Hostal Ciudad de Mexico

The hostel's shared kitchen and bathrooms were filthy throughout my stay. The kitchen was grimy, with cockroaches all over the counters and near the cooking areas, making it impossible to prepare food without seeing them. That's a serious health hazard. The bathrooms were neglected too. You'd need to bring cleaning supplies to sanitize surfaces before using them. The no-smoking policy wasn't enforced either. Common areas constantly smelled of cigarette smoke, and it seeped into the dorms. I'm sensitive to smoke and found it unbearable. Anyone with asthma, allergies, or another respiratory condition should find somewhere else to stay. The lack of cleanliness and smoke-filled atmosphere made this stay at Hostal Ciudad de México deeply disappointing and concerning. I can't recommend it.

For the cheap price, you get a small room with a bedside table, and that's about it. The staff were nice enough, but the door didn't feel secure. Showers are shared and there's no hot water. The worst part for us was the vinegar smell throughout the halls, which got into everything. My mom ended up looking for another hotel, and we left. You could manage one night if all you need is sleep, but I'd pay a little more to feel less worried about someone breaking through the door or wall, or roaches crawling onto your face. If a prison-like feel doesn't bother you, then the price is okay.

We got there in the middle of the night after a delayed 13-hour flight, and the place was so disgusting I still feel sick thinking about it. There was no running water, and the toilets were dirty and revolting. I wouldn't have showered there even if water had been available. In the first room, the bed was filthy. The sheet looked old and used, with what looked like bed bug feces visible underneath it. We asked to move. The new sheet was changed, but the bed was still dirty and had bed bugs again. We sat there until 7am, then booked somewhere else and ran as soon as it was light enough to leave safely. Take earplugs if you stay, since by 4am you can hear traffic right outside the wall, and there's no window. Bring an eye mask too: the only window is a gap above the door that lets corridor light in. The place also reeks of cigarette smoke, so you smell it everywhere. Don't book this place.

For the cheapest hostel we could find, it was okay for the money, though it wasn't a nice stay. The location is handy, right in the historic center beside a metro station and an Oxxo for groceries. The WiFi was okay, and the bed was clean and comfortable, even though the shared bathroom wasn't great. Staff weren't very friendly. We had a double room with almost no furniture, and what little there was was a bit broken. The walls were thin and dirty. Basically, the bare minimum in every way, but the price was good.