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Home >Merida Yucatan Destination

El Castellano Hotel - Merida Yucatan Destination

All roads lead to Mérida and with traditions, history and architecture spanning four centuries, the city is a jewel, as perfect for an overnight trip as it is for a longer vacation. Capital of the state of Yucatán, Mérida welcomes its visitors with a smile. Churches overlooking quiet plazas, museums and bustling craft markets, a different concert every night of the week, fine dining, and the hospitality of local people captivate travelers.

When you visit this gracious city for business or pleasure, make El Castellano your base. Just two blocks from the main square, this five-star hotel offers you warm hospitality and unbeatable service.

History

Mérida was founded by conquistador Francisco Montejo on January 6, 1542, on the site of a much earlier Mayan city called T’ho and soon became an important Spanish stronghold.

Merida Downtown

You can stroll anywhere in the city center and the streets are laid out on a grid plan making navigation straightforward. If you like walking, Paseo Montejo is only six blocks north from Santa Lucía and one block east from Santa Ana church.

Paseo Montejo

A trip to Mérida wouldn’t be complete without a visit to Paseo Montejo. Inaugurated in 1904, this wide boulevard resembles the Champs Elysées in Paris and is a world away from the bustle of the central square.

Gastronomy

Good restaurants abound in Mérida and there’s everything from Gulf shrimp and seafood, Italian and International to Mexican and Lebanese cuisine in a variety of different dining ambiances: open air cafes, magnificent old haciendas, plant-filled courtyards and cheerful pizzerias and taco joints.

Culture

Mérida is a cultural center with a collection of museums, galleries, theaters, bookstores and libraries to delight all those in search of culture. There are concerts every night, movies, regular art exhibitions, writer’s workshops.

Nightlife

Mérida comes alive at twilight as local people shake off the fierce afternoon heat. Open-air cafes and bars begin to fill up and there’s live entertainment somewhere in the city every night whether it’s a classical music or jazz concert, a romantic guitar serenade or a dance extravaganza.

Shopping

Of course Mérida has its fair share of modern shopping centers, supermarkets, boutiques and bookstores but most visitors are on the lookout for Yucatecan and Mexican crafts and there’s plenty to choose from.

The Maya World

Mérida is the gateway to the Maya World, a realm of magic and mystery once ruled by one of the most advanced civilizations in the ancient Americas. Stargazers, scribes, warriors and traders, the Maya left their mark on the landscape in the form of more than 3,000 archaeological sites identified to date.

Ecotourism

Jungle, savanna and thorn forest, coastal wetlands, beaches, caves and sinkholes, the Yucatán is a natural wonderland with plenty of exciting experiences to offer eco tourists.

Caves & Cenotes

If you could journey deep into the heart of the Yucatán you would discover a labyrinth of underground rivers, caves where stalactites and stalagmites are sometimes mirrored in still dark lakes, and cenotes or sinkholes with crystal-clear blue waters.

Haciendas

After the Spanish Conquest Mayan lands were seized by the conquistadors and given to Spaniards who had participated in the military campaign and to newly arrived settlers.

The Gulf Coast

Some people cannot resist the call of the sea wherever they are and the good news is that the Gulf Coast is a short drive away from Mérida. Palm-lined beaches, lagoons and salt flats rich in bird life and rustic fishing villages where the emphasis is definitely on the word “relaxed”, await the visitor.

Colonial Route

Cathedrals and mansions overlooking a city square, a golden convent and sturdy mission churches in every village, discover the Yucatán’s colonial monuments.

Events & Festivals

The chants of the Mayan priest, the aroma of copal incense, an offering of rum and the flickering light of a thousand candles…all to appease the aluxes or guardian spirits of the cornfield, the Yucatán is a land of mystery and ancient beliefs. Meet the Maya, and discover a way of life that has endured for a millennium and more.