Esmeralda Palace Hotel

We were there for two nights at the end of July, in winter. The breakfast was satisfying, and the room was mostly clean. The tub worked, which isn't always the case. There were plenty of downsides, though. We couldn't adjust the heat in our room. Maybe other rooms let you do that, but ours was sweltering when we arrived and never really cooled off. The front desk man was nice and said they'd turned down the heat for the whole building, so I assume it was a central system. When we got back from dinner, there was still no change. Opening the window didn't cool things enough, but it did let in mosquitoes that bit my arms and a few spots on my legs. Walking around all day with bites on your arms is really unpleasant, and it felt pretty defeating to realize nothing could be done. There was also a large burn mark on the wall, perhaps from an old heating system. The bed was worn out and in poor shape, and the TV remote didn't work. I'm not outright saying to avoid the hotel, but if you stay, be aware you might run into these problems.

The location was excellent, but sleep was hard: the rooms were incredibly noisy, the bed was rickety, and the pillows were awful. I'd spend a little more on a better hotel and get some rest.

The location is excellent, and the staff are nice. Breakfast is included, tasty, and varied, and you can leave your backpacks in the hotel's storage room if you check out early and have a late flight. Still, the name Esmeralda Palace Hotel oversells the place, and it looks prettier in photos than in person. The room and bathroom are both small, and the window faces a blank wall, leaving the room gloomy. There was hammering and drilling from renovation work somewhere in the hotel. It could use the renovation.

At least the AC worked. The rooms were tidy, but extremely basic, and breakfast is best forgotten.