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What is the Best Small Hotel in Merida Centro?
- Casa Álvarez (16%)
- Casa Mexilio (3%)
- Casa Sacnicte (3%)
- Hotel Marionetas (29%)
- Hotel Mediomundo (13%)
- Luz En Yucatan (36%)
Loading ...Even though we have lived here for six years and have at least three places in Merida where we can hang a hammock, we occasionally have the need to recommend or put up a friend or family member at a hotel. Most of our friends don’t like sleeping in hammocks, and the number of beds we have is limited.
So we find ourselves every few months in the position of having to recommend a place to stay for someone we care about. And of course, since we live here, they expect us to choose the best place for them, depending on their tastes. What we realize is there are a lot of charming small hotels that have sprung up over the last few years, just in the downtown area, and we haven’t stayed in all of them… or many of them, for that matter!
So it’s time to tap the collective wisdom on which is the best small hotel in Merida Centro.
The following are our first five nominations for Best Small Hotel in Merida Centro. To qualify, a hotel must have fifteen rooms or less and the nightly tarifa (rate) for at least some of the rooms must be under $100 USD. The hotel must be located within the confines of the Circuito Colonias in the Centro Historico of the city. That’s about it. This isn’t about price, though. It’s about selecting from a distinctive style of hotel… we’ll post Reader’s Choice Polls for luxury, hostel and B&B hotels in the months ahead.
We think the things to keep in mind here are ambiance, service, location, and whether the bed is comfortable. Not to mention the all important consideration: If you book your best friend or mother-in-law a room at that hotel, will they be pleased and think you really know what you’re talking about?
Here are our five nominations. As always, we hope that you will add your nominations (if you don’t see your favorite on the initial list) by leaving a comment, and we will add the new name to the poll.
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Nominations are open until September 15th and the voting will be open until midnight on December 31st, 2007. The winner of this and the other Reader’s Choice Polls will be announced early in January 2008.
The initial nominees for Best Small Hotel in Merida Centro under $100 in alphabetical order are…
Casa Mexilio – The Grand Dame of small hotels here, Casa Mexilio has been in operation since before we came to Merida. Located in a multi-story colonial home, it is chock full of antiques and ambiance. We hear the rooftop bar is really lovely, but we’ve never been there. Casa Mexilio has — unique rooms priced between $55 and $120 US.
Website: www.casamexilio.com
Casa Sacnicte – Located on Calle 62 just a short stroll south of the zocalo, Casa Sacnicte is one of the newest small hotels in Merida, but it is already enjoying favorable word-of-mouth. While it sometimes bills itself as a bed and breakfast, we think its eight rooms places it in the small hotel category. Room rates are priced between $40 and $65 US.
Website: www.casasacnicte.com/index.html
Luz En Yucatan – Located next to Santa Lucia Church in what is rumored to have once been a nunnery, Luz En Yucatan’s room are each different, all with kitchenettes. There’s a pool, a community dining room and kitchen and lots of nooks and crannies. One of the friendliest and quirkiest hotels in Merida… perhaps in the world. Luz en Yucatan has rooms priced between $30 and $85 US.
Website: www.luzenyucatan.com
Hotel Marionetas – We used to live across from this colonial jewel of a hotel and we watched them build it into the popular spot that it is today. All the rooms have beautiful tiled floors in a riot of Mexican color. Rooms also have modern amenities, they surround a pool and garden, and guests are treated to a different delicious breakfast every morning. Hotel Marionetas has 8 rooms priced between $80 and $100 US.
Website: www.hotelmarionetas.com
Hotel Mediomundo – The first place we ever stayed in Merida, and we aren’t alone. The bright colors and lush garden continue to be a great initiation into the living experience of Merida for many people. Hotel Mediomundo has a gift shop, a pool and 12 rooms priced between $55 and $90 US.
Website: www.hotelmediomundo.com
Casa Álvarez Guest House – This is the first reader-nominated hotel (See Tito’s comment, below). While it doesn’t have a pool and they don’t offer breakfast, this is a good choice if you want to experience authentic Merida Colonial ambiance and be only steps away from the zocalo. There are eight rooms, each with private bath and cable TV. Casa Álvarez Guest House is located at Calle 62 #448 between 53 and 51. The rooms cost between $30 and $35 US.
