Mérida, Mexico

By Ashley Rudolph

Mérida was the best of both worlds: perfectly chic and seemingly unspoiled by tourism. Currently, the city is a hot spot for creatives and foodies alike. You come for the history, beautiful weather, colonial architecture, and food. And if you're lucky, you end up snagging a beautiful piece of property at an incredible value and never return home :) Here are my tips on where to stay, eat, and what to do in the city.

Where to stay

I spent a lot of time researching hotel and Airbnb options in Mérida. After narrowing down the list, we settled on Casa del Limonero, a lovely Airbnb right outside of Centro. Luckily, it was just as beautiful in person - serving as the perfect home base for our long weekend jaunt. While I loved our choice, I wouldn't be me if I didn't also share/obsess over the other très chic options in town.

Coqui Coqui: a perfumerie, spa, and residence.
Rosas y Xocolate: a luxury spa, hotel, and restaurant.
My Airbnb wishlist: try scrolling through this list and not falling in love with the homes in Mérida.

Where to eat

Mérida is known for its food - I didn't have a single bad meal while I was there. While we didn't have a chance to sample the street food that people rave about, we ate a variety of restaurants - from casual to formal, and loved them all. My faves were:

Mercado 60: A trendy outdoor food market. There's something for everyone here, with options ranging from pasta, stir fry, and barbecue, to traditional Yucatan cuisine.
Apoala: Quite possibly my favorite restaurant in Mérida and as an added bonus there's a speakeasy hidden inside! I had the most delicious sea bass and spicy mezcal cocktails here. If the weather is nice, snag a seat outside and people watch on the square.
La Chaya Maya: Go here for lunch, if only because practically *everyone* recommended LCM for classic Yucatecan cuisine. I had the tacos and one too many cocktails. Protip: if you see juice (or a cocktail) with Chaya in it, you must order it! It's so refreshing.
Rosas y Xocolate: We had a perfect dinner on our last night in Mérida at Rosas y Xocolate. The glazed short ribs and seared tuna appetizer were to die for. My only regret is not seeing this #allpinkeverything property in the day time.

What to do

I mostly spent my time shopping, visiting museums, and exploring Centro. Make time for:

Walking down Paseo de Montejo. You'll want to walk this strip in its entirety (it's not that long!) to take in the city's beautiful colonial architecture.
Visit one or more museums. There were plenty of museums, historical homes, and galleries near Paseo de Montejo. Palacio Canton was my personal favorite.
Shop! I really enjoyed Kukul Boutique and Coqui Coqui. Kukul for its gorgeous clothing, jewelry, and accessories and Coqui Coqui for its perfumes.
Take a day trip to Uxmal. Uxmal is only about an hour away from Merida. The pyramids are amazing and well worth a day trip if you're into Mayan architecture (how could you not be?!). We went on a cloudless 90 degree day and it was HOT, so if you make the trip, be prepared to walk and climb stairs a bit and also bring water :)