Locations - Merida

Explore Mayan Mexico

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Standard Spanish

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total immersion

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The quickest and most effective way to learn a new language is with total immersion in the culture with 1on 1 tuition. With this 8 week course you’ll stay with a local family and eat with them, Spanish lessons will be 1on1 4 hours per day. We can usually arrange a bilingual exchange with someone in your peer group so you can practice conversational Spanish. This course also includes our Best of the Yucatan Tour Pack so you can soak up even more of the Yucatan culture.

basic spanish

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With our Basic Spanish course of 4 weeks of 1on 1 Spanish Lessons 3 hour per day you’ll be able to get by in Spanish without too many problems. You’ll have plenty of time to improve your Spanish practicing with the friendly locals and taking part in a bilingual exchange with people in your peer group. This course includes dorm room accommodation at our student residence and includes breakfast.

spanish & salsa

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Salsa is at the heart of Latin America – popular with people of Latin Americans of all ages. Why not learn to dance Salsa and other Latin American dances while you learn Spanish. This 8 week course includes 20 hours of group Spanish Lessons per week and 10 hours of group Salsa instruction per week to get you moving your feet!

deep blue

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This 4 week intensive Spanish course is for those who want to improve their Spanish in the least amount of time.  It combines the best of both group lessons and 1on1 tuition.  The course includes 4 hours of group lessons and 2 hours of 1on1 tuition per day. With this total immersion course you stay with a local family with 3 meals per day. Best of the Yucatán tour pack is included in the price.

student residence

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Our student residence is located at quiet a Bed and Breakfast close to the centre of town. All accommodation in our student residence includes breakfast.

Standard Dorm
The standard dorm rooms have 4 beds and a ceiling fan with.

Private Dorm
Private air-conditioned Dorm Rooms are also available for small groups.

Private Room
The price of the private room is for single occupancy or two people sharing.  All private rooms have private attached bathroom.

Private AC Room
At some times of year Merida can be a little hot for some people – upgrade to an air-conditioned room for a small extra charge.

homestay

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Stay with a local family to get a total immersion experience and accelerate your learning of language and culture.  Each homestay family has a private room with shared bathroom and ceiling fan. With our course builder you can choose to upgrade to Private Bathroom and/or Air Conditioning (subject to availability).  We have a wide range of families available and with the information you provide us on booking we will try to find the most suitable match for you and the family. With our course builder choose the number of meals you require.  If you have any special dietary requirements be sure to let us know in the relevant space when booking and we’ll try to accommodate your needs.

3* hotel

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If you prefer the convenience of a mid-range hotel we can arrange accommodation. Please fill out our contact form for information and we will get back to you on the options and current prices.

5* hotel

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Want to learn Spanish in more luxurious surroundings – why not stay at one of Merida’s  5* hotels or small Boutique hotels. Please fill out our contact form for information on the options and current prices.

apartments

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If you’re staying to study Spanish for an extended period of time you may want the independence of a private apartment.  We can help arrange apartments on a weekly or monthly basis. Please fill out our contact form for information on the options and current prices.

included/free stuff

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The following activities are examples of free cultural and social activities that are included with every Spanish course- these activities are subject to availability and change.

Use the Arrows to the left to explore more activities.

Activity 1: Explore Merida’s Markets

Shopping and Markets in Merida:

Mérida is known for hammocks, guayaberas (lightweight men's shirts worn untucked), and Panama hats. Baskets and pottery made in the Yucatán are for sale in the central market. Mérida is also the place to pick up prepared adobo, a pastelike mixture of ground achiote seeds (annatto), oregano, garlic, and other spices used as a marinade for making dishes such as cochinita pibil (pit-baked pork). Simply mix the paste with sour orange to a soupy consistency before applying to the meat. Try it on chicken for pollo pibil. It can be purchased in a bottle, too.

