This hotel is very beautiful and a great find in the area. However, the beds were officially the worst I have ever slept on while traveling. I was in room 17 with two double bed and slept on each one with no avail. I woke up constantly having to shift around because it was so uncomfortable. There are no heaters in the rooms and Feb had record low temps. The front desk was very nice in providing extra blankets. I would suggest bringing earplugs as the music from the town can penetrate the rooms easily because of the open courtyard. On a positive note the bass/shrimp combo with rice was the best meal I had the entire trip and even if I don't stay here again I will return for the meal.

The Hotel El Fuerte, in the city of the same name, is a rare find. Located near the town square and cathedral the heart of the hotel is a 300 year old hacienda. It has been expanded and modernized many times and now is an eclectic first class hotel. The modern rooms vary in size so the guests cannot be sure how big their rooms will be. Ours was a large two bed room while others were in more cramped quarters. But, if you have a sense of adventure, the room gamble is worth it.

Bright colors and an assortment of collectables are scattered around the building, much of which is open to the sky over the enclosed courtyard. You can spend hours walking around the buildings, photographing the nick knacks. The owner has collected old sewing machines.

Don’t expect a pool/resort atmosphere but you will find a wonderful in town hotel, convenient to the fort and other downtown attractions.

This place is a 350 yr old spanish hacienda converted to a hotel. It's beautiful! And they have a restaurant on site for breakfast. See our photos as part of our entire Copper Canyon trip, hotel photos are in the beginning. http://www.flickr.com/photos/strangebird/sets/72157625170407748/
We started our Copper Canyon train journey from El Fuerte. Pretty little Colonial town, not much to do, very quiet, but that's OK we needed a little R&R time before beginning our trip. Use 3 Amigos for some fun here http://www.amigos3.com/index.php?go=destinations&et=el-fuerte - we did the rowboat river tour. Ate at El Meson del General every night there. The Hotel called a taxi for us to get to the train in the morning, and had a taxi waiting for us on our return to the town.

Beautiful, comfortable hotel. A wonderful experience. Lots of genuine artwork and collectables for decoration. A rooftop view of the city and sky at night. Also, food was good!