Casa Chamaca Mérida

A Slender Townhouse in Santa Ana, Mérida

On Calle 58 in Barrio Santa Ana, the neighborhood that marks the southern end of Paseo Montejo and the convergence of Mérida's two main gastronomic corridors, this home is designed around movement and contrast. Accordion glass windows blur the line between bedroom and courtyard, a spiral staircase connects two levels, and the rooftop terrace opens onto city views.

The living room is compact and purposeful (LED screen, cable, Wi-Fi, sized for two rather than six). The kitchen sits at the front of the plan with a breakfast-bar island and two high chairs, opening the space up rather than closing it down. Both bedrooms have king beds, large closets, safes, LED TV, full en-suite bathrooms, and accordion glass windows that open the rooms directly onto the courtyard. The stone dining area off the courtyard handles breakfast, and, with the pool nearby, most of the day.

The courtyard centers on a plunge pool with a small bar and lounge area. The upper terrace is the house's crowning glory: city views, an outdoor lounge, and a gas grill with a table for evening meals.

What we love

The space is just three meters wide. Enekén Studio's answer was a rust-red spiral staircase that doubles as a spine, accordion glass that folds the bedroom into the courtyard, and a roof terrace on top. If you feel like venturing out, the Calle 47 corridor is one block south: Apoala, Oliva Enoteca, most of Mérida's serious restaurants within 10 minutes on foot.

Layout

This vacation home for rent in Mérida, Yucatán sleeps up to four guests in two bedrooms across two levels.

The ground-floor bedroom has a king bed, large closet, safe, LED TV, en-suite bathroom, and accordion windows opening onto the courtyard.

The upper-floor bedroom, reached by spiral staircase, also has a king bed, large closet, safe, LED TV, en-suite bathroom, and windows overlooking the courtyard below.

A living room, kitchen with island, stone dining area, courtyard with plunge pool, and rooftop terrace with gas grill complete the plan.

Experiences

A concierge can arrange the rooftop grill stocked and ready. Beyond that: Yucatecan cooking classes, cenote day trips, archaeological site visits, and guided cultural walks through a neighborhood that is, step for step, one of the most interesting in Mérida.

Good to know

A stay at Casa Chamaca includes housekeeping throughout the stay, and concierge access, as well as a complimentary morning courtesy basket (consisting of fresh bread, coffee, and fruit). Pets are welcome. Street parking is available on Calle 58 and surrounding streets, but the neighborhood is best explored on foot or by taxi. A fitness kit (dumbbells, kettlebells, resistance band, jump rope, and two yoga mats) is available on request.

Amenities & services

Private plunge pool with bar area, rooftop terrace with gas grill, air conditioning in all bedrooms, daily housekeeping included, concierge service, kitchen with island breakfast bar (convection stove, microwave, minibar), purified tap water, accordion glass windows in both bedrooms, LED TV with cable in all rooms, wireless broadband internet, stone dining area, safe in all bedrooms, iron and steam iron, fitness kit (on request), pets welcome, children welcome, buzzer entry. A breakfast basket is delivered daily (consisting of fresh bread, coffee, and fruit). A full breakfast is available at additional cost.

Around

Barrio Santa Ana is where the Paseo Montejo begins and Mérida's two gastronomic corridors converge. Calle 47—the city's most concentrated dining stretch, running past Oliva Enoteca, Apoala, and Ánima—is one block south. Calle 60 heads north past Parque Santa Lucía and up to Parque Santa Ana itself, lined with galleries, cafés, and the city's best independent art spaces. Huniik, chef Roberto Solís's Yucatecan tasting room and one of Latin America's 50 best restaurants, is a few minutes' walk away. The Palacio Cantón (now the Museo Regional de Antropología), the Monumento a la Patria, and Mérida's grandest henequen-era mansions are all on or just off the Paseo. Sunday morning, the boulevard closes to cars for the BiciRuta, the best possible way to spend a first morning in the city.