We stayed in this hotel for a few days while on a little tour of the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico, including visits to Cancun (don't bother), Playa del Carmen & Cozumel (much better) and the amazing ancient Mayan ruins at Uxmal, Chitzen Itza and Tulum. (I'll try and get round to reviewing all these later...)
We arrived by taxi from Merida airport (a short journey), having flown in from Cancun, where we had arrived in Mexico the day before, and were delighed with what we found, a massive improvement of the brash touristy-ness of Cancun !
The Casa del Balam Hotel was formerly the family home of Fernando Barbachano Peon, pioneer of Mexican tourism. A blend of Mexican tiles, terracotta and wrought iron, it has a small pool in a walled courtyand, complete with a stone carved fountain and tropical plants, a restaurant and bar, along with 43 spacious junior suites (we had one of these, air conditioned and decorated with colonial antiques), 6 triple rooms, and 3 superb master suites, if you've got some more money to spend !
The htel is five minutes walk away from the main town square of Merida, facing the Opera House and the University of Yucatan building, and is therefore a great base to explore the town and admire the mixture of Spanish colonial and Mayan influences. There are lots of shops and lovely restaurants in easy walking distance.
Breakfast is a simple affair, no huge buffet here, but is certainly enough to set you up for a day's sightseeing in this lovely old town.
When Spaniards, lead by Francisco de Montejo arrived in the large Mayan city known as T'ho in 1542, they renamed the city Merida and dismantled all the pyramids and used the huge stones as the foundation for the Cathedral of San Idelfonso (1556-1599), the oldest cathedral on the American continent !
The hotel is a short taxi ride away from the main bus station, from where we took a 50 mile bus ride to Uxmal, the next stop on our Yucatan tour...
We booked our room here through Trailfinders, and as rates and availablity will vary, check on Expedia, or your favourite travel site, for current rates and book your self a bargain !
Hotel Casa del Balam Calle 60 Merida 97000 Mexico
Overall, this is a lovely little, but luxurious hotel with an intimate colonial feel. Excellent quality service made our (short) stay here very pleasant, and I would certainly recommend anyone to stay here rather than some anonymous chain, like the Hyatt or similar.
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