Casa del Balam Hotel, Merida

Advantages: A unique and quaint hotel...
Disadvantages: Lacking a few mod-cons...

...We stayed in this hotel for a few days while on a little tour of the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico, including visits to Cancun (don't bother), Playa del Carmen & Cozumel (much better) and the amazing ancient Mayan ruins at Uxmal, Chitzen Itza and Tulum. (I'll try and get round to reviewing all these later...) We arrived by taxi from Merida airport (a short journey), having flown in from Cancun, where we had arrived in Mexico the day before, and were delighed with what we found, a massive improvement of the brash touristy-ness of Cancun ! The Casa del Balam Hotel was formerly the family home of Fernando Barbachano Peon, pioneer of Mexican tourism. A blend of Mexican tiles, terracotta and wrought iron, it has a small pool in a walled courtyand, complete with a stone carved fountain and tropical plants, a restaurant and bar, along...

matt_fantastic 13.04.2006 · Read review
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Review of Casa del Balam Hotel, Merida

Viagra ice cream and some new highs

Advantages: Cool city with loads to do
Disadvantages: You always want more time

...This is a review of the city of Merida in Venezuela, I?m aware of at least one other city of the same name in Mexico and there may well be others but to be honest they would have to be something special to top Merida which has this excellent chilled out vibe that runs through the heart of the city and this is despite the fact that it has some petty bad traffic problems with cars clogging its narrow streets that are arranged on a grid system similar to the preferred style of most American cities and towns. Merida is the capital of the state bearing the same name and is located in the North West of the country close to the Columbian border and surrounded by the magnificent Andes mountains, my reason for visiting was those very mountains and a particular peak we were going to climb as part of a five day trek into the mountains, prior to...

atticusuk 30.10.2009 · Read review
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Review of Merida in General

mediauk.com

Advantages: A decent media website...
Disadvantages: ...but no better than that

...Anyone looking for a job in the media, or even an insight into the big wide world of it, could do much worse than look here to begin with - mediauk.com. Operating since 1994, it lists current available jobs in radio, tv and print media, recent news articles on all these forms of media and a discussion board. Now being a graduate in a degree of this field of work, the jobs board has been an interest to me for quite a while...but don't expect to find work instantly. Anything but. Copious numbers of people view these adverts (you can see how many exactly in the job listings), but don't let that deter you of course - if you're good and experienced enough then you'll come across the job for you eventually. The jobs listed usually just contain a small job description and contact details for where to send your cover letter and CV, but...

carl.mcqueen 14.10.2009 · Read review
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dictionary.com

Advantages: Good free service
Disadvantages: Too many adverts & pop-ups

...Dictionary.com?! Dictionary.com?! Seriously?! Why, yes, something that seems so simply and basic has it's place on the World Wide Web (yes, I'm aware of the irony!), but fear not...it's not as basic as it seems! Rather than just typing in a word to discover its definition, dictionary.com does provide a far greater service. Since it's launch way back in 1995 (were websites even around then?!), it's one of the world's most popular services, as naturally many people will just type in 'dictionary.com' into their browser if they need to find the definition of a word...even if they don't know the website exists, it makes sense to have a crack at it! The website does provide a thesaurus option, translator and encyclopaedia...for anyone even contemplating steering away from Wikipedia, God forbid! But there are other quirks to the website...

carl.mcqueen 15.10.2009 · Read review
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gumtree.com

Advantages: Very detailed
Disadvantages: Open to fraud

...Many will remember a time when the classified section of a local newspaper was all there was if you wanted to look for second-hand goods, or look for a place to live without going to an estate agent?but not anymore. Goodbye the classified section; hello Gumtree.com To quote the frontpage of the website, Gumtree advertises ?Homes, jobs, cars, sofas, vintage records? anything, really??and they?re not wrong! It lists it?s good in cities across the country. And not just the capital cities of the UK, but anywhere from Brighton to Nottingham, from Oxford to Aberdeen. This handy tool can help you look for exactly what you?re after without having to sift through adverts from cities hundreds of miles from you. Now, to indicate the scale of the website, in the London section, the ?Flats and Houses? adverts totals 124,174!! That seems a bit...

carl.mcqueen 21.10.2009 · Read review
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cricinfo.com

Advantages: The home of cricket info...
Disadvantages: ...which many people won't like!

