Hotel El Palomar

This really is a very nice hotel with very nice and spacious rooms. Ours (#10) was a two room suite with two bathrooms, sitting area with a lovely view and a separate bedroom. Plenty of room and the view was a 12 out of 10. The sitting room doors open up to a view of the entire city and of course the church! Bed, linens, shower, towels and other amenities were all top-notch and incredibly comfortable. Made service daily and fresh waters every day. The location is just about 3-4 blocks off the main square and slightly up hill the last two blocks. Once in the courtyard there are another 20-25 steps or so to get to the first floor rooms and elevator. These steps are not optional, you must climb them to access the first floor, so beware if this is an issue for you. There is coffee & tea service on the main floor in the morning. I am an espresso drinker, so unfortunately this didn't offer too much value for us. But, plenty of coffee shops within 3-4 blocks and even a Starbucks on the main square if that is your jam. There is a restaurant on the top floor of the hotel and it is lovely with pretty good food. We were slightly disappointed in our first meal there, but for the most part it is good and they have a decent selection of beers, tequila and mezcal if you are into that. Beware that if you stay on the third floor (units 8,9 & 10) the moving of chairs in the restaurant rings loudly within your room. So, if you are a light sleeper and are planning to go to bed before the restaurant shuts down, do not get a room on the 3rd floor. There is some parking but very limited to just about 5 cars or so. So, call ahead and make sure they will have room for your car if you have one. Parking in SMA looked to be a miserable experience, so not sure what options you would have if the hotel lot is full.

We got upgraded to a high floor - room 8. It affords a fantastic view of the city and is very spacious as it has a separate living room. The description says it has a heated swimming pool but it does NOT. Nor is there a gym. It’s centrally located just about 5-7 minutes from the center of town. The bus #8 or 9 run just outside the hotel and go further up to the Lookout if you want to save yourself the hike up. Local buses only cost 8 pesos. The drivers give change. There’s no refrigerator nor microwave oven anywhere so be prepared. Breakfast is served by going to one of their affiliated restaurants nearby. There are two. Better to go to the one just 1 block North of the hotel on Mesón street. It’s less crowded, gives much bigger portions and much faster service. Remember that room 8 offers the very best views. Howard S.