Hotel Isabel

I recently stayed at Hotel Isabel in the heart of Mexico City’s Centro Histórico and found it to be a charming, budget-friendly option with a few caveats. The hotel’s location is excellent – just a short walk from the Zócalo and major landmarks, which made exploring the city very convenient.  The building itself has a colonial feel: high ceilings, wood-floors in some rooms, and a sense of history that adds character.  On the positive side, the staff were generally courteous and the rooms were spacious, which is notable in this part of the city. Several guests’ve pointed out good value for the price.  That said, the hotel is clearly dated and some rooms show it: bathrooms may have slow drainage, the décor is old-fashioned, and soundproofing is minimal, so street noise can be a little concern.  For travellers seeking simplicity, good location and a local flavour, Hotel Isabel works well. But if you expect modern amenities, state-of-the-art rooms or luxury finishes, you may feel the difference. In summary: a solid choice for sightseeing and value in CDMX’s historic core.

Amazing location that is walkable to almost anywhere. My rate included breakfast and it was wonderful. Having to drop the key off at the front desk was a little silly. I would totally recommend staying here and will stay here again on my next visit.

Just got back from a wonderful experience in visiting Mexico City, including my stay at Hotel Isabel. My family and I were very comfortable in our rooms. The whole Zocalo area felt safe and when we come back, we’ll definitely be staying at Hotel Isabel again! Thank you staff for your service!!!

Great old hotel. Great location. Very good beds, showers, etc. Big rooms. Wood floors. Branded sheets and towels. Love all the little details of this Grand Dame hotel. Great value!

Hello everyone. Just stayed here for 2 days in my recent visit to mexico city. I wouldn’t say much about the service and location those 5 stars should be enough to tell how was it. Talking about the rooms all is good. Didn’t see any charging socket beside the bed could work on that maybe by a wire extension. And one more important thing it is close to most of the activities around, shops and a few attractions.

What a wonderful, spooky old place! Excellent location. The restaurant is good and convenient. The bar is a hoot! Full of locals who kindly tolerated and welcomed us into their little scene. The rooms were clean and very spacious. The staff was unfailingly polite, helpful and friendly. ||Do be aware that multiple rooms/nights require a deposit. That was not made totally clear to us and one of our rooms had been cancelled. We were able to get an additional room the next night however, and it was even more fabulous than the first. The staff was very kind and apologetic about it. eh, it happens!!||Rooms facing the street have some street noise along with the view of the city scape. To be expected, but our second room was very quiet and peaceful facing the courtyard.

A good location old hotel with big rooms having very high ceilings with no air conditioning, not even a fan. Very grim looking lobby having a few old furniture and dirty looking floor with an ugly reception desk with English speaking personnel. Acceptable restaurant, little bar. Good location with big vertical sign that can be seen from different directions. You might get little disappointed at the beginning, but you will finally like it. Good people, safe place. Very close to everything. Wish you nice stay.

I really enjoyed my stay at Hotel Isabel. I am giving the service and location 5 stars and the room 4 stars. If you are exploring the Zocalo area, the location is perfect and the prices are reasonable. My room was 660 pesos or roughly $38 US dollars. You can walk to the hotel from the Zocalo or Allende metro stations, which I utilized coming and going. I chose a room with a private bathroom and upon booking, I requested a room with a view. It was on the top floor and had an incredible view of the tiled dome of Templo St. Augustin. I have added a photo of my view. I loved the historic vibe of the hotel and the neon marquee is very cool. Although I love historic hotels, they rarely have been retrofitted with central air conditioning, so my room was very hot. It was May, so to be expected, and perhaps if I had not requested a room with a view, I may have been placed on a lower floor that might have been cooler. There was a fan provided but it just recirculated the hot air in the room. The customer service in all areas of this hotel is excellent. The employees are friendly and helpful. The restaurant and bar in the hotel are great and are also patronized by guests not staying in the hotel which says a lot. The food in the restaurant isn’t anything unique, but it arrives fast, is affordable and is very convenient. Having arrived exhausted and hungry, for me it was incredible. For 120 pesos or roughly 7 US dollars, I got a 4 course meal with a delicious soup, salad, choice of 3 different entrees, a drink and dessert, plus bread. I also had an incredible time in the hotel bar. I was a solo female traveler and even though the bar was filled with older men, nobody bothered me in a way that made me feel uncomfortable. I felt very safe. A musician came in with a guitar and was extremely talented. He got everyone singing really loud and it was fun. They have some bar food available for late night snacking. I had chips and guacamole. They have a bodega where you can check your luggage for free if you arrive early or are leaving after checkout time which I utilized. It was very helpful. They also have room service from both the restaurant and bar which I did not use, but witnessed the waiters delivering food and drink to other guests in their rooms. The shower had plenty of hot water and good water pressure. I would definitely stay here again although if it was in a warmer month, I might inquire about a room on a lower floor that might be a little cooler. The only other “cons” besides the temperature in my room are that the overhead lights in the room were harsh, bright daylight bulbs. A simple table lamp with a warm, low wattage bulb and a lampshade would be nice. Also, the shower floor is level with the bathroom floor. It’s all just the same floor. This is a very typical thing found in hotels and houses all over Mexico but it does make for a slippery bathroom floor. It would be good if they provided a separate bath mat or floor towel for safety so you don’t have to use your bath towel on the floor.

I've stayed at this hotel six times. This time, I received an email from them offering free breakfasts. I bought a six night stay, and was expected the free breakfasts. However, the attached restaurant didn't even open until 9 am, so by then we were long gone so the offer was circumvented by not being open until late. They also tried to charge me twice for the last night stay, which was annoying plus I found that I was overcharged for the room based on their rack rate... and they wouldn't adjust the rate! For some reason, they no longer provided bottles of water in the rooms, you had to ask. That means if you didn't know better you'd drink from the faucet, which in Mexico is asking to become ill. Don't bother with this place, it's falling apart!

Stayed here back in '83 when Dad and I toured Mexico. This is the historic hotel where John Ross lived for many years. Service was impeccable. Ambiance wonderful. Would both return and recommend.