af chavarria
Google
It's a 3 star hotel so we knew not to expect anything outside of the basics. However, the wifi was terrible. We needed it for work. We thought it was the area, but we went to a restaurant two doors down and the internet worked wonderfully. Now, the worst part was the lack of customer service and getting ripped off. The hotel staff failed to provide us with maps or tell us anything about the town, they didn't inform us of their restaurant, or tell us that they closed their door at a certain hour at night. We walked back to our hotel a little after midnight. There was no intercom or doorbell. A street vendor had to tell us to knock very loudly so we could be let in.
On March 25, 2023, we asked the female staff member working the reception desk for a taxi. We wanted to visit Chamula and Zinacantan. She stated that she'd have to call a taxi to ask for the price and told us it would cost $900 pesos for his services. We said it was expensive, but she said he was providing a tour service. The guy did nothing out of the norm of a regular taxi driver. In Chamula you can get a cleanse for approximately $100-$150 pesos. The taxi driver told us he could give us a cleanse for $2500 because he comes from a family of healers. We declined. We spoke to others in the town and were told that a taxi to both towns and back should have cost us about $250, $500 max. The hotel also referred us to a taxi company to pick us up from the airport when we landed in Tuxtla. That company charged us $1800 pesos. Once we talked to others, we learned we should have been charged $800-$900 maximum. There was nothing special about the transportation. It was a regular taxi.
We understand we're tourists and that the price is going to be a little higher, but to refer us to so called "taxi" companies that are charging double the price is outrageous. The hotel staff should know the cost of transportation considering the amount of tourists that visit the area.
We've traveled to various parts of Mexico and the hotel staff have generally been helpful and have informed us of what things/transportation should normally cost. This hotel was absolutely unprofessional, untrustworthy, and we will never recommend to others.
I must say that everyone else outside of the hotel - street vendors, wait staff, store owners, locals, etc. - were extremely welcoming and helpful.