granbury

I am planning to be in Valladolid in a couple of weeks and I'm not sure how to pronounce it. My best guess is VALYA doh leed. Am I anywhere near correct?

Also, we are planning to stay at Hotel Maria de la Luz on the main plaza. Anyone have experience with this hotel or town? Any insights would be appreciated.

Reisender

Not sure but I think you are close. We have been there on a day trip, and it is very nice. Be sure to visit the cathedral right on the square (as I recall on the south side)it is most interesting. The square is nice and the area all around it is pleasant. I have heard good things about that hotel and gets generally good reviews on TripAdvisor:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...Peninsula.html

kja

Hi, granbury -

One of my travel books says "ba ya doh LEED"

Hope that helps!

Stephie

Typically two "ll's" are prounced like a "y" in spanish. Guessing this is a spanish name, it would be vie-ya-doe-leed.

robertino

My father in law pronounced it vuh-LID-oh-did. I didn't think that was quite right.

In Mexican Spanish, the v is pronounced as a kind of blended b and v that is pretty hard to do. I usually just stick with pronouncing the v as a v.

Vah-yoh-doh-LEED.

Now, why are you going there?

robertino

Sorry - vah-yah-doh-LEED.

granbury

Thanks all for the input.

Robertino - are you saying the emphasis is on the last syllable LEED? I am going because we will be 2 weeks in Akumal and this is a side trip and I enjoy small Mexican towns. I am planning to spend a couple of days seeing Ek Balam, several cenotes, and the town of Valladolid.

zootsi

We spent 2 nights in Valladolid a few weeks ago - I NEVER got the pronunciation correct, but i think my wife did. Mexicans pronounce V as B. Valladolid is a pleasant small city, and most of it's activity is centered around the town square. We stayed at the Meson del Marques and very much enjoyed it. The Maria de la Luz was just across the square, and also looked nice.
There isn't too much to see in this city, but it's a good base for exploring the surrounding areas. The city is hot and congested with traffic in the afternoon, but is very charming in the evening, when all the families congregate in the square. Don't miss the old fellow who sells home made ice cream from an old push cart every evening.
There are a string of tourist oriented shops around the square that cater to the tour busses that stop there. However if you wander down one of the side streetes, you will encounter the real stores that the locals shop at. Unfortunantely, a lot of it is cheap toys, and low end shoes and such, but there are a few very reasonable jewelry shops.
Don't miss eating at the Meson del Marques at least once, it's a very pleasant place for dinner, and the menu is interesting. Also, the indoor food gallery next door, which caters to the local population is lots of fun - with about a dozen mom and pop Mexican food places, and sometimes live music (there's also an ATM in there).

hopefulist

"ba ya doh LEED" is my opinion. That's how that combination of letters would be pronounced in Spanish, a language that is very specific phonetically, unlike English.

granbury

Thanks everyone for all the input. I think I have the pronunciation now. I always have a hard time knowing which syllable to put the emphasis on. Thanks for the help on this.

Zootsi - Thanks for the great info. I have actually decided on Meson del Marques and made reservations this afternoon. I have heard several times about how nice Valladolid is in the evenings and I am looking forward to that experience. We are staying over a Saturday night so that we will be able to see the Sunday morning market. Again, thanks for your input. I always enjoy your posts.

granbury

Just wanted to report back that the pronunciation is indeed ba ya doh LEED. And the Meson del Marquez was absolutely delightful! Good value, GREAT food, large rooms, wonderful people. We were there during Vallodolid's Lingua de Maya festival which was held in the town square. Music, dancing, food vendors, small children running everywhere with balloons. It was great. We also visited the area cenotes and purchased a hammock from the prison. I loved this town.

colokid

Those hammocks are the best. Loved mine for years.