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

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.

...I did not choose this hotel, as it was part of my holiday package. When I found out that this was to be my first destination on my travels around the Mayan World I quickly looked into it. It had a good write up in the Lonely Planet and on Trip Advisor where it was described as clean, with a nice pool. Merida is the capital of the Yucatan state, and as well as being a pleasant Spanish colonial town in its own right, it is a good base for exploring Mayan sites such as Chichen Itza and Uxmal. On weekend evenings (the time we were staying) there is often live music in the streets and on Sundays the streets around the main Plaza are closed to traffic and there is a small market and cultural events happening. I caught the end of the local dancing during the late afternoon. The hotel is located just three short blocks from the Grand...

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

A charming inn near a lovely city

Advantages: beautiful historic inn at a reasonable price
Disadvantages: the beach is 40 minutes away

...I have stayed at this wonderful hacienda inn twice, in March 2005 and March 2006. And I am going back again in January 2008. It just gets better each time. What I like most about the 400-year-old restored hacienda are the lovely grounds, staying in a pretty room just a few steps from the large pool, the hospitailty of the owners, and the wonderful breakfast (included) on the large covered terrace each morning: fresh orange juice, fruit, eggs anyway you like them, ham, bacon, etc. This is a charming, peaceful place, where you can spend hours by the pool and listen to all the birds, or head into Merida, which is just 10 minutes away by taxi ($6) or 20 minutes by bus (a few cents). The hosts go out of their way to make families comfortable, with toys and activities for the kids, and there also are very pretty private suites where you...

setauket 31.08.2007 (01.09.2007) · Read review
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Review of Hacienda San Pedro Nohpat, Merida

A trek to the top

Advantages: birlliant views, varied climate, challenging
Disadvantages: cold, hot, remote, altitude

...I travelled to the Andes in the summer of 2005 and it was one of the most exhilirating experiences of my life. I started by journey from the large town of Merida. I found this to be the perfect starting point as there is everything you could possibly want: many english speaking guides who are more than qualified and registered with reliable companies. The town itself is also quite nice with its meandering streets and bustling markets. However trekkers should be advised that it is very very hard to find any fuel for your stoves. After a short stay in Merida to stock up on the esentials we set off to the mountains. The trek itself lasted 5 days and was very strenuous in places. In particular the first day or so where tempertaures were in the 30s and the path was very steep. However after a day or so you reach a 'valley' in th mountains...

alimason 25.08.2007 · Read review
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Review of Venezuelan Andes

Yummy in the Yucatan

Advantages: Delicious local and international cuisine, good vegetarian selections.
Disadvantages: Some dishes off the menu.

...Amaro is a lovely restaurant in the old part of Merida in the Yucatan in Mexico. You eat in the courtyard of an 18th century colonial style house; it is located just one block from the more expensive main plaza and just off of the lively Calle 60 (with lots of bars and live music at weekends). As well as a range of international dishes it also has a huge selection of local Yucatan dishes that you won?t find elsewhere in Mexico or Central America. There is also a lot of vegetarian choice, which is great as I had eaten cheese quesadillas two days in a row. Ingredients include ?Chaya? which is like spinach and unique to the region. Sadly that was off the menu on the night we dined there, and I never saw it on a menu again. There were several other dishes that were not available on the menu, and whilst this is frustrating there are...

Essexgirl2006 12.06.2007 · Read review
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Review of Restaurante Amaro, Mexico

IL Divo 'Encore'

Advantages: Stunning voices,great atmosphere,brilliant songs
Disadvantages: perhaps there could have been more tracks

...This live performance was filmed in Spain at Teatro Romanao De Merida and followed the globally successful album 'Ancora'. The DVD is part concert and part documentary with a couple of videos 'Regresa a Mi and the wonderful 'Mamma' thrown in as well. Il Divo comprise of four singers, a baritone (Carlos), two tenors (Urs and David) and a vox populi (Steven). Together they blend perfectly to make magical music. They have been dubbed 'popera' but that is unfair in my opinion even if they have through their unique talents helped popuarise opera. To bring a much derided genre of music to the masses can only be a good thing and I speak as someone who enjoys music from classical to metal. A true music lover will have eclectic tastes. The live performance features 5 tracks 'Si Tu Me Amas', 'Isabel', 'O Holy Night...

mart34 21.12.2006 · Read review
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Review of Il Divo - Encore (DVD)

Venezuela - My Latin Lover

Advantages: Great natural beauty
Disadvantages: Pollution from cars

...I was rather fortunate this summer that my work took me to Venezuela for the entire month of July and therefore I got to experience so much that this wonderful and fascinating country has to offer. It is an excellent country to travel around in especially if you are on a budget and its location means that you can experience a wide variety of climates, from the jungles of the Amazon, the cloud forests in the north, chilled out Merida at the foot of the Andes before heading off to climb a mountain and then on to the beaches in the north to chill out and enjoy the sea and sand. I was fortunate to do all of these things and so much more with the highlight being the work we did with an indigenous Indian village, a six hour dug out ride from civilisation, being accepted into the community and feeling like you have improved their lives in...

atticusuk 26.08.2009 · Read review
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Review of General: Venezuela

Down Mexico Way

Advantages: Wonderful ancient ruins to explore
Disadvantages: food was often fairly poor

...A few years ago I went on a cultural tour of Mexico, visiting Mexico City, Merida, Chichen Itza, Uxmal, Oaxaca, Palenque and Monte Alban. Getting There The journey to Mexico from London Heathrow was easy and uneventful (apart from being upgraded to first class then being forced to use the Concorde Lounge. The First Class Lounge was being renovated) A direct BA flight taking just over 11 hours. Mexico City We had nothing booked on arrival apart from the first night's accommodation at the Best Western Majestic Hotel. This was a lucky choice as it must be one of the best in Mexico City, on the west side of Zocalo, the main square, with a 7th floor roof-terrace and restaurant overlooking the enormous plaza de la Constrictucion, Catedral Metroplitana and Palacio National. An absolutely fantastic location, and the roof terrace...

AndrewPo 03.08.2008 · Read review
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Review of General: Mexico

A place everyone should visit

Advantages: Good weather all year round, good exchange rate for the USD or GBP
Disadvantages: Locals generally don't speak anything other than Spanish, rather high crime rate

...ridiculous as anything under 10K is not supposed to be classed as gold. You can get excellent stuff, beautiful designs. The best way of getting proper discount clothes and shoes is to look for the touts calling out "Fabricas, fabricas". They are usually found around the shops in the city centre. They are the ones who can take you into the clothes factories. They receive a commission from the factories for this, they should not ask you for any money directly. You need to ask directions for "las tiendas" and this will get you to the shops or shopping districts. A very nice one is Sabana Grande, same name as the metro stop. It is a whole pedestrianised area with lots of shops, cafes, restaurants and bistros, a lot of them on the street with umbrellas in the tables. If you are looking for sightseeing, you could visit Merida which is...

Lisette 04.03.2005 · Read review
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Review of General: Venezuela