Website: www.casaalvarezguesthouse.com
We look forward to finding out the Yucatan Living reader’s choice for the best small hotel in Merida Centro under $100!
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Just a thought on the small hotels from things I have experienced or heard. Hotel Mexilio certainly is the most interesting of the 5. I love wandering around it! If your guests want eccentric, this is the place! Luz en Yucatan: I have heard folks rave about this hotel for years. While it is under new ownership, the new owners vow to “keep things the same”. Good decision! Hotel Marionetas, while a lovely property, seems to have 2 levels of customer care: great and awful, with many guests receiving the latter. Also, their “different delicious breakfast” consists of toast, spread and coffee. Nothing the matter with toast and coffee, it just shouldn’t be over-hyped. Personally I would like to see the hotel adopt a more “guest friendly” attitude because it is very close to my house and I would like to send my out of town visitors there. It is hard to suggest a hotel where one of the many “rules” state you cannot lounge by the pool. Why have a pool, then? Hotel Mediomundo is also an interesting, attractive place that people can feel comfortable in their guests having a nice stay without worry. My friends who have stayed there all spoke highly of it. Personally I really like their gift shop!
First, in the interests of full disclosure, Working Gringos produced the website for Hotel Marionetas several years ago and we also lived up the street from the hotel for several years, so we know the owners (we have met many of the hotel owners in Merida’s Centro over the years).
The last time we were at Hotel Marionetas, which was over a year ago, the breakfast was about the most you can expect as part of the room rate in any small hotel in Merida. We’d call it a tropical-continental breakfast, with various breads and pasteries (not just toast), spreads, fresh tropical fruits, juices and coffee. But we admit, it has been awhile, and maybe things have changed.
Or maybe, like every other hotel in Merida, they simply have some bad days, like the day when a key employee doesn’t show up, ants invade the pantry and the pastery isn’t delivered, just as an irrate guest storms out, hurling invectives because the shower wasn’t producing hot water fast enough.
After hearing quite a few of their stories, we certainly don’t envy the hotel operators in Merida who struggle to consistantly satisfy modern travelers’ world-class expectations. But for some reason, they do try.
Hey WG”s,
Once again I applaud you for the integrity and perspective you manage to uphold on this site. And delivered with such grace. That’s all!
UPDATE: We have been in contact with the owners of Hotel Marionetas, and they assure us that the breakfasts are still as delicious as we remember and there is no rule against lounging around the pool. Glad we cleared that up.
Those are excellent reviews that match the quality tones of your Website.
To add a cute little guest house, Casa Álvarez Guest House (simple details at http://www.casaalvarezguesthouse.com) is another wonderful little place.
The owners are from an oldtime Mérida business family, and are a true delight. There are very large rooms with air conditioning, and small rooms with ceiling fans. Also a very nice eat in kitchen where you can prepare your own meals. They do not do breakfast. Parking is available next door for 50 pesos, where Mr. Álvarez parks his own 1950 Dodge, with a Have You Hugged Your Kids Today? license plate on the front.
It is Gay, Senior Citizen and family friendly, within four blocks of the main Plaza de Armas, two blocks from Santa Lucía, and a little longer hike to Paseo de Montejo. Mr. Álvarez is into history and antiques, repairs antique clocks and victrolas, and has original late 1800 Belgian roof tiles on the roof.
It also has something like 28 cable stations on the televisions, tasteful decor and nicely tiled bathrooms, and they will loan you a little portable fridge.
I lost a new watch and a week later the assistant, Adrián, found it where it had fallen behind one of the beds, and returned it. We left two laptops, cel phones, I-pods, a DVD and passports in the room and washed and hung clothes on the roof, and had no problems. That is not to recommend that you do the same, just to give an idea of their integrity.
Up the street about three blocks is a great cocina económica, El Cubano, with cheap and delicious Yucatecan and Caribbean food.