Exploring the Market:

Mérida's bustling market district is a few blocks southeast of the Plaza Mayor. The market and surrounding few blocks make up the commercial center of the city. Hordes of people come here to shop and work. It is by far the most crowded part of town, and the city government is refurbishing the whole area to relieve the traffic congestion. Behind the old post office is the oldest part of the market, the Portal de Granos (Grains Arcade), a row of maroon arches where the grain merchants used to sell their goods. Just east, between calles 56 and 54, is the market building, Mercado Lucas de Gálvez. The city has built a new municipal market building on the south side of this building, but it was having difficulty persuading the market venders to move. When this happens the city's plan is to tear down the Lucas de Gálvez and replace it with a plaza. Inside, chaos seems to reign, but after a short while a certain order emerges. Here you can find anything from fresh fish to flowers to leather goods. In and around the market, you can find more locally manufactured goods.

Visit local Guayaberas stores.

Business suits are hot and uncomfortable in Mérida's tropical climate, so businessmen, bankers, and bus drivers alike wear the guayabera, a loose-fitting shirt decorated with narrow tucks, pockets, and sometimes embroidery, worn over the pants rather than tucked in. Mérida is famous as the best place to buy guayaberas, which can go for less than $15 (£7.50) at the market or for more than $50 (£25) custom-made. A guayabera made of linen can cost about $80 (£40). Most are made of cotton, although other materials are available. The traditional color is white.

Hammocks

Natives across tropical America used hammocks long before the Europeans arrived in the New World. The word comes from the Spanish hamaca, which is a borrowing from Taino, a Caribbean Indian language. Hammocks are still in use throughout Latin America and come in a wide variety of forms, but none is so comfortable as the Yucatecan hammock, which is woven with cotton string in a fine mesh. For most of us, of course, the hammock is lawn furniture, something to relax in for an hour or so on a lazy afternoon. But for the vast majority of Yucatecans, hammocks are the equivalent of beds, and they greatly prefer hammocks to mattresses.

Panama Hats

Another useful and popular item is this soft, pliable hat made from the fibers of the jipijapa palm in several towns south of Mérida. The hat makers in these towns work inside caves so that the moist air keeps the palm fibers pliant.

Jipi hats come in various grades determined by the quality (pliability, softness, and fineness) of the fibers and closeness of the weave. The difference in weave is easy to see, as a fine weave improves the shape of a hat. It has more body and retains its shape better. You'll find Panama hats for sale in several places, but often without much selection.

Activity 2: Walking tour of Merida's historic district.

Plaza Principal

From the Main Plaza (also called Plaza Principal) you can see The Cathedral, on the east side of the Plaza, Palacio Municipal which is Merida's town hall built in 1735, Casa de Montejo, former home of the conqueror of Yucatan and Palacio de Govierno. Horse and buggy rides can be picked up from the Plaza which will take you sightseeing.

Casa Montejo.

Casa Montejo is an excellent sample of Spanish Colonial architecture. Construction on this grandiose home of the founding fathers of Merida started in 1549.

Cathedral

This magnificent cathedral is known for the murals depicting the meeting between Montejo and the Mayan King Tutl Xiu. Construction of this cathedral began in 1561.

Palacio de Govierno.

The Governor's Palace houses 27 wall size murals illustrating the somewhat violent bloody history of the Yucatan. The artist spent his entire life working on these paintings.

Paseo de Montejo Boulevard.

Historical boulevard fashioned after those found in Paris, France. Stately homes, shops and quaint restaurants. The Merida WalMart is located at the north end of the boulevard, which is quite surprising.

 Activity 3: Bilingual Exchange Activity.

 This is a bilingual exchange activity between native Spanish speakers and native English speakers. Our aim is to really get a feeling of the Mexican culture and practice your Spanish with someone who is learning English.

The option to take part in a Bilingual exchange  is included with all our Spanish learning programs. Have fun making friends and practice your Spanish!
 
Activity 4 - Salsa Lessons.

Mexico means parties and lots of chances to get out on the dance floor. It also means time to get into the Latin mood. Why not do it with dancing? To help you we are offering Salsa lessons. You can learn to dance, even if you’re an absolute beginner. Advanced or beginner, our salsa instructors will teach you the steps We can often include a free trial lesson with our Spanish learning programs! – If you’d like to learn Salsa and other Latin Dances please see our Salsa class programs.

