Now that Cancun and its neighboring cities are drawing an international party crowd, travelers are looking inland.
This safe, tranquil city has an intoxicating mix of cultures and a cuisine brimming with local produce.
(Yucatecos like their breakfasts hearty, and things start to sell out by 1:00 PM.)
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Stroll over to the Paseo de Montejo, the Merida’s central avenue.
Notrip to Meridais complete without a visit toDulceria y Sorbeteria Colon, just a few doors down.
Check intoRosas & Xocolate, a boutique hotel on Paseo de Montejo known for its wellness programming.
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For dinner, head downtown to the recently opened restaurant fromHacienda Teya.
Uxmal is much less crowded, and arguably much more impressive, than Chitzen Itza.
(There are literally hundreds.
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There is even one in the parking lot of MeridasCostco.)
There are also options with a bit more infrastructure life-jackets, sturdy platforms, and guides.
With a depth ranging from two to 50 meters, it’s great for snorkeling.
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Cenote Yax-Ha, just west of Abala, is a multi-room, cave-like cenote with swinging ropes and ladders.
Haciendas, like cenotes, are the other hidden treasures of the Yucatan.
The 11-room Santa Rosa occupies a historic, bright blue manor that offers access to many Mayan sites.
Courtesy of Hacienda Santa Rosa, a Luxury Collection Hotel
Enjoy a nightcap on the patio, then plush bedding and complete silence.
Pick up a jar to take home before you make the hour drive back to Merida.
The local specialty is best eaten while soaking up the fading light a sweet ending.
Courtesy of Te extraño, extraño
The Luxury Collection provided support for the reporting of this story.
Courtesy of Te extraño, extraño
