Hotel Tulijá Express Palenque

Thanks to the attentive, professional staff for making my Christmas trip to Palenque memorable. It was an excellent hotel for travelers.

Come here if you want to see the differences for yourself, maybe you'll rate it five stars. Breakfast was more like an “earlymare” than a nightmare, a crowded market, and the quality was a real concern.

A large, modern property with a big pool and a courtyard bar. The staff were helpful, and the location was good.

The room was clean and spacious, but noisy, and finding it was confusing. Stickers on the walls point in different directions, with room numbers mixed up. For example, room 321 was on the third floor, opposite rooms marked as being on the fourth. The location is handy for the town's main area and an easy walk to the bus station, with the ruins a short drive away. That convenience also means it's busy and noisy around the hotel. The parking lot is limited and laid out poorly. People park however they like, and it seemed hotel staff used most of the spaces for their own cars and motorcycles. I booked through Expedia, and breakfast wasn't included. At check-in, the receptionist went through the rules in a way that felt like a reading of my rights: no breakfast, and no bringing food into the hotel. It came across as a warning not to bring anything from the supermarket across the street. We were given a key card with an orange sticker showing our room number, plus separate remotes for the AC and TV. The AC remote didn't work. Someone came by and said it needed configuring, while we waited in a very hot room. The pool was packed when we arrived. The next morning, I could smell chlorine from the third floor. The water wasn't exactly murky, but it wasn't clear or inviting either. At 7:10 in the morning, the restaurant was still closed for breakfast, though staff were inside. They hurried to open it for us, but nothing was ready and they seemed to be in a meeting. We were apparently the first guests, and the place was supposed to be cleaned and ready. Instead, our assigned table had crumbs from the previous day and visible food stains on the cloth. The waiter noticed I'd seen them and quickly brushed off the crumbs with his hands. That cost them their cleanliness badge for me. At checkout, we had to return both remotes. Then they kept us waiting while someone checked whether the TV, sheets, and towels were still in the room and whether we'd broken anything. Only after that check did the receptionist say we could go. On top of all this, they promised to issue a fiscal invoice for our stay's expenses, but the service overall left me disappointed.