First Aid

As someone who has been witness to 2 friends having emergency life threatening procedures in Merida in the past 2 years I can say unequivocally that if you're going to have an emergency Merida is the place to have it.  Also in 2013 Josh was rushed to the emergency room for stitches in France where it took 6 painful hours to see a doctor and Merida where it to 6 minutes or less.  There are many reasons to schedule procedures south of the border rather than north but in the event that you need/want to see a doctor while you are here on vacation the best places to go are:

Clinica de Merida
(999) 920-04-11
Av. Itzaes No. 242, Col. Garcia Gineres

Star Medica

(999) 930-28-80 Calle 26 No. 199 between 15 and 7, Fracc. Altabrisa Centro de Especialidades Medicas (999) 920-40-40 and 925-68-53 Calle 60 No. 329 B near Hotel Zone other options are listed here. Some other useful numbers for guests in Centro are City Police In blue uniforms they patrol the streets and direct traffic in the center of town and usually don't speak english. (999) 942 00 60 Tourist Police (999) 942 00 60 In white uniforms they speak English and are trained to deal with the various issues that might arise for tourists from giving directions to helping with accidents or crimes. Fire Department(999) 924.92.42 and (999) 923.29.71 Federal Road Services (999) 983 11 84 Here is a list of pharmacies some of them open 24 hours. This one near the main square has 24  hour delivery service. Canto Calle 60 No. 513 x 63 and 65, Downtown Area Phone: (999) 924-14-90 Branch: Campestre Phone: (999) 948-18-18 and 944-24-28 Delivery Service: (999) 911-80-00 24 hours

Car Rental or Not

If you are spending a week or 10 days in Merida I don't think you need or want to have a car for the entire period.  With in Merida it's easier to take a taxi as the street system and maps are very confusing outside of the historic center where everything is logically numbered on a grid.  A day trip of 8 hours with an English speaking guide will cost you about $120-$150 usd and you'll get where you want faster with no arguments over wrong turns and missed photo ops.   If you are driving to Merida from Cancun then it might make sense to rent a car if you are more than two people as the bus fares R/T would be about $100 each.  There are rental car scams (mostly in Cancun) which can be avoided altogether by choosing an international company like Hertz or Avis and taking all of the insurance options.  But if you arrive in Merida I think it's easier to take a taxi from the airport.  Our english speaking driver can pick you up with the keys to the house on arrival and he will pick you up at 5.15 for that dreadful early morning return on United to Houston for the same price as a taxi $150-200 pesos.  If you are going to rent a car I would recommend doing so for a couple of days in the middle of your stay keeping in mind that the best days to walk around centro are Saturday and Sunday as there are fewer cars and buses.  Sunday is the biciruta bike ride through the city and there are pedestrian streets from Santa Lucia park to the Zocalo with crafts and food booths from the villages.    Here is a list of car rental companies and they all have locations at the airport and in or near centro.

Taxis and Airport Transfers

Taxis within the centro are very inexpensive.  I usually don't bother to call as they can take a long time though not always.  I walk down to the local park where there should be a cab stand or just wait on the corner and hail a cab.  I have not taken a bus in years and I'm sure they work but I'm not sure how they work and the few times I tried to figure it out I ended up far from my destination and in an area with no public wc. So take a taxi if you need to get somewhere in a timely if not eco-friendly way.  A taxi within centro should not cost you over 40 pesos (2014) and to the airport $170 pesos from the airport $200.  $250 pesos within the city and $270 pesos outside the city are the rates per hour.  The periferico defines the city limit as applies to these fares.  Here are the phone numbers of the local taxi companies.

These are the fares from the hotel zone (just north of centro) to other destinations.

pesos
$40  Clinica Merida-Trotters-American Consulate-Itzimna
$50  Campestre-Col. Mexico
$60  Grand Plaza mall-Plaza de Fiestas-Centenario Zoo
$70  Mundo Maya Museum-Liverpool Gallerias mall

Further afield

$   one way
150 Hacienda Xcanatun
300 Progresso-Motul
350 Hacienda San Jose Cholul
600 Hacienda Temozon Sur
400 Hacienda Sotuta de Peon

Round Trip fares to the beaches and ruins
800  Sisal
1000 Progresso
1000 Cuzuma
1000 Uxmal
1000 Izamal
1000 Celestun
1300 Chichen Itza
1600 Chichen Itza + Izamal
2000 Chichen Itza + Valladolid
1800 Ruta Puuc
4500-6000 Rivera Maya

tolls on the autopista are not included in these fares.

Trash Day and Toilet Talk

In each rental house there is a large trash can in the closet or outside for this purpose.  The trash goes out on the street in bags only (no cans) … Every neighbourhood has a different schedule:

Ermita is Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday 

Santa Ana is Monday-Wednesday-Friday

Santiago & San Sebastian ask us to take it away

Portico daily 

also remember not to flush paper or anything else down the toilets (except you know what) … use the provided receptacle for paper please.  It is unpleasant but the alternative is worse I promise you.