Activity 5: Cooking Lessons

Learn a new cooking skill, brush up on your cooking techniques, or start at the very beginning in the kitchen. Our Chef will show you how to prepare traditional and easy to make Mexican dishes, such as “tacos de cochinita pibil” one of the most delicious dish in the Yucatán. We can often include a free trial lesson with our Spanish learning programs! – If you’d like to learn more Mexican cookery please see our Cookery programs or enquire on arrival.

1 week salsa

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One week of Salsa Lessons will be enough for you to master the basics. Classes will cover salsa and depending on demand might introduce other Latin America dances such as Samba, Merengue, Bachata and Cumbia.

Chichén Itzá

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A must see for anyone visiting the Yucatán peninsula. In 2007 Chichén Itzá was voted as one of “New seven wonders of the world.” This really is Mayan Architecture and engineering at its best. 'The main pyramid El Castillo was designed so that at the spring equinox a serpent is drawn down one side by the sun'. Many buildings in Chichén Itzá were designed to produce echoes. Visit Chichén Itzá and the temple in a day trip from Merida.

Uxmal & Kabah

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Uxmal was a great Mayan city on a similar scale to the much more famous Chichén Itzá. This is one archeological site you don’t want to miss – considered by many to be the most beautiful Mayan site. The site is so vast that much of it still remains un-renovated and covered by thick jungle. Kabah is a vast old ruined city abandoned long before the Spanish arrived. Visit the impressive ruined Mayan cities of Uxmal & Kabah south of Merida 'in single a day trip' with transport and guide.

Celestún

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A small fishing town with and old lighthouse and abandoned hacienda – the surrounding wetlands are winter time home to thousands of pink flamingoes. A day in Celestún is a great getaway.

Puuc route & Loltún

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This is a circuit of Mayan ruins and archaeological sights which includes visits to the UNESCO site Sayil and other ruins at Labná, Xlapac and Loltún. Loltún is a series of massive interconnecting caves with some of the earliest known evidence of humans in the Americas, as well as some later Mayan cave art.

Cenotes of Cuzamá

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Cenotes are fresh water sink holes ideal for swimming and diving found over the north of the Yucatán Peninsula. They have crystal clear blue water with the greatest underwater visibility you are likely to come across anywhere in the world. The Yucatán peninsula has no rivers - rain drains through the land where fresh water collects and runs beneath the surface in underground caves. Cenotes are formed where the roof of these caves has collapsed in places. Most Cenotes are interconnected in systems for hundreds of kilometers of underwater caves. This tour visits some of the best cenotes in the region for snorkeling and swimming.

Progreso beach and Huaymitun

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Take a day out of the city to chill out on the soft sands of Progreso beach and explore the port of Huaymitun just north of Merida.

best of mayan ruins

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Visit the most impressive Mayan sites in the Yucutan: Chichén Itzá one day and Uxmal & Kabah another day. The dates are flexible as long you give us 24 hours notice of when you would like to go on each tour (subject to availability).This tour pack consists of two day tours of Chichén Itzá & Uxmal & Kaba.

Best of Cenotes & Mayan Ruins

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Visit the most impressive Mayan sites and best cenotes in three separate day tours. The dates are flexible as long you give us 24 hours notice of when you would like to go on each tour (subject to availability. This tour pack consists of three day tours to Chichén Itzá, Uxmal & Kabah and Cenotes of Cuzamá.

Best of the Yucatán

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Make sure you see the very best of the Yucatán. This tour pack consists of 4 day tours to Chichén Itzá, Uxmal & Kabah , Cenotes of Cuzamá & Progreso Beach and Huaymitun. The dates are flexible as long you give us 24 hours notice of when you would like to go on each tour (subject to availability).

spanish lessons

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All prices are in USD
Standard Hourly Rates. Use the Arrows to the left to see more prices.

Spanish Lessons Discounts with time

salsa lessons

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All prices are in USD

homestays

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All prices are in USD

3* Hotel

Please fill out our contact form for details, options and price quote.

5* Hotel

Please fill out our contact form for details, options and price quote.

Apartments

Please fill out our contact form for details, options and price quote.

airport transfer

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All prices are in USD

premium activities

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All prices are in USD