Hotel Casa del Balam - 97000 Mérida

If you book with a third party website your reservation will be “cancelled” because they are “overbooked.” You will find out when you go to check in, and they give you NO notice before check in. They give you options to book with other close by hotels that are not like this hotel. Clearly based on other reviews this has been happening regularly and they are still doing this. We used Expedia, others used booking, just beware!! The hotel had all my other info so why they can’t use it (email, phone number!!) to let me know beforehand just horrible service. They were REALLy practiced at saying “sorry” with a sad face.

Definitely no 5-star hotel. We booked one night to experience a bit of luxury but instead we were sent back into the 70’s. Not properly ventilated, old, smelly and service was not even worth 1 star. No sense for costumer service and the swimming pool was also not useable.

My friend booked us a room here weeks ago, we showed up last night to check in to find they had canceled our reservation (without notifying us or booking.com) and had given our room away. No explanation, no justification, unbelievably poor customer service. They made no effort to assist two young women at 8pm at night in a foreign city in alternative accommodations. They then tried to charge us for parking in their guest lot as we feverishly searched the web for last minute accommodations on a Friday night. Booking.com was so astounded they charged a penalty to Casa del Balam for their terrible business practices. I can’t imagine how this place stays in business treating its customers this way!! Hotels in the surrounding area were very friendly and helpful, if you want to be treated respectfully and enjoy your vacation I’d highly recommend taking your business anywhere but Casa del Balam.

Our rooms were purchased online via a travel app. Check-in was quick but one of the rooms we were given was already occupied by another party. It was a surprise walking into our room and being greeted by someone else’s luggage on the beds and floor. The hotel is an old renovated building that is still in need of continued renovation in the way of electrical and plumbing. There are only two very small elevators in the hotel and the elevators do not always stop truly level with the actual floor level, creating a possible trip hazard. The water pressure in the shower in one of the rooms on the upper floor was extremely inadequate. There was a musty/mildewy smell in one of the bathrooms. Although the floors appeared clean, walking barefoot on them resulted in dirty feet in just a few minutes. The door locks are old center button push locks. They do lock but the secondary push button lock didn’t work for one of the rooms. There was still the chain on the frame type lock. The WiFi was slow and unsecured.

A great place to stay in the Historic heart of Merida. Walking distance to just about every place you would want to eat. It has a colonial touch to it. the staff I found to be really friendly and helpful. The rooms are of excellent size, clean, and kept stocked with room toiletries. The Bistro downstairs offers an array of beverages, food and made to order requests. They have an inhouse "Tour's" service priced very reasonable compared to other local tours competitors. If you are one of those individuals or families that prefer to rent a vehicle; there are 3 rental locations steps from each other next to the Hotel. Come and give Casa Del Balam a try, you won't be disappointed .

This hotel is very well located right in the center of Merida and offers free parking. The most beautiful place there is probably the pool which was closed due to renovation when we were there but we were offered to use the pool from another hotel close by if we would like to. The interior in the room is a bit old but what bothered us mainly was that it was partially not very clean (some long black hair and also towels didn't look great). Also, it was not possible to open the windows. Breakfast was not included in our booking and after the first morning experience we decided to eat outside. At the first breakfast we got ignored for quite a while although we asked before if we could sit in the atrium. Other guests were served while that. Our table was very dirty and didn't get cleaned. Breakfast as a whole then took forever and was not very good. The staff from the restaurant as well as the reception was not very friendly.

The hotel is great: clean, cozy and it’s located in a very good zone in the center of Merida. The staff is friendly and overall we had a great experience. However, I forgot my swim suit on my room and I called them the very same day to check if they found it. They denied to have found it. I was left with a bittersweet feeling

This hotel has great potential. It has some beautiful areas but others are in dire need of renovation or a good clean. The staff was courteous and attentive. We only had one breakfast here as it was american style breakfast. We were able to use the pool which was great. It is incredibly well located and it has parking.