New to Merida & not sure where to start? These important phone numbers should be in your back pocket should you find yourself in need of an emergency cup of awesome coffee or just need to get your roots colored. These are all businesses that we as seniors traveling have used here in the Montecristo area, Merida & can quite frankly recommend quite highly!

Because we do know what it is like to be ‘new’ in town & not know where ‘things’ are we felt that it was only fair to pay it forward, so to speak, & share with you our must have phone numbers for the Montecristo area of Merida! These were found by our walking the streets, following signs or just referrals from locals along the last six months.

We truly just want to share these numbers with you [no referral fees, etc to us]. Whether you ever use, that is up to you. So, here we go, in no particular order!

• 1] Coffee beans – Corazon Cafe on Calle 22 Montecristo is the place to go for fresh roasted coffee beans in a huge selection of flavors & you can buy whatever size bag you need. Rafael, owner & roaster, is the man! This is a small shop with little seating so it is mostly a walk in/out shop for a bag of beans or a great cup of coffee hot or cold.
• 2] Best Coffee Shops in Merida/Restaurants
  • La Casa de los Abuelos [roughly translated – House of the Grandparents]- variety of coffees – hot & cold – plus you can order a sweet bread to go with your drink. Located under Walmart at Uptown, there is street parking & you can’t miss the large gold letters on the ouside. Located at Av. Correa Racho 104, Sin Nombre de Col 3, Merida.
  • Voltacafe – located at Calle 20 por 15 235, Col. Altabrisa. Hot/cold variety of coffee drinks. Tables in & out doors, plenty of room to spread out. Great cookies to go with coffee. Have not had a meal here so…
  • Barra de Cafe [Condessa] – Located at Calle 61 no. 299 local A, Por 48 y 50, colonia unidad habitacional, revolucion, almost straight across the street from the Mayan Museum. It has a bold burgundy exterior that pops & makes it easy to see from a distance. This is a small place to drop in for coffee, hot or cold as well as teas & blended drinks. Small selection of sandwiches, cookies. Daniel & Johny are awesome barristers. Dine in/Takeout.
• 3] Restaurant
  • Pistache located on Calle 5 100-local 2, Residential Montecristo. Fabulous touch of France in Mexico! Souffles, Quiche, sweets, coffees – all A+! Absolutely Love this little cafe! The customer service is just very welcoming.
  • Habaneros – for a taste of Yucatan food, get over here quick. Great food & customer service! Located on Calle 20-A Num 302 x 5b y5c in Xcumpish neighborhood.
• 4] Fruits/Vegetable Stand – Although you can find fruit stands on basically every several blocks here in Montecristo, our favorite is Select Fruits/Vegetables on Calle 18.
• 5] Laundry Service – Lavanderia on Calle 18 in corner strip off Calle 7. You have to drop off & pick up but this is the one we really like compared to several others that we used [items lost or laundry didn’t smell good]. Lulu at this particular laundry always has our clothes folded, soft & smelling good! Price can’t be beat. Can’t miss the blue window/door.
• 6] Trazende Spa – For The BEST massage in Merida this is the place to go! We tried several places in Merida & were so disapointed! We found Pedro when he was referred by someone on Expats in Merida & we have not been disappointed. The Big Guy loves the deep tissue massage from Pedro. We have gone to other spas in Merida & were so disappointed in their services. NOT HERE! For THE BEST acupuncture session, Elsa is the queen bee. There are so many things that massage & accupunture can help with that I can’t even go into that here but I would highly recommend either or both for a full rejuvenation of your soul. Honestly i love a good massage, but there is something about acupuncture – for me….hard to describe…wakes me up…energizes me… Whichever you prefer, massage or acupuncture give them a call. Located directly across from Star Medica Hospital in Altabrisa & at the end of the sidewalk next to the Hotel Meson de la Luna, Calle 26 #216 x 15. The number is +52 999 370 2727. Trazendespa.com. Check out our YouTube video with Elsa re the Spa services!
• 7] Pedicure/Manicure – You can’t beat Paulina & she comes to your residence. Excellent work. Speaks some English but Google Translate works when needed. Priced right & just a great lady to share a couple hours with! Her What’s App is +52 999 391 6515. Send her a text.
• 8] Vision Care – Opticas Alfred was our happy place for glasses! For more & his contact info on Renee check out our YouTube interview we did with Renee.
• 9] Hired Driver – Rodney is awesome. His what’s app is +52 999 297 3650. We have used him for short around town trips & longer drives to ruins, etc. Rate is dependent on length of trip – few hours or all day – you pay gas. Very affordable, dependable & personable!
• 10] Hair Salon – Paola Barrosa Salon located at por 10 y 12, Calle 27 76, Col. Mexico & her what’s app # is +52 999 738 7469. I’ve used her salon multiple times for color [come on ladies, you know what I’m talking about – I am vain when it comes to my root color. ha.] & trims. Awesome team.
• 11] Spanish Teacher – Georgette is awesome instructor. Price is very affordable & the Mexican history you will learn along the way is tremendous. Cannot speak highly enough of Georgette’s technique. I was very basic beginner & she has given me such a good foundation to learn more as we travel. She can be reached on What’s App +52 999 528 2130.
• 12] Hospital – Star Medica locatd in Altabrisa. Very impressed with this hospital during my stay there. I believe it is considered private & one of the more ‘important’ Merida hospitals. Plus, this one was basically down the street from our rental.
• 13] Orthopedic Surgeon – Dr. Jorge Luis Diaz Gutierrez [Dr. Diaz] was the surgeon who handled my broken arm which required surgery. Awesome surgeon with a great personality & priced right. He thoroughly explained what & why he was going to be doing during my surgery. His team was excellent! I felt very safe in their ‘hands’. His office is also located Star Medica 9th floor.
• 14] Physical Therapy – Fisio Care was great. Easy to set appointments & very cost efficient. They were also located in Star Medica 7th Floor. Therapy was also offered at Cruz Roja Hospital – less expensive but quite the distance for me to travel each trip.
• 15] In-house Doctor – not feeling well but don’t want to leave your house? Rodney [above] has contact for that as well. We used the doctor for general services but I can’t find his name at typing of this.
• As seniors traveling on a budget, we appreciate a great service at a great price. This list of contacts above are the ones who passed our ‘smell’ test. Awesome Customer Service, Very Reasonable Price & Clean! These are just intended to get you started. Once you get settled in your new neighborhood, you will find shops that will make you happy. We have lived for the most part of our stay here in Merida in the Montecristo neighborhood. You do You!