| Hotel Rating: |   | | Satisfaction: |   | | Reviews: 4 | Photos: 15 | | Avenida Ramon Corona 243 |
 | Guadalajara Hotel Morales Historical & Colonial Downtown Core Reviews | 1 - 4 of 4 |  |
 |
|
 |
 | Hotel Morales Historical & Colonial Downtown Core: Luxury on a Budget
|  |
 |
|
 |
I stayed at Hotel Morales for one night in May, 2008, and again for two nights at the end of June, 2008. Hotel Morales is centrally located in the heart of downtown Guadalajara, within walking distance of many major attractions and close to easy public transportation connections for attractions that are further away. There are some good restaurants nearby (La Chata and La Gorda are good for breakfast, La Maestranza is good for drinks and bar food, and La Fonda de San Miguel is good for dinner), as well as a restaurant in the hotel (oddly, I did sit there for about half an hour without anyone acknowledging me, so I just left and went elsewhere).
However, the best thing about Hotel Morales is the beautiful building and rooms. As soon as you enter you know you're in a nice hotel. The lobby is all dark stone, high ceilings and soft blue (!) lighting. There are lots of comfortable chairs in the lobby, and free wireless internet. The rooms are gorgeous as well. My first room had two queen-sized beds, a TV with many channels (including CNN and two other English news stations), two comfortable chairs and an iron and ironing board. The bathroom was gorgeous as well, with a separate toilet area and a large shower with views over the entire city and amaaaazing (for Mexico) water pressure. My second room had one king-sized bed and a bathroom without the cool window. Unfortunately, Hotel Morales has some trouble during the rainy season, and they were without hot water for my first night in June, then the TV cut in and out all afternoon before my second night. For the price I paid, I would not expect problems with hot water and cable.
Hotel Morales has similar prices to other hotels in the area, but is much, much more beautiful. Single rooms right now are 900 pesos (about $80 US/CAD) and double rooms are just a bit more. They also have suites for someone looking for something even posher! I'm quoting prices for cash payments, as it is significantly more expensive to use a credit card. Theme: HotelPrice: US$80-120 » Currency ConverterComparison: about averagePhone: 52 33 36 58 52 32Directions: A couple blocks south of Juarez and the Cathedral. One block east of 16 de Septiembre.Website: www.hotelmorales.com.mx
|
 | |  |
|
|
|
| Hotel Morales Historical & Colonial Downtown Core: Hotel in the Heart of the City
| |
|
|
|
Sometimes “plan B’s” do really work out for the best. Situated in the heart of Downtown Guadalajara, Mexico this newly renovated 4-stars hotel is a delight for all travelers, near and far. In a chaotic atmosphere of bustling taxies, moving buses, and on-the-move foot traffic, Hotel Morales provides a lovely escape from your everyday city living. Preserved to its original Colonial grandeur, the historical hotel offers a serene, calm and inviting environment without all the pretentious that you would expect to find from a hotel of this sort. The hotel boasts two open courtyards that perfectly accommodate Guadalajara’s year round “spring-like” weather. The outside terrace is prefect for the “taking it easy” moments on your trip; I suggest an early morning or late night of sipping coffee while overlooking the cityscape of Downtown. The building’s original arches and archways is a sight to behold, rooms and facilities have all been updated with modern conveniences to soothe any picky traveler. The onsite restaurant; El Ruedo doesn’t quite hold up on its own. The food lacked authenticity and flavor; but with so many surrounding restaurants near by your options are plentiful. Location plays a vital role for this hotel, as it is fortunate that almost everything is within 5 minutes away by taxi. Excursions to nearby cities such as Tlaquepaque and Tonala is only 20 minutes away by taxi, a must see for any Guadalajara trips as it is completely different from its downtown neighbor. If you prefer walking, simply allow yourself 10 minutes to get to the infamous Cathedral and the central plaza of downtown! And like all great businesses, the key to its success lies with the personnel. The support staffs are great and extremely helpful in making car rental arrangements, tours packages, fulfilling odds requests or simply recommending places to dine. Hotel Morales is a wonderful place to stay if you want to truly hear the heartbeat of Downtown Guadalajara.
Service: 9
Location: 9
Room: 9
Budget/Value: 8
A great find in such a large city
|
| | |
|
|
|
| Hotel Morales Historical & Colonial Downtown Core: Interior Rooms
| |
|
|
|
Initially, I thought that Guadalajara would be like Mexico City with a huge supply of hotels that I could pick and choose between. As it turned out, nothing seemed to meet all of my criteria. The Morales sounded like it would do nicely, but the exterior view and a couple comments tended to give the impression that the hotel was a bit old. Taking the taxi from the bus station to the hotel, I knew we'd reached the center of town when I saw some horse drawn carriages by a park. Making a note to come back to the park for the pictures, I was pleasantly surprised that the taxi stopped at my hotel with the park just across the street. There is a convenience store (OXXO) just half a block away across the street from the front of the hotel. Any worry about the condition of the hotel vanished when I walked into the lobby. I thought with an interior room that this would be the quietest room of the vacation. Unfortunately, the hotel sponsors a Mariachi band that plays in the atrium from 7:30pm - 10pm weekdays. The noise was enough to drown out my TV until I turned up the volume much higher. Drinking water was supplied in one medium sized bottle. Air conditioning was provided but was not required. In fact, since this was an interior room with the window looking out to the courtyard instead of outdoors, the room stayed at a constant cool temperature throughout the day and night. These were the firmest beds of my entire trip in a country renowned for firm beds. A TV remote and A/C remote were provided upon check-in although no deposit was required.
The best price I found for February 2008 was on Hotels.ca%L at US$82. After taxes and service fees this ended up costing US$94. I prepaid Hotels.ca, meaning that my credit card was charged immediately, but there was no problem with the reservation or any extra fees at the hotel. Arriving at the hotel, I was asked if I would like to open an account with my credit card at check-in, but I declined. Eventually, I had to open an account because I wanted to make an 800 number call (to Canada Direct). They charge 5 pesos / 5 minutes for 800 number calls so at check-out I owed them an additional 10 pesos. Leaving the hotel for the bus station, a hotel staff member drove me using the hotel van but still charged me 100 pesos. I didn't mind since 100 pesos is what I was charged by the regular taxi when I arrived from the bus station to the hotel.
|
| | |
 | 1 |  |
|
|
