Forums > General > Traveling Mexico

Vanessa

Jul 8, 2011, 6:16 PM

Post #1 of 15 (3893 views)

Shortcut

What not to miss around Merida

Can't Post | Private Reply

We'll be going to Merida in late August and would like to know what are the important places to visit. We enjoy every aspect of Mexico Tipico. If you have suggestions on nice places to stay that are in the mid range of comfort and rates, we'd appreciate it. We'd like to experience someplace besides Merida, so if there's a special area that's not too far, please let us know. We're nature people who are in love with Mexico.

We usually spend a few weeks on the Pacific Coast during winter and those places have been tranquil. If anyone knows what's going on in Merida and the surrounding area, we'd be grateful. If there's a beach close by that we should visit, we're always looking for a winter home.

Thank you for the wonderful comraderie via this Forum. I've told many people about Mexconnect.

Vanessa

Sunnyvmx

Jul 9, 2011, 3:40 AM

Post #2 of 15 (3862 views)

Shortcut

Re: [Vanessa] What not to miss around Merida

Can't Post | Private Reply

In the nearby town of Cuzama, there is a cenote tour that's fun and refreshing. A horse drawn cart pulls you to three different cenotes and you swim in each. Take food and drink with you.

http://dementias-daughter.com

yucatandreamer

Jul 9, 2011, 7:00 AM

Post #3 of 15 (3835 views)

Shortcut

Re: [Vanessa] What not to miss around Merida

Can't Post | Private Reply

Archaeological ruins by the hundreds but don't miss Uxmal and the Ruta Puuc. Spend the night at one of the hotels near Chichen(I recommend Hacienda Chichen for a real treat and walking distance to the ruins). You can then get to the ruins early the next morning before the crowds arrive
Go to Izamal and Valladollid. Eat lunch in Mani at El Principe and wander around the enormous church with its enormous history. Go to the beach at Progreso. Rent a car and strike out to someplace, get lost, find something special that will be the highlight of your trip.
Use the following booklet(available at hotels and the Merida English Library) as a reference. http://yucatantoday.com/en/homepage

YucaLandia

Jul 9, 2011, 8:22 AM

Post #4 of 15 (3817 views)

Shortcut

Re: [yucatandreamer] What not to miss around Merida

Can't Post | Private Reply

If you choose to go to Valladolid, consider an overnight stay at El Meson de Marques (Hotel and Restaurant) on the north side of Valladolid's central square. They have a charming garden & pool with nice rooms at modest prices. Its restaurant has some of the very best Yucatecan cuisine - don't miss the Relleno Negro, Sopa de Limon, Cochinita Pibil, o Poc Chuc . Just ½ block east (on the NE corner of the square) there's a shop that carries some beautiful art work, including replications of Classic Mayan pottery by Rodrigo Martin and Patricia Martin (of Muna). Rodrigo and Patricia have provided superb Maya replications for museums and collections in USA and Europe, and are creating some of the finest Maya pieces in the world, still at reasonable prices.

As you return from Valladolid, swing through Ebtun to check out the excellent and elaborately woven hamacas that are produced by the penitentiary's prisoners and sold by the guards outside the penitentiary. This gets you one of the finest Central American hammocks and helps support a prisoner pay for their food and accommodations. There are also some beautiful cenotes in grand grutas on this route back to Merida.

As mentioned above: Tres Cenotes outside of Cuzama is delightful, but it takes a bit of time (2-3 hrs?) since you take a horse-drawn henequin narrow-gauge rail-cart ride on a circuit of 3 distinctive cenotes.
-
-
Read-on MacDuff
E-visit at http://yucalandia.wordpress.com/

(This post was edited by YucaLandia on Jul 9, 2011, 8:26 AM)

RickS

Jul 9, 2011, 11:21 AM

Post #5 of 15 (3795 views)

Shortcut

Re: [Vanessa] What not to miss around Merida

Can't Post | Private Reply

I'll 'second' a couple of things already mentioned and add a few....

Although buses go everywhere from Merida, if you are short on time do consider just renting a car. There is a family run agency on one of the small squares (not the main one) downtown that has/had reasonable rates for a week. If you don't already have accommodations consider a delightful B&B, run by two expat (via Miami) Cuban ladies, called Casa Ana. One can easily walk to several 'squares' as well as el centro. Don't miss the night-time dancing in the various squares.... mostly by the older set and such eye-candy. see http://www.casaana.com/ for the B&B.

