Memoirs of a most delicious 4-night getaway in the capital of Yucatán.
One sunny afternoon back in September, my friend Chef Roberto Solis - aka the Father of New Yucatán cuisine - called me and invited me to fly to Mérida to dine at his many restaurants and join the promotional efforts of his biannual food and culture festival Hokol Vuh, taking place 2 months later on the weekend of November 23rd. I did not hesitate for a second to jump on board, even though we were busy with clients in Mexico City and he told me I needed to be there 4 days later. I cleared my schedule and got on a plane. I knew this would be a once in a lifetime experience and I was honored to even be invited. I was there in September, and returned with a fun group of clients on the weekend before Thanksgiving.
For its balmy weather. rich Mayan heritage and an old-money grandeur, Mérida is one of my favorite cities in México. Roberto was bringing 18 chefs from different countries who together represented almost 20 Michelin Stars, and all their restaurants rank high in San Pellegrino’s World’s 50 Best list. In a nutshell, this meant WE WERE GON’ EAT, folks. The dinner alone was a foodie’s dream come true. A large portion of the proceeds from ticket sales would benefit Mayan communities throughout the Yucatan peninsula, which was fantastic. And I’d have the fortune of enjoying the cultural and natural beauty of Yucatan’s cenotes, Mayan ruins, vibrant art scene, architecture and shopping as a perfect pre-holiday getaway. This weekend promised to be magical.
Day 1
We divided our stay between Casa Tamarindo, a private 4-bedroom home in the heart of downtown Mérida and Casa Lecanda, its sister boutique hotel across the street. Both properties are di-vine, I highly recommend.
First meal was lunch at Te Extraño, Extraño (“I miss you, stranger”) inside a new design center called Lagalá. Te extraño serves product-centered seasonal dishes and is owned by ex-Pujol chefs Joaquin Cardoso and Sofia Cortina, perhaps two of the most prominent young chefs in México, and my former colleagues at Pujol, as the three of us worked there around the same time.
After lunch we shopped at Casa Tho Concept House, a high-end boutique that features design, art and fashion in the iconic Paseo Montejo, downtown Mérida’s famous main avenue housing century-old mansions. From candles to perfumes, photography and linen guayaberas, Casa Tho will have something for even the most demanding serial shopper.
We enjoyed dinner at Oliva, a New Italian eatery where we feasted to carpaccios, calamari, carbonara, burrata, fish…and several bottles of wine. Everything on this day took place within a 3-block radius as downtown Mérida is entirely walkable.
Day 2
We began our first full day with poolside breakfast at Casa Lecanda, then onto a private tour of Uxmal, one of the most important ancient Maya cities located about 45 minutes from Mérida. Just as signifcant - but much less crowded - than Chichen Itzá, Uxmal’s archeological site includes a Governor’s palace, a nunnery and large ballcourt. Our private vehicle came stocked with a delicious box lunch so we skipped eating at a restaurant and continued on to a private visit to Mucuyché cenote. This underground river system was recently discovered and therefore unknown to the general public: from my visits its the most beautiful cenote in the entire Peninsula. Not only that, but we had it all to ourselves for a 60-minute private visit, which made us feel like heaven on Earth was ours for a blissful hour.
After a mandatory nap, we ate dinner at Chef Roberto’s most recent opening in Mérida’s historic center, a fine dining destination called Huniik. This was the night prior to Hokol Vuh and we knew all 18 guest chefs would be busy preparing for the festival. What we didn’t realize was on this night Huniik decided not to open to the public, but still kept our reservation - which I had made back in September - so when we arrived, we were the only diners there! We had Roberto’s full team of chefs preparing a superb 10-course tasting menu just for our table of 4, which also allowed us to be inside the kitchen with them. Talk about all-access, amirite?
After dinner, we were invited by Chef Roberto to world-renowned artist Jorge Pardo’s home (also his business partner), where we spent time one-on-one with many of the Michelin chefs attending Hokol Vuh. Jorge Pardo is a brilliant Cuban sculptor and installation artist who spends his time between New York and Mérida, you can see more of his work here.