The only negative vibes were from obviously well-heeled European and American tourists who would drop in and haggle over the already reasonable 300 to 500 peso prices, depending on the room and group size. Tsk-tsk.
After we tired of the cold showers at the Hotel Caribe, we went there for a couple of days in June with an entourage of three adults, two teenagers and a heat sensitive disabled tot of two years. We liked it so much that we canceled other regional plans and ended up staying for three weeks.
Tito,
Your nomination is duly noted. We’re checking it out to see if they belong in the Small Hotel poll or perhaps a B&B or Guesthouse poll. We’ll know by the end of the day.
I lean towards Luz en Yucatan, but maybe because I adore their little yoga room where I used to teach! Very eclectic and fun though.
I’m headed to Merida as of November 5th and I will be staying at Luz en Yucatan.
I have contacted them to make a reservation and my experience so far is a welcome one!
We like Hotel Santa Ana quite a bit. We stayed there during some construction at our house. About $30 per night. Clean, pretty, pleasant, good breakfast, a/c and convenient. Located on C. 45, just north of C. 60, at the corner of Santa Ana parish church. They have a website: http://www.hotelsantaana.com.mx
Grant, we think we’re gonna save Hotel Santa Ana for our “Colonial Hotels” poll.
Casa Alvarez is in my opinion the best kept secret in Merida. The outer wall gives no clue to the friendly haven and nice rooms within, which are very reasonably priced. Although there is no official breakfast, the common kitchen was well stocked with breakfast food when we were there.
The owners treated us like family, we stayed longer than we planned, and had trouble tearing ourselves away. Adrian, the Mayan craftsman, patiently let me practice my Spanish with him and told me about the nicest cenote outside the tourist circuit and how to get there with public transportation. Mr. Alvarez flagged down a police car to bring us to the bus station when the taxi was late and it looked like we would miss our bus to Palenque. His sister took us (me and my 8 year old) to the zoo with her daughter. And yes, we also left some things behind, which they kindly mailed to us.
The owners went out of the way to keep us completely satisfied. They bought a small inflatable pool so my Eskimo girl could cool off in the heat of the day, hung a hammock in the room for her to sleep in, and stored our belonging when we left for a few days.
I can’t say enough about the integrity, helpfulness, and local knowledge of these wonderful hosts. Someday we hope to see them again.
We spent three days in Merida at Casa Alvarez with our two kids. We parked our rented car close to the old Dodge and enjoyed the cosyness of a large room for the 4 of us. As it was very hot those days back in July, Miriam put a small swimming pool outside in the small terrace and kids had a big fun there, while we were chatting with other guests ! Enrique and Miriam were indeed very charming and friendly. So we vote for them !! Good luck !
Casa Alvarez :
Es una verdadera joya escondida en el centro de Merida ,el que conoce esta maravilla de hospedaje queda invitado para regresar, Miriam y Enrique son muy buenos anfitriones a nosotros nos hicieron sentir como si estuvieramos en nuestra casa y con nuestra propia familia. Les recomendamos sinceramente este maravilloso Hotel
Hotel Mediomundo has been a home away from home. The accommodations are second only to the wonderful attentive innkeepers! Whenever we are in Mérida, Hotel Mediomundo is our pick again and again. The rooms are spotless, bright and relaxing. The pool is placed so as to receive a good amount of sun through most of the day.
casa alvarez es el mejor hotel en la cd que me ha impresionado por su contruccion colonial y la hospitalidad de sus anfitriones Miriam Y Enrique cuenta con sus habitaciones que te deja uff y con todas las comodidades que ellos nos proporcionan tour y renta car
les recomiendo ampliamente casa ALVAREZ
Merry
realmente casa alvarez me encanta es maravillosa su arquitectura el trato calido ycordial de su personal es como estar en casa lo amo
CASA ALVAREZ:
ES EL MEJOR LUGAR DONDE HE ESTADO HOSPEDADO , LOS DETALLES Y LIMPIEZA DE LOS CUARTOS ES LO QUE ME IMPRESIONO.
SE RESPIRA PAZ Y TRANQUILIDAD TODO EN CASA ALVAREZ ES MUY BONITO PORQUE ES 100% FAMILIAR.
