Hotel Doralba Inn

I wouldn’t recommend this place. For USD 51 for two people, with no lower price for one, I didn’t feel the hotel gave value for the cost, even if it wasn’t at the very bottom of the price range. The building is old and charming, the location is good, and the staff were nice. The pool looked clean in winter, there’s an elevator in the three-story building, and I liked having both AC and a ceiling fan. Those were the positives. The room smelled strongly of detergent, so I was glad there was a window. Wi-Fi took me to a password screen that showed an error, then connected several minutes later. It dropped several times during my one-night stay, and I had to repeat the process. The bathroom was clean but basic. The toilet didn’t flush with enough water and clogged, even though I hadn’t flushed any paper. There was no bathroom floor towel or fridge, and the safe was locked open and unusable. My room didn’t look like the pool-facing rooms shown on Google maps, and had no balcony, chairs, or coffee table. Finding a tip envelope in the room was comical. Breakfast wasn’t a buffet and was small: eggs with chaya, bread, refried beans, sponge cake, and a cup of jello. The coffee was weak and the juice tasted like Koolaid. After I explained I’d paid for two, the staff kindly gave me two portions. There was drinking water by reception, but it tasted bad, and there was no bottled water in the room. If you don’t need a pool in winter, it seems you can get the same quality elsewhere for two-thirds the price.

The reception staff were friendly, but I’d avoid this place. The short version is that you get what you pay for. Our room was old and mouldy, and the hotel felt very run down. They cleaned daily, but poorly. A grate, for example, seemed not to have been cleaned in years and had a thick layer of dust, mould, and things left by previous guests. After we came back from a walk, the room had been cleaned. We showered and put on white socks, which turned yellow after just a few minutes walking around inside. Breakfast was mostly sugar with some eggs. The location also wasn’t great: it’s a 15-minute walk to the center, but the way there takes you along extremely crowded, narrow sidewalks amid buses, people trying to catch them, and cars cutting through from several directions. That may be a Merida problem rather than the hotel itself.

We got what we paid for, but I probably wouldn’t choose to stay here again. The staff were nice, and it was within walking distance of some places, though the hotel itself wasn’t especially nice. We were here for three days in late February with our two- and four-year-olds. The room didn’t feel toddler-friendly: concrete bed frames, hard floors, sharp furniture edges, and fragile lamps sticking out from the wall. We had to put chairs around the beds to keep the kids from falling. The room was cleaned daily, but it was very old and the bathroom was moldy. Its window stays open to the outside, so you can hear other guests using their bathrooms, and they can hear yours. There were no washcloths, and the bath towels were child-sized. The hotel is on the same side of the street as several bus stops, so there’s constant foot traffic. The sidewalks are very narrow, which would be awkward with a stroller or wheelchair. On the plus side, there’s private parking with security, a pool, and laundry on site for $100 pesos for wash, dry, and detergent. Rooms were cleaned and towels refreshed daily except Sunday, and the city center and restaurants were walkable. Breakfast was free but not great. We got pasta with red sauce, eggs with salsa, bread, coffee cake, and jello. Pasta in the morning was especially unusual, though maybe that’s cultural. The included photos show the breakfast and our room.

The burger was a tasty surprise. The hotel is clean, the rooms are nice, and the people working here are excellent. It’s very close to the town square, and I’d stay again.