[Read in 7 mins.]

Mérida is the rich cultural capital of the Yucatán state in the Yucatán peninsula of Mexico. It has everything from history, architecture, Mayan and Spanish food, and natural sites all over the city and its surrounding area. No wonder I spent most of my time here because there’s so much to do. Also, I didn’t spend 0 dollars in my accommodation thanks to my Hilton Honors points and I get to stay for free. FREE!! I stayed at Hampton Inn Mérida so I ended staying here the longest as part of my 8 days trip in the Yucatán peninsula.

Here’s are the things I highly recommend you should do while in the city and the surrounding areas. They are the highlights and I’m very happy I got to experience all what Yucatán has to offer in this short period of time. I accomplished so much which were all part of my highlights in my Yucatán Peninsula trip.

Explored the Centro

I arrived in Mérida in the afternoon and on this first day, all throughout the afternoon until late at night. This didn’t stop me from going out even though I really hate rain. I was in a new place so I don’t want that to stop me from exploring. The vibe was very different from Bacalar and Playa del Carmen. You can really see the Mexican culture way past those resort and tourist activities I saw before going to Mérida.

Almost every day after my trip I explored the city at night. All streets, parks, and churches were well lit with lanterns, Christmas trees, and lights. Festivities were happening in all parks and night performances in the squares. The city was so lively and I’ve never felt happier walking around at night.

Day Trip to Hacienda Yaxcopoil, Uxmal, and Cenote

I did a day trip to see three big sites in the Yucatán peninsula all in one day: Yaxcopoil Hacienda, Uxmal, and Cenote Sambula. Actually four including the restaurant for lunch. I found the tour at my hotel and it is organized by Mayan Heritage for a really good price of MXN 750 peso. The tour includes hotel pick-up and drop-off as well as lunch in a la carte style but it excludes the entrance fee in the sites.

Hacienda Yaxcopoil

The first stop was Yaxcopoil (pronounced at Yash-coo-poh-eel) Hacienda which is a 40-45 minutes from Mérida. Hacienda are this really huge estate that occupies acres and acres (22,000 acres!) of land used back in the day for plantation. Open from 9:00 – 18:00 Monday to Saturday and 8:00 – 15:00 on Sundays to the public and the entrance fee is MXN 100 pesos. This Hacienda and Museum dates back all the way to the 17th century and the name, in Mayan language stands for ‘the place of Alamo trees’. It is a great place to know the Yucatán history and what it was like during the Spanish times in Mexico.

You can tell a place is a hacienda by the Moorish double arch gate at the front. The main building which you enter displays many of the original furnitures, has amazing spaces like high ceiling, large lounges and drawing rooms. I can’t believe I got to experience history this way the place is something I’ve never seen before. Seeing huge old buildings with colourful walls and floral gardens, I feel like I’m in those soap operas my grandmother used to watch. In fact, you can rent the space for wedding, private events, and stay if you want to experience what it’s like living in a hacienda.

Mayan City of Uxmal

Next stop was the Mayan City of Uxmal, one of the many Mayan civilization sites in Yucatán. Another 36 minutes ride from the hacienda took us here. The entrance fee is MXN $413.00 for foreigners and MXN $176.00 if you’re Mexican with a valid ID. There is an ATM on site in case you need to withdraw money.

Situated deep in the jungle, you’d never know theres’a civilization until you walk past the entrance in the site. I was in awe the first time I saw the pyramid towering over me and the other buildings beside it. The view when you go up those really high steep steps was absolutely gorgeous. The hike to the top was definitely worth it for its amazing views.

The main pyramid you cannot walk on but everything where else you can. The buildings such as the Governor’s Palace and the House of Pigeons are my favourite places in the city. Having a guide that will tell you all about the Mayan civilization made me appreciate what I see. The city was absolutely lovely to be walking around with less people unlike Chichen Itza.

Lunch

Before heading to the cenote for an afternoon swim, my tour stopped by at a local nearby restaurant with traditional Mayan and Mexican cuisine! The restaurant is called Restaurant Bar Cana-Nah. I was so excited for this because it’s the time to eat amazing Mexican food! The a la carte menu consists of three courses and I got Lime Soup (sopa de lima), Yucateca Chicken (pollo a la yucateca), and Flan. My drink was made out of chaya with pineapple. Chaya is a plant common in the Yucatán peninsula. Everything tasted great, the chicken was very rich in spiciness.

