I thoroughly enjoyed my stay at Meson del Mar. I've traveled through Mexico and stayed at a lot of economical hotels. At this price, I can't imagine anything better and I CAN imagine a whole lot worse. The rooms are much nicer and better-appointed than you would expect for this price. The staff in January of '10 was delightful. The location is great, just 3 blocks from the Plaza Principal and about the same to the Malecon. And even though the rooms facing Calle Zaragosa can be very noisy, the upstairs rooms have double-doors to the terrazas that quiet the room beautifully when closed. It's a great place.

no critica. perfect service. nice and helpful staff. everything was perfect. nice and clean room. clean bath-room.

Being the author's pick in a Lonely Planet guide made my colleagues and I select this hotel for a stay. The hotel looks quite nice, the rooms are clean and charming. But, as the hotel sits on a busy corner, I guess only a few rooms have adequate windows. We were not in those rooms and noise and fumes from the street came in unfiltered. In the room on the top floor, the airconditioning was crucial for survival, and the water was either cold in the morning, or boiling hot in the afternoon. We had to leave the hotel around 8 to go to our congress, but breakfast was only served from 9 / 9.30!!! We had breakfast once and it was ok. But as a result, we had to spend money every morning having our breakfast somewhere else, while it was included in our hotel price. No other guests appeared to be present in the hotel during our 6 nights stay (only 1 other room was indicated occupied on the pc for some days), leaving the staffmembers to entertain themselves (with very loud TV in the lobby at 6 in the morning some days). The mythical owner Arturo who seems to be one of the most appealing factors of this hotel, never showed up. Only 1 of the staffmembers speaks English well (Samantha, who was only there sporadically). All others do not understand even a word of basic English. Overall, the price of 350/450 was ok for the area compared to other hotels like Colonial, but as we would learn throughout the rest of our journey in Mexico, the Lonely Planet selection of hotels does not guarantee the best night's sleep...

I was at the hotel during hurricane Stan. Under terrible circumstances the staff made sure I was safe, comfortable, and informed. The manager even personally moved my rental car to a safe place to avoid damage from the flooding and brought it back when it was safe to do so. My companion was ill for a couple of days, and the staff kept a steady stream of toast and tea for him without being asked and without charge. I casually mentioned he wasn't feeling well as I went out one day, and they took it from there. The rooms are comfortable and charming, the location excellent, but the service tops anything I've ever experienced. Over the years I've stayed in half a dozen hotels in Veracruz, ranging from a suite at the Emporio to a basic room at the Amparo. Meson de Mar is the only place I will ever stay again. I can't over emphasize how genuinely caring and attentive they were.