Hotel Monaco

The room faced the street, and this is a really busy, LOUD area. All the honking can make it hard to sleep, so I’d ask for an interior room. That wasn’t the hotel’s fault, though. Otherwise, I can’t recommend the place enough. For context, I’m Estadounidense, originally from the San Francisco area, and now live in Tijuana, Mexico. I stayed Wednesday through Sunday in early June, 2024, after booking the room with my Volaris flight from TJ. It came to about $40 USD a night. Rooms were clean, staff friendly, and security was good. This is a nice little hotel in the heart of Cuauhetémoc, with a great location, clean rooms and good value. You’re here for the location, not the amenities. Colonia Buenavista is in the middle of Cuauhetémoc, the center of CDMX and home to many of the main visitor sights. Unless you have mobility issues, forget the car. Even then, Uber may be better. The transit system is on par with London’s, one of the best in the world, but much cheaper. Rides were 5 pesos (~$0.30 USD at posting). There’s a Metro station on the same block as the hotel, and several others within a10 minute walk, giving you direct access to most lines. Ave. Hidalgo, a major artery, is one block south and has lots of bus routes. Most places you’ll want to visit are 20-25 minutes away by transit, often less, and it seemed like the whole DF could be reached by Metro or Bus. The immediate area felt pleasant and safe to me, though it’s not upscale. It didn’t seem very dangerous either. It is very busy and urban. If you want to pay $800 USD a night to avoid city inconveniences, I’m sure CDMX has that. For regular travelers on real budgets, who want to connect with a city’s sights, culture and people, this seemed ideal. There’s a lovely little park across the street, in front of an attractive church. I’d take my morning coffee and cigarettes there (I believe the hotel is smoke-free), then have an evening coffee and cigar in the park too. I spent around 2-3 hours there every day, at different times from 6:00 to 23:00. No problems, and I met some interesting people. I was asked for money a number of times but never felt unsafe. If seeing people who are less fortunate makes you anxious, that’s your issue. Give or don’t, it’s up to you. Still, acknowledge them. Acting like people don’t exist is an insult to their humanity. The park is a lovely place to enjoy coffee and the air, along with the car horns. There’s heaps of street food nearby. I got to try Tlacoyos for the first time, thick pieces of blue masa grilled with toppings of your choice. Turns out I’m a chorizo y queso man. Delicious, and fun to sit on the little stools and BS with locals. I can’t even pass for Mexican in Tijuana. There are plenty of tortas and tacos too. I ate at a restaurant just once because the street food was so good and cheap. My favorite places were Chapultepec and the incredible National Anthropology Museum there. If your kids like morbid stuff, they’ll love it. I did too. For something more sophisticated, the Museos Soumaya and Jumex are art museums, one focused on classical art, the other modern. Centro is cool and unquestionably beautiful. Outside Cuauhetémoc, I really liked Coyoacan, a charming, tranquil place to explore. All reachable by Metro. For sports fans, several Liga MX soccer/fútbol clubs are a Metro ride away. The Diablos Rojos are the baseball team. Their stadium is great, and the concessions are incredible. Metro again.