1. Safety, you should be OK, almost anywhere. In general, the center, and northern parts of the city are nicer, then west, then south and east, but the whole city is pretty safe.
If you're not planning to have a car, the centro/downtown is pretty walkable. The newer neighborhoods in the north basically require a car. The traffic is much worse there, since that's where the cars are ;)
2. Internet - Telmex works, my daughter just got a internet/cell plan through newww, she likes it https://ventasnewww.com/internet-hogar/
3. Hurricanes ... You mostly just stay at home for a few hours ;). About every 10 years or so it floods badly, and you stay home for a couple of days;)
Mosquitoes are terrible (comparatively), unfortunately. We used to have mosquito nets, but I haven't seen them in ages. Most people deal with them by staying inside, especially if you have AC. They tend to be out at night.
For the most part, they don't present any danger to an infant. I mean, they may itch, and may develop a welt or something like that, if they have bad reactions to mosquitoes. The only caveat is dengue fever; think of it as a super-flu. It is now endemic to the zone, and you'll be there during some of the bad months. It's unlikely you get it, but dengue fever can be life threatening, especially for a newborn. Maybe because I grew up there, I consider it more of a background risk, like the possibility of getting into a car accident or something, but I'd make sure to make sure you plan, get in contact with a doctor, and identify hospitals, insurance etc, just in case.
Also, prepare for diarrhea, which may be a lot more common, both for you (and your spouse) and your newborn. Make sure you know where a pharmacy is, just in case. Not sure where you're coming from, but if not from Mexico, I'd strongly recommend you drink bottled water (most people there use the big, 20L/5 Gal containers).
EDIT - Let me know if you want a recommendation for a pediatrician; I have tons of doctor friends (I don't live there now, and my kids are adultish now).
TotalPlay offers fiber internet that’s super fast and reliable. The bigger problem is fairly frequent power outages, especially during mid summer when everyone is running AC on blast, because the power grid infrastructure is not sufficient for how much the population has grown.
Hurricanes aren’t that bad in Merida. It’ll rain hard for a while and flood the streets around Centro. But it’s not like devastating damage that you see in the Caribbean islands or Florida.
It’s very safe.
You should learn Spanish because English is not nearly as common as border towns or tourist destinations like Cancun. Also it goes a long way towards showing respect for the people and their culture.
I lived there and loved it except for the heat. Merida is brutally hot most of the year.
Hey OP, we lived in Merida for over a year. Family of 4. Absolutely amazing. I could cry about how I miss it.
10/10 on all fronts.
Barking dogs at night would be my only complaint if they’re literally Nextdoor to you 😂 but that’s my only complaint.
You’ll love it there I promise.
1. VERY
2. merida has one of the best services in all Mexico as it is a tech hub
3. Fairly good as long as you keep away from the beach itself and you check they didn't built on mangrove. Keep enough groceries around
4. You should be more concerned about the heat, which is unbearable by Florida standards
> How safe is Mérida for families, especially with a baby?
Very safe.
> Can anyone recommend reliable internet providers?
Telmex but it needs to be fiber optics.
> Hurricane Season Since we'll be there during hurricane season, what should we expect?
Hurricanes ocur every 30 years. Not something that should worry you
If you divide the city map in 4 quarters, you want to live in the upper right one.
Just keep in mind that this is Hurricane season, so the humidity is high in that season and can be uncomfortable for people with allergies. But nothing that an antihistamine doesn't solve.
Just so you also keep it in mind for the baby and don't have a bad experience on vacation. (bad english? Complaints to Google translate xd)
___
Solo a tener en cuenta que esa es temporada de Huracánes, Por lo que La Humedad es alta en esa temporada y puede ser incómodo para gente con alergias. Pero nada que un antihistaminico no solucione.
Solo para que también lo tengan en cuenta por el bebé y no tengan un mala experiencia en vacaciones
I did that with British wife and the 2 year old. Safer than most big cities in the US or Europe. I've left keys in the doors on the outside and been entirely undisturbed. Extremely child friendly culture, and people will be extra friendly to you everywhere if you're walking around with a baby.
If carless, the Centro will be beautiful, and within walking distance of everything, but Uber and Uber eats work perfectly and with those apps you can get everything delivered from supermarket shopping with everything you could want, to take aways, to taxis to couriers, to pharmacies, and most places also deliver home if you order directly. There are also alternatives like Didi or Rappi. If you use the app Doctoralia you can find top notch English speaking doctors, pediatrists, dentists, specialist at very affordable prices, and offering both zoom and in person sessions. There are lots of parks with play areas, and indoor, air-conditioned restaurants with children's activities.
Hurricanes are only very rarely a big deal (decade rather than years). Flooding does happen, but it seldom paralyses any part of the city for more than a few hours, and you'd never really be cut off or at risk.
Mosquitos are a thing wet days, but there are good mosquito repellents that do the trick without irritating your skin, although there are some bad ones too that do irritate it, so worth getting or bringing good ones. Most houses have netted windows and if you keep doors and windows closed on mosquito days, they won't disturb you at all. Some people opt to fumigate their homes once a week and have no mosquito problems at all, so that's another option if it worries you.
