Merida Santiago Hotel Boutique — Hotel in Mérida

We stayed in the hotel for several days, taking two rooms, so we really got to know the place. One of our rooms in the front had a private balcony with chairs and a hammock which was quite nice for hanging out. The rooms and the beds are very comfortable and tastefully designed -- not overbearing luxury but a warm modernist look. The restaurant is also very good and can get crowded from other tourists in the neighborhood (I assume from their AirBNBs). That said, we never had trouble getting a table and always sat down to a very good cup of coffee in the morning. There are also other restaurants nearby to try other fare (we did on a few days) but the Yucatecan-influenced food here is very very good.||Aside from the tasteful decor, what really stood out was the staff. I have hardly ever had such a warm and attentive staff in any hotel and want to give a shout out to Jasmine and Jorge, the morning and afternoon/night managers respectively. They helped with everything, as did the owners of the hotel Rita and Jann. They set up an all-day taxi for us to go out to the Mayan ruins, where we hired a guide, and then went to a cenote for lunch and a swim. They also work with a rental car company that drops off and picks up the car from the hotel, which we used for a day trip to the beach. As first time visitors to Merida, they had suggestions and help for everything we wanted, making the stay so easy and stress free. I have done it myself via the web and TripAdvisor recommendations, but this was way easier and in many cases less expensive than tours available online.||We also took advantage of the market tour and cooking class for lunch, which was really fun. After shopping and then cooking, we ended up having a long leisurely meal with the other people in the group and then met up with them later for drinks, so really the best kind of experience during vacation. And the food was delicious -- the chef at the hotel runs the classes with help of an interpreter.||The hotel was also quiet and the neighborhood about 15 minutes walk from the central district. So we did a fair amount of walking but there are also Ubers and taxis to get around. Overall, I'd rate this hotel 10 stars if available. Truly one of the nicest hotels we have stayed in -- and really the best service I've encountered...

We stayed in the hotel for several days, taking two rooms, so we really got to know the place. One of our rooms in the front had a private balcony with chairs and a hammock which was quite nice for hanging out. The rooms and the beds are very comfortable and tastefully designed -- not overbearing luxury but a warm modernist look. The restaurant is also very good and can get crowded from other tourists in the neighborhood (I assume from their AirBNBs). That said, we never had trouble getting a table and always sat down to a very good cup of coffee in the morning. There are also other restaurants nearby to try other fare (we did on a few days) but the Yucatecan-influenced food here is very very good.

Aside from the tasteful decor, what really stood out was the staff. I have hardly ever had such a warm and attentive staff in any hotel and want to give a shout out to Jasmine and Jorge, the morning and afternoon/night managers respectively. They helped with everything, as did the owners of the hotel Rita and Jann. They set up an all-day taxi for us to go out to the Mayan ruins, where we hired a guide, and then went to a cenote for lunch and a swim. They also work with a rental car company that drops off and picks up the car from the hotel, which we used for a day trip to the beach. As first time visitors to Merida, they had suggestions and help for everything we wanted, making the stay so easy and stress free. I have done it myself via the web and TripAdvisor recommendations, but this was way easier and in many cases less expensive than tours available online.

We also took advantage of the market tour and cooking class for lunch, which was really fun. After shopping and then cooking, we ended up having a long leisurely meal with the other people in the group and then met up with them later for drinks, so really the best kind of experience during vacation. And the food was delicious -- the chef at the hotel runs the classes with help of an interpreter.

The hotel was also quiet and the neighborhood about 15 minutes walk from the central district. So we did a fair amount of walking but there are also Ubers and taxis to get around. Overall, I'd rate this hotel 10 stars if available. Truly one of the nicest hotels we have stayed in -- and really the best service I've encountered...

Wow! So sad!!! Such a beautiful hotel: intimate, gorgeous nighttime lighting, friendly staff, and loved the small dining area by the pool. We went twice for dinner. The first time I had the chicken breast and the next visit we all had the hamburger. Everything was beautifully prepared and presented. Unfortunately, the food has ABSOLUTELY NO FLAVOR. I just don’t understand it. Chef is attentive and it seems he has all the resources that he needs, but the food is bland and tasteless. The chicken, during my first visit, was obviously not fresh and had no flavor whatsoever. The hamburger, my second visit, was beautiful and artfully prepared, but had no flavor. We live in Mexico and savor the freshness of our fresh food. I have no idea what’s happening here. This beautiful spot should be the GO TO in Bario Santiago. Avoid if you have tastebuds.

Please see the response to criticism by the owner, taste the food, and decide for yourselves. Just know that they will use cameras to creep on their guests. Obviously we were not pleased, based upon our representation on camera, how else would the owner know who we were? Researching credit cards statements so they could explicitly creep on us I guess?? Hmmm… sounds very defensive to me. Creeping is even more tasteless than their food. Sometimes, when you are tired and hungry, it isn’t worth the trouble making a fuss. We actually gave this location 2 opportunities, and we were disappointed each time (the hotel is less than a block from our rental). But, reviews should be used constructively, not an excuse to spy on and ridicule paying customers. A simple acknowledgment, and hopefully some indication of apology for unmet expectations would be a more appropriate response by the owner. The owner’s response speaks for itself. This is a beautiful hotel, just know there are better food options...