The bus journey to Merida was hassle free and it was about a 10 minute walk to the Hotel Doralba.  We soon realised that being close to a bus station also meant it wasn’t the best area to be in – chaotic streets full of grimy industrial and commercial premises and lots of stands for the local buses and shared vans known locally as ‘collectivos’.  It was once very grand hotel with a peaceful lovely internal courtyard where we ate breakfast.  That was about it.  It was cheap, the room was functional and needed a makeover, the staff were cheerful and helpful but we wouldn’t stay again.  On the positive side, it was just a 5 minute walk to the central plaza with the cathedral and evening entertainment including a sound a light show which, sadly, we only caught the last few minutes.

Merida is a large, wealthy city and It is quite touristy which was reflected in the restaurant prices near the central Plaza.  We took a walk a few streets away and found a place that was deserted but was in a sublime courtyard with all sorts of greenery.  Mmmm, should we risk it?  We did and they served us the best margarita that we have had to date.  The food too was pretty good.  When we got back to the hotel we looked it up and found that almost all the other reviewers said the same, ‘spookily quiet but with awesome margaritas’.  Not wishing to eat at the touristy end we ate there for 3 nights and we were not disappointed.

Our first full day we got up early and caught the 8am bus to Celestun.  It was a painfully slow and very dull 2.5hr journey.  We got off the bus on the bridge before the main town to walk to a jetty to take a boat.  The boats seat 6 so we teamed up with 3 German girls to share the cost. The journey might have been dull but the reason for the trip made it all worthwhile – Pink Flamingos wading, eating, chatting and flying.  Wow, absolutely stunning and the same journey back just seemed to fly by.

A couple of days later we set off to a small town called Izamal, a ‘Pueblo Magico’.  It has been awarded this status as it has retained its original architecture and the tradition of painting its buildings yellow.  This time the bus journey was only just over an hour.  We walked 15 minutes to the hotel to find it locked and a French couple also waiting.  We knocked but no answer.  We sat on the doorstep and waited for 30 minutes and then a guy arrived in a car to say the hotel had closed due to Covid.  We were invited to get in his car and with the French couple following in their hire car, he took us to Hotel Tuul.

It was a relief when we saw they had our names and booking arrangements at reception – phew, it hadn’t been a scam!  We checked in, paid exactly what we should have paid the Hotel Hacienda Izamal, however it was a considerable step down from the King suite with balcony we had booked.  The room was large with a king bed but it was sparsely decorated and very dark.  Hey ho, we could have been sleeping in the street so we went along with it but raised a complaint with Booking.com.  After a lot of angry emails we eventually got a £20 refund which was about the cost of one nights stay so we’re happy. 

We loved Izamal.  It was indeed very yellow with only a few rogue buildings on the outskirts daring to use anything but the mellow shade.  It was also extremely peaceful and quiet with the trademark pretty Plaza dominated by the striking yellow walls of the convent above. Sleepy, extremely picturesque, some interesting ruins and excellent places to eat. We wished we had planned to stay longer.

Then it was back to Merida to stay in La Pantera Negra which was basically a very small and quirky boutique B&B.  Jean-Pierre, obviously French, and his wife Gina, Mexican, welcomed us and showed us to our room.  The whole place had amazing art and sculptures everywhere, it was very interesting. 

As this was a small place and we knew that breakfast was served on a large communal rooftop terrace we had been looking forward to meeting other travellers and swapping travel tips.  Unfortunately we were the only ones in the place but it turned out well as  J-P loved to chat and he was a fountain of knowledge on all things Mexican and much more besides.  We spent the next couple of days exploring the city and eating dinner in our favourite quiet restaurant and drinking fabulous margaritas – too many for Cheryl on one particular evening!

We mentioned before that we were finding logistics a bit tricky as online info on transport options has been difficult to find.  For buses we now rely on the basic info in Lonely Planet and Rough Guide even though they are a few years out of date.  Knowing which bus company goes from what station (most cities have at least 4) helps as well as knowing which bus company (sometimes more than 6) goes to your destination also helps.  This info is a guide only as we then have to go to the station in person to queue up to find out the times, duration and class of bus actually available and then purchase a ticket, or get all the options and make a decision later. Simple!  Oh, and add to that the fact that we don’t speak Spanish!  Thanks Google Translate and the top tip to get to the ticket window with the day, date and destination of travel all written down clearly to avoid any misunderstandings.

Using our newly honed technique we successfully purchased our first class onward travel to another Pueblo Magico, Campeche.  Feeling smug with our bus success we thought buying flights to Guadalahara would be a breeze as that was a tried and tested online process internationally.  Another meltdown ensued when we had to enter the address details needed for the security check as it was clearly not set up for Brits – we don’t have a max 6 digit Zipcode, and our state was not recognised – Arrrrggggghhhh! Cheryl tried using the first 6 digits of our 7 digit postcode and using UK as the state – PAYMENT FAILED.  Tried another card – PAYMENT FAILED.  We needed to fly as the alternative by bus would involve a change of bus in Mexico City and take 30 bum numbing hours to complete.  Cheryl had a tantrum about why was everything being so bl**dy difficult so Neil took over and tried again.  This time – PAYMENT CONFIRMED – hurrah!  We jumped around the room as if we had won the lottery.  So – how did he do it?  By simply having his name details correct when he set up his online account for the flight company Volaris.  Neil had also helpfully set up Cheryl’s account earlier but had put in her first name incorrectly as he thought they need both first and middle as shown in your passport.  She saw the funny side…………eventually.