Getting to our wedding

Our wedding will be taking place ocean front just west of the Port of Progreso with a reception at the same venue right after.

Location is in close proximity to Mérida; Yucatán State, economic and business hub in the region.

Mérida's International Airport (MID) should be your preferred port of entry/arrival.

Merida is served by all Mexican airlines along with American and Canadian airlines. Non stop service Toronto - Merida operated by WestJet is seasonal. Convenient routes through the US include Dallas, Houston, Miami, Atlanta, Washington Dulles. If flying on a Mexican airline most likely you'll do so via Mexico City.

Flying into Cancún International (CUN) might offer a wider selection of schedules and flights. There is very limited regional air service between Cancún and Mérida. Consider that what might be a better schedule translate into a 320 km drive to our wedding when landing in Cancún.

A less busy airport is Campeche (CPE), in a pinch it can be used as an alternative to Merida; this will require a 175 km drive to us.

Where to stay

This is probably the one question that you want answered first before any others. As explained throughout all of our planned events will be in the coastal area. However, Merida is the heart of financial, cultural and goverment in the region. So you have choices! If you are a city person and enjoy culture, museums, shopping, art galleries and restaurants then stay in the city and venture to the beach on a need to basis. If you are taking our wedding as an opportunity to relax and treat yourself with vacation; be a beach bum and stay at the beach.

In the city

Merida offers you a wide variety of hostels, bed and breakfast, boutique inns or rancid grand tourism hotels. Your taste and budget will dictate which applies to you.

Instead of forcing anyone in a hotel with a discount code, we recommend some places for you to choose from;

High End and Upscale Hotels either in downtown or in Merida proper: Hyatt Regency, Fiesta Americana, Casa Azul Monumento Historico, Intercontental Presidente, Mansion Merida

High-end boutique Hotels (some of these on the outskirts of Merida as they are Haciendas restored to their former glory now serving as hotels): La Hacienda Xcanatun, Mansión Mérida Hotel, Casa Lecanda Boutique Hotel, Rosas & Xocolate Boutique Hotel+Spa, Delfina Boutique Hotel.

Business class/moderate: Wyndham Merida, Hotel Victoria Merida, Hilton Garden Inn Merida, Sercotel Casona 61, Hampton Inn Hilton Merida

If you fancy cozy bed and breakfast, hostels or shared facilities AirBnB, Point2Homes, VRBO, RentByOwner.com and the alike are services you can rely on.

At the beach

The port of Progeso is the nearest access to the coast from Merida, a mere 32 km drive due north. The port of Progreso is exactly as the name implies the port city of the region with the longest pier in the world. Yes, the longest... you can do it... it is a "short stroll" of 7 km from beach to tip and then back to land, ideal to kill an afternoon of leisure 14 km walk :)

You can see ships coming in and going out, oil tankers doing their thing and an endless parade of cruise ships offloading tourists for the day.

Accommodations in the port of Progreso are basic, and we mean it, think about them as your standard Motel 8 or Red Roof North American equivalent. I know, the idea does not sound sexy, does it? Remember Progreso is a true port city.

Instead people usually rent properties in the area at a very affordable price, now to give you context you will need a map. First find port of Progreso in it, good! That will be our reference point.

West of Progreso you can choose to stay in Yucalpeten, Chelem or Chuburna. The charm of all these towns is that they are still undeveloped, you are in true Mexico, fisherman villages where the locals have their "beach cottages".

East of Progreso your options are Chicxulub, Uaymitum and Telchac. This is where "old money" of Merida used to build their beach houses. Off season, all of these east or west of the port are true fisherman villages.

Want to trade location, convenience, proximity to civilization and services for luxury? Much further East you will get to Los Santos aka The Saints (Santa Clara, San Bruno, San Benito...) this is where TRUE money lives nowadays; do not confuse their private wharf with a marina, or their helipad with a parking lot, that gives you an idea of the shacks in the area. There are some hotels around there too, Hotel Reef Yucatan, Gran Marina Hotel and more modest Technohotel Beach. You will require your own wheels even for a standard milk and eggs run.

