La Casona - Mexico City, Mexico 

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at La Casona for 4 nights. The hotel staff were helpful with our numerous requests and the rooms were wonderful, clean and quiet. There are two handy computers upstairs with free internet. The concierge also organised a driver, Julio, for our trip to the pyramid site 50 kms from the centre who was extremely knowledgeable and highly recommended.

Having read earlier Trip Advisor reviews in relation to this hotel, it was with some hesitation that I made a reservation. On balance, my opinion is that most of the criticisms are valid, albeit that some of them are relatively trivial. The hotel building is magnificent and the public areas beautifully decorated. Although clean, the bedroom decoration was less stylish and a little tired. The bed linen was worn and there was only one dressing gown for two people. It could not be said that there was anything like the attention to detail that is usually associated with boutique hotels. Without doubt the most disappointing feature of the hotel was the service. Aside from one chap, the staff were at best unhelpful and at worst rude. They certainly did not consider it within their remit to answer questions about sightseeing, local amenities, etc. A particularly memorable instance was that we wanted to package a fragile article in order to transport it home. In answer to our request for advice, the receptionists simply said that they didn't know. No effort was made to give consideration to the request, let alone make enquiries. We eventually found a shop specialising in packaging just a couple of minutes down the street. On the morning of our departure, the restaurant was 45 minutes late in opening for breakfast which meant that we were unable to take a meal that we had paid for. My request for a partial refund was treated with derision. The hotel's greatest advantage is its location on a relatively quiet street and within 15 minutes (safe) walk of a wide range of excellent restaurants. Taking everything into consideration, I would not recommend this hotel.