Hotel El Cid Merida

The photos and videos online gave a completely different impression from the actual hotel and rooms. The pool was closed, and the place wasn't appealing. Our first room wasn't ready, so we were moved to room 253. The bedspreads were so faded and grubby that we put them on the floor. As soon as we pulled the covers back, a bug was hopping on the bed. The sheets and mattress covers were dingy yellow. At least the hot water and AC worked. Don't trust the pictures or video they post.

For a budget hotel, it was decent for the price, and there's a decent pool. The bed was very firm but okay, while the pillows were thick and hard. The bedroom AC worked well, and the shower had warm water, though pressure was a bit low. I wish I'd brought my own pillow.

The condition of the hotel was awful, even considering the low price. We had a reservation, but the moment we saw the room we decided to leave and pay for somewhere else. I'm still trying to get a refund for the trouble. I also felt unsafe in the hallway and looking at the lock inside the room. Would never recommend it.

It wasn't worth it. The hotel is far from the city center, and despite parking supposedly being included, there was never a space for our car. The pool had been closed for weeks for maintenance, but they only told us after we'd paid. We sometimes had no water at all, and when there was water, it wasn't hot. I don't mind cold water, but hot water was listed as included. We got no towels, the sheets had blood stains, and the TV's satellite box had no working channels. At check-in they kept us waiting 20 minutes while searching for our reservation. They'd booked us into a room that was sold out, so they had to upgrade us to one with two double beds. That didn't matter to us or improve the stay. The receptionist sent us the wrong way three times and didn't know where our room was, so we had to find it ourselves. There's nothing nearby, no convenience store, restaurants, or local food trucks. At night the area felt very dangerous. We were the only ones walking on barely lit streets, and some drunk men were smoking crack while sitting on the ground against the lobby entrance wall. Nobody was in the lobby. There's also a restaurant whose kitchen is basically in the hotel parking lot. I really wouldn't go there, even if desperate. I've travelled a lot and never seen so many huge cockroaches coming out of one place. I can't even describe the smell from there.