Nowness

The view is wonderful, and I liked the establishment itself. Still, when I came in, the atmosphere felt heavy and a lot of things seemed strange. I got a warm welcome, but it felt fake, and the workers seemed really upset. Maybe that’s just how it is in Mexico, I don’t know, though I can understand it. The water in the rooms often didn’t work, and sometimes things like soap or a towel were missing, so I had to buy them separately.

The design is beautiful, I’ll give it that, but the place is uncomfortable and there’s pretty much no service. I can’t understand how this hotel dares to charge what it does. The rates are comparable to five-star luxury hotels, but don’t be fooled, this is a design-led bed and breakfast at most. The website and Instagram make it seem like a top hotel, so arriving to find it disappointing was really annoying. The doors are so thin you can hear everyone in the hallway. The windows aren’t insulated either, so the room gets chilly at night and you hear everything on the street. The shower takes ages to warm up, and the hot and cold settings were reversed. They said that was part of their “Wabi-Sabi Japanese Design Philosophy”. Yeah, right. Breakfast was served in an empty restaurant next door that was getting set up for lunch, so it wasn’t cozy or joyful at all. I’d still find the price excessive even if they charged half as much. It’s completely unacceptable to charge those rates for a product that isn’t even halfway there. Design isn’t everything in hospitality, and they seem to think it is.

We chose Maison Celeste because we like small boutique hotels that capture a city's character. From the website and photos, it seemed stylish, distinctive, and full of personality. I’d seen a few reviews about noise from the restaurant downstairs, so before our eight-night booking I emailed to ask for one of the quieter rooms. We had a few early starts planned for day trips. After more than 20 hours of travel, we opened our room to what sounded like a full techno party right below us. Music and crowd noise were so loud the old windows were literally shaking. Staff said they’d try to address it, but nothing really changed. They offered earplugs instead. Having earplugs already supplied in the room feels like a red flag. We were exhausted, so went to dinner and eventually fell asleep with them. The next day we bought proper wax earplugs ourselves. No one ever offered to move us to another room. The room also didn’t have enough storage for a nine-day stay: one small wardrobe with a few hangers and two drawers. The furniture was beautiful and authentic, but not practical for a longer visit. We kept most of our clothes in our suitcases the whole time. And the shower felt like a design disaster. The showerhead was so high up that barely any pressure reached you, and the water took around 10 minutes to heat. It felt like whoever designed it had never actually showered there. The wooden floors creaked loudly, which became a problem when one of us had to get up at 4 a.m. for a trip. The other person had no chance of staying asleep. Housekeeping was offered over WhatsApp several times but didn’t happen. We tried to order breakfast twice, and on our last morning, when we needed it before leaving, it never arrived. It seems to try very hard to be cool, funky, and edgy, with art shops, hipster events, and a creative concept. In the process, it seems to forget the basics of a boutique hotel: comfort, practicality, and looking after guests. To be fair, if you’re in your early 20s, plan to be out until 2 a.m. anyway, and like an artsy, party-adjacent atmosphere, it might suit you perfectly. But for a charming boutique stay where you can relax, sleep well, and unwind, I’d strongly suggest looking elsewhere.

The best thing about our stay was the service. The team were so attentive, and even made my sister, who wasn’t part of our booking, feel included. We loved the “Alba” suite as a family, and breakfast was a lovely extra. It’s an exquisite, beautiful building. We’d recommend it to anyone staying in CDMX.