Before we arrived at this hotel, other travelers told us that it was "very Americanized". You can argue whether that's a good thing or not, but in this case, it's a superficiality that does no one good.

Indeed, upon arrival we noted it looks like a typical Best Western motel, plucked out of a mountain setting in a working-class American town; think Montrose, Colorado or Rock Springs, Wyoming. In other words, it sticks out like a sore thumb in a Mexican town!

However, after that first glance you very quickly realize this is not what it aspires to be.

First, there's the service. The owner/manager of the hotel has, unfortunately, lost control of the hotel to his employees, as well as taken a very non-American attitude with regard to improvement and correct information.

For example, the hotel services book in each guest room says breakfast begins at 7 AM, whereas the sign at the restaurant entrance says 7:30 AM. But the employees won't let you in and won't serve you until 8 AM. After pointing this out to the owner, I was advised this would be "corrected immediately". The next day breakfast was available at 7:50 AM and the photocopied room guide still said 7:00 AM.

The room booklet carefully describes how to make local calls from the room, as well as national and international long distance calls. But, of course, it does not work. After speaking with the owner's wife, I learned that their modern phone system is simply not programmed to allow outside phone calls; no explanation was forthcoming and a great deal of negative attitude was projected for having asked, although I was carefully directed to the phone booth down the block.

While the woman at the front desk (not the manager's wife who hovers there for short periods to the detriment of the guests) is without doubt the most competent person on the premises, unfortunately, she is left by herself to cope with the hordes of people who all arrive at the same time on the train each day. After a long wait in line upon arrival, we were finally handed rooms keys, only to discover "our" room was already occupied, with great embarrassment to all parties. Only the maid was able to locate an available room; the computer at the front desk is only an adornment that belies the cluttered paper management system that really tries to keep track of things here.

The "spa" consists of a few basic exercise machines set in a most sterile room, along with a portable above-ground spa unit. Massages are offered- which are performed in the middle of the lobby by a transient masseuse with her portable equipment.

The rooms are adequate but just barely so, containing the lowest quality of furnishings to be just functional. The heating is supplied by a gas stove controlled by a thermostat which, while offering the promise of romantic mood lighting, fails miserably to deliver sufficient heat in the below freezing weather of Creel in winter.

On the plus side, the quality of the food served was quite nice and the homey lobby was pleasantly decorated if you like the hunting lodge look.

They offer a wide range of local guided tours, which I suspect is the real business and real for existence of this establishment. However, our travel agent had been underwhelmed by these guides during her visit and instead booked us through a non-hotel guide; for this reason I personally cannot comment on the quality of their services.

There really are no alternatives in Creel to this motel, as it's a dusty, dirty western frontier-like town otherwise. Were it not the gateway to some truly magnificent sites, such as Batapilas, Divisadero, the museum at Cusarare, Tarahumara villages, and other natural sights, there really would be no need for touristic accommodations.

We spent two nights at the Best Western Lodge at Creel. We enjoyed the decor. They went all the way with the 'hunting lodge' theme and we enjoyed the warmth of all the wood, and of the gas stove for heat in the rooms. It was warm enough for shorts and t-shirt during the day, but at night it got *cold*, so we appreciated the heater.

The rooms were a good size, with a writing desk and tv with a few channels. Walls, ceiling, and floor were all wood.

We felt we were poorly informed at check in. The paper I signed said "free breakfast" but they neglected to mention the terms of said free breakfast, or to give us some sort of breakfast coupon to present at the restaurant. So we ended up being charged in full for our breakfasts at checkout.

The hotel offered high speed internet. We were able to get a wireless signal in the lobby, but not in our room. The front desk gave us a cable, and then a replacement cable, but we were never able to get the internet working in our rooms. There was no one available to help us get a connection.

The hotel had a spa, so we booked two massages. They were $380 MXN (approx $38 USD) and we were told they would be between 45 and 60 minutes long. Seemed like a good value. In reality, the massages were only 35 minutes long. Very enjoyable, but rushed. And not the value we expected. Again, the front desk neglected to give us the coupon we were to present at the spa. There was a jacuzzi tub, but it was only half full and didn't look too appealing up close.

I want to mention that I forgot an item in the room. When I returned the next day, it was returned to me. Also it was no problem to leave our vehicle in their parking lot while we travelled to Divisadero by train. They charged us $50 MXN per day, which we thought was reasonable.

Overall, we enjoyed the hotel and our stay, but the service was lacking in a few areas, as indicated by the above.

This hotel has a mountain lodge ambience, perfect for Creel. The rooms are spacious and comfortable and the grounds pleasant. The hotel offers an impressive menu of reasonably-priced tours ranging from 2 hrs to 2 days. We booked a 4 hour local tour, which was fascinating and well worth it. Fortunately we speak a little Spanish -- our guide didn't speak a word of English, but he was courteous and, being a local, was knowledegable about the sights. The only problems I encountered at this lodge were: A) my hat was stolen from my room, presumably by one of the staff (something that could happen anywhere), and B) I got bug bites when I was in my room (I think, in bed). I never did see the bugs, but I heard other guests complaining of getting bitten in their rooms as well. As soon as management became aware of the problem, the exterminator was on site spraying around all the doors and windows. Our room rate included breakfast and transportation to and from the train. Even so, at $130 USD, I thought the rooms were a little pricey at this lodge and not a very good value.

We stayed at the Best Western at Creel for the 4th of July. Our big group of 15, with people ranging in ages from 2yrs to 62yrs, was treated very well. The staff did a great job accomodating us for breakfast and dinner for 3 days. Rooms are a good size and very clean. If we ever do it again, this is where we will stay..Highly recommended!