UN ATRACTIVO MAS DE CASA ALVAREZ ES UNA GATITA LLAMADA “MISS KITTY”.
EL QUE LLEGA AHI ES COMO ESTAR EN SU PROPIA CASA .
MI FAMILIA Y YO SE LOS RECOMENDAMOS.
ADRIAN SARAZ Y FAMILIA.
Looking to set yourselves or family up in an hotel that offers superb Yucatecan hospitality? Well, we have a secret we don’t really want to share. However, for our hosts’ sake we’ll spill the beans… Having traveled throughout Mexico for four months with two kids under ten we can attest that CASA ALVAREZ is one of the BEST small HOTELs in ALL OF MEXICO, let alone Merida. We intended to stay in Merida for two nights and ended up staying for a month–with Enrique and Miriam. Our kids went to school with Miriam’s daughter and we became family. What else could travelers ask for? Not much. We even returned six months later for another month in our now home away from home.
(Incidentally, the kitchen was always stocked for morning breakfast with eggs, fruit, bread, jam, margarine, milk, coffee, tea and even cereal. They are the type of hosts who under report but over deliver.)
Casa Alvarez
El mejor hotel pequeño donde he estado hospedada con mis padres y hermanos , es como estar en casa de nuestra propia familia , es muy limpio y muy acogedor , tambien tienen el servicio de renta de carros y tours , tienen una cocina donde nosotros cocinabamos nuestra comida y siempre encuentran en la cocina agua purificada , cafe , etc.
es muy bonito
Casandra Campos.
We loved our stay at the Marionetas hotel as well as the 10 other guests who stayed their for our wedding weekend. Marionetas is run by a wonderful couple who runs the small, charming hotel very well. The rooms are charming and have attention to detail that most other small hotels only try to achieve. They are colorful, clean and adorned with substantial antiques.
The meals and the pool were wonderful. We highly recommend this hotel to anyone traveling in Merida – even better, two locals with very discerning taste, choose the Marionetas as one of the few places that they recommend as well!
¡¡¡¡felicidades!!!! a casa alvarez la atencion es exelente y servicios de primera.
Our choice for one of the best B&Bs is Casa Esperanza. Located on the corner of Calle 54 #476 at Calle 55 & 57. Near Santa Lucia and Mejorada Parks, Plaza Grande, international restaurants, etc. Built by the Canton family in the 1890s. Present owners, Claudette and Sergio Terrazas, renovated this beautiful colonial home and gardens, and are extremely hospitable and knowledgeable about the sites in the Yucatan and can arrange tours. Gourmet breakfast is a feast for the eyes and stomach. Rates are under $100/night. It would be worth your checking out.
Regards,
John and Dorianne Venator
Casa Alvarez
It is easier for me to say some words about this wonderful little hotel it in german:
Durch Zufall fanden wir dieses Hotel nahe des Zocalos. Ursprünglich wollten wir nur 1 Nacht bleiben – am Ende waren es 4 Nächte! Der Grund lag nicht allein an Merida, sondern an den ausserordentlich netten Gästen.
Sollte ich jemals wieder nach Merida kommen, gibt es für mich nur dieses eine Hotel. Ich kann es jedem wärmstens empfehlen!
Ute & Klaus Ultsch
Casa Alvarez
A little correction: I wrote: The guests are very kind – but I mean the HOSTS.
which doesn’t mean that the guests have not been very very nice!
Kleine Korrektur: Ich schrieb, die Gäste sind ausserordentlich nett, aber ich meine die GASTGEBER, was nicht bedeutet, dass die Mitbewohner nicht ausserordentlich nett waren. Bis heute haben wir zu einigen anderen Gästen noch Kontakt.
Ute & Klaus Ultsch
David, North Bergen, NJ
About a month ago my family (3) and I spent a week at Hotel Julamis (www.hoteljulamis.com) in Merida Centro and we couldn’t have made a better choice.
This is a small and intimate hotel, around 7 rooms with two levels of open spaces where guests can relax and enjoy delicious breakfasts and peaceful siestas.
Mel is a New York artist and a nice, always accommodating host.
