I was reading on a search engine that starts with the letter, G' that the Hacienda Chenche de las…read moreTorres was or is a dude ranch. Ah no. It's not a dude ranch but a straight up legit European castle in thr Yucatán. It's about 1 hour 19 minutes away from downtown Merida and is a perfect weekend getaway for a picnic. Tip 1: Bring a blanket and picnic basket. The Hacienda has wide open spaces and there very few visitors. Tip 2: There are multiple bathroom facilities but if you like your own supplies, bring what you need Tip 3: Plan on spending the day here. It's a 2 hour 30 minute round trip. It makes no sense to stay for an hour. Here la the story. The property was founded during the 1800s was owned by Alvaro Peon de Regil and a Joaquina Peon Castellanos. They were the count and countess of Miraflores. The property was left abandoned by the Manzanilla family in the1950s. The current owner has worked with anthropologist Michel Kopla to restore the property The original man house was modified to resemble a European castle from medieval times. There are towers, gardens, fountains, but no moats or dragons. There are some familial crests on the towers and I have captured the chests in one of the many photos. Walking the grounds, feeling the breeze, you would never think that you were in the Yucatán or even México. It's strikingly beautiful and enchanting. Wait wait wait. Before you go inside, there'll be a nondescript fellow who will ask you if you want to walk the grounds. It's like 50 Pesos, he's not overly friendly but he's more of guardian / caretaker than a guide. Once you've paid your entrance fee, check on the chapel to the left before making your way to the front doors Tip 3: You cannot go inside so don't bother asking. Even though you can't go inside, there are no rules about peering or gawking like I did through the windows and doors. Check out the bedroom accesible through the walk around the back. There are stone lions and one iguana. Make sure not to trip over the iguana as he doesn't move for anyone. I walked down some steps into another courtyard and reflected about the people who previously walked there. I imagined servants or even royalty stepping where I was retracing their steps. The flora and fauna are all photogenic and I captured some in my images. In summary, the Hacienda Chenche is a must visit day trip and I wouldn't be surprised if it held private parties from time to time. It's a stunning, exquisite location that is charming, regal and mysterious. I can't wait to go back with my French baguette sandwiches and a nice bottle of wine in my picnic basket.

We were in this restaurant last night and the food was absolutely amazing so tonight was our last…read morenight in Mérida so since food service and atmosphere was so great we wanted to have it one more night. Highly recommend this restaurant and you have to try the sopa for sure.

Did you ever have one of those restaurant experiences where bad things keep happening, over and…read moreover, but you hold out hope that somehow they'll get better, or some manager will step in an make things right? At this restaurant, things never get better. From waiting 30 minutes for the first drink (5 bartenders, 7 customers); to some food never arriving, despite repeated requests; to the wrong bill, 3 times! The managers would make excuses, then disappear, never to be seen again. After the first 30 minutes, our server disappeared, never to be seen again. And the food (the ordered items that we actually did get) was absolutely horrible: Steak salted within an inch of its life; flaccid vegetables; disgusting guacamole. These folks managed the trifecta of terrible food, even worse service, and indifferent staff and management. If you go here, you will regret it. With so many other, good restaurants in Mérida, don't waste your time or your money here. After more than 300 meals out in 2022, this place earns the award for Worst Restaurant of the Year.

This spot was pretty cool. You can tell the local comes here and really like it. I've been to a…read morecenote before and this place wasn't as strict as the others. They are strict about bringing your belongings. They have at least 3 cenote within walking distance of each other. I recommend wearing water shoes. You park them pay for admission then take a boat to the Cenote. They have these raccoon looking cat don't feed them they bite. Leave them alone and they will leave you alone. Bringing food isn't allowed. We did on a cruise ship tour. My husband and I had a good time.

I think the reviews of this place should strive to be a bit more honest. The water stank, like…read moresmelled very bad, only one cenote seemed really clean enough to swim in and even for a small mexican business the bathrooms were really bad. Like, no toilet seat on any toilet including the handicap stall, meaning disabled people can't use the bathroom. It was very cool to see raccoons and birds and crocodiles up close, but I wish that they did a better job of maintaining the preserve as there was plastic trash around the edges. I loved seeing the animals and I appreciate what they are trying to do but overall I could not recommend this place.

Well kept and very nice sculpture. It's hard to cross over but I enjoyed it from afar.read more

Really nice monument it is an easy walk down to the main avenue which is also worth doing. The…read moremonument is part of a roundabout and is very large and easy to see. I need to go back and take some pictures as I circled the monument in an Uber, but it is way too nice to not spend more time there.

Showed up, place had been closed for a while but the security guard after speaking with a…read moreco-working let us in for a bit more than the ticket price. We were the only ones there and it looks like it had been a while since they had been open. The grass was pretty tall around the train cars and the wife didn't have the shoes on to be climbing around a big boy toys so I had at it for a while. The museum of course wasn't open, neither the caboose with the train set. But I got to climb around things and take lots of pictures. If you do get in you very much have to be careful of falling through a rotted floor or having a staircase or ramp fail. Normal for the area.

If you or your family like trains, this is a must-see during your visit to Merida. For just a few…read moredollars you can see, climb on, and go in historic rail cars and locomotives from many different eras and in many styles. There is also a small library and model train in the air-conditioned gift shop. My husband had a great time taking tons of photographs. Do be careful, though, climbing on the rusted metal and old wood as it can be risky, especially for small children.