Merida - Hotel Caribe

On our first trip to Merida my wife and I stumbled upon a great hotel that we continue to use, Hotel Caribe. Other than the history and the ambiance of this hotel, there is nothing special here. It's not fancy, the rooms are small, I'm not sure there is room service, it's three floors with no elevator and if those things turn you off, please stay somewhere else. That will leave vacancy for us or someone that appreciates the hotel.

On the right side of the entrance you'll see this concrete plack. I'll help with the translation. This building functioned as the College of San Ildefonso and is referenced as the cuna de hombres ilustres del siglo XIX (the cradle of illustrious men of the 19th century). Most of the school is gone now, progress took its toll and most of it was turned into a parking lot. Hotel Caribe is all that remains of the school, you can however see the parking lot from the pool on the third floor if your interested.

After the College of San Ildefonso, the building was used as a Literary Institute, which today is the University of Yucatan, which is now located just down the street. The last line, Ayuntamiento de Merida references the town hall of Merida. I could find no reference to this on the internet when I checked.

If you walk in go to the right of the front desk, you'll find seating for the inside restaurant that flows into outdoor restaurant seating and then to a courtyard. Most of the rooms have visibility of this courtyard after leaving your room. The hotel website says there are 53 rooms but the last time there we were in room 57, now I have to go back and count rooms.

Here are the views of the courtyard from the second and third floor. Inside the entrance door this is one of the most relaxing hotels I have ever stayed. Whether your sitting at the pool, in the restaurant, or one one of the communal couches outside the rooms, the city surrounding just seems to have vanished.

If you ever decide you want to take a trip to Merida, check Hotel Caribe out. It's one block from Plaza Grande and surrounded by great restaurants, bars, and shopping.