Casa Xantolo Romantic Zone

Small hotel with 12 suites. No front desk, and need to phone a local number to check in, ask questions, or make requests. This was not a problem for us. It is in the Romantic (gay) Zone in the south of the old city, with many restaurants, shops and attractions within an easy walk. The blocks are small, and the nearest city bus stop is at a park 4 - 5 blocks away. You can ride anywhere in the city for 7.5 pesos (around 45 cents US). The Casa Xantolo is a bit noisy -- it's on a slope, and trucks climbing the grade are loud. Fortunately it's much quieter at night. The floors are all tile with no carpet (bring slippers). The kitchenette is only partially furnished, with plates/cups/glasses for 4. Dishwashing detergent not supplied. There is a teapot but no coffeemaker. Other amenities are towels, shampoo packets, and soap. There is a large bathtub with only a shower, and without a bath faucet it would take all day to fill it due to the low water pressure. One bath towel had 2 large holes in it, but it was eeasily exchanged. The hotel is about 2 blocks from the beach. Other, taller hotels nearby allow access to their rooftop decks and bars, which the Xantolo does not have. There are no rooms with an ocean view and all suites face the small pool. Standard hotel ratings would probably give the Xantolo 2 stars.

Excellent stay and great location! The proprietors are very nice and helpful. We liked them a lot! There was a language barrier when communicating, but we fumbled through it. I felt bad that I don't speak better Spanish. There was confusion about checking out and payment, but the onus was on me. The heated pool was clean and very refreshing during the hot afternoons. There was a huge soaker tub in the apartment, too, but the water heater was too small to fill the tub with warm water. The proprietors were clearly working on a property wide renovation and the small water heater (unit 204) will hopefully be replaced with a larger model, or continuous hot water device. Overall, this is a great value. The apartment was rustic but clean. We would definitely stay here again. I recommend exchanging cellular numbers with the proprietor before or upon arrival.

My experience was that it was difficult to find anybody to talk about things that were necessary. There is no front desk and the woman who let me in, Fatima, was great but spoke no English. I was supposed to have a bungalo with a King size bed, but got 2 full beds instead. After I was placed in the apartment, I looked around and noticed that there was no art work on the walls, just holes and nails where art work should have been. There were thousands of ants in the bath/shower and kitchen. When I found someone who could speak English 2 days later and reported it, he did bring 2 pieces of art work and a can of ant spray for me to use. There was a leaky toilet and dripping faucet in the small bathroom and the light in the overhead light in the living room could not be turned off without turning the fan off. He said he would tell Fatima but nothing ever came of it. Also, there were no pots to cook with, just one frying pan. There were no shelves to store food and despite what was written, no toaster, blender or coffee maker. There was a balcony but no chair to sit on if I wanted to sit there and the second bed blocked access anyway. I was supplied with two bath towels and one hand towel and there were no blankets supplied. I was in Apt. 401 and I believe that it was not ready for someone to stay there and needed to be made more comfortable for any guests. I did not think anybody even looked at the Apt. beforehand to see if it was livable. Needless to say, I was unhappy.

Close to beach, virility food and shopping. However, it’s hard to find staff or staff is not available for us to ask when we need something for staying there like blankets or towels.

Wonderful staff. Good room. Perhaps a tad rustic. Nice facilities and great surroundings. Moments from the beach.