Hotel 41 Valladolid

The pool courtyard feels like a little oasis, and we still enjoyed swimming to cool off. Our car felt safe parked beside the hotel. The rooms are set around the back pool area, so although the hotel is on the main road, we barely noticed the traffic. There's free Wi-Fi, but the speed and range were poor. Our room smelled strongly of mold, had ants on the floor, and the toilet kept leaking. The host insisted the water came from the shower, but it kept appearing around the toilet even after we mopped it up, and nobody had used the shower beforehand. We put down a towel and left it. We each got one towel, with no smaller one for wiping hands by the sink. There weren't any hooks to hang things on, which seems common in Mexico. The pool and its surrounding area were a bit dirty, with lots of ants around. The sink and shower had weak water pressure and mostly warm water, which can hurt if you have sunburn. The hotel seems poorly maintained. Still, it's a decent budget option if you just need somewhere to sleep for the night.

The garden and pool area was lovely and relaxing to sit in, and breakfast was great: eggs with ham, toast or fruit, plus coffee or tea. The room was plain but very clean. I would have preferred a better door lock, since the rooms can be reached from both the street and an alley.

The staff were kind and even offered to lower the price or cancel our booking altogether when they saw how upset we were. That was thoughtful, but the room had mold in two spots and smelled strongly of damp and mold. The pool was dirty too, and I can't imagine wanting to swim in it. Breakfast was included and really good.

I really liked the pool and the chill-out area, though the room needed work. There was mold in the bathroom and no mirror, and the bedroom lighting was poor with a lamp that didn't work. Also, watch the stop signs at the roundabout outside. Police are often there waiting to charge tourists, while locals seem to ignore the signs.