Hotel Tajín

Even after getting an upgraded room, it felt like it was from 1980. The mattress was hard as a slab, and the bathroom had mold and a musty smell.

The lobby and pool area were lovely and well kept, and the staff were hospitable. The location is the best part, with the town square just down the street. Our room had what we needed, but it was clearly old and in need of a lot of TLC. It also didn’t look like the picture, and it seems some rooms are nicer than others. I expected a bit more from the rooms.

We paid $750 pesos for two people and had a king room with a desk, chair, bench, and open closet with a few hangers. The front desk staff were helpful with our requests. It’s near the Center and within walking distance of what you need, but it’s on a hill, so there’s always a climb in one direction or the other. There are lots of stairs up to the lobby and no nearby parking unless you find a spot on the street. They arranged a parkade down the road for our motorbikes, which meant a short walk. The room had air conditioning and hot water, though the shower sprayed water all over the bathroom. You also need to keep the drain cover over the shower drain when it’s not in use. The room smelled odd, and the window faced the hotel’s mechanical equipment. The hotel was mostly quiet, but the hallway got noisy very early both mornings. On the second morning the water stopped for a little while, so we couldn’t flush the toilet, brush our teeth, or shower. They fixed it pretty quickly.

It’s close to everything and a decent place to stay. There’s air conditioning but no elevator. I preferred the room on the third floor to the one on the first. The pool wasn’t in service.