Page 94 - washington state wine

Dear Ron,
Jody got felled by a bug in Merida, but we didn’t complain. Perfect ex-
cuse to spend an entire day luxuriating on the gracious patio at Villa
Verde, the loveliest inn we’ve ever stayed at.

“If I had to be sick,” Jody said, “I can’t think of a better place.”

When the bug passed, we explored the Yucatan’s capital and biggest
city. On either side of mid-day siesta, much of the Merida’s life is
lived in the open. Shops spill over into sidewalks, markets occupy pla-
zas. At night downtown streets close to traffic and open for restaurant
seating and neighborhood squares host folkloric dancing. On Sunday,
bicycles rule the elegant, historic Paseo Montejo, the Champs-Elysees
of Merida.

But Villa Verde introduced us to the city’s hidden, private side.
Many of the city’s residential blocks present a single, long, monot-
onous façade punctuated with doors and windows. In the middle of
such a block Villa Verde announced itself so modestly – a refinished
front door and two potted plants -- a taxi driver could easily miss it.
Then we walked inside. Before us, like an oasis in an architectural
desert, arched a 30-foot-high, columned walkway lain with exquisite
Spanish tile that connected to a handful of guest rooms, the kitchen,
two mini lawns planted with graceful palms, a pool, a reading nook,
and an open-air dining area and its accompanying bar. Outside: noisy,
hot, bustling. Inside: calm, cool and restorative.

Later we learned that Merida is filled with these hidden courtyard
haciendas. Once the home to the city’s wealthy, they were abandoned
in the ‘80s and ‘90s in favor of American-style suburbs. But recently,
they’ve been rediscovered and restored, usually by gringos looking for
affordable city living with style, even grandeur. We became so infatu-
ated with these walled palazzos, we started asking about prices, peer-
ing in windows, nosing around in remodeling sites and wondering:
“Can those columns be saved?” “Do you think those tiles are original?”
Our hosts at Villa Verde, Robert Klie and Michael Berton, two ex-pats
from Columbus, Ohio, bought their courtyard property 3 1/2 years
ago, spent a year renovating, and opened it as an inn in February
2013.

“Merida and Yucatan have a magical essence that sort of grabs you
right away,” said Michael. “The people, the culture, the architecture,
the cuisine are all fabulous but it is something more. After visiting
here for over 10 years before the move, we still feel it.”

And so did we.

Love,

John and Jody

Top: Cathedral of San Gervasio opposite the central square in down-
town Valladolid. Right: Tourists photographing the Mayan ruins at
Tulum.

94 Wine Dine & Travel Summer/Fall 2015