seeking Merida advice
 

planning to visit latter April up to 7 nights;
primary purpose photograph attractions, shopping, dining, culture, street scenes, etc.
flying MIA-MID-MIA, want to use cc miles, our cache:
42,066 AAdvantage me
125,232 AAdvantage -wife
142,110 BA Avios me
32,501 BA Avios wife
10,045 Lufthansa me
517 Frontier me
55,507 Southwest me
52,000 Southwest wife
110,253 Delta Skymiles me
119,728 Delta Skymiles wife
20,504 United me
is it correct only AA offers nonstop MIA-MID-MIA?
what's our best cc mile spend choice, would going 1-stop rt save miles?
any Merida advice appreciated ! :) ! :) ! :) ! :) !
thanks in advance...

Unless the fares are prohibitive, I wouldn't suggest using miles on a flight like this. However, if you want to, Delta every now and then has fare sales to Mexico. Flights from the US go through Houston, Dallas seasonally, and Miami.

What are you specifically looking to photograph?

Mérida is one of the hottest cities in the country, and known to be one its safest, too. The historical center is small and predictable -- think public square near the main cathedral -- but pleasant nonetheless. The city's most famous tourist attraction is Paseo Montejo, a boulevard with a handful of 100+ year old mansions built due to the importance of henequen (an agave plant chiefly used to make twine and rope). You can also visit some haciendas within an hour's drive from Mérida.

For food, cochinita pibil (sour orange-braised pork with habaneros and red onions), sopa de lima (lima being a local plant), and chocolate (I like a place called Ki'Xocolatl, but of course it's subjective), among other Yucatecan delicacies.

thanks for response
why did you mention Delta?
isn't it correct only AA offers nonstop MIA-MID-MIA?
United & Aeromexico offer 1 stop?
so only 3 airlines from which to choose?
& pricing is ~$600 rt so why not :confused: :confused: use AA miles to save ~$1200?

Let's take the last question first about whether to use miles or not. Of course it all depends on your perspective of value and circumstances, but the general idea is to get the most value for those miles. So, using miles for a flight or upgrade that costs $900 is a much better value than using the same amount of miles for a flight/upgrade that costs $400. However, if you are unlikely to ever take that $900 flight (or maybe the miles are going to expire) then using them on a flight you will take definitely makes sense.

It does seem to be correct that only AA has a non-stop flight between MIA and MID.
BTW: for the week of Apr 17 - 23 those AA non-stops range from $501 to $679. If you can hold off to the next week (after Easter) then AA's non-stops range from $340 to $511.

Delta has flights to MIA to MID but they require either one or two stops and range from a low of $351 the week after Easter to $1,450 the week of Semana Santa.

Yes, both United and AeroMexico offer itineraries having 1 stop or 2 stops. Avianca also has an itinerary but it has at least 2 stops and starts at $2,700+.

One thing to keep in mind is that CUN is not all that far from Mérida and well-connected to the city by buses. If you're willing to consider flights there, you could find yourself with lots of additional options. The bus trip is around four hours, which admittedly is a pain, but it's something to consider.

Other than the AA flight, I believe the only nonstop from the US to MID is UA from IAH. Let's be real - most Americans want nothing to do with real Mexico and only want to go to the beaches. Given how Mexico's business and economic life is so centered in Mexico City, that (with Monterrey as maybe a distant second) is the only business center any US airline is going to be interested in flying to. So US airlines will fly to the beach destinations, MEX, MTY maybe... and that's it.

Mérida is a wonderful place. Late April and May are going to be brutally hot there. That's going to be the only drawback with a trip coming up soon. There are better times of year to go, but if this is when you can go, it's when you can go. :)

Yes I saw daytime highs ~97F
but humidity ~68% so
a dry heat, not all that "brutal"??

Dry heat? Nope, it's pretty humid there.

I am a big fan of Mérida! Have been going there all my life.

I'd recommend getting a ticket on AA with your Avios, as they charge by distance and Merida-Miami is super close (180 miles!!). See on the website if they have any availability for your chosen dates. I think it'll be 7500 avios per person each way, which is a much better deal than paying $400+. You might struggle finding availability for your chose dates, but try multiple options.

Once there, I'd recommend the following places to eat:
- Manjar Blanco (for breakfast, make sure to book) - the owner was on the Netflix Taco Chronicles explaining cochinita pibil and loooves to talk about it haha
- Museo de la Gastronomía Yucateca - best dinners overall, book on opentable
- Hacienda Teya - the original one or a brand new location across from Parque Santa Ana

It's advisable to rent a car at least 1 or 2 days for some of the best daytrips:
- cenotes (incredible natural sinkholes)
- Mayan ruins (best one is Uxmal in my opinion)
- Celestún - for a colony with thousands of flamingos and more

It's the hottest season of the year, it'll definitely be hot. Do as the locals - start day trips suuper early, take naps during peak heat, explore the city from dusk.

I can recommend Hotel Wayam Mundo Imperial for their new rooms and great breakfast, although front desk service leaves a lot to be desired. The airbnb scene is GREAT. Or get a small boutique hotel. There's an impressive, brand new Courtyard Marriott, but the chain hotels in general lack the character of the rest of the city and I'd avoid them.