Casa Italia Luxury Guest House - Adults Only

It should be easy to rate Casa Italia 5 out of 5 among Merida accommodations.  It is beautifully refreshed, with spacious spiffy guest rooms, a colorful tropical pool courtyard, and stylish common areas.  Breakfast is good, staff can be caring.  The location is near perfect--few blocks from Paseo Montejo to the west and Calle 47 to the south, even as the auto repair shop across the street and factory stacks a block away remind visitors of the limits of Merida's recent gentrification.  And in a city whose hotels are in a Condé Nast Traveler-fueled race to out-boutique and out-price the next, Casa Italia remains reasonable and friendly.  For most guests, this will be a five-star experience at a two-star price point. I am giving Casa Italia an excellent review, but doing so in spite of my awful check-in experience.  In short, Casa Italia promises reception until 1030p, but when I arrived at 914p and called at 932p from the airport cab stand--the staff member on duty directed me instead to head to a sister hotel (Art 64) to check-in as she only wanted to remain until 10p.  Doing so forced a 1.6 km walk through a city with which I am unfamiliar, with a now broken luggage wheel.  Not the welcome anybody wants.  The manager at Casa Italia wanted to make things right, but processing a refund took 20 days, and several conversations with the hotel, Agoda through whom I had booked the stay, and American Express.  If your arrival is timely, I think you will love Casa Italia.  If not, consider yourself warned. Compliments are in order to Alfredo at Art 64, and Marie at Casa Italia who dealt with my abundant frustrations well.  I also appreciate Cristall's efforts to make amends.  Nothing happened quickly though, and I have to believe that late arrivals (and these can happen to anyone with delayed flights out of a traveler's control) can be a problem at Casa Italia. If all had gone smoothly for my check-in, I would strongly recommend this delightful accommodation for your Merida visit.  Instead, I am providing a strong but honest review of Casa Italia, and hope your arrival goes well if you choose this property for your stay in this wonderful city.