Recommend May 2011 - (Page 53)

Mer ida , Yucat an ELIZABETH MEDINA PHOTOGRAPHY Picturesque wedding at Hacienda Xcanatun. What to Expect: A winning combination of hacienda-style living, colonial beauties and Mayan inﬂuences. Wedding Bells: The latest jewel in Merida is Casa Azul, a boutique property of just eight suites, interior garden and pool area in a French-style house built in the ﬁrst decade of the 19th century. You can’t beat its location—it’s just steps away from Paseo de Montejo and close to many historic buildings and sites in the city. The structure was declared a Historic Monument in 1982, so all restoration efforts respect its architecture, ﬂoors and original distribution. Original wide open corridors surround the inner courtyard and, along with the suites, are ﬁlled with antiques and objets d’art that perfectly encapsulate its origins while providing a very romantic atmosphere to a wedding or anniversary celebration. Casa Azul can book a wedding party that can take over the property for a week and provide a custom-tailored package that ﬁts the couple’s desires. Rates start at $300 for a jr. suite. Merida is well known for its haciendas, many of which have been lovingly restored and turned into hotels or event spaces. Sotuta de Peon, which offers tours of the still-working henequen hacienda that started in the late-1800s, also lets couples wed and throw a grand reception here, with guests hopping on mule-pulled platform “trucs.” They can even end the celebration by jumping in the hacienda’s cenote. One of Merida’s prettiest historic haciendas has teamed up with an oceanfront eco-lodge to offer honeymooners two very different experiences in the Yucatan in one cost-effective package. At the Virtuoso property and former sisal producer Hacienda Xcanatun, right on the outskirts of Merida, they’ll enjoy three nights in a deluxe suite with private terrace and hydrotherapy tub, as well as daily Xcanatun breakfast, a private excursion to the Mayan site of Uxmal, a candlelit dinner at the hacienda’s awardwinning restaurants and a 1-hour massage for each. On the fourth day, they’ll be transferred to the beachside Hotel EcoParaiso near the village of Celestun, where they’ll spend three more nights in a thatched-roof bungalow with hammocks on the porch and daily breakfast, a walking tour of the property’s nature trails, a half-hour massage for each and more. Here they can bike or kayak to their hearts’ content, enjoy a new Wellness Center and visit the Celestun National Wildlife Refuge. The offer also includes airport transfers and is priced at $1,995; call Hacienda Xcanatun to reserve. Both properties also provide beautiful and very different backdrops for weddings. In the case of Xcanatun, it’s all about nonstop luxury, with nine acres of fragrant gardens, suites that ➣ May 2011 M27

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recommend May 2011

Editor's Notes/Agent Speak
Hotel Desk: Autograph Collection by Marriott
Tour Talk: Avanti Destinations
10 Amazing Golf Resorts
Dominican Republic Greens
Tee off, Barbados-Style
Teeing Up in Bermuda
Mexico Destination Weddings & Honeymoon Planner
A Quartet of Courses
Portugal & Spain Serve Up a Banquet of Great Golf
Touring the U.K. With Rail Europe
Uniworld's New "Super Ship" Antoinette
Savoring Exotic Asia
Coming Back to Egypt

Recommend May 2011