We sincerely recommend this Small Great Hotel and the price, after doing some homework we thought it was unbeatable ($25 / night double room with breakfast included)
CASA ALVAREZ:
¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡ Felicidades a casa alvarez,por sus atenciones y
el mejor servicio del personal !!!!!!!!!!
Congratulations for Guest House Alvarez
I guess I am a bit puzzled why our favorite small hotel is not on your list of the “best in Merida”
When you go to the TripAdvisor website you will see that Casa Esperanza is listed as the 3rd best small hotel our of 22 small hotels in Merida that they list – AND they show their average price as $80+ US dollars per night – well below your threshold of $100 USD per night?
What gives?
JOHN
John,
Casa Esperanza is not in the Best Small Hotel category on our website, and it’s not in the Hotels category on TripAdvisor either. We have listed it in the Best B&B Category here:
http://www.yucatanliving.com/readers-choice-polls/best-bed-breakfast-in-merida.htm?results=16
You can still vote for it from now until the end of December.
Estuvimos en el mes de septiembre,muy a gusto pasamos nuestras vacaciones en Casa Alvarez y por sentirnos como en nuestra casa regresamos con nuestros buenos amigos.
We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the Hotel Marionetas. It was like staying in the private home of a wealthy friend. The owners Sophia and Daniel greeted us like friends and Sophia gave us excellent advice on where to go and what to do while in Yukatan. The staff was as helpful and cheerful as the owners. The breakfasts were delicious and beautifully presented by a sweet young lady. They were served on a patio overlooking the pool. The hotel is a very tranquil, clean and safe place conveniently located in the centro. We have already recommended it to friends who are planning on going to Merida. We won’t hesitate to return there.
Hey there! I’ve been traveling around Mexico and most of the world and wanted to add my comments about interesting places in Merida. We stayed at the Luz en Yucatan and loved it! The owners are world travelers themselves and they made us feel right at home although we were far from it. We loved the rooms and the common areas including the lovely pool. The decor is authentic colonial Mexico with lot’s of charm and interesting artifacts. We will return to Luz en Yucatan for both the convenience, comfort and charm! Thanks Yucatan Living for providing a forum for travelers to share their experiences.
Sincerely,
DWM
[...] Small Hotel Under $100 a Room – For the best Small Hotel with rooms under $100 US within the Periferico limits of Merida, our Yucatan Living readers chose Luz En Yucatan. Luz En Yucatan is located on Calle 55 next to the Santa Lucia Church, and over the years, has built its reputation as a quirky but charmingly comfortable place to stay when in Merida. It appears that the new owners, Donnard and Tom, with the help of Donnard’s lovely wife Fabienne, have managed to maintain this reputation while giving the place a facelift. The Runner up in this category is the lovely and talented Hotel Marionetas. Read the original poll here… [...]
[...] For the best Small Hotel with rooms under $100 US within the Periferico limits of Merida, our Yucatan Living readers chose Luz En Yucatan. [...]
Is it possible to be comfortable staying at a B&B or hotel in a room with fans only during the month of April? Is a.c. mandatory?
Hola, Susan… we understand why you ask this question, as hotel rooms without air conditioning are cheaper usually. However, this is both a subjective situation and one that is hard to predict. The temperature at which you would be comfortable staying may be wildly different from one that we are comfortable with. And the weather in April is unpredictable. It is between the cold/wet (relative) season and the hot/dry (not relative… very hot and dry!) season, so it could be either. Sorry if that doesn’t help at all!
I loved reading all these reviews of the small Hotels in Merida. We were in Merida the end of April 08 for a week and stayed at the Luz en Yucatan. We really enjoyed our stay – the new owners are doing wonders to this Hotel. They have done a lot of renovation (while keeping the same charm) and they have more plans. They are currently putting a patio up on the second floor and have plans to put in a small bar on the first floor. We had the 2 rooms on the first floor off the pool area. The rooms & bathrooms were large, frig & cable stations in english. Plushy towels, great beds, and AC. The colors and decor are wonderful the pool area while small is beautiful. We both had lovely patio’s off our rooms. A kitchen for everyones use (along with a beautiful huge table that seats 10 to 12 comfortably) – and even liquor bottles in a cart in the hallway for anyone to use. Tom was very friendly and helpful when we needed any information. He ordered our bus tickets got us cabs and gave us a list of restaurants, parks and activities around town. I have seen some reviews of the Luz where guests said it was dirty and bugs in the room – - these reviews where all when the former owner was in charge. Since the new owners have taken over (about 1 1/2 yrs) the place is spotless. We would definetly return to the Luz.
