Hello all,
DH and I are thinking of visiting Mérida in February. We are planning on going after Valentine’s weekend maybe the 19th through the 24th. Dates are flexible.
I know there are Mérida experts on Fodors, Mimi I think lived there for a while. We want to tour the churches and museums, and all the colonial city has to offer.
Any suggestions on what is a must see or do, or an excursion that is within a couple of hours that you would recommend?
I have also looked at lodging and would rather have accommodations with a kitchen area as we like to do some cooking on our own. So, any recommendations on lodging would be appreciated too.
We are late 60s early 70s and very mobile.
Any and all suggestions are welcomed.

I’m no expert, but…

Some day trip options:

ˇ Izamal

ˇ Celestun and the Petenes Ecological Reserve (I believe you’ll be near the peak of the flamingo season there)

ˇ Maybe Campeche, though at about 2.5 hours away, I’m not sure how well it suits a day trip.

IMO, the most unmissable excursion from Merida would be the Ruta Puuc, but it doesn’t lend itself well to a day trip. Instead, it’s best with an overnight near Uxmal, perhaps at the Pickled Onion.

If you don’t already have it, the Moon Guide to the Yucatan provides excellent coverage of Merida.

Thank you, the Celestun and Petenes Ecological Reserve sounds great and my husband loves flamingos.
I do not have the Moon guide but will order it.

We were in Merida about this time last year and enjoyed it. I wrote a Trip Report that you might look up to get a more day to day tracking of our stay. I think you can easily do a daytrip to Uxmal, it's pretty interesting. There are a number of old mansions to explore in Merida. A nice jazz club. I00.3 don't think I would go to Izamal, Celestun might be a better option for the flamingos. We had good luck and saw quite a few, maybe 300, check the tides if you go there. Have fun.

Goog morning Tdiddy12,

I just finished reading your trip report. It made me even more excited for Mérida.
Can you tell me more about your apartment? Did it have an adequate kitchen? My husband enjoys an evening cigar, is smoking allowed on the patio? It sounded like you were able to walk everywhere from your apartment, which is great.
The 19th and 24th would be travel days, so we would have four full days there, which I think would be enough. We are known though for always wishing we had one more day.

I think I found your apartment, Tdiddy12 and it’s not available for our dates.

I've nothing personal/specific to add, but a dear friend (we're in Seattle) just returned from a week in Merida in December, staying with friends who bought a house there. It all looked (photos) and sounded (stories) pretty amazing. The city is getting a lot more buzz lately on travel sites, magazines, blogs, insta, etc.

Thanks, suze. I’ve never heard of anyone regretting visiting there.
I got the Moon guide and a Mérida travel guide, and now I have a few more questions and looking for recommendations.

We weren’t planning on renting a car, but some of the places we want to visit list a private car as the best way to get there, However there seems to be a lot of public transportation:
Local buses, Microbuses, Va y Ven and Colectivos. The last two seem to be more for tourists. There is also Uber, Didi and taxis.
Any recommendations for transportation?

We would like to explores a Cenote. The three were looking at are:
Cuzamá, Homún and San Antonio Mulix
Does anyone have any experience with either of these? Recommendations for others?

The Celestün Biosphere Reserve. We are interested in the Flamingo watching and the Mangrove tour. I’m not sure if we want to bus there and get tours there or prearrange a tour for both. Suggestions?

Last thing is Uxmal. I see there are tours and buses, but most leave around there around 5:00 pm and we would miss the light show. We could book a tour from Mérida just for the light show, but we really aren’t night people, this may be one reason Kia recommended an overnight there. Again, any suggestions?

Thank you in advance for any suggestions and/or recommendations. Personal experiences are always helpful.

It’s been quite a while since I was in the area, but when I was, collectivos were decidedly not for tourists – and were one of the reasons I love them. People of all ages used them to go about their business, with little ones taking whatever laps were available. I found it a thoroughly delightful way to observe and interact with local people – and I speak only a few words of Spanish. YMMV.