In addition to Progresso (which I wasn't overly impressed with) consider going a little 'up the coast' from there towards Chicxulub or all the way to Dzilam de Bravo. And while we are talking about 'beaches', try to get out to Celestun, west of Merida.... maybe not so much for the beaches (although they are OK) but to take a launch into the wildlife reserve and its birds (although I doubt there will be any/many flamingos there in August).

In my opinion, one place you do not want to miss is Izamal... the Yellow City. Simply delightful. Ride the horse-drawn carriages at night around the city. A nice B&B there is Hotel Macan Ché. see http://www.macanche.com/

I agree with the thoughts about Tres Cenotés outside of Cuzama and YucaLandia is at least conservative when he says 2-3 hours.... that's just the horse-drawn ride out and back and doesn't include getting out to Cuzama which I think will require a personal car. But it's a kick if you're the least bit adventuresome! You'll need to wear your bathing suit out and back as there are NO facilities to change once on the horse-drawn cart. In fact it is so remote that you'll wonder if you are being kidnapped. And yes, you'll have to climb down long ladders into a hole through the ceiling of the underground cenoté.

We loved Valladolid (cenotés right in town!) and also second the recommendation for El Meson de Marques. We stayed there instead of out at Chichén Itza (then took a cheap combo out and back). Interesting, off-the-beaten-path little city. And just north of there is another ruin.... Ekbalam ..... which does not get the crowds that does Chichén but is nice. Maybe in August there won't be hordes of people at Chichén.

Enjoy your trip!

(This post was edited by RickS on Jul 10, 2011, 9:47 AM)

Vanessa

Jul 11, 2011, 12:23 PM

Post #6 of 15 (3694 views)

Shortcut

Re: [Sunnyvmx] What not to miss around Merida

Can't Post | Private Reply

Thank you so much for taking the time to offer suggestions for our trip to Merida. We'll certainly follow your advice.

Cheers
Vanessa

Vanessa

Jul 11, 2011, 12:32 PM

Post #7 of 15 (3691 views)

Shortcut

Re: [yucatandreamer] What not to miss around Merida

Can't Post | Private Reply

Your suggestions make me want to call in sick and depart right now! Muchas gracias for the splendid details. We wonder if any of the cenotes are especially good for snorkelling.

Again, I'm grateful for the generosity of time of all of you who responded to my inquiry.

Cheers
Vanessa

raferguson

Jul 11, 2011, 2:26 PM

Post #8 of 15 (3674 views)

Shortcut

Re: [Vanessa] What not to miss around Merida

Can't Post | Private Reply

I am going to second some of the other comments. Uxmal and Izamal are both worth seeing. Consider going to the coast and taking a boat ride through the mangroves for birdwatching. Celestun is one of those places.

We have traveled and driven all over Mexico, and generally find the Yucatan as the easiest place in Mexico to drive. Obviously you do not want to drive at night.

If you want to get off the beaten path, and if you want to visit churches and really understand what you are seeing, the Richard Perry books are great. Maya Missions is the book that covers that area, includes Izamal. When you follow his books, you might end up in a dusty town with peeling paint, or a prosperous town. Good for small adventures. We have always enjoyed the times we used that book.

http://www.colonial-mexico.com/Main/story.htm

Richard

http://www.fergusonsculpture.com

(This post was edited by raferguson on Jul 11, 2011, 2:36 PM)

playaboy

Jul 13, 2011, 2:31 PM

Post #9 of 15 (3589 views)

Shortcut

Re: [Vanessa] What not to miss around Merida

Can't Post | Private Reply

If you want world class beaches you can travel 4 hours to the Caribbean.

YucaLandia

Jul 13, 2011, 5:41 PM

Post #10 of 15 (3573 views)

Shortcut

Re: [playaboy] What not to miss around Merida

Can't Post | Private Reply

Beaches or culture, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Cancun and the Riviera Maya are very nice, and about as much like Mexico, as Las Vegas is like the rest of the USA. On many days, I've heard more Italian than Spanish spoken in the beach areas of Playa del Carmen.
-
Read-on MacDuff
E-visit at http://yucalandia.wordpress.com/

playaboy

Jul 13, 2011, 6:26 PM

Post #11 of 15 (3557 views)

Shortcut

Re: [YucaLandia] What not to miss around Merida

Can't Post | Private Reply

In Reply To

Mexico? This coast is more Maya Land. Spanish is a second language to a lot of Mayans. There are still some virgin beaches with no development on them. You just have to know where to go.

