Stay
We compiled this short list of hotels for friends and family planning to visit the state capital (i.e., the metropolitan area of Puebla and Cholula), and we thought we’d share it with you, too. For specific rates, online reservations, and additional information in English, click on the individual hotel names.
PUEBLA
Travelers will find lots of affordable accommodations in the city’s historic center. If you arrive without a reservation, look for signs bearing a big letter H on downtown buildings — and shop around until you find a place that suits your needs, tastes, and budget. Beware of ultra-cheap accommodations (under 350 pesos per night), because you’ll get what you pay for, which may include a very cold shower in the morning!
Bed & Breakfast La Paz
Tepeyahualco #44-A, Colonia La Paz
This expat-run home-style inn is bright, comfy, and located in a quiet neighborhood. It’s also within walking distance of Avenida Juarez, where visitors will find some of the city’s best restaurants and nightclubs. The owners speak English and Spanish fluently, and they are more than happy to help guests call taxis, book tours, and handle other travel tasks. No smoking, children, or pets. Nightly rates start around 700 pesos ($50 US) and include a full breakfast.
Camino Real Puebla Centro
7 Poniente #105, Centro Histórico
Home to the Convent of the Inmaculate Conception in the 16th century, this site also served as an army headquarters during the battle of Cinco de Mayo in 1862. In 1996, the building was converted into a hotel. Its 75 deluxe rooms — and nine suites — offer cable TV, air conditioning, coffee makers, and 24-hour room service. Los Azulejos restaurant serves delicious regional dishes, from mole poblano to chiles en nogada. Nightly rates start around 1,130 pesos (about $80).
El Sueño Hotel and Spa
9 Oriente #12 (between 16 de Septiembre and 2 Sur), Centro Histórico
El Sueño is indeed quite dreamy, especially if you’re looking for a classy, conveniently located, and gay-friendly hotel with an on-site pool and spa. The converted 18th-century mansion is situated just a couple of blocks south of the city cathedral, main post office, and cultural center, and its professional staff offers some of the best body treatments in town. Seven of its 20 rooms are suites named after a different creative woman. Nightly rates start around 2,100 pesos (about $150).
Hotel Colonial
4 Sur #105 (at 3 Oriente), Centro Histórico
This historic B&B-style hotel, located just one block from the main square, maintains 67 rooms with full baths, cable TV, Wi-Fi, and digital safes. Management boasts that the building has one of the oldest working elevators in operation, installed in 1890. No smoking permitted on the premises. Nightly rates start around 795 pesos (about $57).
Hotel Posada San Pedro
2 Oriente #202 (at 2 Norte), Centro Histórico
Posada San Pedro, also centrally located, occupies a Colonial building (formerly a private home) that dates back to 1542. Its 65 guest rooms have safes, hair dryers, wireless Internet, and cable TV; some can accommodate for people with disabilities. The garden features a pool and jacuzzi, and the house restaurant serves up traditional poblano fare. Family friendly. Nightly rates start around 1,160 pesos (about $83).
Hotel Royalty
Portal Hidalgo #8, Centro Histórico
Once the home of a “lady of high society” in Puebla, this hotel offers budget accommodations — single, double, triple and junior suite — right on the main square. Its 45 rooms offer free wireless Internet, local calls, and satellite TV. What the hotel lacks in quietude, it makes up for in convenience. Its ground-floor restaurant, which offers outdoor seating for people watchers, is a popular dining spot for visitors and locals alike. Nightly rates start around 510 pesos (about $37) and include overnight parking for one car.
Hotel San Leonardo Puebla
2 Oriente #211, Centro Histórico
The Hotel San Leonardo is set smack-dab in the heart of Puebla, just two blocks from the main square. Each of its stately 78 rooms offers cable TV, high-speed Internet access, individual climate control, and a coffeemaker. Property amenities include a cocktail lounge, a restaurant with terrace, and a rooftop pool with views of the city. Free parking. Nightly rates start around 1,020 pesos (about $75).
Méson Sacristía de la Compañía
6 Sur #304, Callejón de los Sapos, Centro Histórico
This 19th-century home turned boutique hotel houses one of the top traditional Mexican restaurants in town. (The chef offers cooking classes to foodies.) Its eight rooms, which feature wooden doors, talavera tiles, and antique furnishings, surround a central courtyard. Located just north of Los Sapos, a block filled with nightclubs that on the weekends hosts an antiques fair. Nightly rates start around 1,850 pesos (about $135).
CHOLULA
Looking for a smaller-town experience? Stay in nearby Cholula, which still feels like a rural pueblo in many respects. The ancient settlement — home to the world’s largest pyramid — today is a suburb of Puebla. San Andrés Cholula and San Pedro Cholula are actually separate cities, with different main squares. San Pedro is the older and larger of the two.
Estrella de Belem
2 Oriente #410, San Pedro Cholula
This elegant B&B is a 5-minute walk from most of the main attractions in Cholula, including the pyramid, the main square, and the city market. Its six rooms — each named for a famous painter, whose take on the “Adoration of the Child” is reproduced therein — feature French country-style furnishings, A/C and heated floors, and high-speed Internet access. A rooftop pool and spa add to the luxury. Gourmet breakfast included. No smoking or children under 12 allowed. Nightly rates start around 1,600 pesos (about $115).
Hotel Marmoy
Avenida Morelos #214-A, San Pedro Cholula
Once home to Cholula’s premier medical clinic — run by a local surgeon who loved to travel — this Colonial-style building was completely renovated, renamed, and reopened as a hotel in 2010. Its 16 rooms are simple, clean, and quiet … if you remember to ask for one at the back of the hotel (instead of one facing the main drag). All have Internet access, phones, and cable TV. Bar, restaurant, and parking on the premises. The town’s main square is about two blocks from the front door. Nightly rates start around 550 pesos (about $40).
La Quinta Inn & Suites
Plaza Palmas, Avenida Zeta del Cochero #407, San Andrés Cholula
La Quinta Inn & Suites in 2011 built and opened this hotel directly across the street from Puebla’s upscale shopping mall, Angelópolis. The 186-room skycraper promises a five-star experience at affordable prices, with amenities ranging from pillow-top mattresses to LCD TVs and free wireless Internet access. Its restaurant and pool offer sweeping views of the surrounding valley and nearby volcanoes. Nightly rates start around 950 pesos (about $68).
La Quinta Luna
3 Sur #702, San Pedro Cholula
This small luxury hotel occupies a former 17th-century mansion, which was lovingly restored by its owners (who live there) in the late 1990s. Its seven distinct rooms feature high ceilings, tile or wood floors, and modern conveniences such as a mini bar, a hair dryer, Internet access, and a TV with DVD player. Of particular note is Quinta Luna’s 3,000-book lending library; it’s open to guests upon request. Breakfast is served daily from 8:30 a.m. to noon in the home’s old chapel. The hotel, situated up the street from the market, is four blocks from the main square. Nightly rates start around 3,900 pesos (about $270).
Villas Arqueologicas
2 Poniente #601, San Andrés Cholula
Located opposite the Great Pyramid, Villas Arqueologicas offers spectacular views of the world’s largest man-made monument, the volcanoes, and its own lush gardens. Its more than 40 guestrooms are decorated with rustic and Colonial-style furnishings. Perks include an on-site pool, spa, restaurant/bar, tennis courts, and playground. Nightly rates start around 965 pesos (about $70).
Page updated December 29, 2011.
