What does Eco-Chic hotel mean in Merida, Yucatan?

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What is an Eco-Chic hotel in Merida, Yucatan?​​ First of all, our name,the black panther (pantera negra) is a rare species of the jaguar (a wild animal protected by law) that is native to the Yucatan. Because Jean-Pierre and Isabelle care about the environment, there are special things they do to protect it. For instance, there is plenty of sun here all the year around, so they use it to heat the water instead of using a gas heater. As the drinkable water is always sold in plastic bottles, which are not recycled in Yucatan, they  supply guests with a reusable bottle of fresh treated water from the cenote before you leave La Pantera Negra to visit Merida and all the sites.​ Instead of using an air conditioning system they control the temperature naturally with very high ceilings, and by managing the natural air circulation with fans. The thick ancient stone walls and the constant air flow from the ocean keep the interior comfortable.

There are many reasons they decided to re-open La Pantera Negra in Merida: this city, among the oldest in the Americas (founded in 1542) is energetic and exciting and has a high level of culture; it has the advantages of a large modern city and at the same time has preserved the 2nd largest colonial center in the Americas and has the oldest Cathedral of the continent. It is peaceful and very safe. It is easily reachable by air and is located close to many Mayan archeological sites--near Chichen Itza, Uxmal and a number of amazing cenotes. It's just half an hour by bus or car from the Mexican Gulf and the coastal flamingo parks.

La Pantera Negra is located south of the Zocalo (the main city square) in the San Juan neighborhood where most of the bus stations are found. San Juan is a safe, pleasant and typical area that includes the Santa Isabel chapel. The size and the configuration of this colonial house help  to offer you personalized services in the fascinating environment of the Centro Historico. By the way, here there are 339 sunny days in every year and an average temperature of 26 degrees centigrade.

Renovations on this colonial house were managed responsibly by recycling the stones and gravel from demolished walls in order to mount the garden walls, the swimming pool and the patio. By keeping the plants, the orange, cashew and palm trees and growing new local vegetation, Jean-Pierre and Isabelle are refreshing the place naturally. While creating a roof garden for their vegetables, they also added a relaxing terrace overlooking the pool and tropical garden below. They collect and recycle rain water in an old cistern in order to wash the floors and irrigate the gardens.

In addition to the other things they do to preserve and respect the environment, they buy locally produced fresh food from the large city farmers' market and use the vegetables from their roof garden. Jean-Pierre and Isabelle invite you to participate with them in a new way to live responsibly but comfortably. Join themon  a lovely journey in an urban Yucatecan posada while leaving a low carbon footprint on our planet.