Hotel Boutique Casa Garay

We stayed in Don Elvira on the third floor. Rooms in the main building have king beds, while the twin rooms are in the rear, and the hotel is very quiet. Our stay included an American breakfast, though we often switched to the Mexican one and always asked to swap regular coffee for cappuccinos or pay extra for them. Casa Garay feels more like a pension than a boutique hotel, but the service is super friendly and the location is right by Benito Juarez Market and Pasillo de Humo. Shout out to Yesca and Isaac at reception, Ramona and Nubia in housekeeping, and Huyrt from the kitchen and wait staff. He was an absolute delight. How many servers sing and skip around while working?

The rooftop was a wonderful place to unwind in the evening, and the hotel is central and easy to explore on foot from. Our deluxe king room was spacious, clean, and well kept, with an iron, hair dryer, filtered water, a fridge, and a large bathroom. The only drawback was that hot water in the shower wasn’t always available. Otherwise, a lovely stay.

The staff were pleasant, informative, and went out of their way to help us enjoy our visit. The hotel is right in the middle of town, so we could walk almost everywhere. I heard the building is over 100 years old, which may explain why some amenities aren’t as modern as tourists expect. Still, everything worked and was clean. I’d definitely stay here again.

We booked four nights but left after two for another hotel. The bed was like a rock, with lumpy potatoes on top. There was no hot water, and even the cold water occasionally stopped. We found dirty towels behind the bathroom door, the towels were stiff and worn, and there were several hairs in the bed under the covers. Any one problem might have been forgivable, but together it was too much. We left two nights early.