On my first trip to Mexico City, I stayed for a week at the Hotel Isabel, which was centrally located, inexpensive, and had lots of character and charm. The hotel, located a few blocks from the Zócalo has all the architectural decadence you would hope for in the Centro Historico; entrances to many of the rooms overlook a central courtyard adorned with plants and painted brightly. During the day, when this part of Mexico City is crowded with both vehicular and pedestrian traffic, this courtyard remains quiet and calm, and nice place for a rest before you head out to visit the Templo Mayor.
I spent two nights alone at the hotel (at a rate of 230 pesos per night) back in 2006, before I was joined by a friend and spent five days in a larger room (350 for the double). Alone and visiting Mexico City for the first time, I relied heavily on the hotel’s taxi service when I traveled around at night. He charged me more than twice what a normal street taxi would, but I was paying for peace of mind, as well as for conversation. I don’t know if their night taxi is driven by the same man three years later, but he was a kind older gentleman (as are most street taxi drivers, to be clear) who made suggestions of what neighborhoods would be fun to visit at night. (More info on taxis in Mexico City through this link.)
The rooms I saw (both the two I stayed in and those I peeked at while they were being cleaned by the housekeeping staff) all had dramatically high ceilings, but otherwise were very humble. Walls were painted neutral tones, floors were clean, beds were neat, mattresses firm. That bathrooms had showers, not tubs, that flowed into drains on the tiled floors. (This is a common set-up in inexpensive hotels in Mexico.) There was a faint musty smell in the bathrooms of both rooms I stayed in, but nothing too unpleasant. The furniture is far from fancy, but unlike other cheap hotels I’ve seen in Mexico City, the sheets on the bed were not paper thin.
The hotel is connected to a restaurant and bar that offers moderately priced food and drinks if you are too weary to go out to eat at the end of a busy day. I didn’t have a chance to eat at their restaurant (especially since there are so many other delicious options in the area), but other guests had positive things to say about it. Computers with internet access are available in the lobby. At times there was a short wait since there were only a couple of computers, but never longer than a few minutes. The staff was friendly and helpful. I can’t speak specifically to how gay-friendly the staff is, except to say that the hotel seems to be popular among young travelers, including gays and lesbians. Also, although the friend I stayed with in the hotel was not a girlfriend, I suspect that we did look like a lesbian couple on vacation, and no one in the hotel even batted an eye at us.
Hotel Isabel is located a short walk from several metro stations, the nearest of which is Isabel La Catolica, and many popular tourist attractions, such as the Catedral Metropolitano, Palacio de Bellas Artes, and the Torre Latino (Mexico’s first sky-scraper). It’s also a stones throw from El Moro, a fabulous churrería and a great place to go for a cup of Mexican hot chocolate, and La Pagoda, which has excellent and inexpensive chilaquiles and comida corrida. The streets around the hotel get pretty empty late at night, but during the day, the streets are crowded with tourists and locals.
I recommend this hotel without hesitation to those who are not picky about luxury accomodations and are looking for an affordable hotel in the Centro Historico.
Hotel Isabel; http://www.hotel-isabel.com.mx/index.html, Isabel La Católica 63 (corner of Republica del Salvador), Centro Histórico; phone: (0155) 5518 1213, fax (0155) 5521 1233; email: reservaciones@hotel-isabel.com.mx