Thursday night is either the night to avoid dinner in Santa Lucia Park or make a reservation and enjoy the Seranata Yucateca a tradition in the same place for more than 40 years. Every night there is some form of live music at one of the restaurants in the square but on Thursday there is a crowd for the traditional trova music concert on the stage. I avoid the square at night now and choose to have lunch when it´s quieter.
Today you might head out to visit one of the Colonial towns near Merida. You might take the Ruta de los Coventos in which case you could have lunch at my favorite restaurant for Yucatecan cuisine in Mani. You can easily visit 6 or 8 convents in a day. even see the ruins at Mayapan or the Cenotes in Cuzuma and then head over to Mani.
You might like to see the beautiful town of Izamal that was all dolled for the visit of Pope John Paul II and never looked back. It´s fun to take the horse and buggy around to different craftsmen. I liked the pinata maker and the buggy wheel maker. But it was the tin man and herbalist that got my pesos. There´s a little craft museum and a Coqui Coqui. My second favorite Maya restaurant is in Izamal. Hacienda San Jose Cholul is a great place to stop on the way back to Merida and have drinks and watch the sun go down and the stars come out.
You could even go so far as Valladolid where there are many several colonial churches, several impressive cenotes and Convent of San Bernadino de Sienna. Another Coqui Coqui to check off your list. It is a cowboy town where you can buy leather belts and sandals in the market and stores around the main square. And if you do venture as far as Valladolid you must see the church at Uayuma. Of course if you get up really early in the morning you can get to Chichen Itza when it opens and an hour before the buses and buscars arrive. Then head to Valladolid for lunch.
The Best of Yucatan Guide 