I came to this hotel on a work trip, we were doing all the logistics for a concert at the bullfight ring Plaza de Toros la Nueva Esperanza, and the company had decided to lodge all of us here (artist, musicians, crew, and administrators). The facilities look good at first sight, but the truth comes after the first minutes.

The hotel has many nicely manicured gardens and fountains and a couple of swimming pools, all of them look good enough, but are not especially creative or catching to the eye. You have to take a loooooong walk around the corridors of the hotel, as the rooms are spread out and only the ones on the far corners have a second floor; those close to the main pool/garden are one-story only. If you are not so good with orientation, I recommend you to ask for a room closer to the entrance or at least on the sides of the property in order to facilitate your daily walks.

Once you are in your room, you find some luxuries, like four big towels in your bathroom instead of the usual two, three hand towels, and some very nice glassware of a Mexican style (thick and with bright colors). The room is lit by some very dim bulbs, so be careful. Most of the floor-level rooms have a sliding door to the garden but no chairs to relax on outside (nonsense).

Our group of 30 people had several issues that were minor but inconvenient for the 2 nights we spent there, like a faulty TV remote, burnt lamps, problems with the plumbing, etc. The maids were very diligent and efficient, but the service in the rest of the areas was slow in comparison. Some of the bellboys didn't know where the nearest convenience store was located or couldn't recommend a coffee shop nearby (and there were some in the area - we found this out by ourselves).

The beads are comfy and the pillows are very acceptable. I normally have trouble with the really soft (sinking) pillows in other hotels when I'm traveling around on business trips, but not this time. If you get cold during the night, there a couple of nice blankets in the closet, and you will also find an iron and ironing board to take care of your clothes.

My stay, in general, was not a bad one, but for the price of the hotel, the services should have been top-notch. The property is quiet and the location is not great, but it’s close to one of the biggest malls in the city and about a 20-minute car ride downtown.

To check some pics on their website: Camino Real Guadalajara

Their email is gdl@caminoreal.com.