There are way too many options in Mexico City to waste an evening at the Casa Blanca. After reading the other reviews, we were optimistic about this hotel. However, upon our arrival we were quickly disappointed. The front desk was consistently unhelpful and frequently appeared annoyed when we asked questions. We booked this hotel through Expedia and when we arrived, they did not have our reservations and we were placed in a smaller room than what we had reserved. The room we were given faced the traffic and we were (un)fortunate enough to audibly experience the all night festival that was happening near the hotel. Further, the air conditioning was non-existent and we awoke to a very warm and bright room (as the room was directly in the path of the morning sun). We asked if it was possible to be moved to a different room as we were supposed to stay for two nights, but were told that the hotel (~200+ rooms) was entirely booked. Upon hearing that, we were quite suprised when the hotel bar never openend for the day as we expected they'd want to cash in on the "big" crowd that was staying with them. We did head up to the rooftop pool but had to share it with a local family who were quite friendly with the hotel staff (and receiving a good deal of attention from the staff) and obviously not guests of the hotel. Finally, though the hotel appeared clean, we had another surprise in store when we turned down the bed and discovered that the sheets were not clean. I'll spare you the full details, but the evidence was much more unpleasant than a stray piece of hair and involved stains. We also had difficulty using our calling cards as the hotel is not well versed in dialing 800 numbers. Overall, I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone. The staff could care less, the bed was unclean, the room was uncomfortable, and the price can be beat. It wasn't until we decided to leave the hotel that someone finally offered to move us to a new room - apparently the hotel was no longer full.

We stayed for 3 nights in late December and found Hotel Casa Blanca to be a great hotel for us. We had a junior suite for about $100/night - the extra room was nice with two kids - 11 and 14. There were two pull-out beds in the living room, and we also had a sauna (not that we used it much). The location is great, walking distance to 2 subway stations as well as the zocalo (about 20 minute walk to the zocalo). Our room was extremely quiet, although the fact that the hotel was relatively empty when we stayed probably helped in that regard. Hotel staff were very nice, and there always seemed to be someone at the desk that spoke English. We ate at the cheaper of the two restaurants on-site (the other didn't seem to be open) and had a good meal - nothing spectacular, but good and nice service.

Stayed at Casa Blanca Dec. 9-11. Convenient to Hidalgo metro station, but little more. Not a great place at night for wandering about, not close enought to Zona Rosa to walk; take a cab. Even so, very good value, excellent staff, and clean, affordable room. Prefer location closer to Zona Rosa (where there is much happening at night, so it's safer to walk around), but I would stay at this hotel again.

This was our first trip to Mexico City (my fiance, myself and 2 teenagers - a son and a daughter) and I didn't have a clue as to where we should stay. I did some research on the Internet and decided that the Casa Blanca Hotel had the location and amenities that we were looking for. I would have to say that the property exceeded my expectations, so much so, that we decided to extend our stay from 3 nights to 7 nights (we were spoiled!)

We stayed in a 2-room suite with 1 1/2 baths and 2 televisions (which was great for the kids). The rooms and bathrooms were extremely spacious and nicely appointed. The bathrooms were all marble and the full bath had a tub/shower, bidette and double sink. There were 2 queen beds, a twin size sleep sofa and a huge dining table. The room had a safe, 2 closets and plenty of dressers and storage space. The highest nightly rate that we paid for this elegant suite was $115 (USD) and some nights were less.

We ate quite a few of our meals in the room, since the room service menu had a good selection and was reasonably priced. The food was great, as was the food in the dining room. (They also have a more formal Mexican Restaurant, but we didn't try it.)

There is a roof top pool which has a spectacular view of the City. Off the pool area is a Lounge and full bar that you can hang around in while you swim. One end of the pool is shallow enough to sit in (the water is clean and as warm as bathwater!)and the other end is maybe about 4' deep.

The Hotel has a gift shop where we could pick up any of the incidentals that we forgot to pack (there is also a Sanborn's store across the street) and they have computers with Internet access. There is also a cocktail lounge with entertainment on the first floor.

The staff was extremely hospitable and friendly. There was always someone on the Front Desk who spoke English. They had 24-hour money exchange and were very helpful in assisting us in arranging tours and transportation.

The housekeeping staff was excellent - the rooms and common areas were very clean. I felt very safe staying here as there is always a doorman on duty and plenty of staff roaming around.

Although I have read other's comments that their taxis were somewhat expensive, they generally arrange for you to have registered tour guides, rather than regular taxi drivers. The only time that we were dissappointed was when they arranged one of our trips with a regular taxi driver. He drove very fast and aggressive and did not speak English. (He had a license plate that started with "L" and our AAA Guidebook warns against using taxis that have plates that begin with "L".) Also, some of the taxi drivers are open to dealing on their rate (the price of the tours, however, seem to be non-negotiable).

Our favorite tour guide/taxi driver was named "George". He was very personable and spoke great English. His car wasn't the greatest, but he was very informative and drove safely. I was sick on the tour, so he extended it by an hour and didn't charge us any additional money. The tour (to the Pyramids, the Shrine of Guadeloupe and the Plaza of the 3 Cultures) cost about $85 (USD). It was supposed to be 6 hours long, so that only works out to about $14 per hour, which is not bad, considering that you have a personal tour guide. Ask for George if you go there...you will not be disappointed.

If I did this vacation again, the only thing that I would have done differently, would be to take the Turibus tour (double-decker bus) on the first day. This is an excellent way to get acclimated to the area and to figure out which sites you would like to visit. The rates for this 2 1/2 hour tour are about $10 (USD) and about $13.50 on Sundays. There is a bus stop about a block away, in front of the Fiesta Americana Hotel. We also took the regular bus transportation for shorter trips and found them very convenient.

Overall, we were extremely pleased with the Casa Blanca Hotel and would return there if we ever visit Mexico City again.