Estudio Cancun Centro

For comparison, I mean a regular, more affordable 3-4-star hotel. We felt safe and the place was clean, modernly furnished and had a nice indoor-outdoor feel. The location was great, about a 5-10 minute walk to restaurants and shopping. Outside, there was a pleasant place to sit and charge your phone while waiting for a ride or check-in. The small breakfast buffet was nice and affordable. Our spacious room was clean, the beds were okay and the A/C worked fine. Staff were helpful: they stored our suitcases while we explored and let us check in an hour early. They spoke Spanish and English, and there was a guard outside to keep strangers from coming in. Room basics were lacking. There was no hair dryer, body lotion or robe, just one hand soap, two very ragged-looking shower towels, and a combined body soap and shampoo that seemed to be the same liquid and didn't work for my hair. The phone had no way to call the front desk or room service to ask for more towels. The shower took forever to heat up. The pool and upper deck were under construction, although online they appeared available. We could only get one room key because each key was pre-assigned to a specific room. I stayed one night, so the missing amenities didn't bother me much, but they would have on a longer visit. My partner and I were always together, so one key worked for us, though it could be inconvenient if people want to split up. For the price, it's a nice, clean hotel that felt safe. Bring your own shampoo, lotion and hair dryer if you can. You don't need a pool? It was very small, more for a quick dip than swimming, and that's once construction is finished.

We left two nights early after the rooftop and pool, the reason we'd booked, turned out to be closed for renovations. We hadn't been told in advance. With that space unavailable, there was nowhere outside to sit, and since we were working, the lobby or our room weren't appealing options. We asked for a refund for the two unused nights and were denied. We had booked a non-refundable rate, so that part was understandable, but getting an answer was awful. The front desk couldn't help, the manager was away, and we couldn't reach Reservations. It took another week after we got home to hear back. The room was fine, though the bed was firmer than I like. Breakfast was pretty good, with hot and cold choices that changed a bit during our stay. It's fairly central for restaurants, and Av. Tulum has lots of small shops and places to eat, but our taxi driver had trouble finding the hotel and had to call for directions. It could work for one night if you want downtown Cancun and Market 28. For several nights, it wasn't a good fit.

The convenient location couldn't make up for how disappointing the service was. Towels, bottled water and soap were constantly rationed. Fresh towels came only on request, while even faint marks were scrutinized and then charged for. Reception initially told us small stains could be washed out and wouldn't cost anything. The next day, though, we were made to pay for stains on three towels under a supposed policy. When we asked to see that policy, nothing said there would be a replacement charge. If we didn't pay, they took the towels away, leaving us with none to bathe with during a five-day stay. We had little choice but to pay an absurd amount for marks that could have been washed off. I asked for a manager and was told none was on duty, and that the manager would only arrive after checkout. Not having basics like water, soap and towels made the stay miserable. They also don't have water for sale, and the drinking fountain is removed after breakfast. If you're often thirsty, I wouldn't recommend staying here.

A reliable, safe option outside the Hotel Zone, with good value for the price. Mex Hoteles sits right downtown, making it easy to explore local Cancun. Breakfast was okay.