Best Bed & Breakfast in Merida
This week, Working Gringa's father and stepmother are coming to town. They are staying the month in Akumal (escaping the impending Colorado winter for awhile) and coming to Merida for a brief sojourn, to meet the dogs and tour around the not-quite-finished house. Since our rental home doesn't have a comfortable place for them to stay, we were faced with the decision of where to put them up for the night.
We imagine this is not unusual for other people who live here, who often have guests that need to stay somewhere other than their home. So in service to those of us who want to give our visitors the best experience when they are visiting, here are our initial nominations for Best B&B in Merida.
They are probably (but not necessarily!) priced lower than the small hotels of our previous poll. They also probably afford the visitor a more intimate experience of Merida, since most B&B's are indeed an extension of people's homes. We realize the category has been stretched like a piece of semantic taffy in the last few years, so we are going to create our own set of rules for the purpose of this poll. Each of the B&B's nominated by us or anyone else should have five rooms or less, should have the owner or owners living onsite and should serve breakfast as part of the cost of the room.
Here are our initial five nominations. Anyone can add a nominee over the next two weeks (before November 31) by suggesting another B&B in the comment section. The voting will continue until December 31, 2007 at which point we will turn off the poll (and all the others) and in January, we will award the winners.
Oh, and just so we can avoid having to explain this multiple times, our next poll is going to be Best Budget Hotel in Merida and will be the best category for places where the owner DOESNT live or which DONT serve breakfast.
Yucatan Living's Readers Choice Polls Best B&B in Merida nominees are:
Angeles de Merida - Created by John Truax and his partner, Angeles de Merida has new expat owners who have moved in and are carrying on the Angeles de Merida tradition. The rooms are set in a multi-storied old home, beautifully renovated with the rooms all loosely centered around a courtyard with a swimming pool. The location, just down the street from Parque Santiago, is ideal for a combination of quiet getaway and tourist convenience.
Website: www.angelesdemerida.com
Casa Santana - One of the most uniquely and personally decorated and renovated homes in Merida that we have ever seen, Casa Santana is the brainchild of Debbie LaChapelle, who lives half the year in Merida and half the year in Maine. The house is filled with folk art and antiques from Mexico and other lands of apparent enchantment. The garden is surrounded by old stone walls and features a swimming pool set among the trees. It feels miles away from downtown Merida, which it isn't.
Website: www.casasantana.com
Cascadas de Merida - Run by Ellyne (from New York) and Chucho (from Merida), this unique B&B has four modern rooms that all open to a sparkling swimming pool in the center of the property. Thanks to Chucho's ingenious construction abilities, each room boasts a glass-enclosed shower that looks out onto a waterfall. Water features are everywhere! Thanks to Ellyne, guests enjoy a delicious breakfast and lots of sound advice on what to do and what to see in Merida.
Website: www.cascadasdemerida.com
Las Arecas - Another colonial turned into a B&B, but run by a Merida local. Mauro Ruiz spruced up his family home and runs it as a modest bed and breakfast. Five rooms in the back of the house share a living and dining room and a central outdoor patio. Each room is charming and simple, with a few whimsical touches like stone sculptures or sixties-era lamps. Some rooms have kitchenettes, one has a private garden, another has a rooftop view. The location couldn't be better, close to everything.
Website: www.lasarecas.com
Los Arcos de Merida - Only two guest rooms in this popular B&B. The main house and the garden are chock full of books, art, plants, furniture... enough to keep any guest busy who isn't already swimming in the large pool, enjoying a delicious breakfast by that pool or going just down the street to the center of Merida for entertainment. Rooms are tucked away in the back of the garden, away from the main house, in their own little world.
Website: www.losarcosmerida.com
Casa Esperanza - Casa Esperanza is located in a colonial home originally built in the 1890's. Claudette and Sergio have turned this lovely building into an even lovelier and very comfortable home away from home. The rooms are painted in a bouquet of pastel colors, all within easy access of a lovely pool. Casa Esperanza is just a few blocks from the Plaza Grande, Parque Mejorada and the city's main market. Gourmet breakfast served daily.
Website: www.casaesperanza.com
Casa Santiago - A reader-nominated bed & breakfast, Casa Santiago is a 3-room establishment that has recently come under new management. The owners, Vince and Frank, share their home with guests and a "quiet and friendly" Boston Terrier named Felix. There is a pool in the back, breakfast served each morning and wine and cheese in the afternoons. Casa Santiago is close to the park of the same name, and just a few blocks west of the Plaza Grande.
Website: www.mexicanbedandbreakfast.com
Comments
Maureen 17 years ago
Cascadas de Merida is a wonderful B and B. It is a lovely oasis of peace and beauty amidst the calles of Merida. The rooms are comfortable and the pool provides a beautiful setting in which to relax. The abundant breakfast is a great way to start the day! Ellen and Chucho are friendly, extremely welcoming and helpful. Definitely the best B & B in town!