Sincerely,
Lou
I would like to second Hotel Julamis, http://www.hoteljulamis.com/, as a great place to stay. However when we stayed (Aug 2008) the price for a double room ran $40-$50 a night which we thought was still underpriced. The hosts are sincerely lovely people. Mel offered to loan my boyfriend a pair of trousers (bf only brought shorts) so we could get past the dress code at Mambo Cafe. The hotel has recently been tastefully renovated and we were so happy there, we extended our Merida stay.
I am headed to Merida after Christmas for several days. I fould your web site to be very helpful. I got a quick reply from Luz en Yucatan, although they were booked on the days I will be there. I also got a quick relpy from Casa Alvarez, and hope to stay there. I will contact the others if Casa Alvarez does not have a room available.
I have visited your beautiful city several times and have always found good accomadations at rather reasonable prices. Thanks for the good info and excellent web page. From Belize, Art
We are heading to Merida for two days mid February. We are staying in Puerto Morelos for 3 weeks and thought we would like to visit Merida….We are leaning towards Hotel Julamis at this time. Do you have any more feedback on this small B@B style hotel? Sounds great to us, but want to be sure there isn’t too many negatives before booking. We are going to see the Carnival the 19th and 20th of Feb. Is it close enough to town to see it?
thanks for all your help,
First time Merida visitors
As far as we know, Hotel Julamis is a lovely place, though in total honesty, we’ve never talked to anyone who has stayed there.
Yes, Carnival goes right through town… you’ll have no trouble seeing it. You might have trouble getting AWAY from it
Hotel Santa Lucia has been recommended to me. I would like a contact number for them and any other information that you are able to furnish me. Thanks.
Hotel Santa Lucia can be reached at +52-999-928-2672. They are located on Calle 55 #508 between 60 and 58.
Be sure you have the right place. There is also a more upscale hotel called the Casa Lucia.
We have noticed that so many of the best hotels listed do not seem to be family friendly, many not allowing any children under age 10 to be guests. What makes these places so great? Merida is a great family city!
We stayed at Hotel Julamis for two nights this past February and it was amazing. Mel and Erid were the most amazing hosts from the time we arrived to the time we left. They go above and beyond to be sure that you are comfortable and have everything you need. You will never find a place kept so clean nd so quaint as this little B and B. Our room was very large with a king size bed and huge two person shower. The breakfast that is included in your $50.00 per night room fee was a great way to start the day, served in the little open air court yard with lovely flowers everywhere. If you want quality and service second to none, stay at the Hotel Julamis. If you have any questions feel free to email me at dsdyer@shaw.ca.
Hello all – I’m trying to get a feel from the local residents of Merida. Planning to take my wife for a week long trip to Merida and surrounding areas, and want to stay in an under $100 USD hotel in downtown. American travel web sites such Orbitz, and some Mexican ones such Despegar.com don’t mention any of the ones recommended in this forum. We have found over the years hotel pictures can be misleading and far away from reality, and my wife can be really picky sometimes. I’m not looking for anything fancy, just basic clean rooms with A/C, TV, WiFi and in the heart of the city. We love to walk around public markets and eat where the locals eat, with especial emphasis in local cuisine. Any advises will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
My 3 pre-teen sons and I stayed at the Luz en Yucatan in March. It was absolutely lovely, and we could not recommend it more. In addition to the downstairs full kitchen, our room had a large refrigerator and coffee maker and we each had our own bed (a rare luxury when we travel!). The room was spotless and the beds the most comfortable I’ve slept in in Mexico, and all for $99 a night in peak season. Owner Tom was enormously helpful, and the location is ideal.