For Celestun, again, it’s been years and I was there just outside peak flamingo season, so I just arranged something once there -- but I spent a night there. If I were to go during peak season, I think I’d make the arrangements in advance, particularly if seeing those pinkest-of-all-flamingos is a priority and if you are trying to see them as a day trip.

Uxmal: Even though the light show is a bit hokey and very touristy, I really enjoyed it and found that it helped bring that site, and Mayan rituals, to life for me. But that’s not the only reason, IMO, to consider an overnight in the area: There is MUCH more to the Ruta Puuc than “just” magnificent Uxmal! Kabah’s Codz Poop is stunning and the other ruins in the area are each well worth seeing. Uxmal itself can take the better part of a day, and I personally would hate to have to be herded through it or to have to hurry to meet a guided tour’s timeline. And if you’re interested, you can also include a visit to Loltun Cave while in the area – natural formations (not well preserved, if I recall) as well as painted elements and other interesting features.

I rented a car in Merida for my time along the Ruta Puuc and also for Celestun, but I had more time in the area than you will have.

I hope that helps!

On our visit, also some time ago, our hotel in Merida arranged for a car to drive us to Uxmal, where we stayed two nights at one of the larger hotels. It took the better part of the day to see Uxmal. The next day we hired a driver for the Ruta Puuc and the caves. At the time these were little visited and quite evocative. Finally, yet another driver took us to Valladolid, but you might return to Merida. For us, the highlight of Merida was the weekend celebration when they close down the streets and party.

We rented a house in Merida for about ten days just before Covid. I loved that city!!! It was very hot, even in January, so I did much of my wandering around early in the morning or late in the afternoon. We used a great driver for trips to Uxmal, and to several cenotes where we were able to swim in that crystal clear turquoise water. I highly recommend taking time to do that..we visited notes for two full days and it was just a fantastic experience.

The other wonderful experience was a visit to the small town of Tixkobab. We took a taxi there and a collective back to Merida. The town is famous for making hammocks and you can visit a workshop and buy a hammock. But the main reason for our visit was to have lunch( we did this twice) at PUEBLO PIBIL, a wonderfully atmosphere restaurant spacializing in Yucatecan food. You can watch the process of burying the pig in the pit for Cochinita pibil. Their version of this signature Yucatecan dish is excellent. I don't know if it's changed, but we were the only English-speakers at the restaurant during the two lunches we had there. These were, along with the cenotes, the highlight of our visit. I think you still need to book by phone.

https://estela.pueblopibil.mx

Homun has a concentration of cenotes nearby. If you take a taxi, you will be approached by people offering tours to a few of them in a horse-drawn wagon. Or you a just mark the ones you want to visit and taxi right to them.


We ate in several good restaurants in Merida; some restaurants cater solely to tourist, so research pays off.
I went to the main food market every morning to buy supplies for lunch.....this was so much fun!!!

I also loved the live music and dancing that takes place in a different barrio every night.

This is the house we rented; the owners were a lovely Bosnian/Canadian couple:

https://www.casablancaliving.com

The Ka Kutzal cenote.
https://www.foodrepublic.com/1699038...xico-location/

Thank you for all your responses. You have all been very helpful.
Our trip is six days, but we really only have four full days in Mérida as the first and last days are travel days.
We have Thursday through Monday full days. Right now our plan is to explore Celestun, flamingo and mangrove tour on Thursday and visit a cenote on Monday. We want to stay in Mérida for the weekend to experience the local markets and activities.
We’re very excited for our trip. Thank you again!

See if you can hire a driver to take you to a few of the centers around Homun..dreamy swimming!!

Ekscrunchy, I am trying to decide between Homún and San Antonio Mulix. They both look very inviting in one of the guide books I’m using.

I don't know the second, but there are a few cenotes around Homun and we went to a few in one day; it was one of the best days of that trip...



Ready for swimming

Map of Santa Barbara cenotes near Homun


Magical swimming!!

Oh wow, that looks amazing. Thanks for sharing.

Did you take the trip to Merida?????

Yes! I should do a trip report. It was a short but sweet trip. We went to the same Cenotes in Homun that you shared.

it was an excellent trip.

Plaza Grande
We loved the you and me chairs!