...Cricket lovers, come and join the fun...this is cricinfo.com Owned by ESPN, cricinfo.com is seen by many as the most insightful, informative and up-to-date cricketing website out there in the vast world wide web. Of course, those of you which can't stand the sport in any way, shape or form then this certainly won't be for you. Those who do like it and are aware of cricketing websites, then you will probably already know this one... Now, on arrival to the website things may look confusing - there's an awful lot going on and plenty of places to click...so lets take things as logically as possible; At the top of the page is an index listing - countries, live scores, fixtures, results, news, features and photos are all there, which kind of speak for themselves! The Features section for example includes regular articles such as the Ask...

carl.mcqueen 18.09.2009 · Read review
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mousebreaker.com

Advantages: Addictive gaming!
Disadvantages: Addictive gaming!

...For all of you looking for time to waste in the office this afternoon, then you may have stumbled across the crown jewel in time-wasting... mousebreaker.com In essence, mousebreaker.com is simply a plethora of basic computer games that help you while away the day. From sporting games to shoot 'em ups, from trivia to old school arcade games, every type of game is here - think of it as an online compendium of fun. First of all, make sure the latest version of Flash player is installed on your computer so you can get the full benefit and latest versions of the games available. The website has changed a little bit over the years - it's most recent revamp gives it a dark grey motif, with a large yellow stripe running across the top of the page. Now, going through every single game would leave me still writing this review the other...

carl.mcqueen 23.11.2009 · Read review
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bet365.com

Advantages: A great betting website
Disadvantages: Can become addictive

...I'm sure most of us out there love a cheeky flutter every now and again. However, myself included, many find going into the bookies an intimidating thing with in filled with either old blokes or chavs playing the roulette wheels. So, for those with an 'agoraphobic' approach, you can stay at home and use this little beauty - bet365.com Of course, those who refuse to bet on anything then this website will have little or no interest to you whatsoever, but you never know, I could still surprise you! Being a big sports geek, I solely use the sports section of the website but there are areas dedicated to casino, a specific poker section and 'games' which include things like virtual football and greyhound racing. In my cynical viewpoint however, betting of 'virtual' football is even more of a risk than real-life as the odds or results can be...

carl.mcqueen 03.09.2009 · Read review
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Hotmail.com

Advantages: Great reliable service which is free and available to all!
Disadvantages: Junk mail!!!!!!!!!

...Hotmail.com About: Hotmail.com is a free email server website, which really is free to use, no spam, no pop-ups and no spyware is added to your computer when you sign up, as the server (now) runs from Windows Live and Windows Live Messenger, making it safe to use on all computers, and compatible with all other email servers. Hotmail is the most popular free email server in the UK (and as far as I am aware in America too), and along with the BTinternet, NTL?s and Yahoo?s email addresses hotmail tends to be the one you see the most. The email server can be as anonymous or as open as you like (though anybody thinking of using it for scamming or bullying or anything stupid like that, be warned, your I.P. address is stored at all times, so you are never 100% anonymous, and all reports to police or hotmail itself will be...

stephbond89 15.10.2009 · Read review
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Why Do I Always get the dud room?

Advantages: Some lovely rooms, great location and verty reasonable price.
Disadvantages: Not all rooms as nice, noisy air-con.

...you get if you have the opportunity. Calle 55 No. 508 (entre 60 y 62) Colonia Centro, Merida, Yucatan C.P. 97000 Tel. (999) 928-2672 / (999) 928-2662 Fax. (999) 924-6233 / (999) 924-6375 http://www.hotelsantalucia.com.mx/ info@hotelsantalucia.com.mx reservations@hotelsantalucia.com.mx...

Essexgirl2006 09.06.2007 · Read review
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Review of Hotel Santa Lucia, Merida, Yucatan.