Merida

La Tratto

Popular with both tourists and locals, La Tratto has a double happy hour from 19:00 to 21:00 and offers many meal promotions with drinks. Despite having tables in the open air the aroma of the pizzas prepared in true Neapolitan style in an open kitchen will entice you to try one. You can also order starters and pasta dishes, all of them in a home cooked style. La Tratto is in enchanting place to meet up since everyone knows how to get there, although unfortunately it closes at 2 am.

Prolongación Montejo 479-C, entre 17 y 19. Col. Buenavista. Tel: (999) 927 0434. www.trottersmerida.com

Tequila

Every night 1,500 trendy people visit Tequila in order to spend the night listening or dancing to the rhythms of Electropop. It is divided in to two separate areas, the bar and the dance floor, which have very different atmospheres. For those who prefer beach parties, there is a branch of Tequila at Chicxulub, Progreso that opens its doors in the summer.

Prolongación Paseo de Montejo 248 C x 1-C, Col. Campestre. Tel: (999) 944 2816. www.tequilamerida.com

Cielo Lounge + Bar

Located 30 minutes from Merida this popular discotheque offering continental cuisine and a huge bar is open Thursday to Saturday. It is a modern spot with minimalist furniture and retro touches – the lights are neon– and is a comfortable place for either listening or dancing to a variety of musical styles, with an emphasis on Electronic, under a starry sky. It is open until 3 a.m. and the usual repertoire of sounds includes lounge, house, trance and 80s pop in both English and Spanish, unless there is a guest DJ of course.

Calle 30, #83-A, entre 15 y 17. Prolongación Paseo de Montejo. Tel: (999) 944 5127. www.elcielobar.com

Hotel Hacienda San José

On the road to Chichen-Itzá you will find this hacienda far from the noisy capital. It offers air conditioning, horse riding, bicycles, guided tours, regional and international cooking, hacienda circuits and airport transfers.

Carretera Tixkokob-Tekanto km 30, Mérida. Tel: (55) 5257 0097y 01800 021 7526.

Hotel Boutique Casa Lucía

This boutique hotel has an enviable location in the historic center of Merida and occupies a converted 19th century house that was remodeled to make its rooms and executive suite as comfortable as possible. It is just a short walk from the cathedral, the main square and the Contemporary Art Museum and its boutique store will captivate you with the quality of the material used for the clothing on offer.

Calle 60, 474, entre 53 y 55, Centro. www.casalucia.com.mx

Casa Mexilio

With its evocation of an inn for artists, the casa Mexilio will make you feel right at home. If you don’t want to be too far from the daily life of Merida then you should stay in this bed-and-breakfast located in a typical house and enjoy the sunsets from the porch or one of the terraces, just like the Merida locals.

Calle 68, 495, Mérida. Tel. (999) 928 2505. www.casamexilio.com

Take a Stroll through the City Center

The center of the city is full of historic buildings such as the Cathedral, the Casa de Montejo –the home of one of the city’s founders– and the Palacio de Gobierno (which is located, as is the custom in Mexico, on the edge of the main square or “Zócalo”). The Paseo de Montejo is the main avenue in Merida and was inspired by the Champs Elysées in Paris, so the buildings are not in the 16th or 17th century colonial style as in the center of town but display a marked French influence. During the 18th and 19th centuries huge mansions were built in the French style and they can be found in the neighborhoods of Santiago, la Mejorada and Santa Lucía. Most of them are now hotels, business offices or restaurants. Don’t forget to visit the Mercado de Artesanía to pick up a henequen bag, a must for any visitor to Merida.

Guayaberas Jack

This store offers the simplest and most elegant “guayaberas” in Merida, an item of clothing that originated in Cuba and is “more than a simple shirt”. When the guayabera arrived in Yucatan from Cuba over a century ago locals quickly adopted them as their own since the weather is very similar to that of Cuba and the guayaberas were considered perfect. At Guayaberas Jack they sell this men’s item for all occasions, which include weddings held during the day near the sea, but are also used on an everyday basis. It all depends on the material used and the cut of the cloth. Whether they are made from polyester, cotton or linen, short sleeved or long sleeved, the guayabera always features the famous pleats, decorative buttons and pockets. There are also guayaberas for women, or if you prefer, there are traditional dresses that are also fresh and bright.

Calle 59, 507A, entre 60 y 62, Centro. Tel. (999) 928 6002 y 928 5999. www.guayaberasjack.com.mx

A Yucatan Serenade

If you want to join the party in Merida then one of the most popular places when the sun goes down is the Parque Santa Lucía where people sing and dance to the rhythms that were created in this beautiful city and which form the legacy of the ‘Trova Yucateca’. The musical styles forming this legacy include Boleros, Bambucos, Jaranas, Sones and the Serenata Yucateca and the Vaquería Regional dance, two of the most typical expression of regional culture.

Cenotes

These are small bodies of water usually found in caves that were flooded during the last ice age. They represent the principal source of fresh water for the region as almost all of Merida´s water is found underground. To date more than 2,500 cenotes have been discovered in the state of Yucatan and the most frequently visited of these are Zaci, Dzitnup, Chichen, Kikil, Sambula and Xlacah. Furthermore, even though many restaurants in Merida were built near a cenote, we recommend you travel to Valladolid (160 km from Merida and just a few minutes from Chichen-Itzá) to see the Zaci cenote and while there you can enjoy the unique beauty of this small colonial town.

Chichén Itzá

Located two hours from Merida, this spectacular archeological site of Mayan ruins in the Yucatan jungle is one of the most acclaimed of all pre-Hispanic cities in Mexico. The chance to see the Temple of Warriors, the Observatory, the Kukulkán Pyramid, the Sacred Cenote, the tomb of Chac Mool and the field used for the ancient Mayan ball game attract tourists from all over the world. What was previously the key political center of the Mayan Empire is today considered one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. Another important Mayan archeological site is Uxmal, which is located 78 km southwest of Merida.

Museo de Arte Contemporáneo Ateneo de Yucatán

Next to the Cathedral you will find this museum of contemporary art, one of the most important cultural sites in the state, occupying what was previously the Archbishop’s Palace during the colonial period. The collection is considered to offer a permanent tribute to the Ateneo Peninsular art movement which means the permanent exhibition features works by some of Yucatan’s most important artists, including Fernando García Ponce, Fernando Castro Pacheco and Gabriel Ramírez Aznar. The open air sculpture exhibitions along the Paseo Montejo are the work of the MAYAC which promotes contemporary art in Merida, earning it the name the City of Sculpture (MYCE).

Calle 60, entre 63 y 61-A, Mérida. Tel: (999) 928.3258 y 928 3236. www.macay.org