Hotel El Castellano
3 Stars - 46 Opinions
Calle 57, 513, Entre 62 Y 64 Centro, Merida, Yucatan Peninsula, 97000, Mexico
Check rates and availability
-
Show Prices
-
Show Prices
-
Show Prices
-
Show Prices
-
Show Prices
-
Show Prices
-
Show Prices
-
Show Prices
-
Show Prices
-
Show Prices
-
Show Prices
-
Show Prices
View all Mérida hotels
More about Mérida
Photos
music in the streets
Patio dining
A side view of the church
Meridas Church
Forum Posts
Air Fares
by david&beth
Why is it so much more expensive to fly into Merida as opposed to Cancun? The taxes seem to be the problem. Also, how safe is the Merida/Progreso area in the light of recent reports of violence?
Re: Air Fares
by Gatopardo
Hi,
I had the same question with PHX vs LAX. Or NYC vs BDL, etc...
MID vs CUN:
Cancun is more well know destination compared to Merida. Cancun is settled down right in the caribbean and there are many businesses (resorts, tourism service providers, etc) who are very interested in attracting customers, price fare plays a critical role in this.
Also, Merida's airport, even if it's a full functional airport with many important connections, handles different customers, more national compared to the gross numbers of the exposure Cancun has. Cancun has been desgined that way, and you can notice it on the fares.
The area is fine, I used to live there and never had a problem. Many of my friends and many vt members reside there as well, all would tell you is that is a secure area.
As we commented here before, you could browse through the questions in the Mexico forum and look at how violence is noticed by the people living there compared to the visitors who get the reports from the media. There's a huge difference.
Finally, you can always get the best and lowest fare at flying to Cancun, then in a matter of 4 hours in a comfy bus, you would be in Merida.
Saray
Re: Air Fares
by Odinnthor
Great and well thoughtout response gatoparto!
Re: Air Fares
by ViajesdelMundo
Si, Bueno; and the short answer would be: Market, Market, Market and Traffic Count!!
Re: Air Fares
by Gatopardo
Thank you Erik!
Trish, you got the point in one word. Market is key there.
Hugs,
Sarita
Re: Air Fares
by JohnULord
There are a couple of reasons why Merida is so much more expensive to fly into than Cancun (almost twice to the cost last time I checked!). Someone on this site has already mentioned that it's because the taxes are higher. True, but that just raises another question: "Why are the taxes higher?" I'm afraid I'm not competent to answer that one except to say that Cancun is a HUGELY important project for the Mexican Federal Government, and I'm sure they do everything they can to keep those tourist dollars flowing! So it may be not so much that taxes are especially high in Merida, but that they are unusually low in Cancun.
Another answer, of course, is market dynamics. With all the traffic pouring into Cancun, especially now that they have doubled the size of the airport, there are big economies of scale. The terminal can spread its costs over a much larger number of incoming and outgoing flights and those savings eventually come down to the consumer.
As for violence in the area, the State of Yucatan has perhaps the best reputation in Mexico when it comes to public order. Corruption is lower here than almost anywhere else in the country, and drug related violence is almost non-existent. Sadly, this is less true in Cancun and the State of Quintana Roo.
Travel Tips for Mérida
Spectacular Paseo de Montejo
by karenincalifornia
Extending northward from the Centro Historico is the beautiful Paseo de Montejo, a wide boulevard lined with ornate turn of the century (20th century) mansions. Paseo de Montejo is in stark contrast to most of the rest of Merida, which has less spectacular buildings and consists mostly of working class neighborhoods.
Many of the buildings are now occupied by businesses. Some are in disrepair. Approaching Ave. Colon, the buildings are in better shape. The intersection of Ave Colon and Paseo de Montejo is the location of several large newer hotels, such as Fiesta Americana, Holiday Inn, Hyatt and Intercontinental. In this area, it is easy to forget that one is in a struggling developing country with a shaky economy. In fact, we felt as if we had been transported suddenly to the United States, with its large hotels and glitzy shopping malls.
If Holiday Inns or Hyatts are your preference, you will likely want to stay in this area. If you want to experience a more authentic part of Merida, I recommend the small hotels and inns southward in the Centro Historico.
Tipping in Merida
by dek516
As is so often the case when visiting another country, it's confusing to try and figure out what types of service should be tipped, and how much. Our guidebooks and talks with other travelers helped us decide on the following:
1) At a restaurant, tips should range between 10 and 15%. At smaller, more local places, 10% is generally appropriate, while more upscale spots expect tipping on the higher end. As is true anywhere, tips should also reflect the quality of service (just about everywhere we went the service was excellent).
2) For your hotel stay, a tip of 10 to 15 pesos per day for the housekeeper is generally appropriate. We always left one large tip in the room on our last day.
3) Taxi drivers are not usually tipped in Merida or other areas in the Yucatan.
4) Tour guides can be tipped at your discretion. If you go to the ruins and accept a local guide on the spot, you should definitely tip, as this is his only source of income.
Dzibilchaltùn - One of the oldest Mayan cities
by Redlats
Dzibilchaltùn is another ruin we visited -- it has fewer buildings than Uxmal or Chichén-Itzá, but has an interesting air-conditioned museum and a cenote (sinkhole) that you can swim in.
It also features flora more; you can see and identify local trees and flowers. The ruins themselves have a bit more shade, so you are less likely to melt on a day where the temperatures go up above 35°C.
Dzibilchaltùn is 15 km north of Mérida (approx. 15 minute drive).
Visit Dzibilchaltùn for more information.
Palacio de Gobierno
by jmbredeck
Murals by Fernando Castro Pacheco: 27 painted murals produced between 1971 - 1978 reflecting the most significant stages of the Yucatan peninsula's history.
Address: Palacio de Gobierno, central square
THE GOVERNOR'S PALACE & THE MURALS
by Sandi-2004
Inside another building on the main square is the Governor's Palace which houses some amazing murals that depict the history of Mexico. They were painted in the 1970's by Fernando Castro Pacheco, a local artist, and they are stunning and, as with this one, very moving. This painting shows the Mayans being taken as slaves after they were conquered by the Spanish in the 1500's.
The murals are so large that I couldn't get the kind of detail that I wanted with my camera, so I'm using a postcard of the painting for this tip.
View all Mérida hotels
View all Mérida hotels
Latest Mérida hotel reviews
- Presidente Intercontinental Villa Mercedes
- 92 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 17, 2013
- Hotel Meson de la Luna
- 1 Review & Opinion
Latest: Jan 16, 2012
- Hyatt Regency Merida
- 92 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 7, 2013
- Hotel Maria Del Carmen
- 70 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 18, 2013
- Hotel HO
- 4 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Mar 9, 2012
- Fiesta Americana Merida
- 80 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 3, 2013
- Nomadas Hostel
- 85 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 19, 2013
- The Villa @ Merida
- 50 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Apr 28, 2013
- Hotel Dolores Alba Merida
- 186 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 16, 2013
- Casa del Balam Hotel Merida
- 125 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Apr 24, 2013
- Hotel Trinidad
- 30 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Apr 12, 2012
- Hotel Del Gobernador
- 33 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 9, 2013
- Merida Hostel A nameless place
- 1 Review & Opinion
- The Hacienda Santa Rosa
- 66 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 18, 2013
- Hotel Caribe
- 85 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 13, 2013
Hotel El Castellano
We've found that other people looking for this hotel also know it by these names:
- El Castellano Merida
- El Castellano Hotel Merida
Address: Calle 57, 513, Entre 62 Y 64 Centro, Merida, Yucatan Peninsula, 97000, Mexico
Sign in with Facebook
Comments