Galopina Casa Silvestre

Thirty-five kilometers from Mérida, Galopina sits within the state reserve of the Ring of Cenotes, on seven hectares of Yucatán scrub forest. Around it lie cenotes, henequen haciendas (henequen is an agave grown for its fiber), Maya villages and archaeological sites, all close enough for exploring Yucatán. Here the day follows the sun, the afternoon rain and the birdsong.

Galopina’s experiences (opens the official website in a new tab)

Its hosts describe it as a house for travelers rather than a hotel, with a personal, warm way of welcoming guests. Five suites with a private terrace and hammock, spread across the scrub forest of a former henequen plantation. Two sit up high, with open views over the treetops; two are set into the earth, surrounded by endemic vegetation; the fifth, beside the house, has its own entrance. You can book a single suite or the whole house.

The cooking is homestyle: breakfast with freshly ground coffee and seasonal fruit, something in the afternoon, a bar all day and a dinner whose menu changes daily and adapts to allergies or dietary restrictions.

Elisa, from Mexico’s Pacific coast, and Guillaume, who is French, were living in Paris when they decided to move back to Mexico and start from scratch. They opened Galopina in 2022 and gave it their surname, Galopin, with an added “a”. Elisa looks after the interiors and the kitchen; Guillaume looks after the scrub forest, the trees and the orchard, and together they welcome the guests. They designed the architecture together with TACO, a Yucatecan studio.

• Birdwatching from the terrace or on a walk, with the house’s binoculars and species guide.
• Cenote diving, from beginner dives to caves for advanced divers.
• Javier Marín’s studio, Izamal and a henequen hacienda that is still working.

Experiences can be done independently or with the house’s guides.

• MICHELIN Guide: One Key · 2026 (opens the source in a new tab)
• AD México: Feature · 2022 (opens the source in a new tab)
• ArchDaily: Project feature · 2022 (opens the source in a new tab)

• The nearest airport is Mérida; the house is 35 km from the city.
• To explore the region, look into car or transfer options.
• Suites sleep two; some can take a third guest on an extra bed.

Galopina’s suites and conditions (opens the official website in a new tab)