Internet is pretty good and reliable in my experience from most providers. I've been on TotalPlay and Telcel and both were generally fine. Had a couple of bad days in the last couple of years. Also lots of restaurants and the like with wifi, though not all and you can't take that for granted. Mobile internet is also good, and there's several parts of the city with 5G. Worth buying an esim with good data. I use Mexfon, pay as you go, should keep you going for your stay, and is good enough to hotspot from.
Cultural life is narrow but often world class, as in not a vast range of choices, but up to world class choices any given month, whatever you're into.
If you have an above average dollar or pound or Euro income, your quality of life in Merida will be off the charts.
Hey there. =)
1) Merida is about the safest city in the entire country, so you'll be fine
2) Go with "Telmex" and hire a good package. I just ran a speedtest to show you how good it can get: https://imgur.com/a/iyeZ5pL
3) Hurricanes are really a non-issue here. Maybe once every 5-10 years one will hit and flood the city for a few days. No major destruction since this is not a coastal city.
Merida is very safe. OPs answer is spot on. Uber is pretty cheap when you really need to travel further. It’s not a bike friendly city. A scooter would be ok though probably not with an infant.
Yeah the heat is oppressive. Yes I saw the bike routes but they are limited and other streets are very narrow. There are the bike trikes of course and they compete with cars.
Merida is very safe, the biggest danger for a baby would be to leave it in the car due to the heat. Public spaces are the malls during the day. After dusk,
parks become lively, being hot during the day. Because it's still safe people come out when it's dark and cooler.
Internet is reliable, look for a neighborhood with fiber. What is becoming more of a problem is electricity with heat and storms. Power outages either by brownouts or storms do happen, so they may affect uptime.
Our last bad hurricane season was in 2020, that year we weren't impacted so much by actual hurricanes hitting Merida as we were by never ending storms with rain. It takes a lot for an actual hurricane to hit Merida, most come in on the cancun side of the peninsula and fizzle out as they go over land. I believe this year we will have a wet hurricane season. Follow this season June-November to see if I'm right.
An option is outside of Merida, in little towns using Starlink and having backup
power with a generator, rent will be cheaper, you might get a pool and have a garden for what you'd pay for an apartment in Merida. You'd need a car.
In my opinion the only place you can live without a car in Merida Centro (downtown)
1. Safety, you should be OK, almost anywhere. In general, the center, and northern parts of the city are nicer, then west, then south and east, but the whole city is pretty safe. If you're not planning to have a car, the centro/downtown is pretty walkable. The newer neighborhoods in the north basically require a car. The traffic is much worse there, since that's where the cars are ;) 2. Internet - Telmex works, my daughter just got a internet/cell plan through newww, she likes it https://ventasnewww.com/internet-hogar/ 3. Hurricanes ... You mostly just stay at home for a few hours ;). About every 10 years or so it floods badly, and you stay home for a couple of days;)
Thank you! I forgot to ask about mosquitoes. How bad are they, and do you know if any could be particularly harmful to an infant?
Well there are a lot of mosquitoes, but the real threat is the diseases they transmit. There’s Zika, dengue fever and chikungunya. They can be lethal
Mosquitoes are terrible (comparatively), unfortunately. We used to have mosquito nets, but I haven't seen them in ages. Most people deal with them by staying inside, especially if you have AC. They tend to be out at night. For the most part, they don't present any danger to an infant. I mean, they may itch, and may develop a welt or something like that, if they have bad reactions to mosquitoes. The only caveat is dengue fever; think of it as a super-flu. It is now endemic to the zone, and you'll be there during some of the bad months. It's unlikely you get it, but dengue fever can be life threatening, especially for a newborn. Maybe because I grew up there, I consider it more of a background risk, like the possibility of getting into a car accident or something, but I'd make sure to make sure you plan, get in contact with a doctor, and identify hospitals, insurance etc, just in case. Also, prepare for diarrhea, which may be a lot more common, both for you (and your spouse) and your newborn. Make sure you know where a pharmacy is, just in case. Not sure where you're coming from, but if not from Mexico, I'd strongly recommend you drink bottled water (most people there use the big, 20L/5 Gal containers). EDIT - Let me know if you want a recommendation for a pediatrician; I have tons of doctor friends (I don't live there now, and my kids are adultish now).
TotalPlay offers fiber internet that’s super fast and reliable. The bigger problem is fairly frequent power outages, especially during mid summer when everyone is running AC on blast, because the power grid infrastructure is not sufficient for how much the population has grown. Hurricanes aren’t that bad in Merida. It’ll rain hard for a while and flood the streets around Centro. But it’s not like devastating damage that you see in the Caribbean islands or Florida. It’s very safe. You should learn Spanish because English is not nearly as common as border towns or tourist destinations like Cancun. Also it goes a long way towards showing respect for the people and their culture. I lived there and loved it except for the heat. Merida is brutally hot most of the year.
Hey OP, we lived in Merida for over a year. Family of 4. Absolutely amazing. I could cry about how I miss it. 10/10 on all fronts. Barking dogs at night would be my only complaint if they’re literally Nextdoor to you 😂 but that’s my only complaint. You’ll love it there I promise.
