant garden by the pool, with landscaping that attracts humming birds year round.  At dusk, a family of Yucatan Parrots flies across the sky, and there are hammocks available to leisurely read a book by the pool.  We are located just four blocks from the main square in the historic center of Mérida.  One-of-a-kind galleries, excellent museums, terrific restaurants, handicraft markets, colonial historic buildings are all within an easy walk, provided you get out there after a good breakfast and make the most of the day before the sun bears down at midday.  The Maya cities of Chichén Itzá, Uxmal, Ek Balam and Mayapan, among others, are easy day trips.  We also can arrange travel adventures – caving, scuba diving in cenotes (natural freshwater sink holes), canoeing in the mangroves, and bird watching among them.  We arrange ethnographic trips – When was the last time to you were in a fortified colonial city designed to withstand a pirates’ attack?  We serve daily continental breakfast from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., although we can arrange alternate times.  From 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. we offer complimentary wine, beer and soft drinks, as well as local snacks, mindful that we are Friends of Bill W.  We are GLBTQ-owned, welcome differently-abled guests, can arrange for specific needs (translators, guides) especially useful for guests looking at properties, or having medical procedures performed.  Our only limitation: No pets, and no children under the age of 14.  Check out our reviews in TripAdvisor.  Your hosts are Vince and Frank.  Please click on the image to the left to visit their website.

Cascadas de Mérida, Calle 57 #593-C, between 74A and 76 streets.  Cascadas de Mérida is located in a family home that has been transformed into a cool and tranquil hideaway in the center of downtown Mérida.  Located in the historic center, we are close to everything, but when you return to Cascadas de Mérida, tranquil waterfalls surround your private stand-alone bedroom-casita.  There is plenty of natural light, the comforting sound of cooling, calming water, and you are steps from a refreshing pool.  Our bedroom-casitas are wonderfully ventilated and climate-controlled with a remote controlled and very quiet air conditioner. During most of the year, you'll stay cool with just the ceiling fan. We've made sure there is great lighting for reading, dressing, and ambiance. Your casita is also equipped with Internet access, a phone, a private safe and cable television.  We are privileged to have a full-size pool, where you can do laps, aquatic aerobics, or just enjoy a complimentary tropical fruit beverage from our water covered pool stools. Or just float! Afterwards take part in our local Yucatecan ritual: a siesta in a hammock. Our hammocks are located poolside! After a long day, freshen up in your shower and enjoy the view of your own private waterfall. Relax to the sights and sounds of tranquil cascading water. Now that is luxury!  And when you are ready to go, remember that your hosts, Chucho and Ellyne offer generations of insights, and are well prepared offer an insider’s worth of advice, and all manner of assistance on where to go, what to do, what to buy, where to dine, how to get to the ruins.  We welcome mature travelers, are GLBTQ-friendly, enjoy consistently high rankings on TripAdvisor, and if you feel like you are being pampered by a Jewish mother … perhaps you are!  We look forward to being your hosts.  Please click on the image to the left to visit their website.

“In Ka’an” Calle 15 #527 between 24 and 26 Streets, Colonia Maya.  In Ka’an means “my heaven” in Yucatec Maya.  That is precisely what the two retired Canadians have done: Created a B&B that welcomes Loonies of all provenances, where it is perfectly acceptable to ponder the upcoming ice hockey season – even if it is 105 Fahrenheit outside – and where it is perfectly acceptable to present your reasons why Albertans are the angriest Canadians of all.  That said, the inspiration for In Ka’an was to create a sanctuary for visitors to the Yucatan.  As Bonnie explains, “people who visit a different country don’t want everything to be the same as at home, or why bother going away, but they do want to be as comfortable as if they were at home.”  The result is a “happy blending of Mexican architecture and an ambiance with Canadian/American standards of comfort.”  This, of course, means wonderful modern rooms and townhouses, a splendid pool that’s becomes the focal point of the place, and a gracious and ample palapa to enjoy time with friends.  There are two things to consider: In Ka’an is not located downtown, but in Colonia Maya (“colonial” means neighborhood, or district), in the northeast part of town.  This means you are closer to the highway that takes you to the beaches near Progreso, about 30 kilometers (20 miles) away, or to the city center.  The other thing to note is that In Ka’an offers other accommodations other than rooms: there are apartments and townhouses available, making it idea for larger families, or couples traveling together.  This arrangement makes In Ka’an ideal for families with children in tow.  Bonnie and Bill are truly gracious, and their exuberant personalities and love for the Yucatan is contagious.  Consider that their long-time passion for Talavera pottery, which is the quintessential pottery made in Mexico, is such that they have a small warehouse onsite that houses wonderful pieces of Talavera that they procure on buying trips.  Their knowledge makes it almost impossible not to become intrigued.  “Talavera is truly one of the beautiful treasures of Mexico,” Bill says, and in the context of the wonderful place they have made, it is hard to disagree.  In Ka’an may have a maple leaf flying, but it is filled with love for the Yucatan – and that makes for a wonderful place to stay.  Please click on the image to the left to visit their website.

Los Arcos, Calle 66 #448-B, between 49 and 53 streets.  Los Arcos is located in the heart of the city’s colonial center, surrounded by colonial homes that have been recently restored.  Less than a block from the Mérida English Language Library (MELL), Los Arcos is a retreat, where you step out and are likely to see “ex-pats” who have one “native” – wearing guayabera shirts or huipil sun dresses, as they go about their business, since MELL functions as a social center.  This is a lovely, since it allows for causal interaction with compatriots who have chosen to make Mérida their home.  Los Arcos, an intimate B&B, with two rooms and a large swimming pool, is a gracious, welcome oasis.  Ideal for couples, David Reed, has taken the extra steps to make the place intimate: The pool is open 24 hours a day, comfortable bathrobes and wrap-around sarongs are provided in each room, and, because of its design, with a lush tropical garden, all-over sunbathing is allowed.  Los Arcos is housed in a restored colonial house, but the two casitas – this is a very small B&B with only two rooms, each set apart from the main house, with its own modern bathroom – allows for the kind of leisurely and calming space that is welcome, especially for those planning itineraries and day trips with the benefit of having their host sit down and offer advice.  One of the more commented-upon part of the stay is the remarkable way the day begins: poolside breakfast served by Alberto, always includes fresh fruits with yogurt and granola, local pastries, fruit juice, coffee or tea and a hot regional egg dish.  The rooms have AC, cable TV with English channels and WiFi. To give you an idea of the kind of colonial home this B&B is housed in, consider that guests find the oasis of calm so soothing and comforting that they begin to toy with the idea of doing the same.  The result, you ask?  Yes, Los Arcos is often asked to make introductions to real estate agents who can show what is currently on the market.  Please click on the image to the left to visit their website.