Oaxaca Real Hotel

Very convenient to tourist attractions, galleries, museums, street fairs. Tall young woman on the morning staff was bi-lingual, very friendly and gave the best hints about finding items (ibuprofen, coffee) in the neighborhood. The restaurant was quite good (especially the shrimp pasta) and in the mid-range price-wise (as is the hotel). The bed was firm (as I like it) and overall it made a budget-conscious trip very affordable. There is a programmable safe in the room which can easily fit a camera, a laptop, lenses, and valuable documents without issue. The windows on interior rooms are arranged around small shafts that carry sound -- other guests, showers, etc. This was an issue after 1 a.m. Additionally, there was renovation being done on hotel rooms from very early in the day, most days of the week (including weekends). The pool is relatively small and in a courtyard surrounding by the building so that hours of poolside sunlight are limited. Since I was there for more than a week, these items came in to play. I don't offer this as criticism, just for awareness when booking. Also, there is an envelope for tips on the nightstand -- when I had no small bills to put inside, service declined. I preferred less service, but even when I left the do not disturb sign on the door, I found my room cleaned. I am a very private person, so this felt a little bit like a violation.