I´m celebrating 2021 my 20th year in Merida. In that time the attention of the international press has transformed this sleepy little town into a must on every one´s bucket list. It all started with a Christmas visit from David Keeps that produced this Travel+Leisure article a year later. New York Magazine and Enroute magazine soon…
at Urbano Rentals most of our vacation rentals are in the colonial historic center of Merida, Yucatan. Josue Ramos Espinosa designed one of our most luxurious houses is El Portico de la Candelaria. Vogue calls El Portico ¨The Stunning Renovation of One of Mexico´s Most Beautiful Private Homes” in it´s review of Casa Mexico , at…
I am celebrating my twentieth year in Merida this fall. Recently I have started to venture out to outdoor dining with vaccinated guests or friends and so far I only go to Miyabi for sushi because that is what I missed the most in 2020. In 2014 I helped host and coordinate the Cook it…
When I moved to Merida in the old Jeep I learned one can not pull a U-haul across the border. At the border you will be scalped. So I left all my treasures in Texas at my cousin´s house for safe keeping. I never saw that stuff again but what I did discover was more…
Most visitors arrive on one weekend and leave on the following weekend and that makes a lot of sense. Commerce comes to a halt on Saturday afternoons in Merida and starts again early on Monday mornings. It makes sense to stay in town on the weekend and do your day trips during the week when…
At Best of Yucatan we usually have a few weeks if not months between a guests reservation and their arrival in Merida. I normally have time to customize an itinerary but if not I have 3 basic routes and then they can throw in a beach trip to Sisal or Celestun if they aren´t headed to…
In 2015 two cultural centers opened in the center of Merida that are featuring the works of some local artist and many artist from other parts of Mexico and the world. The Fundacion de Artistas opened in 2015 and Centro Cultural La Cupula opened in 2016. This spring the Fundacion had a guest curator from…
Almost all of the beautiful old ruins have been bought up and ruined, in a certain sense, since I bought a ruin in Merida one August 20 years ago. Merida has changed in so many ways for the better. But Gringos suburbanizing 18th and 19th century ruins is not one of them. My favorite thing…
Here´s some more stuff you may or may not want to know about visiting the Yucatan and Merida.
The Best of Yucatan Guide 