Merida, Mexico
Picture yourself poolside at a beautifully restored, meticulously designed hacienda which holds seven perfect hotel rooms, and said hacienda happens to sit in the best little pocket of Merida, where outside of your door is the magical Yucatan city with more restaurants, shops and sites than you could ever want. A trip to Merida may just be as perfect as it gets. Merida is all the things - historic, posh, hip, local, warm and welcoming.
KNOW: Merida once had the greatest concentration of wealth in Mexico due to the Henequen Industry (fiber from a plant, used for making rope, twine, rugs, etc). The sisal barons of the 19th century commissioned Parisian architects to build lavish mansions along Paseo Montejo and other buildings of grandeur throughout the city center that still exist today. Merida is currently experiencing a cultural renaissance, with artists and creatives settling down within the city, restoring old buildings that have since become dilapidated, which is creating a beautiful new ripple amongst the already elegant history.
Merida is known as Mexico’s safest city and it feels that way. I have never felt nervous walking the streets by myself, day or night, and there is a calm ease to this city. It consistently ranks globally as a city with a high quality of life and is the cultural and financial capital of the Yucatan.
You can fly directly into the Merida airport, if coming from the US there are flights from Atlanta, Dallas, Houston and Miami. If you fly into the Cancun Airport, there is a luxury bus (ADO) that takes four hours, traveling the expressway. Lastly, the soon to be “Tren Maya”, the high speed train that will connect five states of the Yucatan, should get you from Cancun Airport to Merida in less than two hours. A few of the train stations have already opened but it will not be fully operational for a few more months. The train will give the opportunity to move around the Yucatan more freely and is anticipated to usher in the next level of tourism and connectivity for harder to reach places.
STAY: I stay at Hotel Antelar and you should too. That said, there are so many glorious hotels behind the walls of this city, they take a lot of pride in design and hospitality in Merida, you will not be disappointed staying elsewhere either. At Antelar, seven glorious rooms, each one perfectly designed and filled with local artistry. The focal point of the property is the pool. A lot of hotels in Merida have a cute plunge pool. I like a sizable pool to lay by and swim in. The best part of Hotel Antelar is that it’s smack dab in the middle of everything but on a quiet neighborhood street. Also the service (and drinks!) are world class.
EAT: Some of my favorite bites in this city are lowbrow, quick grabs. For lunch I usually walk over to Santa Ana Park for a turkey sandwich or a couple of pulled pork tacos (“cochinita pibil” is a signature dish of the Yucatan). I go to the same stall every time, it’s the ladies at the end, just off to the right side if you are looking at the long wall of stalls ahead of you. This lunch is what I think about the minute I land in Merida - mission driven for that pavo torta.
El Apapacho is a chill little garden restaurant with traditional Mexican food that is easy to love any time of day. Not far from there is The Gwoods, a spot that I discovered more recently with fresh, light breakfast and lunch options. This place is modern with a hipster vibe and a huge art studio in the back where young artists are working. At The Gwoods they also have an exceptional drink list (non-alcoholic). They do these fresh fruit - tonic - cold brew combos that I had never seen anywhere else. Casa T’HŌ fits into the categories of EAT, SHOP, and DO. It is a place to behold, a gem of the city. A “Concept House” done right that so many others have tried to achieve. It lives in one of the old classic mansions on Paseo de Montejo, has a delicious restaurant in the central courtyard and designer shops through the interior space.
For dinner, so many good ones here are a few standouts… BIRD is always solid. It’s a moody bar with craft beer on tap, a pizza oven in the back, and lots of jazz music to set the mood. It is great solo or with a crew and always feels good at the end of a long day.
Anima is organic soul food, cooked over a wood burning fire. I live for food cooked over an open fire and Anima does it well. There is a hearty mix of meat and veggies served in charming courtyard with the cooking pits as a central point. It’s on Calle 47 which has become a little “restaurant row”, most of which are delicious and reliable. Salon Gallos is THE SPOT. With good reason. It’s really one you have to see to understand, but aside from the huge, gorgeous restaurant that fuses Lebanese and Yucatan flavors, there is an outdoor cantina, wine bar, cinema and gallery. Always happening, always full, and where the energy of Merida is palpable.
Last but not least, get yourself some gelato at Pola. I think it is the best I have ever tasted, seriously.
DO: Ok sort of random, but in the morning, to get the body moving, go for a run or walk to the Merida Zoo which is about a mile and a half from Antelar. The zoo is organically set into a beautiful park and there is no charge to enter. They open at eight and no one is there in the morning so you can just meander around the park/zoo while it’s quiet and watch the animals have breakfast, it’s an amazing way to start the day. Then make your way back and if it’s Friday, Saturday or Sunday stop at Maiz for a brunch bite. Many of the old mansions of Merida are now museums that you can tour. Most offer a guided tour, which I did at the famous Montejo495, while there are a few like Quinta Montes Molina (my personal favorite), that allows for a self guided tour.
There are plenty of quiet, chic pockets of Merida but when you are ready to ditch that - get lost in the chaos of the markets. I don’t think the markets are a part of the city that most visitors seek out but it’s a real miss not to, it’s where you get a true taste of local hustle and bustle. There are a few main markets, all in the same area. If you stick between the area on your map of the Crafts Bazar Garcia Rejón and Mercado San Benito, everything flows between. Handmade goods, produce, clothes, accessories, truly everything under the sun is in the market.
Coqui Coqui is the best of the Yucatan and I am someone who stays at their hotels, wears their perfumes, and frequents their spas. The Merida location is beautiful and I recommend a spa treatment towards the end of your trip. The spa sits in the back courtyard behind the perfumerie and is a tranquil little slice of heaven.
SHOP: Frine and Anthony are the cools behind Vernâculo. Everything they create is beautiful. I am always taken with their style and ease. They have a shop in Merida and also one in Valladolid.
Down the street from Vernâculo is Coqui Coqui, and whether you choose to indulge in the spa or not, you should certainly pop by the perfumerie. They have a mini size perfume, that fits in your carry on and lasts forever - if you get nothing else, those are great souvenirs for yourself or gifts. Maiamé Studio is a shop with local woven home goods that are beautifully made and simple in design and construction. Casa Clavel is another fave home store, it’s more of a design shop, polished and upscale.
While I mentioned Casa T’HÔ above for lunch, it’s shops deserve a stand-alone shout out. Hip Mexican designers host their shops at Casa T’HÔ and everything in there is chic as can be. The lighting design alone within T’HÔ is worth the visit.
Lastly, I think the ultimate Mexico souvenir is silver. Uxmal de Taxco is an old school sterling silver shop that sits on the Santa Ana Park Square. Miguel’s father was the first generation jewelry maker in the biz, Miguel carried on and has made everything in the shop. He knows every piece personally and has dedicated his life to this place. The craftsmanship is excellent and the bracelet I bought a few years ago has not left my wrist for a singe day. As he’s getting older, his kids are usually around now too but Miguel still runs the show.
A trip to Merida could be coined the most classic Dipa trip. It’s easy to get to but feels worlds away. You can spend just a few days there and return completely refreshed. The planning is low stress given that you can walk everywhere. Days can be spent with equal parts relaxing poolside with a cocktail or touring around the city. It is design centric, with so much culture yet the prices for hotels, restaurants, shops are fairly modest compared to other cities that have greater exposure. I say let’s keep it that way. Here’s to appreciating places as special as Merida and continuing to visit time and time again.