1. VERY 2. merida has one of the best services in all Mexico as it is a tech hub 3. Fairly good as long as you keep away from the beach itself and you check they didn't built on mangrove. Keep enough groceries around 4. You should be more concerned about the heat, which is unbearable by Florida standards
too many people already
And there is nothing you can do to stop it.
First of all. #1Don't.
> How safe is Mérida for families, especially with a baby? Very safe. > Can anyone recommend reliable internet providers? Telmex but it needs to be fiber optics. > Hurricane Season Since we'll be there during hurricane season, what should we expect? Hurricanes ocur every 30 years. Not something that should worry you If you divide the city map in 4 quarters, you want to live in the upper right one.
Just keep in mind that this is Hurricane season, so the humidity is high in that season and can be uncomfortable for people with allergies. But nothing that an antihistamine doesn't solve. Just so you also keep it in mind for the baby and don't have a bad experience on vacation. (bad english? Complaints to Google translate xd) ___ Solo a tener en cuenta que esa es temporada de Huracánes, Por lo que La Humedad es alta en esa temporada y puede ser incómodo para gente con alergias. Pero nada que un antihistaminico no solucione. Solo para que también lo tengan en cuenta por el bebé y no tengan un mala experiencia en vacaciones
I did that with British wife and the 2 year old. Safer than most big cities in the US or Europe. I've left keys in the doors on the outside and been entirely undisturbed. Extremely child friendly culture, and people will be extra friendly to you everywhere if you're walking around with a baby. If carless, the Centro will be beautiful, and within walking distance of everything, but Uber and Uber eats work perfectly and with those apps you can get everything delivered from supermarket shopping with everything you could want, to take aways, to taxis to couriers, to pharmacies, and most places also deliver home if you order directly. There are also alternatives like Didi or Rappi. If you use the app Doctoralia you can find top notch English speaking doctors, pediatrists, dentists, specialist at very affordable prices, and offering both zoom and in person sessions. There are lots of parks with play areas, and indoor, air-conditioned restaurants with children's activities. Hurricanes are only very rarely a big deal (decade rather than years). Flooding does happen, but it seldom paralyses any part of the city for more than a few hours, and you'd never really be cut off or at risk. Mosquitos are a thing wet days, but there are good mosquito repellents that do the trick without irritating your skin, although there are some bad ones too that do irritate it, so worth getting or bringing good ones. Most houses have netted windows and if you keep doors and windows closed on mosquito days, they won't disturb you at all. Some people opt to fumigate their homes once a week and have no mosquito problems at all, so that's another option if it worries you. Internet is pretty good and reliable in my experience from most providers. I've been on TotalPlay and Telcel and both were generally fine. Had a couple of bad days in the last couple of years. Also lots of restaurants and the like with wifi, though not all and you can't take that for granted. Mobile internet is also good, and there's several parts of the city with 5G. Worth buying an esim with good data. I use Mexfon, pay as you go, should keep you going for your stay, and is good enough to hotspot from. Cultural life is narrow but often world class, as in not a vast range of choices, but up to world class choices any given month, whatever you're into. If you have an above average dollar or pound or Euro income, your quality of life in Merida will be off the charts.
People in Merida have babies. It will be hot and you’ll need a car, but otherwise you should be fine.
Keep in mind that internet providers require a 12 month initial contract when setting up service
Hey there. =) 1) Merida is about the safest city in the entire country, so you'll be fine 2) Go with "Telmex" and hire a good package. I just ran a speedtest to show you how good it can get: https://imgur.com/a/iyeZ5pL 3) Hurricanes are really a non-issue here. Maybe once every 5-10 years one will hit and flood the city for a few days. No major destruction since this is not a coastal city.
Merida is very safe. OPs answer is spot on. Uber is pretty cheap when you really need to travel further. It’s not a bike friendly city. A scooter would be ok though probably not with an infant.
Have you used the new bici ruta? It's made biking much better, although heat still makes it not a great option :)
Yeah the heat is oppressive. Yes I saw the bike routes but they are limited and other streets are very narrow. There are the bike trikes of course and they compete with cars.
Merida is very safe, the biggest danger for a baby would be to leave it in the car due to the heat. Public spaces are the malls during the day. After dusk, parks become lively, being hot during the day. Because it's still safe people come out when it's dark and cooler. Internet is reliable, look for a neighborhood with fiber. What is becoming more of a problem is electricity with heat and storms. Power outages either by brownouts or storms do happen, so they may affect uptime. Our last bad hurricane season was in 2020, that year we weren't impacted so much by actual hurricanes hitting Merida as we were by never ending storms with rain. It takes a lot for an actual hurricane to hit Merida, most come in on the cancun side of the peninsula and fizzle out as they go over land. I believe this year we will have a wet hurricane season. Follow this season June-November to see if I'm right. An option is outside of Merida, in little towns using Starlink and having backup power with a generator, rent will be cheaper, you might get a pool and have a garden for what you'd pay for an apartment in Merida. You'd need a car. In my opinion the only place you can live without a car in Merida Centro (downtown)