El Arrayan

The staff were attentive and very friendly, and the place was warm, comfortable, and clean. It was also a good price and excellent value. The street was quiet and easy to access, with the city center and services nearby and the bus station just one block away. The hotel has been newly renovated, so everything felt new. Our clean room had a great bed, restored rustic wooden furniture, a good TV with Netflix, and perfect Wi-Fi. There was a large window looking out on the small garden, and the renovated bathroom was clean and new too. A great find!

I wish I could give zero stars. The service was awful. We booked through Booking.com, where it said payment was due on arrival. We've used the app before without trouble. When we called to confirm, they demanded the deposit in advance, saying the app wasn't processing things properly, even though the hosts are responsible for providing that information. The photos on Booking.com and Maps were completely different. For six years, I've seen claims that the place is “under renovation,” but there was only rubble at the entrance. The listing said there was a “pool or water park,” but there isn't one. They blamed the app again, despite being the ones who supply the listing details. The “receptionist,” if that's what she was, was rude and arrogant when we arrived politely. We called the “owner” to explain why we were canceling, given our dissatisfaction and the misleading claims. He rudely refused to refund our money, saying it was “a Booking.com problem,” and challenged us to show him where the promises were listed. After we hung up and searched for the listing again, it wouldn't load at first. Then the photos and the “Amenities” had been deleted. My first visit to Valle de Bravo left a terrible taste in my mouth.

Rates per night are moderate, and the place is easy to get to. It's very quiet indoors, with no outside noise. The property is still growing, but that didn't affect our stay. Parking is quite limited, though the street is wide and feels safe.

The staff treated us very well, and the room, service, and location were all quite good. It's around three blocks from the kiosk. We did have a couple of issues: the hot water cooled off quickly, and the bathroom exhaust fan wasn't working.