YucaLandia

Jul 13, 2011, 6:46 PM

Post #12 of 15 (3550 views)

Shortcut

Re: [playaboy] What not to miss around Merida

Can't Post | Private Reply

There are beautiful beaches and virgin beaches in the Yucatan.

This thread is about "What not to miss around Merida", and looking for "Mexico Tipico". 8-10 hours of driving to be at a Q. Roo beach does not seem to fit the OP's request, and Cancun, PDC, Puerto Morelos, Tulum, Xcaret, Mahual, Akumal, etc are not "Mexico Tipico". Izamal, Valladolid, Motul, Cuzama, Uxmal, Merida et al are better fits for Vanessa's requests.

Bix a beel, playaboy,
Tu’ux siijech? Tu’ux ka meyaj? Yaan wa’a a paalal? ... Tu’ux ka Mayab?
I'd love to read about secret vigin beaches with detailed directions and descriptions. Please start a thread and tell us what really great non-tourist-y things there are between Cancun and Chetumal, where we won't hear a word of German, Argentinian, Italian, Canadian, or English. Laguna Bacalar? The best of secret cenote diving? Where does Q.Roo have Maya language and milpa cultural experiences?
Xi’i kech yéetel utsil !

Vanessa, there are also rustic caves to be explored, like 1 very large but little known one on the way to Uxmal, if you like Grutas y Cavernas.
-
-
Read-on MacDuff
E-visit at http://yucalandia.wordpress.com/

(This post was edited by YucaLandia on Jul 13, 2011, 7:29 PM)

YucaLandia

Jul 13, 2011, 8:00 PM

Post #13 of 15 (3529 views)

Shortcut

Re: [Vanessa] What not to miss around Merida

Can't Post | Private Reply

Vanessa,
playaboy hints at one aspect of the "Mexico Tipico" you requested. Since many Maya people from the milpas and pueblos do not learn Spanish until age 15 or 17 as they go to the big cities, these Maya tend to learn poorly pronounced street-slang Spanish. This means that they are often hesitant to speak with obvious ex-pats, but you can quickly crack the cultural barriers by speaking at least token Maya with them.

If you learn how to say "Howdy" in Maya, and practice a few polite questions before you come, you'll be amazed at how people's face light-up, and they literally start laughing with delight over the most exotic of all beasties: a gringa blanquita who speaks good Maya language. The light-skinned people of Spanish descent here and all the euro-heritage city people here don't know even the simplest of Maya greetings, so, to hear an obvious foreigner speaking Maya cracks them up, and gets me broad smiles in return. Most city Maya also do not speak much Maya language, and they are stunned to hear gringo's adressing them with a hearty: Bax ka’wali .... Mix ba .... Kux teech?

There are several good articles on speaking basic Maya language on Yucatan Living's: http://www.yucatanliving.com/...-for-beginners-2.htm, http://www.yucatanliving.com/...-for-beginners-3.htm and http://www.yucatanliving.com/...ge-for-beginners.htm. These sites describe how to say a solid variety of basic polite conversational - How are you? - What's your name? - Where are you from? - phrases and responses.

Real ice-breakers to get to know some "Mexico Tipico" here in Yucatan, way outside of tourist activities, watching the waves, and slurping margs.
steve
-
-
Read-on MacDuff
E-visit at http://yucalandia.wordpress.com/

playaboy

Jul 14, 2011, 1:03 PM

Post #14 of 15 (3480 views)

Shortcut

Re: [YucaLandia] What not to miss around Merida

Can't Post | Private Reply

Please read private reply

Ch40

Jul 22, 2011, 4:01 PM

Post #15 of 15 (3316 views)

Shortcut

Re: [Vanessa] What not to miss around Merida

Can't Post | Private Reply

We love Merida and there are many things to see. Trip advisor has good information on hotels. It's worth visiting one of ruins and swimming in the cenotes but we liked Celestun the best. It's a small fishing town with pink flamingo tours and an Eco preserve. I believe you can rent canoes etc if you prefer. We took the bus from Merida (1 1/2 hrs?) and stayed overnight. Also, we enjoyed a day on the beach in Progreso and it was just a short bus ride for approx $2 RT. I hear Progreso is very busy in the summer with people from Merida -- when we went, it was wonderful but it before summer and on a day there were no cruise ships.