Hotel Villa Del Angel, is at 8 Cuauhtémoc. It has a narrow lobby which is sandwiched between two stores. Hidden behind a large tree it is hard to find.

We got a room that was on the second floor. The balcony had no view because of the tree. One of the reasons the rates are low is because it is across the street from two nightclubs that are quite noisy until late at night.

AVENIDA CUAUHTÉMOC

Pedestrians only, for the first two blocks.

Cuauhtémoc for the first two blocks from the beach is for pedestrians only. Overnight guests at the hotel park their cars amongst the trees in front of the hotel so the night security can keep his eye on them.

We paid P200 per night for 3 nights and then renegotiated the price to P150 for the next 3 nights. When I went back by myself, a month later, I negotiated the price to P100 per night for one week.

Also when I went back I chose an inside room. It had no windows but it was much quieter.

5:00 AM

Street cleaners.

Cuauhtémoc is a busy street. After the night clubs close the street cleaners arrive, banging their plastic cart over the cobblestones. There is sporadic but constant foot traffic during the night. Early in the morning the fishermen use this street to get to the beach. At six o'clock the lady across the street lets two large dogs out for a run. They are probably quite harmless but are old and bark at their own shadow, scaring passersby. Someone, across the street, turns on, loudly, a ship to shore radio at 7 AM.

PAUL CHECKS OUT THE HAMMOCK

Upon arrival we had to ask for towels at the desk. Later towels were replaced in the room and the room was cleaned every day. There is no hot water and some rooms don't have seats on the toilets. There is no TV or air conditioning but each room has a large overhead fan and the balconies have hammocks. Drinking water is available from a large bottle on the stairway.

PLAYA PRINCIPAL

The advantages other than price are its proximity to everything. It is surrounded by stores, restaurants, night clubs and is only steps to El Centro where you can join in the revelry in the evenings, watch basketball games, watch fantastic sunrises on the beach or go for a swim only 1/2 block from your room.

The 3 MARIAS

Just across the bridge from downtown.

During our walks we came across other hotels. There are many small posadas in the downtown area. Most of them run P200 to P300 per night for two people. with the odd one being cheaper than the Villa del Angel. However we were kind of settled in and had grown accustomed to the noises form the street.

MANUEL

The manager, sitting in the lobby.

Also the manager is very friendly and if you help him with his English he will tell you stories of how he carried buckets of white rocks over the hill. (He used the small stones, that he got from a beach of white stones, to make patterns in the sidewalk in front of the hotel.)

His name is Manuel Verboonen and he will tell you stories of how, as a child, he would fall asleep on the back of the horse as he and his father rode along `Long Beach'. Ask him how he and his father would go fishing with machetes or `CIL' lures.

LINKS to OTHER WEB SITES