Residence L'heritage Hipólito Taine by Bluebay

We arrived late at night with our family and found there was no receptionist. The security guard couldn’t find either our reservation or my brother-in-law’s, despite both being booked well in advance. We were told there were no rooms left. The hotel had confirmed beforehand that our late arrival around 11 pm was fine. We’d booked several weeks earlier at a good early-bird rate, but it was high season by then and prices had risen. It seemed the hotel had sold all four rooms, leaving us on the street around 11:30 pm with small children, an elderly person, and other adults. At 1 am we couldn’t book through Booking.com or other sites because it counted as the next day, and we had no way to call around. Eventually we found a hotel about 30 minutes from where we’d planned to stay. The hotel had been told we’d be late, and had said that was okay. This was a terrible experience. Avoid it if you don’t want to end up in the same situation.

The rooftop lounge was the one real bright spot, and Juana, the morning chef, was lovely. She made delicious omelets with care. There were snacks and nice music, and the staff were pleasant, though their answers weren’t helpful. Still, we left a few days early after finishing our business in Mexico City, even though we knew we’d lose money. Our first room felt unsafe and wasn’t clean, and the second was only okay, with many of the same problems. I went too long without a shower, especially after a long flight day. There was no cleaning service during our stay. The windows had no screens, so I got mosquito bites or some other itchy bumps every evening. With no A/C, it was either open the window or roast. Wi-Fi was spotty and needed content check. Water pressure was low but tolerable, and the shower’s open floor drain felt unsafe. The closet drawers didn’t work, and there was an iron but no ironing board. The safe was small and not installed, so it wasn’t useful. The room also had no entry code. The room itself was just okay, and the advertised Wi-Fi didn’t work properly. The TV depended on it, so that didn’t work either. There was one fan that needed attention; the front desk found another, but it only ran on high. I found long hairs around the room and gum stuck to the floor. Residence L' Heritage Hipólito Taine by BlueBay could be charming, and the Polanco location was good, but that isn’t enough reason to stay here. The building could be a solid affordable option, yet the management seemed to lack direction and structure, and there didn’t seem to be a qualified project or housekeeping manager. Construction happened daily and at odd hours, so it wasn’t restful. Contractors left their things scattered around, making the front desk area loud and messy. It felt extremely unprofessional. I’d seen similar complaints from others and felt sorry for the building itself.

The service was great and the staff stayed on top of things. Juana Torres from the restaurant made me the best egg sandwich I’ve ever had for breakfast. The location is great too, and felt very safe for tourists.

The terrace and its view are great, and breakfast was good, with an omelette station and free afternoon snacks. Fernanda served us really well and has a great attitude. Rooms are large, with clean, comfortable beds, though simply furnished and basic overall. A good choice if comfort is what you’re after and you don’t need anything fancy.