Pensión Zocalo

The listing photos on apps like airbnb or booking don't match the setup. The bathroom, kitchen and living room aren't integrated or private as implied, they're down a shared hallway. The common hallways also had a strong, unpleasant smell. It wasn't clean when we arrived. There was hair on the bathroom floor and sink, extensive mold in the shower, sticky kitchen surfaces, and neglected-looking floors in the living area. The blankets smelled musty, as if they hadn't been washed. This was well below basic hygiene and comfort, and nothing like the pictures.

The location is excellent, but it isn't worth staying here if cleanliness matters to you. The floors looked like they hadn't been mopped in months, the linens were stained, bugs infested the bed, and gnats were flying around everywhere. Google's photos are misleading and don't show the actual condition. It's advertised as a hotel, but it's more like a hostel, and not a good one. I wouldn't recommend it unless they make serious improvements.

The room was tiny, with only a bed, and the bed smelled bad and made me itchy. A broken window opened right onto a loud, busy road. I got about four hours of sleep across two days before deciding to leave. The bathroom is shared with about 30 or more people, has no seat, and smells bad from the toilets and cannabis. When I rang the hotel's doorbell, a rude security guard told me to leave and said it wasn't a hotel. I've heard claims that staff steal things, and that a young man died in one of the rooms last year and they apparently stole from him too. The area feels unsafe. I'd recommend a hostel in Roma or Condesa instead. It's cheap, but not worth it. Stay away.

At around $10 a night, the price is hard to beat if all you want is a basic twin mattress and a roof. I don't remember the exact cost. This place is bare bones, so don't expect luxuries. The rooms are only a little bigger than closets. My bed seemed okay, but the pillow was lumpy, the floor wasn't very clean, and you need to bring your own towels. The shared bathrooms are a little scary and not very clean. The toilets have no seats, and the ceiling above the toilet in my hall leaked one day. The light in my room crackled, and the internet was weak. Some staff were okay, while others seemed oddly unfriendly. The neighborhood didn't seem safe at night, though I felt reasonably safe in my room and hallway.