When I decided with only 2 weeks notice to go to Mexico City, I realized I had no idea how to pick or narrow down my choice of hotel for such a big city. So, I emailed an acquaintance whom I had made friends with in Isla Mujeres and he recommended the hotel to me. It was a FABULOUS recommendation for me! As a part of the Small Luxury Hotels chain, it lived up to its reputation. As a small chain of luxury Mexican hotels, it attracted many out of state Mexican guests as well as many international guests.
The staff were nice and hardworking. Arturo, the bellman/concierge, spoke great English and had good recommendations of things to do and eat!
The room I had, while small, was rather nice. Marble floored bath, jetted tub (but small if you are over 5'4", I think), nice linens, down pillow and duvet, firm, but not hard, bed, individual room temp control, plenty of hot water, plasma tv with cable, nice toiletries, in room safe (no deposit required), thick walls (for quiet), room-dark draperies (or sheers if you like a little city light), a few night lights and a great view were all that came with my room. My few complaints included a lack of drawer/dresser space for clothing, a lack of 2 different towel rack/holders in the bath (there was only one for the bath towel) and the fact that I arrived to dirty sheets (found a few too many little hairs that were not mine). Luckily, housekeeping agreed promptly and changed the sheets promptly. I didn't think it was a big deal as any hotel can slip up from time to time. After all, my room was ready when I arrived at 12noon, much earlier than the standard checkin time of 3pm. And, the front desk did not have any problem with an early check in or an early checkout (I left at 4am today).
I had a "standard" room and I booked it off their website. It was a bargain to me as the rate ($93 US daily) included the breakfast buffet. The hotel accepts credit card or cash and will happily change your money for you, eventhough a bank exchange place is next door. (All the banks/exchange places were closed for Holy Week on Thurs - Sun.) As well, free internet access at the business center was granted, ya! However, I never did make it to the gym as I spent most of my time outside walking around, miles and miles daily. The location is central to many things. Everything seems equidistant from here, although the metro is a few blocks away. The hotel bellman can arrange for taxis, but they are really private drivers whom they trust. Sometimes, I don't think they are the cheapest option. I suspect the metered rate red/white taxis, which you hail yourself, might be a better bargain, but I'm not sure. As a single woman, sometimes I suck up the extra cost in safety and security.
The restaurant and room service were very good and fast as well. The breakfast buffet had 8 hot items, including some traditional Mexican dishes, such as mole pollo, eggs with nopales, etc. They also had 4 fresh squeezed juices: orange, grapefruit, watermelon and canteloupe. They had the usual pastries, coffee, tea, fresh fruit, yogurt, cereals + hot oatmeal (or something similar), fresh custom made smoothies, pancakes (hotcakes) & omelets to order, and custom made fresh quesadillas....she makes your tortilla first by pressing out the masa in her tortilla press!!! And, I had a choice of fillings, about 6 to 8 different things, including mushrooms with onions and epazote, tinga de pollo, salchicha, chicharon and more. (I also ate tons of fresh papaya, yummy!!!) I did not even look at the a la carte menu for breakfast as this buffet was a bargain for about the equivalent of $10-15 based on the difference in room rates (without the buffet) from other websites, such as Orbitz. Although not many guests used the Condimento Restaurant for dinner, it did have a decent menu and I enjoyed crepes with a glass of wine for dessert on my last night there for about $10 US. Room service which I ordered once for dinner was very good and fast! I had a traditional Yucatan pork meal with a glass of wine for $21 US including tip! And, they give you a daily 1/2 liter of bottled water free in your room, which makes the start of every day nice and easy.
The lobby was nice (pretty, too) and had a cafe attached to it. The cafe served the basics, coffee, tea, wine, etc., although weekend hours were shorter than weekday hours, I think. And the lobby was a nice place to hang out and read the paper/plan your day/wait for someone on the nice sofas and couches throughout. The hotel was safe, too, with a couple of security guards posted to watch both entrances.
All in all, this was a great deal!!! Sorry I didn't take any pictures of the inside, but I think the website is accurate enough. I know my review is long, but I hope it helps folks.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.