Day 3
Our morning began with a private tour of 3 iconic Haciendas, an activity I personally was very much looking forward to as it encompasses many of my favorite Morenita elements: history, architecture, design, interiors, aesthetic, etc. We visited Yaxcopoil, an 11,000-hectare property housing the remains of one of the most prosperous henequen haciendas from the 17th century. This place witnessed everything: the original pre-Hispanic Mayan culture, the Spanish colony and the golden age of henequen from the 18th to the 20th century. Then onto Temozón Sur, an hacienda built in 1655 which started as a modest cattle ranch and became one of the strongest Haciendas in Mexico by the early 20th Century. The 7,000-hectare property was a productive henequen factory until the 1920s. We had fun running into all of Hokol Vuh’s Michelin chefs hosting a press conference at Temozón, and were even invited to sneak in with the press. We also visited Quinta Montes Molina, not so much a Hacienda but more a museum-home, very representative of the Porfiriato and the great henequen opulence in Yucatán. The architectural style is eclectic, mixing several eras but leaning towards neoclassical.
Night came, and we were off to Hokol Vuh. Roberto hosted us inside his family’s 200-year old hacienda Aké, which not only continues to produce henequén (sisal) to this day, but boasts its very own Mayan ruins onsite. (I don’t know a lot of people who own property with millenia-old archeological ruins, do you? It’s kinda cool to be friends with him, not gonna lie.)
We had a private car drive us 50-minutes outside of Mérida to Aké, which was gorgeously decked out. The house of Moet Chandon hosted a cocktail with music and dancing and endlessly-flowing champagne. The dinner cost was $1,500 USD per person, so naturally, yes, shit was fancy. From business to politics to media to the restaurant world, everyone was someone. When it was time to start dinner, we were all summoned to jump in mototaxis, the Yucatán version of rickshaws or tuk-tuks, which were decorated in colorful neon lights. Every single detail, every moment was so thought-out: we were having so much fun, and we hadn’t even eaten yet!
Before I carry on about this spectacular dinner, let me just say one thing. We were 200 guests, which is a big catering gig. You and I know large banquets tend to be sub par: the food is rarely at temperature, service feels rushed, proteins are over cooked, etc. Serving 200 people at a time is a huge challenge, even if you’ve got some Michelin stars under your belt. Except at Hokol Vuh, that is. To quote another guest, who accurately called Hokol Vuh “the event of the decade”:
I’m gonna go on a limb here and assume all guests had attended pretty spectacular events before, had eaten at plenty of Michelin restaurants, had a demanding palette and were well-acquainted with the highest standards in restaurants. I doubt anyone there was easily impressionable. I made it a point to observe people’s behaviors and mannerisms and body language: they were all loving every second of Hokol Vuh. This event was out of this world, we were all blown away, we were all in heaven. Everything was easy, inviting, seamless, friendly, relaxed yet festive, everyone was smiling, champagne was oozzing out of every atomic particle there, it was divine. How Roberto pulled this off, I’ll never know but I’ll always support, respect and admire.
We left in a complete state of bliss, and heard both guests and chefs were seen dancing the night away until 4 or 5am.
Day 4
Recovery day. Slept in, late breakfast at Casa Lecanda, then lunch at Museo de la Gastronomía Yucateca, walked around downtown Mérida, then enjoyed a massage in the comfort of our rooms in Casa Tamarindo.
Day 5
Ended our trip with a bang. After breakfast we went on a Morenita Shopping Experience of Coqui Coqui (my favorite perfumery) where we enjoyed a closed-door visit hosted by the brand’s creative directors who walked us through their new line of perfume and colognes made with Yucatan flowers, seeds, peppers, herbs and botanicals.
We continued on to Chablé Resort & Spa, winner of the coveted “Prix Versailles 2017” Award, which recognized this Yucatán hacienda-wellness resort as “Best Hotel in the World” for Architecture and Design. We enjoyed a Mayan ritual in its world-renowned spa, then lunch and wine poolside, which was so delicious and comfortable we stayed at our table for hours, talking, laughing and reminiscing on this wonderful weekend until it was time to head to the airport.
These words, photos and video do no justice to how magical our weekend was. Even two months later I look back and my eyes get starry and I’m overwhelmed with nostalgia. If you have not experienced the sublime beauty of Mérida and the Yucatán peninsula, you must as soon as possible. If you’ve been here before, let us help curate a new vibrant travel experience which we promise will be unforgettable. There’s so much to do and see here, each visit can be completely different from the last. If we were to recommend just one of our 5 Morenita Destinations, even though they’re all spectacular: Mérida would be number 1.