Mexico has so many exciting cities to explore. During a road trip down Mexico's east coast we took time to explore the beautiful colonial city of Mérida, Yucatán. It took us a pleasant two and half hours to drive from Campeche to Merida. We found Merida to be a city with great architecture, amazing culture and exciting cuisine. To add to that list there are amazing archeological ruins nearby.
Mérida is an architectural treasure
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| Plaza Independencia, Mérida, Mexico © Spaswinefood |
We spent two wonderful days in Mérida, the capital of the Yucatán state. Mérida's beautiful historic city center is an architectural treasure. The city's historical center is second largest in Mexico. We knew we wanted to be at the center of this architectural treasure so before leaving Campeche we made reservations at the pet friendly Casa Lucia Hotel right in the historic center of Mérida. Mérida however, offers many other choices for hotel accommodations. Given that Mérida is a large city it is important to be clear on your driving directions before attempting to find a specific street location. I downloaded maps to my iPhone to help us navigate. However, if you rent a car it is best to get one with a GPS.
From Mérida you can easily visit the nearby archeological ruins (such as Chichen Itza).
Mérida has great Yucatán cuisine
Mérida is a fun place to explore Yucatán cuisine. Yucatán Living describes Yucatán cuisine as having strong European and Mexican influences. For further insights into Yucatán cuisine check out this Food and Wine article. There are so many restaurants to chose from in Mérida (see City View, Frommer's and Yucatán Living).
We arrived mid-day and took lunch near the Plaza Independencia (zócalo) at Restaurant Portico Del Peregrino, 57 Calle 501, between 60 and 62 Centro, Mérida. For lunch we ordered Lemon Soup, a Yucatán specialty and for entrees our choices were Ceviche and Cheese Enchiladas with mole. We shared a lemon pie for dessert. A display of tequila at the restaurant caught the attention of our attention on the way out.
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| Casa Lucia Hotel, Mérida, Mexico © Spaswinefood |
Mérida has amazing cultural activities and nearby archeological ruins
During our stay we explored some of Mérida's historic district. There are plenty of cultural activities to check out in Mérida, with local Mayan festivals, concerts and other year around cultural events. The area is especially beautiful at night, with the historic buildings lit up. You will also see horse-drawn carriages. Mérida is a world of rich Mexican folklore and ancient Mayan influences.
Our first night in Mérida was the beginning of a Mayan festival at Plaza Independencia. There was lots of activity. We watched a Folklorico performance. We saw people hanging out in the plaza to take advantage of free Wi-Fi connection. Of course not everyone was online, there were some checking out the local treats, such as papas frites (french fries), churros on the plaza. There are many restaurants near the zócalo. There are also great places to drop by for a pizza or snack and a margarita.
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| Folklorica at Plaza Independencia, Mérida, Mexico © Spaswinefood |
Mérida has great Yucatán cuisine
Mérida is a fun place to explore Yucatán cuisine. Yucatán Living describes Yucatán cuisine as having strong European and Mexican influences. For further insights into Yucatán cuisine check out this Food and Wine article. There are so many restaurants to chose from in Mérida (see City View, Frommer's and Yucatán Living).
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| Ceviche at Portico del Peregrino, Mérida, Mexico © Spaswinefood |
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| Enchiladas con mole at Portico del Peregrino, Mérida, Mexico © Spaswinefood |
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| Amaro Restaurant, Mérida, Mexico © Spaswinefood |
Next day, we dropped by Amaro, a vegetarian restaurant for lunch. For lunch we ordered margaritas, Eggplant Enchiladas and fish with vegetables and rice. We finished dinner with a flan to share. This time on the way out this time we saw a wine display. Dinner on the second night was at La Parranda Restaurant. We ordered Sopa de Frijoles (bean soup) and Vegetarian Fajitas and of course margaritas.
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| Amaro Restaurant, Mérida, Mexico © Spaswinefood |
Mérida is the perfect colonial city to explore culture, food and history. During our east coast road trip through Mexico we very much enjoyed checking out the beauty of Mérida. For ideas on the best time to visit Mérida see Robin Thornley's USA Today article. A New Times article by Elisabeth Malkin notes that Mérida is one of the safest cities in Mexico (see also Lonely Planet article).
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| Mérida, Mexico © Spaswinefood |
I invite you to join me in my travels through Mexico and elsewhere in search of the best in Spaswinefood.
Sharon
August 2012
August 2012
© Spaswinefood
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