Occidental Cuernavaca

The pool was nice, and the rooms were clean and tidy. They’re large and pleasant, with fans, air conditioning, and big windows that open. The complex is good overall. The towels could use replacing with newer ones.

The staff were friendly and helpful, apart from a few people in management. The restaurant had a decent number of breakfast choices, though it was quite limited for other meals. The pools were okay, but felt a little small for the number of people the hotel can accommodate. Casa Francisco seems set up mainly for business travelers who just need somewhere to sleep. I wouldn’t recommend it for families or couples, especially on a busy weekend. The rooms were so-so: there were plenty of TV channels and the shower temperature was great, but the water pressure wasn’t. There was dust in the closet, and some bathroom fixtures were old, with permanent rust and tartar. Thin windows and walls let in the next room’s TV and street noise, which could affect privacy. The stay was good, just not great.

The staff were very helpful and accommodating, and most spoke English. When we found the mini-fridge wasn’t working, they replaced it quickly. The lobby restaurant was nice, and the pool and kids’ play area make the hotel good for families. Our room was a good size, clean, and in good condition. It was also very reasonably priced. The one downside was that housekeeping came in while we were out even though we had left the DND sign on the door. It wasn’t the worst thing, but we’re very private and prefer not to have cleaning service during our stay.

The kitchen staff were great, but the front desk experience was rough. The staff there were argumentative and rude, and the receptionist had a bad attitude. She refused to speak English with me. I can manage in Spanish, but would have preferred English, so I couldn’t tell whether she wasn’t qualified for the position or was being deliberately ignorant. The room issues kept piling up. In the first room, the AC and fridge were broken, the electrical outlet was pulling away from the wall, which felt like a safety risk, and the door lock failed to open about 90% of the time. In our second room it failed about half the time, and the bathroom door wouldn’t latch or stay shut. In the third room, one keycard wouldn’t work at all. We were locked out several times, and the keycards had to be reprogrammed every day. The cards are reused and not rotated, which seems like a security concern since someone could keep one and open a room. The blinds didn’t close all the way, and their rod kept coming unhooked. There was also a sewage smell in the bathroom.