10 Best Mérida Hotels with a Pool

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In Mérida the afternoon heat makes a hotel pool the plan for the day. Some of the old courtyard hotels only have a plunge pool, which cools you off and is too short for laps. Check which kind you’re booking. I’d pick a pool you can swim lengths in, so that comes first.

Mérida Hotels with a Pool

Where to Stay Near Plaza Grande

The pool hotels spread across several neighbourhoods around Plaza Grande.

• Santa Lucía: Parque Santa Lucía sits a few blocks north of Plaza Grande, and restaurants cluster around it. That makes the neighbourhood the one to pick if dinner matters most.
• Santiago: Barrio de Santiago lies west of Plaza Grande and has a quieter, more local feel than the streets around the square. Expats and families favour it for that.
• Paseo de Montejo: Paseo de Montejo is a tree-lined boulevard of 19th-century mansions from the henequen boom, and the streets around it stay calmer at night than the old centre. The zone around it is walkable to restaurants, bars and shops.

When the Pool Matters Most

Mérida stays warm all year and has a clear hot season.

• April to June: The hot season runs from early April to mid-June, and May is the hottest month, with average highs near 97°F (36°C). Plan sightseeing before midday.
• Two to Four in the Afternoon: Weather experts quoted in the local press put the hottest hours of the day between 2 and 4 in the afternoon. Spend those hours in the pool and the sights in the morning and evening.
• Ruins at Opening: In April and May, even Uxmal and Chichén Itzá feel draining by late morning. Go when the gates open and be back at the hotel pool by midday.

Day Trips Within an Hour

Three day trips fit between breakfast and a late-afternoon swim at the hotel.

• Cenotes at Cuzamá and Homún: Both groups of cenotes sit about an hour from Mérida, roughly 55 kilometres south of the city. Homún has dozens of cenotes, while Cuzamá is known for horse-drawn carts on old plantation rails.
• Dzibilchaltún: The Dzibilchaltún ruins and their open Cenote Xlacah lie 16 kilometres from the city, a 20-minute drive. It works as a half-day trip by taxi.
• Progreso: Progreso is the nearest beach, 37 kilometres north of the city and a drive of about half an hour. Buses run from the city and take roughly an hour.

FAQs

1. Is a plunge pool big enough to swim in?

No, a plunge pool is small and shallow, made for standing and cooling off, so it does not take lengths. Several courtyard hotels in Mérida list one. Ask the hotel for the pool’s length and depth before you book, and look at the photos for a long, rectangular shape. Photos taken from above show the length best.

2. How far is Mérida airport from the old centre?

The airport sits 8 kilometres south of the Centro Histórico, and the official airport taxi takes 20 to 30 minutes. Buy a fixed-fare ticket at the taxi booth inside the arrivals hall before you walk out. The ride to a hotel in the north of the city takes longer, since the airport is on the south side.

3. Which month is cheapest for a Mérida hotel?

September has the lowest hotel prices of the year in Mérida, and June is among the quietest months for Yucatán’s hotels. Hotels across Yucatán fill most from November to March, so book early for those months. September is also the peak of hurricane risk on the Yucatán coast, although Mérida itself is rarely hit directly. Check the forecast before a September trip.

4. What should you bring on a cenote day trip from Mérida?

Bring cash, swimwear, a towel and a change of clothes. The small cenotes around Homún and Cuzamá take payment on the spot, so carry cash in small notes. Ask at the cenote about sunscreen before you go, since some sites want none on the skin and others ask for a biodegradable kind.

5. Is Uxmal or Chichén Itzá the easier day trip from Mérida?

Uxmal is the easier day trip, at 80 to 84 kilometres and one to one and a half hours by car. Chichén Itzá lies 120 kilometres east and takes one and a half to two hours each way, with the toll highway as the fast route. Uxmal also draws fewer visitors than Chichén Itzá.

6. How warm is Mérida from November to February?

Average highs stay below 87°F (31°C) from early November to mid-February, and January is the coolest month, with an average high of 85°F (29°C) and a low of 65°F (18°C). The sky is clearest from late October to mid-May. February is the clearest month, with clear, mostly clear or partly cloudy skies about 75 percent of the time.

7. When does it rain in Mérida?

Mid-October to late May is the drier season, and March has the fewest wet days, averaging about three. The wetter season runs from late May to mid-October, and September brings the most rainfall, at about 140 millimetres. The cloudier part of the year starts around mid-May and lasts until late October.