Luxury Historic Home with Pool in Colonia Santiago - Centro

La Casa de Monos served as our pied a terre for our 40th wedding anniversary weekend for my husband and I in the company of our adult children and their spouses. It was fun to venture out into the late May heat for exploration in Merida for meals or markets, or further afield to Campeche, or the beaches, and then return to the calm, cool spaces from another era. The five of us enjoyed breakfast in the blue tiled kitchen, drinks in the great hall, a swim to cool off and relax.

Be prepared for unexpected spaces and scales. Imagine the hammocks typical of the Mayan community, and climb up to beds of heights never encountered before. They fit the scale of the rooms, but might be somewhat of a challenge for the shorter ones among us!! That would be me! But I loved it!

Experience the wonder of keys and locks. We are so used to uniformity of how to close and lock up. Not in this case. Step back into time with a set of keys and figure out which key goes to which door. It is not difficult but it reminds you that there is an evolution to keys and locks over time. The lock from the wooden main door is different from the newer glass door or from the doors to the patio. The evolution of the building dances in front of you and teases your knowledge about the making of a building.

The home is appointed for comfort and taste. Not over decorated, but solid colonial furniture, complemented with perfect touches of old and new Mexico on the walls.

Plenty of good towels and drinking water. The kitchen was my favorite space with evocative lighting and blue tiles and talavera bowls. It comes with staples, a good fridge, coffee maker, stove and microwave and washer/dryer.

The house has everything you need and allows you to enjoy in peace and comfort a meaningful adventure in Mexico.

Conveniently located, close to many attractions. Pool was s welcome relief in the warm afternoons

Just like the photos!

Property manager, Lilian, greeted us and showed us the home and rules. The property was decorated to perfection, pleasing to the eye and comfortable. The ability to open doors to the pool and patio was perfect for enjoying music and cooling breezes. Restaurants were awesome, some foodie, some divine and traditional cuisine: the newly named Viva Merida, La Recova, La Negrita Cantina. Visited Progreso for sun bathing and eating twice at Crabster. All fantastic experiences. Thursday evenings on Santa Lucia Square are filled with music and dancing. Reserve your favorite restaurant there many weeks before. Amenities are close by, supermarkets and pharmacies. Paseo de Montejo is notable avenue of restaurants, shops, museums and architecture. Mayan monuments are close by. Chichen Itsa is 2 hrs away with lots of walking. GO EARLY TO BEAT HEAT AND CROWDS. Uber is everywhere and safe. All in all, Casa de Los Monos(house of the monkey) was extremely relaxing, immaculate, and difficult to leave at the end of our stay!! Thank you, Melanie!

Our stay of five days at Casa de los Monos was even more special than I had hoped or expected. First of all, the house is drop-dead gorgeous. The location is perfect. The accommodation is extremely comfortable too. After a hot day outside, the pool is inviting and refreshing. The kitchen has all you need, if you choose to cook. The bedrooms are inviting and very comfortable. Honestly, it's hard to think of anything wrong with the place. Here are a couple of things to consider when booking: if you book the house with the three bedrooms, be aware that the third room is up a set of rather steep and narrow stairs. There are also a few stairs that step down into the bedroom. No big deal for anyone reasonably healthy. The trade off is the great, private patio outside the room. One other small thing is the traffic outside. At times it can be very noisy. The two intersecting streets at the corner where the house is located can be busy. However, if you are inside with the windows closed and the A/C on, most of the noise is unheard, and most of the noise is during the day. Melanie, the owner is extremely responsive to questions and concerns, as are the local contact people in Merida. We would stay here again in a heartbeat. Thank you, Melanie!