The Villa @ Merida

17th Century Mansion

We stayed in a lovely little hotel in the historical center of Merida - the Hotel Villa Maria. The hotel has only 11 rooms and is an impeccably restored 17th century colonial mansion. The rooms, center courtyard and dining rooms are beautiful. Location was perfect. Close enough to the Plaza Grande to be centrally located, but off a few blocks, so traffic was not a problem. The rooms were spotlessly clean and very spacious. The owner, Octavio Monsalvo is the perfect host and went out of his way to make sure we were comfortable.

Unique Quality: The beds at Villa Maria are extremely comfortable, and I loved the layout of the rooms. The sleeping area is on the first floor, and is furnished with some antiques (although the bed is modern and new). The bathroom in each room is in an upstairs loft. The hot water never ran out and the shower heads were good. Clean linens were replaced daily. A/C worked great and was adjusted with a remote control.

The restaurant serves 3 delicious meals (the chef is outstanding), and has a bar (making the best margaritas in the city, by the way). If you are an early riser (like before 7:30 am), don't expect breakfast to be waiting for you. The morning at Hotel Villa Maria starts at a leisurely pace, which was fine with us. If we needed to get going, we just walked down the street to Cafe Habana.

The hotel has a unique layout in that all the rooms open up directly from the central courtyard, which also serves as a restaurant. However, this was never a problem for us. The rooms are very private and quiet. It was obvious to us that when the mansion was restored, particular care was taken to retain as much as possible from its former glorious days.

• Opinion of Price: more expensive than average
• Related to: Jungle and Rain Forest, Archeology, Food and Dining

The Villa @ Merida Photo: Hotel Villa Maria

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