Annoucement: New Series, Staycations, Mérida, Mexico

Announcing a new blog series: Staycations in Mérida, México
 
I have always wanted to be a tourist in my own town and a Staycation is the perfect solution.

My plan is to stay at 12 hotels over a 12-month period. The hotels will be primarily in Mérida but a few will be outside Yucatán.

What is important to me, as a mature female with walking difficulties, is: budget to moderate pricing, accessibility i.e. elevators or ground floor units, ramps, attentive staff, security, cleanliness, and amenities like a pool, room service, room safe, and tour service assistance. Plus, I like knowing I am in walking distance or a short taxi ride to various services. I particularly appreciate on-call medical services.

Also, when making a reservation, I like hotels that have their own website. I do not use online booking services, often, because they don't offer enough information for me to make a decision. I generally contact the hotel directly by phone or email.

In each Staycation post, I will try to cover general hotel information such as location, price range, accessibility, amenities, transportation, cautions, advisories, and area sites and events.

Price range per night:

Frugal - Free to less than 100 pesos
Budget - 100 pesos to 900 pesos
Moderate . 900 to 3,000 pesos
Expensive - 3,000 to 5,000
Rich - 5,000+

Seasons: Mérida has four seasons, spring, summer, fall and winter which vary in temperature and precipitation. The rainy season is from May to October coinciding with the Hurricane Season. Some find November to April the best time to visit Mérida.

Tipping: I tip wait staff, taxi drivers, tour guides, room service attendants and grocery baggers.

Credit/Debit Cards: Make sure your bank knows when and where you are traveling, this will allow you to use your credit or debit card at ATMs, hotels, restaurants and more.

Transportation: Yucatán has great public transportation.

In Mérida, there are city buses, collectivos (vans), taxis, ADO and other long distance bus services, car rental services, and private transportation options. The current cost for a city bus or collective is 8 pesos.

Taxis - I do not use phone apps to get a taxi, I ask the concierge to call a taxi or I go to the street and hail a taxi. Then, I ask the driver the cost to my destination. This helps limit price scalping.

In general, there is a ADO Mérida Shuttle at the Cancun Airport International terminal as well as an ADO bus to Mérida in the city of Cancun. Check with your hotel to see if they will pick you up at an ADO terminal in Mérida.

Also, go online to Yucatán Today, http://yucatantoday.com/yucatan-bus-lines-and-taxis/?lang=en, to find much more information about various transportation options in Yucatán. Once you get to Mérida, pick up a copy of the current Yucatán Today, it has a wealth of useful information.

Tours: There are many tour services available. Many are affiliated with hotels. Ask at the reception desk about available tours. As a single person, it is easier to get added onto an existing tour from your hotel.

Special note: When visiting Mérida, México, if you don't speak Spanish, learn a few words before you come. Learning to say just a few words in Spanish like: Hola, Gracias, De Nada, Adios, Donde es el Baño (Hello, Thank you, You are Welcome, Goodbye, Where is the Bathroom?) for example, is considered polite. It shows that you are trying to speak the language of the country you are visiting,

Buen Dia (Good day).