Hotel Canek

The rooftop views and place to relax are pretty damn nice. The room was adequately furnished and very well air-conditioned, and the staff were friendly. We did have ants going up and down the ceiling, but they weren't bothering us, so I didn't mind. You get what you pay for here.

Tours can be booked across from the hostel, and breakfast isn't included. It's near the center but in a quiet area. The rooms are spacious, and everything is very clean and pretty. Not a good choice for solo travelers.

My travel companion and I picked this place while looking for a cheap room in Palenque. It was clean and nice, and cost only 200 pesos for the two of us. When I checked in, I asked an older woman who worked there, in my limited Spanish, whether breakfast was included. She said yes and listed the food. I understand more Spanish than I can speak, and I had no doubt she'd said, "si, incluido." In the morning, we ordered what they were offering in the kitchen, eggs, hot cakes, coffee, and tea. We exchanged a few pleasantries, ate, then went upstairs for our bags before checking out. When we came back down, a different woman in charge handed us a bill for 153 pesos. We explained, again in limited Spanish, that the older woman had told us the night before that breakfast was included, and that we thought there'd been a mistake. We asked her to call the woman who had checked us in, but she said she couldn't reach her. Then she got very loud and rude, insisted we had to pay, and threatened to call the police. She locked the front door so we couldn't leave. It was a small amount, but the principle mattered, and we felt this wouldn't have happened if we spoke Spanish natively. After a lot of arguing, she said the police were on their way. Two officers arrived, heard our poor explanation, sided with her, and said we'd have to pay or be arrested. We kept asking her to call the woman from the night before, but she didn't. Two more officers showed up, and things got out of hand. At one point, my friend had a handcuff around his wrist while I and another traveler begged the police to let us pay and leave. If this had happened in the States, I'd sue this damn hotel for putting us through all that insanity over a charge we hadn't been meant to pay. Travelers, beware. Better yet, avoid this place and its rude staff.

The rooms are very cheap, but the noise goes on all night. I didn't get a very good night's rest.