mexico 2008: accommodation
17th-may-2008 - posted by dtra
after reading some of the posts i've made, it probably would've made more sense to post these reviews first, but anyway, today it is accommodation. i decided before the trip, that it was going to be most cost effective to stay in hostels and similar places, and as the majority of the time would be spent away anyway, it wasn't necessary to live in luxury. i don't regret that decision at all, i think pretty much all the places we stayed were fine, with a couple of partial exceptions. without further ado, here is my review:
- mexico city - hostel catedral provides breakfast, lockers, security and reception 24 hours, hi discounts, tours, lots oh showers (although the showers didn't have heads
) and toilets, and a great central location (with good views). there is pay internet, laundry, safe deposit boxes, and phone. you do have to wear a wrist strap though. good place, i'd probably stay there again if i went to mexico city, friendly and helpful staff too. they do lack some power points though.
- papantla - hotel pulido is a budget hotel option with a reasonable location, with single and twin rooms, the bathroom we had was gross, and the toilet didn't flush, ozzy's single room had a working toilet, so his bathroom didn't stink. the staff were friendly enough (no english here), this was the only place i regretted staying, pretty much because there were other places probably similarly priced but with better bathrooms, i wouldn't have minded if the toilet flushed. the power points in the room didn't work either.
- xalapa - hostal de la niebla has hi discounts, lockers, breakfast, helpful staff, a good location, good showers, clean, and we had a private dorm room. there weren't many power points though.
- puebla - hostal santo domingo, we didn't see the dorms here, got a private room with a double and a single bed
, it came with cable tv, private bathroom (very nice), hi discount, helpful staff, pay internet, laundry service, they actually cleaned our room, free breakfast, and a pretty good location. the room was very hot though, it was cool outside and downstairs, but upstairs was warm. power points aplenty. very clean and i would stay there again if in puebla.
- oaxaca - hostal pochon is about ten minutes walk from the zocalo, but near the botanical gardens and some markets, friendly and helpful staff, free breakfast, very cheap, clean, mixed dorms , power points, cool communal area, tours, cable tv (really depends who has the control though), free internet, showers for males are upstairs though, and there is a small charge to hold luggage after checkout.
- san cristobal de las casas - hotel margarita has triple rooms with cable tv, and free internet, breakfast is not free, travel agency next door, good bathroom, and beds, street leads straight down to the zocalo, they let us check in at 8am which was good. i had my best night's sleep the entire trip here, so i definitely recommend it if not staying in a hostel. the waiter spoke a bit of english i think, but the guys at the counter didn't.
- palenque - hotel posada tucan in steamy palenque does provide a triple room, but it's a stinkin' hot one that has no shelter from the sun. get ac if you get the triple, it's only $350 pesos with ac, but make sure to turn the ac temperature back up a little before you go to sleep, the beds only have sheet covers (it's not too hot with just a fan, but it is definitely more comfortable with ac). the staff are friendly enough but don't sepak any english. they also have a laundry service, but no breakfast or internet. dunno if i would stay there again though, simply because they have a pet toucan which sits in a cage all day long. i don't know, maybe they're like cockatoos or budgies there.
- xpujil - hotel calakmul is the biggest hotel in town i think, and we decided not to risk it, so we shelled out $900 pesos a night for a triple with bathroom, ac, and cable tv. the beds were nice enough, but you don't sleep under the blankets cos it's warm, and mozzies will bite you all night if you don't apply deet. other than that, it's clean, no english here, kids run the restaurant (hopefully not the kitchen), the staff are friendly enough.
- tulum - the weary traveler is a popular hostel near the bus station in tulum. they provide tours, bike rental, lockers, safe deposit boxes, free internet, cheap (we didn't try) diy dinners, free diy breakfast, free colectivo to the beach, mixed dorms, and helpful staff. the showers on the top floor of our place were a bit dodgy, it's basically like a swimming pool shower (public in other words), but they put shower curtains in (which don't work that well), and the floor can get all wet. our dorm room had a shower, so i used that one afterwards.
we didn't stay there, but cesiak also provides accommodation in cabanas by the beach. a bit pricier, but it's for a good cause, and the location is immaculate for sunrise/sunsets.
- valladolid - hotel zaci is a cheap hotel that did have triple rooms (with fuzzy cable tv), we just took the fan option, and it was fine. they actually have a swimming pool (looked clean and people were using it) but we didn't get a chance to take a dip. the shower curtain didn't extend far enough so the whole bathroom (floor) gets a bit wet when you take a shower . staff were very friendly and helpful, and it was located just a block from the bus station, and not far from the main square. a little english, should be enough for you to get by if you know no spanish.
- merida - hostal del peregrino, not quite as central as others, but at least it was quiet, free wireless internet, good breakfast, lockers, helpful staff, very clean, mixed dorm(s) (not sure if there is more than one dorm room or not), and a cute dog
(sometimes), usually a laundry service, though wasn't in service when we were there, slightly pricier, and the bed arrangement in the dorm was a bit odd, they had only one bunk, and three other beds spaced quite closely together, leaving minimal space for luggage.
- guadalajara - hostel guadalajara is clean, provides hi discounts, free breakfast, lockers, free internet, helpful staff, tours, a balcony to catch the breeze, and a good central location. the dorm room was a little small, as i had to put my big backpack in the locker so that it wouldn't get in other people's way. the toilet stalls have quite low partitions, so it can lack a little privacy where everyone probably wants it . the showers were hot and had good pressure (one in particular), and security is good, they do charge to hold your luggage though.
there you have it, my accommodation review for the trip, hopefully helpful for someone, it's basically the same exact stuff that is in the lp, but actually coming from a real person, with some more specific details. apart from hostel guadalajara and hostal pochon, every place we asked were happy to hold our luggage fo free after we had checked out (we tipped some, and probably should've for all). the last post in this series will be all about the cuisine and the beautiful drinks of mexico.
picture of the entrance to hotel casa margarita in san cristobal de las casas, remember, my best night's sleep.
#33 dtra (david tran)
Last edited at 5:29 17th-may-2008
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