As a rule of thumb the further away you move from Progreso the more rustic and undeveloped it will be.

This is the lay of the land now use those AirBnB, Point2Homes, VRBO and RentByOwner websites to do the heavy lifting for you.

At the venue: Costa Club Hotel - ISSTEY

For those that prefer hotel-service at the beach this place is the best you will get you in the area. It is affordable, it is clean, it is functional, it has a restaurant and it is safe... think of it as a 3 star hotel Hilton Garden Inn on a beach.

We chose this venue for a multitude of reasons. It is only 45 minute drive from Merida's airport, it is very close to the Port City of Progreso, it offers all the services in an otherwise rustic and rural area, its a mere 5 kms from Chelem our fishermen village were we will be staying, and the Welcome street party will be on Thursday September 3rd at Pepe Luis Pescaderia, it is ocean front, with a navy base and academy literally across the street. How is that for safety?

This used to be a State government owned and managed facility for the exclusive use of civil servants and State bureaucrats. It has experienced a renaissance so to speak. It has been remodelled, renovated, upgraded and brought to current standards. It remains a state property and runs as such, but is now open to the general public on a first come first serve basis.

Because of the above, accomodations at this venue CANNOT be booked online (neither at their own website nor thru any 3rd party booking service). Reservations must be done via phone or email directly with our assigned bilingual representative:

Mr. Randy Magaña. Phone: +52.969.934.3110 Email: randy.magana@yucatan.gob.mx or costaclub@yucatan.gob.mx Mr. Magana's business hours are from 10 AM to 5 PM Central (11 AM to 6 PM Eastern)

As a gratious courtesy from the hotel to our guests, they have put a hold on all their Suite and Jr Suite type rooms for us. To make these type of rooms available to you, specify you are staying there for our wedding (code "Boda de Karl & David").

Should you want to book with them, consider booking now and fast: It only has 75 rooms, civil servants get a 75% discount on all services making The Costa their first choice to stay at the beach.

How to get around

Rent a car

Anyone can find Alamo, Budget and Hertz desks either at the airport or their local offices littered throughout the city, what you may want to know in advance is the fine print:

• Your damage and collision waiver offered by your credit card are of no value in Mexico. As simple as you read it, better to know it now than when you have to pay for that dent on the car when returning it

• On the subject of insurance, your personal US/Canada car insurance policy does not cross border with you. You will need to purchase Mexican coverage otherwise they will not rent to you; and it is not cheap.

• While on cheap... do me a favor and check the rate... it will always be in USD and usually 3 to 4 times the cost of what you will pay in US or Canada.

Now you decide.

Hire a driver

There are a number of companies that offer private car rentals. Some of them offer you to have a driver at your disposal for an additional fee. Usually the driver's shift will not be longer than 10 hrs by law.

Karl might be able to help a handful of you if this is your preferred method of transportation as a relative owns a small company that specializes in these white glove services. Referrals on a first come first served basis. (c:

Public transit

Public transit in Mexico is private. It means there is no centralized agency, body or ministry coordinating services; as such it can be a daunting experience at first use. Remember as there is no central admin bureau, it means that each leg of service is operated by a different company. Every time you step down from the vehicle a new fare is required to climb up aboard another one.

Buses run from the city to the port and vice versa every 15 minutes or less depending on demand; from downtown Merida to downtown Progreso. From as early as 4 AM with the last run at 1 AM

Service along the coast is done by mini-vans called "peseros" or "combis". Usually running every hour from Progreso - Chuburna west route or Progreso - Telchac in the east route.

Taxis require no explanation. Uber, Lyft and the alike are easy to catch in the city, but may take longer to get service outside of the city, especially if you choose to stay either in the far west or east of reccomended towns on the coast.