Kuka y Naranjo

The hotel has a warm, cozy atmosphere, and breakfast was included with a good selection to choose from. The staff were friendly and helpful. I'd confirmed a taxi for 5:30am to the airport the day before, but it never arrived. The front desk gentleman tried calling around without luck, then walked me to the park down the street where taxis wait. He was right, and I found one for just $200 pesos, usually $450 pesos with the taxis. I'd definitely stay again. The location was perfect, about a 5-minute walk to Grande Plaza.

I left a day early because I really didn't enjoy my stay here 2 weeks ago. The room was okay and the a/c worked well, but mosquitoes kept getting in and biting me. The shower was awful, with cool water and no pressure. The hotel is walkable from the city center, though the part of town around it is run down and not pretty.

The hotel was very expensive for what it offered, and I wouldn't recommend it. For the same money or less, there are many better options in the area. We stayed in the “La mejorada” room, but it felt nothing like an upgrade. Things were old, neglected, and run down. The pool was dirty and poorly maintained, and the parking was awful. Once, we had to get the keys ourselves from reception because nobody was there. Noise was a constant problem for all 4 nights. Whenever anyone turned on a tap in the hotel, a deafening sound came through. One night the power went out, leaving us to sleep in 34-degree heat without air conditioning. It was unbearable. The area felt ugly and unsafe. The receptionist, Edgar, was defensive throughout. He offered a 20% discount for one night, but our early checkout and the very limited reception hours, which start late and end early, meant we couldn't claim it. This was the worst hotel I've stayed in over more than 20 years of travel.

The hotel has a great Bohemian vibe, and the staff are very nice and clearly try hard. But going two days without hot water in our room was a bit much. There was also barely anywhere to put clothes or toiletries in the bathroom. Maybe that was just our room, but a few small changes could make a big difference.