Hotel Santiago

I initially booked this hotel for 3 nights, but ended up extending it to 11. If you want to be in the heart of the hustle-bustle of Centro Historico, the location is excellent. The hotel is around the corner from the Zocalo, and all that the area offers: restaurants, tour buses, walking tours, shops, museums, tourism office, etc. I stayed in 2 different rooms at the hotel, both of which faced the street. There was a lot of loud music from the Zocalo and bars well into the night. I didn't mind, but if noise bothers you or you are an early sleeper, I suggest you request an inner room. I heard the shower running in the next room, but otherwise did not hear any noise from the other guests. The rooms are small, but efficiently arranged to make the most of the space. The lighting is good, and there are outlets near the headboard to charge your electronics. There is no air conditioning, but they provide an oscillating fan, which I didn't need or use. There was a full-length mirror, which I always appreciate in a hotel. The bathroom is medium-size and well-lit, and toiletries were provided. I had to let the shower run for a few minutes, but once I did, the water was hot and the pressure was strong. The Wifi in my first room, 203, worked well most of the time. I rate it 8.5 out of 10. It occasionally slowed down, but was good enough for casual surfing, e-mail, and watching YouTube. In my second room, 304, my chromebook would not let me access the Net, which was not the hotel's fault. In fact, they went out of their way to try to resolve the problem, even offering to move me to a room with a wired connection, to no avail. I was, however, able to use my phone and Kindle wirelessly, so all was well. The hotel has an elevator and a lovely rooftop terrace with flowers and umbrella tables. Most of the staff speak some English. They are helpful, personable, and very professional. If you want a budget hotel in a great location, I highly recommend this hotel. I will definitely stay here again.

As per the title, the room we were provided with was not comfortable at all: small, dark, not particularly clean (we found the only in-room cockroach in over three weeks of staying over Mexico) and - what was worse - with walls thinner than paper. We couldn't sleep until all the restaurants/bars/cafes in the area decided to close their doors and all of the other hotel guests to go to sleep (and that was around midnight). The location is probably one of the best ones in Puebla, but I'm sure better options can be found even in the same price range.