Casa Piedra Mérida

A House of Stone in the Heart of Mérida

Enekén Studio elevated local materials throughout this home: chukum on the walls, tzalam wood for windows, doors, and built-in furniture, as well as sisal weavings in the textiles. The cenote pool is the spatial and social heart, and it's surrounded by a garden bar, a picnic table, a lounge area, and two bedrooms with direct pool access. Stand-out features include the foyer table, made from a single old tree trunk beneath a massive chandelier, and the architect's own MATA sculptures and paintings.

The cenote pool is shaped to echo the natural limestone swimming holes unique to the Yucatán Peninsula. It sits at the intersection of every functional area—bedrooms, bar, lounge, picnic table—so that the courtyard becomes the room everyone converges on. A garden bar with minibar handles drinks. A picnic table and outdoor lounge handle everything else.

What we love

The first thing you see is the chandelier, which is massive and hanging over an entrance hall with a table made from a single old tree trunk. Then the pool: dark water, circular, designed to look like a cenote. The sculptures and paintings around the house were made by its architect Miguel Tapia, who works under the name MATA. If you feel like going out one evening, Huniik on Calle 60 is where Roberto Solís does something genuinely special with Yucatecan ingredients.

Layout

This vacation home for rent in Mérida, Yucatán sleeps up to six guests. There are three bedrooms on a single level. Two bedrooms with king-size beds have direct access to and views of the cenote pool, each with a desk, small living area, large closet, safe, LED TV, full en-suite bathroom, and air conditioning. The master bedroom has a king-size bed, private pool access, large closet, safe, LED TV, en-suite bathroom, and air conditioning. A spacious foyer with limestone feature, living room, dining room, kitchen with island, garden bar, outdoor lounge, and picnic area complete the plan. Half-bath for guests off the foyer.

Experiences

A concierge can arrange introductions to Mérida's craft traditions. Yucatecan cooking classes, cenote excursions, archaeological day trips to Uxmal or Chichén Itzá, and the Sunday BiciRuta along the Paseo Montejo are all available.

Good to know

Casa Piedra is one in a collection of five privately designed homes across Mérida's Centro Histórico, all by Enekén Studio. Each stay includes housekeeping and concierge access. Street parking is available on Calle 54 and surrounding streets. A folding cot is available on request. A fitness kit (dumbbells, kettlebells, resistance band, jump rope, and two yoga mats) is available on request.

Amenities & services

Private pool, garden bar with minibar, air conditioning and ceiling fans throughout, daily housekeeping included, concierge service, fully equipped kitchen with island (gas stove, gas oven, microwave, refrigerator), purified tap water, washing machine, LED TV with cable in all bedrooms, wireless broadband internet, private garden and courtyard, safe in all bedrooms, half-bath off foyer, picnic table and outdoor lounge, stone dining table, iron and steam iron, folding cot (on request), fitness kit (on request). A complimentary morning courtesy basket (consisting of fresh bread, coffee, and fruit) is delivered daily. A full breakfast is available at additional cost.

Around

Casa Piedra sits near the southern end of Paseo Montejo, Mérida's grand henequen-era boulevard, built between 1888 and 1904 and lined with the neoclassical mansions the sisal trade paid for. The Palacio Cantón, now the Museo Regional de Antropología, is a short walk. Calle 47 and Calle 60, the city's two main gastronomic corridors, are close by: Huniik (chef Roberto Solís, one of Latin America's 50 best restaurants) on Calle 60, Apoala for Oaxacan cooking, and Oliva Enoteca for handmade pasta. Parque Santa Ana, with its galleries, market, and Saturday night Noche Mexicana cultural events, is the neighborhood's living room. A car is recommended for day trips to cenotes, haciendas, or Uxmal. The city itself is best on foot.