Camino Real

For a layover at MEX, especially if you’re using Terminal 1 for a domestic or international flight, the location is hard to beat. It’s a smooth 10-12 minute walk indoors to the gates. The penthouse gym and pool are excellent, the cafe was enjoyable (get the carrot cake), and service at The Huerta hotel restaurant was efficient. Exploring the city means dealing with heavy Uber traffic, though. Room quality varies. The North Tower was dark, gloomy, poorly maintained, and had no view. It felt incredibly dated, like old Soviet-style housing. My second stay was in the Main Tower on the sixth floor, where the carpets and lighting were updated and there were airfield views, for roughly the same price. I’d ask for a room outside the North Tower for a much better stay.

The staff were phenomenal, and the location is great if you’re arriving at or leaving from Terminal 1. But as soon as I walked inside, my allergies went from zero to ten. The carpet everywhere was old and dirty, and my wife spotted dog fur all over the chair in our room, which explained why I’d started sneezing. The rooms could use a little touch-up.

The shower leaked all night and drove us insane. We ended up with an old part of the hotel off to the side, even though the online photos look great. Everything smelled strongly of artificial perfume, and the sheets had cheap, overpowering cologne smells that kept me from sleeping. For $200, I expected something basically luxurious. The bed kept rolling away, and we got no rest. The food was cold and overpriced. They took our money without bringing the full order, then tried to tell us we hadn’t ordered it. My husband was right beside me and heard everything, but they still lied to us and gaslit us. I’m a chef, and the French toast was made with stale, dry bread, had no flavor, and was soggy. The yogurt was the closest thing to edible. The orange juice tasted weird and upset my stomach. I wouldn’t order from the menu. We’d have been better off waiting and going out to eat. We’re really upset about feeling scammed. For that price, we expected better. In Canada, we’d have a really good stay for the same amount. We’ll never come back. Do yourselves a favor and stay at another hotel.

I usually book the Hilton hotel for my parents under my name without any trouble, but this time I tried this hotel because it’s also near the airport. My parents couldn’t check in since the booking was under my name. I called to change the name and was told to contact the site I booked through. The site said it couldn’t make the change, so I called the hotel back and was transferred to reservations. I explained the site couldn’t change it and asked what options I had. He left me on the call, and then it dropped, probably because he hung up. I won’t book here again. Customer service at the Hilton at the Mex airport is so much better.