Hotel Class: 
2.5 Stars - 3 Opinions
2500 Lazaro Cardenas Ave., Piedras Negras, Coahuila, 26060, Mexico
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of people enjoy staying here
3 Opinions
Fort Duncan, Eagle Pass, Texas
Gran Plaza de los Heroes
The Rio Grande: Mexico/Left - U.S.A./Right
Our Lady of Guadalupe
I was recently in Piedras Negras for a day of shopping, eating and drinking. I came home quite disappointed. The Zaragoza Mercado was horrible. Very few true Mexican crafts and a lot of t-shirts. Plus it was empty of customers. For quite a
while it appeared as if me and the 3 other people I was with were the only people
there. On top of all that, the prices were outrageous and the vendors didn't seem
at all receptive to bargaining. Several of the vendors also came across as rude.
Almost as if they didn't want our business. Very much unlike my past experiences
in Nuevo Laredo and Nuevo Progresso.
Went across the street to the Moderno for a couple of beers and a plate of nachos. It
is very nice, but the lack of windows makes it feel a bit dungeon like. Went further into
town to eat at the El Rancho Steakhouse. Not bad, but definitely not great. I wish
I would have stayed at Moderno.
Lastly, it was Dies y Seis and there was really nothing going on. At least not in the
Mercado or the plaza that is down the street from the Mercado.
I can't help but feel that I totally missed the boat. Are there any other places in
Piedras Negras to shop that would have provided a larger and better variety of items?
If so where?
At this point, I would never consider going back to Piedras Negras, nor would I
recommend it.
Should I have gone to Acuna instead?????
Keith
PS. The Kickapoo Casino just outside of Eagle Pass is fairly lame. Hold'em poker
and slots only. No other table games of any type.
What you describe about the prices and selection of merchandise in Piedras Negras, is going on all along the border. Things are changing economically, so there are no longer the good deals of the past. Most liquor is not much cheaper in border towns than it is in the U.S. The only good deals left in border towns now are drinking in bars and eating in smaller restaraunts. Even a lot of border hotels have rates equivalant to the U.S.
On the Texas border, the towns with the best deals are Cuidad Juarez, Nuevo Progresso and Nuevo Laredo. Cuidad Acuna is one of the most expensive, but has great night life.
Marc
Marc,
Thanks for your reply. After rereading my original email, I realized that I went on a bit
of a tyraid. Sorry to everyone who reads it.....
I should of kept it short a sweet. My real quetions were this.....
Is there more to Piedras Negras that I just missed? Is it a victom of everything that
is going on with the situation in Nuevo Laredo? Why so few tourists in what I would
categorize as one of the cleanest mexican cities that I have ever been in? It just seems
ideal for a rich tourist industry.
Keith
Keith,
The entire border is probably a victim in some degree to the violence in Nuevo Laredo. Also, the border was changing even before those problems began to surface. A lot of cheap Chinese goods are flooding the streets and shops, so it appears there are fewer Mexican hand crafts and such because of it.
As far as your comment:
" On top of all that, the prices were outrageous and the vendors didn't seem at all receptive to bargaining. Several of the vendors also came across as rude. Almost as if they didn't want our business."
This is very strange, and hasn't been my experience. The prices have been high all along the border for a few years now, but they always beg for your business.I was in Tijuana a couple of weeks ago, and will be in Cuidad Acuna this weekend. In Tijuana they were very eager for business, and more than willing to negotiate, even when prices were marked.I wonder if your experience was due to the fact it was a national holiday (diez y seis) and maybe they didn't want to be working. Regardless, I wouldn't let this experience sour you on the border. Try exploring towns you've never been to and see what you think.
Marc
Piedra Negras is a city of close to a quarter of a million people, yet in the city center one has the sense of being in a much smaller town. The largest and most impressive building in Piedra Negras is the City Hall, across the street and to the west of Gran Plaza de los Heroes. Traffic in front of City Hall was fairly heavy, and I had to stand and wait for several minutes to get this clear photo of the building.
Many of you who have visited Mexican border towns have come to expect a couple of things simply lacking from Piedras Negras. There are not curio shops and peddlers on every street corner or shops geared directly at so called tourist. Piedras is one of the only towns that has not been affected by the flow of Americans coming and going. These People have continued to live there lives and don't really need your money to survive day to day.
Piedras is made up of hard working, low income families that relay on their skills for a living. The people have dedicated one area of downtown, the Zaragoza Market for you tourist who simply must see the Mexican crafts and enjoy buying the knickknacks you come to treasure. To truly experience Piedras Negras go into the city and discover a community were life is simply simple.
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Q: Border Crossing "Is there a parking lot on the US side so you don't have to bring your car over?"
A: "If you google "piedras negras parking lot at us border" you will find a couple of sites, one is actually written by a VT member, that will give you some guidance."
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Address: 2500 Lazaro Cardenas Ave., Piedras Negras, Coahuila, 26060, Mexico
