Our Home Away from Home

The house we rented here in Merida is located in centro.  It is within walking distance to several parks including the Plaza Grande - the main park in the historic district.  The neighborhood is very Mexican and non-commercial.  There isn't a lot of noise or traffic.  There is an occasional barking dog and kids playing on the street but not unpleasant or annoying.  Well, maybe the yappy dog is occasionally annoying but he/she sounds more sad than anything - maybe being left alone a lot.

The house is narrow and deep like many houses here in the old part of Merida.  Many are ancient and have been restored/refurbished - as is the one we rented.  The owners, two sisters, apparently remodeled it a year or so ago for the express purpose of renting it out.  It turned out to be pretty much just as represented in the VRBO listing.  You enter from the street into an entry way with a small comfortable living room to the left.  After that you go into the dining room with table seating 8 and a very small kitchen with counter between it and the dining room.  Of all the features of the house, the kitchen was my least favorite.  I am used to a BIG kitchen.  Oh well - easier to go out and there are so many places to eat and many that are really cheap with tasty Yucatecan food and more.  I am, however, doing some simple cooking but certainly not going to turn on the oven. 

From the dining room you walk through a large arched opening with French, sort of, doors that can be closed, to the pool, and the 3 bedrooms.  Each bedroom has en-suite bathroom with shower and all bedrooms go in and out to the pool area.  The master has a king size bed with huge dressing room/lavatory plus shower/toilet area.  The ceilings are very high.  The bedrooms all had individual air conditioners but we have only used ours one night for a short time.  It cools off nicely at night and the ceiling fans do the rest.  The main part of the house does not have a/c - just ceiling fans.  This has not been a problem for us but I wouldn't want to be sitting around in here during the hot humid summer months. 

So far I haven't tried the pool - it's not heated - but it feels warm enough to maybe do some laps. I am going to give it a try some afternoon or evening.  If it was my house, I would keep a bubble wrap cover on it.  That would keep the heat of the day in as well as keeping leaves and dust out. 

All in all, the house is quite comfortable and great for visiting friends - Carol and Diane each had their own rooms.  There is a cleaning man who comes all day every Thursday to clean the pool and the house.  We do our own laundry - nice big washer and dryer.