Location, Location, Location and Large space!
I stayed in this large condo for the Christmas Holiday. The main reason I booked it was for its ideal location and large bedrooms with multiple sleeping options. Our hosts communicated very quickly with us. Our checkin and checkout was fantastic and easy. We very much appreciated the ability to leave our luggage after checkout so we could have more time in the city. The location is a 5 minute walk to the Zocalo and about a 15-20 minute walk to Bellas Artes. There is a wonderful bakery Panadería Madrid just a 2 minute walk away that also sells coffee for morning breakfasts. A large pharmacy is right across the street for any medical emergency. The building is easy to access with a card and having an elevator is a definite plus! I was traveling with kids and felt very safe. The condo itself was also safe for kids/toddlers- no stairs, no verandah and no access to an outside space where they could fall/run into the street. The beds are comfortable and every room has an AC unit for summer. The bedrooms are also very good size- there was plenty of room for luggage and to move around. The showers are large and there is plenty of hot water and towels. Lots of closet space and there was a iron and ironing board. The WiFi worked well. There was a nice TV, but we only turned it on once. We ordered Tacos Al Pastor Especial from El Huequito and they were second best only to Buturini. We also enjoyed the chicken tortas from the Elkar Restaurant which is literally across the street. The best place in the condo was the large bank of windows and all the sunlight that flooded through and the beautiful sunsets. We could see the Torre Latinoamérica from both the master bedroom and the living room. Across the street the building is shorter than the 5th floor so you also have some privacy. Overall a great place:
Issues with the condo which might be of interest to other travelers are listed below:
1. No hairdryer ( we did not request one so it may be available upon request)
2. Cups and plates only available for 6 people (the condo sleeps 10-11) so we had to rotate breakfast in shifts and wash.
3. There is very limited cook ware and cooking amenities - now why you would cook when you are surrounded by fantastic eateries is beyond me but if you WERE planning on cooking this kitchen is lacking.
4. One of the nicest things in this condo is the huge set of windows looking out into the city, but the windows were very dirty. The window treatments were also very industrial plastic/cheap shades but it at least did give you privacy.
5. There were a couple of really cold days and there is no central heating (old building). They did not have an abundance of blankets, but they did have one space heater that we used in the master bedroom that kept us warm.
6. Many of the outlets to plug in phones did not work.
7. We had a lot of difficulty managing the temperature of the master shower -either too hot or too cold. We gave up and all took showers in the hall bathroom. (In all honesty we never called the doorman to ask how to manage it)
8. Very very noisy master bedroom which is to be expected as you are in downtown. But if you are a light sleeper you should avoid front bedroom. The back bedrooms were much quieter.
9. Although it was advertised that the building had a washer and dryer, we were told we could not do laundry until after 5 pm. Well....we were out sightseeing every afternoon/evening or just ducking in to change for dinner so we were not able to use laundry services. I checked out the laundry room- it’s on the second floor in an open air well. It was free so that is a plus. I did not like the restricted hours for laundry.
10. The door to the apartment has a flimsy lock. It should definitely have a deadbolt.
11. There is no drinkable water in the apartment. It would be nice if they had a big bottle of water (garrafón) were you could refill personal water bottles. We had to buy a case of plastic water bottles and store in fridge.
Overall I would call this a budget modern downtown apartment. This is not a luxury apartment. However, it was clean and it is difficult to find a downtown condo that accommodates a large family.