Hotel Hacienda Merida, Merida, Mexico - Explore & Book
"French owner Alexandre Degoute runs his first hotel with fantastic customer service, very fair prices - and great success: this charming 1840s hacienda is often fully booked, so you’ll need to get in there early. Just a few blocks from Mérida's central plaza, it offers a tranquil respite in the energetic ‘white city’, which is crammed with vibrancy and culture but continuously buzzing with people and traffic. As you step off the busy road into the hotel’s reception, you’re immediately struck by the calm - the interior is cool and dark, with high ceilings and whirring fans. With only 20 rooms, there’s an intimate and welcoming vibe; staff are always smiling, always helpful. Out back, the courtyard and pool areas are sublime, with tall palm trees, billowing cotton curtains and Doric columns. And at dusk, lanterns and candles are sprinkled around, lending a romantic ambiance for couples to sip zesty margaritas. Most rooms are housed in a separate wing well away from the road, so they're super quiet; 5 of them lie in a discreet 'VIP block' with its own pool, bar and terraces, tucked away next to the main hotel. All are unexpectedly contemporary, with four-poster beds and a muted grey palette, yet they nonetheless preserve distinctive colonial features, including heavy wooden doors topped by hatch windows. Highs This is a great location - it's 2 blocks from the centre and a short walk from Plaza Mayor, so it’s easy to pop back for a siesta or a cool drinkStaff can arrange car hire and guides to help you explore Chichen Itza or Mérida’s churches, plazas and pretty streets The elegant pool areas, with their cool, chlorine-free water, are a perfect refresher after a day’s sightseeing in the city, which can get very hotThe rates are very reasonable, as are the prices for breakfast, cocktails and car hireThe squeaky clean rooms have comfy beds Lows The hotel doesn't serve lunch or dinner, but you're right in the centre of town, so there's a huge array of restaurants to suit all tastes within a couple of minutes' walk. Staff can order in food from nearby eateries if requiredIn the rainy season, Mérida’s streets are like mini rivers There's little acoustic insulation between rooms, and some noise can be heard e.g. neighbours talking or walking up the stairs" - Harriet Whiting