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Robert Haughton 17 years ago
We've stayed at Cascada de Merida twice, and the second visit was due to the first. Ellyne and Chuco Basto are wonderful hosts. They made us feel as though we are old friends. Ellyne arranged our daytrips and even our transportation to Cancun via Chichen Itza. On our second trip, we took an old friend on her first trip out of the USA. We have also recommended Cascadas de Merida to other friends, and some of them have visited, too. We intend to return to Merida, and we will want to stay at Cascadas de Merida again.
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Salim Hasham 17 years ago
I spent four days at this lovely Casa Santiago B&B and enjoyed the location and the company. It was a different experience than the usual Hyatt Merida stay and I made some wonderful new friends and enjoyed the company of excellent hosts in Vince and Frank. This is an excellent place to stay and I would recommend this to anyone wanting a tranquil location in Centro Merida.
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william 17 years ago
The week I spent at Casa Santiago was among the most peaceful and fun weeks of my life, I was attracted to the place by its website which offered a welcome to people of all types and backgrounds so long as they were nice. Vince who runs the place is a completely authentic human being and both helpful and cheerful. Loved the sweet house mascot, a Boston Terrier named Felix. The hot breakfast in the morning was delicious. The big beds are very comfortable. Very charming colonial architecture, very clean throughout, great pasta tile floors. Sitting beneath the flower covered pergola next to the pool--it does not get much better.
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Michael & Cil 17 years ago
My wife and I have had the pleasure to stay at Casa Esperanza our last 2 time in Merida. Claudette and Sergio are wonderful hosts and delightful people! The B&B is beautiful, the grounds are immaculate and the rooms are very well appointed, and peaceful. We echo the comments previously posted here and do not hesitate to recommend Casa Esperanza. For us, staying at Casa Esperanza is not just a wonderful get-away, it is a chance to connect with our new friends Claudette and Sergio.
During our most recent trip to the Yucatan we had planned on staying at our house we had just purchased on the beach. (That is a long and bug filled story) Well, as things turned out we needed to find a place to stay, and called Claudette and Sergio (or rather had a friend e-mail them – darn US cell phones). They were able to accommodate us during our emergency, and after chatting with us for quite a while, and allowing us to borrow a kitty, managed to get us calmed down enough to enjoy the rest of our trip. (Which needless to say we spent at the B&B).
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Daphne Walker 17 years ago
My husband and I were looking for the perfect place to have a second honeymoon. A friend told us about Angeles de Merida and suggested we go. We were looking for a romantic getaway far away from Oakland. We were NOT disappointed. What a wonderful time we had. The B&B was beautiful. I could not have been more pleased with our room. Dawn went out of her way to make us feel welcome. The food was delicious and the margaritas were fantastic...just what we were looking for! We spend many leisurely hours by the pool just getting acquainted with each other again. When we did go out Dawn was the perfect guide to all the places we wanted to see. I was so happy with our second honeymoon that I am planning a surprise third honeymoon next year...and it will be at Angeles de Merida.
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elizabeth 17 years ago
I have stayed in several of the B&Bs mentioned and they are all well above average. The one that was just the greatest was Los Arcos, run by David Reed. Anyone wishing to run a B&B should first take a class from him. His quiet, friendly graciousness, the awsome breakfasts, and the lovely rooms and pool make this the Cats Meow. My sister, who has travelled all over the world ranks Los Arcos as the #1 B&B she has stayed at.
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judith fein 17 years ago
I am writing from Merida. We have just polished off a bottle of Chilean white wine with Vince and Frank. They were concerned it wasn't enough,so they brought out chips and a chile dip. They gave us Neemm soap, maps,directions, recommendations for restaurants. They gave us a huge king bed with impeccable service. A custom breakfast. What's not to like? They made us feel like.....like home. HIghly recommended.
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Kristina 17 years ago
I just stayed at Casa Esperanza for a week and LOVED my stay, claudette and Sergio are the nicest couple and Claudette is a superb cook, breakfast is great. I can't wait to return.
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Jan Rogers 17 years ago
The absolute best B & B we have ever stayed in is Casa Esperanza in Merida. On our first stay in Merida we fell in love with it and can't wait for an excuse to go back. It is a beautiful oasis within the bustling historical district. The owners, Claudette and Sergio, are the perfect combination of warmth and kindness and exceptional hospitality. To say nothing about a whole lot of fun. They are there when you need them and the rest of the time you can enjoy blissful privacy in their charming rooms and peaceful pool surrounded by lush gardens. Because each room has it's own outside entrance it give s you more of a more of a sense of privacy and ends up feeling more like a small boutique hotel inside a garden paradise. Each room and is beautifully appointed and very comfortable. The breakfast was incredible and their wonderful menagerie of pets are an added bonus. Ask about the turtles. We give it a 10 out of 10!
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Joanna Rosado 17 years ago
If I didn't live in Merida, I would definitely want to stay at Cascadas de Merida. It is an absolutely charming B & B - lovely appointments, ambiance and attractions... but it also has something additional: Cascadas de Merida has Ellyne! She is a wonderful hostess who treats her guests like royalty. She loves her work and it shows. Her collection of Mexican popular art is something to behold... I would highly recommend Cascadas de Merida to anyone who needs accommodation in Merida and who enjoys being pampered.
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