We had not intended to stay in Puebla, but because of a three-hour detour seeing the lesser-known sights of Mexico City (due to my total lack of sense of direction), we were running late. It was dark and getting very cold. Because we were not planning on sightseeing, we didn’t bother going into downtown. The Hotel Plaza Las Fuentes was the first place we drove past almost within our budget and it was way to chilly to look any farther.
The people at reception were very pleasant despite our windblown, diesel-covered appearance. My hair was two giant tangles on either side of my head, my eyes were devil-red from the smog in Mexico City, and I was wearing every piece of clothing I had packed. Libby looked a little better, but was no great shakes either. We were given a double room for 550 pesos and the valet took my car to a parking lot somewhere. The bellboy, carrying our empty luggage, showed us to our room via the elevator; I started to do my multiplication tables out loud (keeps my claustrophobia under control) and when Libby turned around and saw the window in the elevator, she started to hum (she’s afraid of heights). The bellhop looked terrified; thankfully, our room was only on the third floor.
The room was pleasant enough, although the pastel yellow and pink Art Deco décor was not what I had expected. Everything was clean. There were two comfortable beds with wonderful, fluffy pillows, a nightstand, and a small desk/vanity thing with a chair. There was a telephone and a television with cable. The bathroom was fairly roomy, very clean and pink. Thankfully, there was plenty of hot water, ok pressure, and fluffy towels. I was in heaven.
Cleaned up and a little less scary-looking, we decided to order room service. There was a menu in the room with many appetizing selections. We started with the chalupas Poblanas, ordered two kinds of soup (the Azteca and the Poblana), and for the main course, I had the center of beef filet a la Roquefort and Libby had the arrachera. The service was fast, as far as room service goes. The waiter was friendly and nothing was forgotten, not even salt, pepper, or a bucket of ice for our drinks -- everything was included. As there was no table in the room, we spread out towels on the bed and feasted. This was by far the best room service meal I have ever had. The filet a la Roquefort was out of this world. The next morning, we had breakfast in the restaurant; although good, it was not spectacular.
Our room was quiet that night. There is a bar downstairs (karaoke, if I remember right), but we couldn’t hear it. On the roof of the hotel, overlooking part of town, are three hot tubs and a little bar/lounge area. Overall, the hotel is a pleasant place to stay, but not convenient to the downtown area.