Job Discussion Forums

corporatehuman · Joined: 09 Jan 2006 Posts: 198 Location: Mexico City

Hi I was wondering if anyone had any hostels they'd recommend in Mexico City, hostels that can give you a private room. I've ready Lonely Planet but always realize that's a bit limited.

Thanks,

Chris

lozwich · Joined: 25 May 2003 Posts: 1536

Hostal Catedral is pretty good, and you get breakfast in with the price. Its right near the Zocalo. But you might find its cheaper to stay at a hotel nearby if you want a private room.

geaaronson · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 948 Location: Mexico City

BRRRRRRRR. Wrong answer. The Cathedral is the pits. Lousy service, incompetent, uncaring staff. Noisy downstairs bar. Broken down room features that take 4 days to repair. One of the worst hostels I�ve stayed at.

Go around the corner to the City hostel on Republic Brazil 8. Much better place.

Guy Courchesne · Joined: 10 Mar 2003 Posts: 9650 Location: Mexico City

Gary Denness · Guest

MELEE · Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2007 5:45 pm Post subject:

Los Amigos has a minium stay--used to be 5 nights, but I think they may have changed it. It's a great place I used to stay there because one of my friends was the manager, but she's moved on and so I moved on to the hotels in that neighborhood. It's on Ignacio Mariscal, can't remember the number just now...
They also do a great cheap family style breakfast.
One draw back is they have limited reception hours.

Guy Courchesne · Joined: 10 Mar 2003 Posts: 9650 Location: Mexico City

M@tt · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 473 Location: here and there

where is it?

Guy Courchesne · Joined: 10 Mar 2003 Posts: 9650 Location: Mexico City

geaaronson · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 948 Location: Mexico City

Yes, to clarify the reasons for my distaste of the Cathedral, let me list my beefs.

First encounter with the staff was when I pulled my wallet out to make an advance payment and I realized I had been pickpocketed on the Metro. I asked the staff to call the police and they refused.

Despite the initial bad impression, I decided to stay there anyway as I did not know of any other hostels in the area. I had left my LP back in Merida.

In the course of the next several weeks,

the elevator broke down several times.

They never did fix my night light over my bed

It took them 4 days of complaints before they fixed the flickering light in the john.

The passkey to the rooms continually need supplementary charging even though I had prepaid for my stay.

There was no free internet service. This was prepaid by the hour with a discount during lunch. If you had your own laptop you had to use the common kitchen. For my entire stay, there was someone in the kitchen using the table and one of two plugs for some online private business all day long, making it most inconvenient for anyone who wanted to recharge their cellular or cook.

You had to ask the security guard each and every time you wanted the remote for the tv as opposed to the City Hostel which left the telecontrol on top of the TV.

The downstairs bar restaurant would book bands on weekend nights. If you wanted to sleep early from a busy day from touring, you had no such luck. The music would keep you up.

There was no breakfast or free coffee.

On my last two visits to the restaurant the waiter forgot to provide my friend with the orange juice she requested.

On the next visit we sat at the table they refused to serve us because we did not order food with the pitcher of beer we wanted.

There were other issues but I don`t recall them.

The City Hostel on the other hand had free coffee and breakfast. You got one hour free internet usage each day.

The staff would joke and socialize with the residents. Much friendlier. Much quieter.

You did not need your passkey to get into the TV room.

What more can I say?

Guy Courchesne · Joined: 10 Mar 2003 Posts: 9650 Location: Mexico City

What's the difference in price?

geaaronson · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 948 Location: Mexico City

City Hostel was 100 pesos per night, Cathedral slightly less I believe. I recall it was a difference of between 10 and 20 pesos with the City Hostel being the more expensive, but when you through in their bounteous breakfast and internet, City Hostel had the Cathedral way beat.

Guy Courchesne · Joined: 10 Mar 2003 Posts: 9650 Location: Mexico City

I've not stayed at either, but I like the building the City Hostel is in. They've done it up nicely. The only advantage I could think of for Catedral would be the great bar/restaurant on the ground floor. Always hopping.

Guy Courchesne · Joined: 10 Mar 2003 Posts: 9650 Location: Mexico City

Just remembered another place, called Hotel Virreyes. Location isn't that nice, overlooking a bustling Eje Central full of software vendors, but it's large and has good monthly rates. Lots of action in the area if you're into that.

There's another hostel called Senorial (sp?) around the corner. Very cheap, but also very loud.

melirae · Joined: 26 Feb 2004 Posts: 145 Location: Korea

This place isn't a hostel, but for a private room at the hostel I was going to have to pay about the same amount per night, so I thought a little extra was worth it for the peace and quiet of a real hotel. It's HOTEL Catedral- same folks that run HOSTEL Catedral I think. It's 500 pesos per night for a single, but you get a 10% discount if you pay cash. It includes a free breakfast, but you do have to pay for internet. It's on Donaceles just behind the Cathedral. Service was great, the room was really nice and the staff speaks a little English (just in case you need it). I ended up in a room with a king-sized bed. The bathrooms are really nice too- marble! I didn't have any problems with late-night noise. Another plus is that it's really close to the Metro.