Hotel Gala Oaxaca

The colonial building looks lovely, and the staff were friendly and accommodating. The location is great. Our room, though, was tiny, with only two usable electrical outlets. The two twin beds felt like sleeping on a rock, and both windows looked onto an interior hallway, which wasn’t great for privacy.

The location is great, but the rooms are noisy and bare bones. In room 106, the ceiling fan was a relief in the heat until I switched it on and its unstable glass light cover fell and shattered across the floor and beds. Keep the fan on low, because at higher speeds it’s so loud it sounds like a helicopter. There’s mold all over the shower, and just one outlet in the room and one in the bedroom. Rooms facing the main road get noise all day, late at night, and early in the morning. The government building across the street has security and police there 24/7, and you can hear them talking at night. For what you pay, they could maintain the furniture and rooms better, even if upgrading them or providing a hand towel isn’t possible.

You’re mostly paying for the fantastic location. The rest is very bare bones: no hand towel or bath mat, just two small towels for the shower. The double bed felt quite small, and the hotel echoes, so doors closing and people talking in the hallway carry loudly.

There are two restaurants with terrace seating and traditional menus, and room service is available. The modest rooms have free Wi-Fi, flat-screen TVs, and original artwork; suites add a separate living room with a pull-out sofa. The baroque Church of Santo Domingo de Guzmán is a 9-minute walk away, and the 17th-century Basilica of Our Lady of Solitude is 10 minutes on foot.