Hotel Oaxaca Dorado

There were a few nice things: free parking in the hotel garage, a nice pool, a sunny, high-ceilinged public seating area, good free Wi-Fi (24 Mbps down and 9 Mbps up), and plenty of hot water. But the garage entrance is very narrow, so I wouldn't try taking an SUV or full-sized truck in there. The restaurant was just mediocre, and after checking in we drove around and saw what looked like much nicer hotels nearby for about the same price, including one right across the street. I definitely wouldn't call this a 4-star hotel. Even 3 stars would be a stretch. The front desk person wasn't especially friendly, the beds were extremely hard, and the bathroom was too small. You have to pay extra for air conditioning. Without it, the portable fan was too loud to sleep with. We could hear neighbors talking through the walls and people talking in the echoing cement hallway. I woke up with more than 30 mosquito bites, even though the patio door was never open. The TV only worked intermittently.

We didn't stay overnight, just bought a pool day pass. It cost 220 pesos for each adult and 160 per child, with around two-thirds of the price going toward food at the restaurant. The pool was clean and had a shallow section for kids. We had a great day, exactly what our whole family needed.

We spent a couple of really hot days in Oaxaca using the pool. It was refreshingly cold, and we had most of the place to ourselves for the day. The grounds were clean and well kept, and the service and attention were great. It was very affordable, 180 pesos each, with 140 going toward the food bill. We had delicious club sandwiches and a pitcher of agua fresca.

The pool is great, and I'd stay here again for it. I was here for a week during dia de los muertos, and this was the closest hotel I could get to town. But the wifi was pretty much unusable, for work and for regular browsing alike. I'd come back just for the pool.