After visiting La Venta Park in Villahermosa, our group continued to the town of Palenque.
We arrived at the Hotel Villa Mercedes at about six in the evening and had the night free. Some people scrambled to find massage availability at the hotel’s spa, others chilled by the pool, and some, like us, grabbed dinner and relaxed.
The Villa Mercedes Palenque Property
Located in the Mayan jungle, the resort is beautiful. It is on the outskirts of town and only about five minutes from the Palenque archaeological site.
Set into a hillside, the walkways were lined with incredible tropical plants and trees.
The hotel has two infinity-style pools, one right behind our room, a gym, a spa, and a restaurant.
Our Room
The rooms were comfortable, well-appointed and clean. Rooms were arranged in single-story groupings, with about eight rooms in each building.
Each room has its hammock hanging out front under a covered walkway. From our room, you could see several large ponds and, directly across the other side, a small family farm.
With just 90 rooms, it had a warm, intimate feel.
Meals at Villa Mercedes
Unfortunately, most of the reviews we read commented about the poor food quality at the resort.
We knew we had one dinner on our own the night we arrived. Our second dinner was a group dinner off the property, leaving just two breakfasts. We know the buffets are pretty basic, and we’ll always find something.
We decided to play it safe for dinner our first night. Mark ordered Queso Fundido with Chorizo – a pretty safe bet as there aren’t a lot of ingredients. Chuck opted for a Burger and Fries. Both were pretty good, nothing incredible, but edible.
Breakfast, on the other hand, was a bit challenging. They offered plenty of fresh Fruit, Baked Goods, and Western breakfast options like Bacon, Sausage, and Eggs in addition to Mexican breakfast foods.
They also offered an omelet station. However, they were very late getting it rolling.
Honestly, the biggest challenge was the two other tour groups staying on the property. Despite reserved signs for each group’s tables, they often sat in the middle of our group, pushed through the lines, and were overall pretty aggressive and unfriendly.
*SIDE NOTE* Neither of the groups was from the United States; as we know, our fellow countrymen often get blasted for being rude.
Overall, the resort was beautiful, the staff could not have been friendlier, and it was a perfect location to access the archaeological site – which was why we were there!
What a great post. Looks like a gorgeous property and I love the line, “not incredible, but edible.” The outdoors really look beautiful and a nice place to relax. As for other tourists (and not being Americans) in my experiences, rudeness can transcend across countries and not reserved just for the “ugly American”. Thanks for all of your posts.
Thanks Harry! The resort was really beautiful, we could have easily hidden out there for a few days. The two tour groups were German and I was stunned at how aggressive they were.
looks amazing! thanks for sharing. Very relaxing and beautiful. Sorry you had encountered rude tourist.
It was really a cute place, and the Palenque ruins might be some of the best we’ve explored. Unfortunately, group tours sometimes don’t leave you the time or access to explore a Puebla alone. We’re sure there’s lots more to see there. Rude tourists happen; at least they weren’t part of our group!