Hotel La Casa de Las Columnas

The website for this hotel is very misleading: there is no bar for a "cold beer" or is there a "wine cellar". There is no "arts and crafts boutique". Room service menu consists of toast and eggs. There is no "oat" soap or "honey" insect repellent. Our pillows smelled of mold. The towels are rags. Our air conditioning gave out 3 days before the end of our stay and after numerous complaints about this, it was not fixed. We moved to another hotel our last night there. I am sorry to say, but I have stayed in better youth hostels.

The hotel has a great location about 9 block from the centre, easy to find from airport and ease of driving to places of interest.

Accommodation was adequate, but had no English language TV- CNN in Spanish only and no CD/DVD movie player- no musica! Poor lighting- shaving in dim bathroom lighting. No reading level lighting in the room and no desk for laptop computer. A few mosquitoes for roomates. Searing hot/humid weather puts AC and 1 speed fan under some stress to maintain balanced comfort control. Minimal dining room/food service. No ATM. I did enjoy the staff- Jose, Diego, Gerry, Renaldo, Maria, Michael etc...they were patient and helpful.

The hotel is nice but we felt it was a bit too far from the city center. We did not mind the walk the first day but we took the taxi all the other days. The room was nice, clean, with high ceiling but had NO windows! The breakfast was just OK, nothing extraordinary and other restaurants were a long walk away. I liked the place and the price but I will probably go somewhere more central next time.

We opted to stay at a small "boutique" hotel away from the masses and were very pleased with our choice. Front desk staff were very fluent in English and extremely helpful to take care of every need or concern. They truly enjoy their work and it shows. Light continental breakfast included great local fruit, cereal and local breads. Rooms are furnished with antique furniture that was pretty but not too elaborate to make you feel as if you were sleeping in a museum. Small dipping pool to cool off. On a busy street (that we couldn't hear) so easy to get bus or taxi. A most relaxing visit.

The staff was very friendly and very happy happy to please us. We arrived in late and they offered to order pizza for us. It was very clean but the only complaint I had was the bed was a little stiff but not that uncommon for a hotel bed. It's a beautiful old world colonial with a pool that is out in the sun. Within walking distance to most city attractions.

We had visited the hotel last year to suggest to others or for our own future trips and enjoyed spending time having a coffee in their beutiful garden. When suggested the Casa de las Columnas we immediately agreed. The staff are ever present and easy to access, They speak english and even some french as they wish to help their guests feel comfortable. VERY clean, beautiful garden and rooms have touches of old Merida. They have a small continental breakfast and you can order wine, beer or spirits for around the pool. The location is great and only 4 blocks away from Santiago Park with weekly outside bands and ethnic cuisine, next door to a grocery store and pharmacy and a 20 minute walk to Downtown Centro. It is a small and cultural hotel with only 11 rooms. A simple hotel with an excellent atmosphere for a great price. The consistency of the service both trips is a factor we appreciated.

Small family run peaceful hotel approximately a 20 minutes walk from the centre of Merida. The owners did all they could to ensure we had a good holiday even giving us a lift to town and the bus station a few times. We travelled by local transport to all the places of interest. Transport is cheap, very efficient and clean. Merida is excellent for shopping. There is free entertainment in the town every night. We used taxis a lot, a ride into town 20 pesos.

Casa Columnas is a fairly new boutique hotel west of Merida Centro. It's on Calle 59, one of the main streets, about a 15-20 minute walk to the Central Plaza. This stroll was always interesting. The rooms are large, with good fans and AC. They are set well back from the street, so noise is not a problem. The continental breakfast was substantial and filling. Other pluses were in-room fridges (there's a Super Aki store about 2 blocks to the west), convenient parking, and 24 hr reception (our bus got in at 2300, so this was quite nice. The owner and his staff were courteous and helpful.

The hotel is a beautifully converted mansion that is full of exquisite tile-work. The staff is warm, friendly and very helpful. The best part of the complimentary continental breakfast is the fresh fruit. It is conveniently located about a 20 minute walk from El Centro, but taxis are plentiful and cheap.