Curated Spaces: A House in Mérida for the Creative Traveler.
A design-driven guest residence, perfect for brainstorming and exploring.
Hello and welcome! This is the third post on this seasonal series for travel, design, and wellness. If you’re new and just joining the club, you can read more about The Séance’s seasonal content here.
You are receiving this content a little earlier than usual (on a Friday instead of Sunday), but also about two weeks late…sorryyy. I’m still getting the hang on finding a personal editorial rhythm — but you gotta admit these posts are GOOD, so it’s worth the wait, yes?!
Come spend the day with me at Casa Puuc, a design-driven restful oasis in Mérida, Yucatán.
Oh, and of course, here’s your vibey song for the week (to play along the post):
Casa Puuc is one of those places that I’ve seen around well curated Instagram feeds, but I didn’t know if the subtle hype was real or not. Experience has taught me to be watchful of these cool spots on vibey feeds; vacation-home-catfishing is very real.
So, I made it my task to figure out if Casa Puuc was smash or pass … and I obviously had to test it in person!
Casa Puuc is a guest house located in Mérida, Yucatán (a quick two-hour flight from Mexico City). The residence dates back to 1914 and was built in what used to be one of the very first blocks of the city, and — as with many of the properties in Mérida — is rich in both, history and architectural details.
When you arrive, the first thing you’ll notice is the lush entrance and sparkly glass door. It’s a little unassuming, but it matches the slow-travel vibe of the location.
Once you are in, you’ll see the main common area with what’s the first — of many — well curated vintage furniture moments.
Claudia Fernandez, owner and designer of the house, has been carefully collecting Mexican modernist furniture for many years — which is rare to see! Most accommodations these days seem like a copy-paste Airbnb mood board. I swear, if see one more Wassily chair knockoff, I’ll flip a table.
All of Claudia’s time spent searching, purchasing, and curating furniture has paid off, and lucky for us many of her found treasures are part of the house (and you can actually sit on them).
Once you move pass the strong visual arousal of the Mexican modernist common area, you get to the rooms, which are a little calm oasis on their own. Think high ceilings, a spacious comfy bed, rich jewel tones, plastered walls, vintage tiles, and best of all: a bright open shower that feel like spa!
For reals, I made my shower into a mini spa: I turned on the hot water, let the steam run for a minute, and I sprayed a tiny bit of rose water to breathe it all in. The air in Mérida already smells like fresh fruit and greenery, but once you add a layer of personal wellness, it becomes truly magical.
I did have a moment in the shower where I shed a tear — partially because I was still under the effects of work-burnout, but mostly because I created the perfect tiny spa moment. And just when I thought that was it, I’ve seen it everything I needed to see in the house — BAM! — I caught a glimpse of the pool through my window.
The pool is sheltered by a few giant mango trees (dreammmmyy), which were loaded with ripe fruit. It was actually funny because as the days passed, the ripe mangos kept crashing down on everyone there. One did end up smacking me, but then I snacked on it — so I guess it was a win-win (except for the big yellow stain on my shirt).
My friend (stylist who I mentioned on this post) and I spent most of our time chilling by the pool eating lots of snackies. Said snackies were purchased at a market nearby: fresh avocados, fruit, tortillas, salsa, the works. Very affordable, and oh so very delicious.
I even made a non-alcoholic traveler’s elixir on-the-go! A recipe that is coming on the next post :)
This guest house is the perfect paradise for any design-driven explorers traveling with a companion (but solo works too). The house is so well situated, that it allows you to go out, see the sights, and come back to rest.
If you are like me, you’ll spend a lot of time in the house staring at the way the sunlight filters through the windows and reflects back on the tiles and walls. What I love the most about this residence is, that it doesn’t feel precious. There’s a little patina on everything! Things aren’t perfect, which make it feel more like a cozy home, and less like an ordinary hotel or Airbnb.
I would say this is a good place to brainstorm and to read a few books, all while staying connected (with good Wi-Fi). Sometimes you want to travel and rest, but you have to keep an eye on those emails, you know? And that’s ok! Casa Puuc has room for both.
I hope you enjoyed another travel, design, and wellness post from The Séance. See you on the next one.
Gab.
Thank you to Claudia and her team for hosting us, giving us Mérida insider tips, and for the delicious meals. I highly recommend you add at least one breakfast and dinner service during your stay.