Cenote Sambulá

Third and last stop was a cenote. The funny part is I have never heard of cenote until I went on this trip. My two Australian friends, who spent time in Mexico told me to absolutely try and go to one and I was like okay. Then, in this tour, I met a Danish girl that swimming in a cenote is one of her bucket list. My curiosity of cenotes grew and all I know I was looking up information about it. Finally, the last destination of the tour is Cenote Sambulá, also known as Cenote Peba located in the town Peba, Abala Yucatán. You can spend an hour in the cenote swimming or experience what it’s like be inside a cave.

Truly magical moment for me when I first walked down the stairs and saw the water in the sinkhole. It was super crystal clear and sparkling from the ray of sunlight that comes in the hole from the outside. Seriously at first, it was really dark looking on the outside but once you go down, it is super clear! You get to swim and the water isn’t that deep. Super still waters so you get to float and very warm. I really enjoyed my time at this cenote.

Day Trip to Chichen Itzá and Valladolid

The second full day in Merida, I woke up early and trekked to Chichen Itzá and Valladolid. For this I decided not to go with a tour because they are more accessible by public transportation and the cost will be half the price with the tour.

I decided to do this trip without the tour because I realized the explanations would be similar to Uxmal. For Valladolid, it’s a city with great architecture so I can do that on my own. What the tour buses would do will be similar when they’d drop you off and wait for you for an hour or two then you board again.

Chichen Itzá

From the Merida Bus Terminal, it takes about 1 hour and 40 minutes so I had a quick nap before my excursion began. I took the very first bus to Chichen Itza at 6:30 am and it takes about 1 hour and 50 minutes to the site. The bus arrived close to 8:30 which is right about the place opens. Crowd was already starting to built up but not as much when it’s close to noon. Though the crowd is already more than what I saw at Uxmal.

The feeling of awe still hasn’t left me from last night’s Uxmal and went higher after seeing another Mayan civilization. It’s deep in the forest so you don’t feel the heat as much because there are a lot of trees except where the pyramid and the ball game are located. You will cover all the buildings and the grandeur Sacred Cenote in the Mayan City if you spend a good two hours here.

Valladolid

Next stop is to time travel way after the Mayan Meso-American period to the historic Spanish colonial times by visiting the city of Valladolid. It is only a 40 minute bus ride from Chichen Itza so it’s perfect to go here, have lunch, and then walk around.

Mexico’s vibrant colourful cities makes you want to walk around all day. Top that with great sunny weather and it feels like a vacation! It definitely felt like I traveled back in time to the Spanish period from all the colourful buildings on the streets, old churches, and pastel walls. This city is rich in both Mayan and Mexican cultures which I enjoyed a lot and explored the city deeply by walking around and going in the traditional and artisan arts and crafts stores.

Indulged in Spanish and Mayan Cuisine

Part reason why I went to Mexico is I want to eat as much tacos, burritos, nachos, and guacamoles as I want. Good prices here for food because it’s not a resort tourist destination and you can also experience the Mayan cuisine here. Mayan cuisine is popular with using recado rojo spice mainly comprises with cumin, annatto seeds, oregano, close, salt, and pepper. It’s super red and they use it to marinade with their meat. Dishes are usually served with rice and beans.

Mexican cuisine is in my top 5, if not then it is in my top 3 of my favourite cuisines in the world. Guacamole is one of my favourite dishes. I mean, who doesn’t love guacamole? Everyone loves a creamy avocados and where else could you get good guacamole other than where it came from. I even get joked about because even at home, I make tacos and put salsa on almost anything even in my salad.

Almost everyday, I looked forward to my breakfast, lunch, and dinner having Mexican and Mayan food everyday. At the hotel, they had nachos and salsa on top of beans (frijoles), rice (arroz), and eggs (huevos) Mexican style not like I’ve even seen before. I usually see continental breakfast so it was a great change in food. I really enjoyed eating the regional cuisine and the great Mexican dishes I ate during my trip here in Mexico.