Merida -- what do you think?
 

Narrowing down vacation choices w/active, 20-yr-old son. Your thoughts about Merida? Good beaches nearby? Great hotels (skip the resort/golf course sort of thing)? Share your experiences, please!

The closest beach to Merida is north to Progresso. While it will only take a little more than an hour to get there, it can be quite windy. There aren't really any "resorts" in Merida--except maybe if you considered one of the haciendas a resort. Most hotels have pools. Merida is lively on the weekend--especially the evenings. What activities are you interested in? Will you have a car?

I think Merida sounds very interesting to visit, but it is not really a beach destination.

Merida is a great cultural/culinary destination. Probably not the best destination for an active 20 yr old unless you want to leave him there to learn Spanish.

You might look at Playa del Carmen or Isla Mujeres for nice towns with great beaches.

What does your son think? Seems Merida might possibly be boring from his perspective. How about someplace instead like Playa del Carmen or Puerto Vallarta that has a mix of culture but more tourist activities and nightlife available?

Playa del carmen is good option as apart from beaches, restaurants and night life, there are arqueological sites nearby, water sports, and places like xel-ha with diving, dolphins, lots of fish etc.

I think a twenty-year-old man would have a blast in Merida on Friday and Saturday nights -- provided his parents went back to the hotel and let him do his thing.

I think it's impossible to say, not knowing the interests of his son. If he has an interest in Mexican culture maybe even speaking Spanish then yes to Merida. If he'd rather be doing water sports or adventure activities (when he says "active") then probably somewhere else.

What were your other choices? We enjoyed 3 nights in Merida as we went to Progresso, Uxmal and Chichen itza. Then on to PDC and Tulum. Are the ruins of interest to you both? Is the young man interested in cave diving? That would be near PDC. Great beaches and hotels is definitely PDC. Tulum has great beaches but not as great on the hotel side.