Hostel Amigo Suites: "Dorms and Private Rooms by the Zocalo" Mexico City Hotel Tip by Jetgirly

I stayed at Hostel Amigo Suites for four nights in December 2011. I spent three nights in a four-bed dorm room with ensuite bathroom, and the last night in a private double room with attached private bath.

The hostel is spread over four floors in a heritage building next to the Secretariat of Education, about two blocks from the Zocalo. The location is excellent for access to both the Zocalo and Allende metro stations, sightseeing near the Zocalo, street food and Diego Rivera murals (located in the Secretariat next door, with free entrance through the door around the corner). Both rooms I stayed in were very clean. While the dorm room was simple and basic, the double room was decorated in a cute style. On the first day I was the only person in my dorm room and I was unable to get hot water in the morning, but when I alerted the hostel staff they immediately had a number of workmen on the repair and the hot water was flowing within ten minutes. The rate you pay includes both breakfast and dinner. Breakfast was usually quite simple, with fruit, cereal, yogurt, coffee and milk. Dinners included a basic salad, a cooked vegetable dish or pasta, and a meat dish. All food is served on the covered rooftop patio, which can get chilly. There is also a bar on the rooftop patio, which brings me to my only complaint...

... Considering that Hostel Amigo Suites is a slightly more "upscale" partner hostel to Hostel Amigo, a well-known party hostel nearby, I had hoped the suites would be quieter. Bizarrely, however, the Suites are even louder than the party hostel! Music from the rooftop bar is pumped loudly until the early hours of the morning, and guests in the top-floor private rooms receive complimentary ear plugs, but those in dorm rooms do not. My dorm room was actually several floors below the rooftop patio and victim to a different type of noise- the constantly-ringing doorbell all night, plus loud laughter from front desk staff working the night shift. Noise is a pretty significant issue at this hostel, so light or average sleepers should bring ear plugs. Otherwise, it's a great hostel and I would recommend it.

Address: Luis Gonzalez Obregon 14
Comparison: least expensive
Directions: Beside the Secretariat of Education, two blocks from the Zocalo.
Price: less than US$20
Theme: Hostel
Website: http://www.hostelamigo.com/index.php/en#