When you’re travelling and you find a place you really like, it is sometimes hard to leave! The thing about the Alvarez Guest House in Merida, is that the owners really make you feel at home. They make you feel like a real guest, not a customer.

The rooms are all of a good size - some are really quite large. All have private bathrooms and showers. There is a kitchen, so you can make your own food if you like. Breakfast is included in the rate. They are such wonderful hosts, that they even catered to my food allergies - they went out of their way to buy something special for me since I could not eat their standard breakfast! It is a good place to socialize because of the kitchen.

I stayed there around Christmas, and because hotels were full and because there is a lot to do in and around Merida, I used it as a base, and stayed at the Alvarez Guest House for much longer than I had originally intended.

They can be found at:
448 Calle 62 (near Calle 53),
Merida (Col. Centro).

Email them at casa.alvarez@hotmail.com

Hotel: Eco Genesis

Location: Ek; Balam, Yucatan, Mexico

Rating: 4.5/5

There are quite a few things I like about this hotel. I was first attracted to it because it is near the Ek’ Balam Ruins, which are well worth visiting, and not too busy. It is in a typical small Mayan village. How often do you find a place to stay in a typical village, with just a few tiny houses?  This is part of what travelling is all about!  The hotel itself is wonderful - very relaxing and just a great place to hang out. It was the second place I stayed on my recent trip to the Yucatan Peninsula (the first place was in Playa del Carmen, which is not my kind of place, and about which I have little good to say).

When I arrived at Ek’ Balam, I really needed to unwind. Eco Genesis was just the place to do it! I spent quite a bit of time just hanging around. It is also a great place to meet other guests, and everyone I met there was interesting and enjoyable to talk to.

The food was reasonably good, but the portions were a bit small for the price.

In short, it is worth going to Ek’ Balam to stay at Eco Genesis, and if you are going to Ek’ Balam anyhow, you may was well spend the night there, just for the chance to stay at a really nice and affordable place. For more information, visit their website.