Villa Sarteneja - Beautiful Restored Colonial Home in Centro

Agustin, the property manager, was waiting for us after our late night arrival from Houston. He explained the features of the home, gave us a cell phone to get ahold of him and left information about restaurants, sites and a small map. The bed was comfortable and we slept well. The traffic noise begins around 7:00am but we were up by then. The pool was in full sun from noon till 4:00pm, perfect after spending the morning site-seeing and having lunch. The courtyard is entirely enclosed but still caught the breezes. The social club behind on the next block was practicing one day and we were serenaded to the music of John Phillip Sousa coming over the walls! We felt safe even late at night walking back from the restaurants. The Grand Plaza is within easy walking distance, the restaurants on Calle 59 are 4 blocks away. Park San Juan with one of the original gates to the city is around the corner. The Merida English Library is 7 blocks away. Paseo Montejo is a long walk away but if you are walkers, no problem. Taxis are plentiful and inexpensive, the most we paid was 50 pesos (late at night), most rides were 20 to 30 pesos ($2 to $3 US). We usually walked in the morning, staying on the shady side of the streets and took a taxi back during the heat of the day. We had only one issue with the hot water being clogged due to the lime scale in the area's water and Agustin had a plumber there immediately after we contacted him. Like Florida or any other tropical area, you have to be careful of food storage as ants are in abundance. Overall, the property is a good value and a good place for 1st timers to Merida.

We stayed at Villa Sarteneja for over a week, and enjoyed our stay very much. The location is as advertised... right in the middle of downtown, only 3-4 blocks from the main square, the market, and other sites. A great location. The villa is very well equipped and very comfortable. Perfect for 2-4 people. And the pool/patio area is wonderful - we spent most of our time in the patio relaxing and eating.

Finally, the villa manager is excellent. He speaks perfect English, and is very helpful. We look forward to staying again next year.

Villa Sarteneja was a perfect location for exploring both Merida and around other places in the Yucatan. The location in town was very close to all of our needs and being in the Centro it was easy for van pick-ups for other travel to the coast and the Mayan historical sights. We were very comfortable in the house right upon arrival. The local house manager also did a great orientation and answered the questions that we had to help us get going on our vacation.