A Week in Queretaro, Mexico

Author: skyhopper
Date of Trip: March 2005

Queretaro is a vibrant city. With a wealth of splenid colonial architecture, the city comes alive with authentic cultural entertainment in virtually every plaza. It is extremely safe and clean and filled with welcoming Mexican hosts. Worth a stop in any Mexico itinerary.

Hotel Hidalgo really surpassed our expectations. The hotel atmosphere is very quaint, showing off its historic atmosphere in the lobby and courtyard restaurant. Enjoying breakfast in the romantic setting was a treat.

They offer regular doubles with one double bed for 350 pesos ($31). We got a room with two doubles for 410 pesos ($37). We stayed seven nights. Our large room had a balcony overlooking Madero Street with a view to San Francisco church on Corregidora. The rooms themselves are furnished modestly, basically with old furniture (wouldn’t call them treasured antiques), but they had a large desk, wardrobe, and nightstand.

The beds were firm and comfortable. Bathrooms are quite small, but with all new wall and floor tiles and fixtures, so everything works well and is kept clean. The rooms have large (25-inch) TVs with 52 channels–at least six in English, including CNN, BBC, Hallmark, etc. The location is absolutely perfect. It is in the center of the historic center, just a few steps to Jardin Zenea, with Corregidora Plaza across the street and the beginning of all the andadores. The Marquesa is four doors down from Hidalgo, walking toward Plaza Guerrero with the Presidential Palace, which is just one block away. To find such a reasonable hotel in such a great location was surprising.

The food at their restaurant is great and reasonable. They have set breakfasts from 30-51 pesos, or you can order off the menu. They also have a menu of the day for lunch, which is 52 pesos. You can get lunch cheaper–the lowest we saw was 23–but compared to the cheaper options, theirs is a steal. The food is very good!

The hotel mainly caters to Mexicans, both business people and relatives visiting the area, but we saw at least three or four sets of tourists each day staying there. All the staff our VERY helpful; this took some patience on their part, due to our nonexistent Spanish. A few waiters speak some English, as well as one of the receptionists. Even the ones who didn’t always found a way to help us with anything we needed. The value can’t be beat. If you’re looking for a decent place to stay in a prime location without paying for a lot of extra frills, I’d say it’s the best option in town.