Dalia

I am wanting to go to Merida this summer ((since I enjoy purchasing arts and crafts and hear Merida has a lot of opportunity for that))) but unfortunately my boyfriend dislikes shopping. I am having a hard time to convince my boyfriend to go. Can anyone please help me with information on other things to do in Merida. We will be staying in the Hyatt Hotel. Thank you. He has already seen and climbed Chichen Itza. So any other recommendations will be very much appreciated.

dan woodlief

Dalia, you should visit the ruins at Uxmal. Less crowded than Chichen Itza and very different too. You could also visit the smaller ruins on the Puuc route by tour or by car. You could always go to the beach at Progresso for something different. There is the anthropological museum, carriage rides, Sunday festivities on the square, and just walking around seeing the sites. Take a look at my personal Web site at sites.netscape.net/tarbadger. It is under construction, but the 4 pages on Mexico are complete. I included lots of photos and links.

lisa

Dan, your website is a pleasure. I took a peek at the Mexico section since my boyfriend and I are going there in October (Isla Mujeres, Merida, Lago Bacalar, Puerto Aventuras). The photos are wonderful. I also took a quick look at the Washington DC section which was great too (I remember when you posted questions on the forum while planning that trip). Re: your photo of the Washington Monument -- obelisks are always tricky to photograph since the angled sides make the monument appear not to be straight in the viewfinder. By the way, I know your site is still under construction so you may already know this, but you repeat a section of text at the end of the Washington site. Thanks for posting this & I look forward to the completed site.

dan woodlief

Thanks Lisa. I just finished the text to the Washington section during my lunch hour, so if you want to look again, it is all complete but the links and menu.

Dalia

Just in case anyone wants to know. I'am just getting back from merida. Stayed in the Hyatt Hotel which is directly across from Fiesta Americana. Both hotels are very nice. Exchange rate was $9.25 pesos for every US$1.00. Fiesta Americana has an excellent rate for a 1 hour massage ..$210 pesos which equals around $23.00 us dollars. If you enjoy Shopping for handicrafts your in the right place. Merida has numerous areas for shopping for arts and crafts. Negotiating in the markets is a must. If anyone is interested in anymore info e-mail me.

lisa

Hi Dalia. Were there any particularly good buys in Merida? I am interested in possibly purchasing a hammock while I'm there. What was the rate at the Hyatt, and are there any restaurants you would especially recommend? Was it easy to get around? I would love any details.

Dalia

Lisa, <BR>The rate for the hyatt included a 6 day 5 night hotel stay, round trip airfare from miami to merida, taxes and round trip transportation from airport to hotel and back was $600.00 each for 2 people through mexseasun( thats mexicana airlines pkg deal dept.) There are a lot of buys on handmade arts and crafts which include-handpainted wooden animals from Oaxaca, hand embroidered blouses and dresses, straw hats, hammocks, pottery and a lot of silver jewlery..lk for 925 on the jewlery. Regarding the hammocks, I wasnt interested in purchasing one so I really didnt take the time to look over the MANY hammocks that were offered. Check out either Fodor, Frommers,or one of the other travel books. I remember reading one of the travel books where they specifically had a section on how to purchase hammocks in Merida and what to look for, unfortunately I cant remember which book it was. If you enjoy shopping as much as I do, visit not only the markets but check out the mall right under the Fiesta Americana Hotel. It is opened till 10pm and has some quality handicrafts as well. Regarding restaurants, we basically had a big breakfast in the Hyatt every day and then had dinner in a different restarant every night. The holiday inn has a good dinner buffet and there is a restarant called Casa del Paseo which also has excellent food and a nice atmosphere. We didnt rent a car so we did A LOT of walking (((wear good walking sneakers if you are going to walk)). We also took the bus whenever we could. One night we took a horse and carriage ride for about 45 min to 1 hour around the city. The cost was around $11 dollars total for the 2 of us. Ask for the price up front because the 1st person we asked was going to charge us $18 dollars for the same ride. You could probably negotiate if the price is too high. I hope I helped you out some.

Shopper

ATTENTION LISA: <BR> <BR>RE: Hammocks (hamacas in Spanish) <BR> <BR>Go to the following website: <BR> <BR>http://www.peopleschoice.com <BR> <BR>It's a very large website by a couple who for many years have lived in Mexico. <BR>He names a specific store which he believes makes excellent quality hamacas. Can't tell you exactly where in the site he mentions it....think he's got a section devoted to shopping; or maybe it's arts & crafts, etc. <BR>Look around.....you'll find it. <BR> <BR>

Susan

It's been a few years since we visited Merida, but I remember that my husband bought a wonderful panama hat there. It was much much better quality than the usual straw hats you can buy all over Mexico and he used it for a few years. He always finds it hard to buy hats that fit and look good - it's almost worth going back to buy another one! (plus we both liked Merida)

lisa

Thanks for the suggestions everybody!