Review of MX Grand Suites, Mexico City
I recently stayed at the MX Grand Suites, a small condo-style hotel in the Cuauhtémoc neighborhood of Mexico City. I was there for a full week, which was long enough to really get a feel for the hotel and the neighborhood.
Read on for a detailed MX Grand Suites review, but if you’re looking for a short version: I had an enjoyable stay with only minor complaints, and feel the hotel is a good value for the amenities and location.
The Room
My room was large and comfortable with a full kitchen and private bath. Every room at MX Grand Suites has its own private balcony or terrace, which was one of the reasons I booked it. I always try to spring for a room with a private outdoor space when I travel somewhere warm. The introvert in me loves being able to hang out and eat breakfast, have a drink, or just not feel pressured to leave the hotel.
The balcony was a good size, very comfortable for two people, with large floor to ceiling sliding doors that can be opened wide to let in the gorgeous weather.
While I didn’t make use of the kitchen for cooking, the dining table and fridge were nice to have, along with a stovetop that made it easy to boil water (we drank and brushed our teeth with bottled water during our stay, but I did boil water to clean a mouth guard I use at night). Overall, the condo-style setup meant a larger than average hotel room, which is always a plus.
The bed was comfortable, and on the firmer side, which I prefer. The linens, while nothing exceptional, were clean and cozy.
There is no A/C in the room, though a small heater (shown on the desk below) is provided, along with extra blankets if you get cold. It was never hot enough during our stay to need A/C, and while Mexico City can get a little chilly at night– around 50°F— I only used the extra blanket once. Due to its high elevation, Mexico City is generally pretty temperate, with daytime summer temps around 80°F. It’s likely that opening the large balcony doors will provide enough climate control in warmer weather.
The room included a desk and wardrobe with plenty of storage, so you could unpack if staying longer. However, there wasn’t a luggage rack in the room, which was a little inconvenient. There was a small safe inside the wardrobe, which we used to stow our passports, tablet and medications during the day.
The TV is Netflix compatible and includes a number of cable channels (which we didn’t investigate much), and is situated to allow viewing from the bed or sofa.
The bathroom was clean and modern, with plenty of storage space on and in the vanity, and a magnifying mirror. As you can see, there’s no bathtub, only a shower–and of course the toilet hidden to the left of the photo. The shower had good water pressure and a shelf inside that was large enough to hold all our travel size soaps and shampoos.
One thing we didn’t love was the aggressively scented air, with plug in air fresheners in the kitchen and bathroom. I think I’m in the minority here, but I avoid things like perfumes, air fresheners, and scented candles because strong chemical scents often trigger headaches or allergies. Fortunately, the scent didn’t cause an immediate reaction, and it was easy to simply unplug the air fresheners, open the balcony door, and let the smell dissipate. And once it had, the room smelled fine; there were no underlying smells that needed to be covered up.
We were situated on the back side of the building, but still heard a bit of street noise even with the balcony doors closed. It was also a little too easy to hear the TV and voices in the room next door–along with an awful screeching sound as someone rearranged their furniture! Few hotels are completely soundproof, so this wouldn’t deter me from staying again. Still, a fan or white noise machine in the room would be much appreciated.
Hotel Amenities
MX Grand Suites is a small condo style hotel, with no room service, pool, spa, etc. As I was reading other MX Grand Suites reviews before booking, I noticed a couple other reviewers complaining about this, but it wasn’t an issue for me. I don’t always use those amenities in hotels that do have them, and can’t imagine ordering room service when there’s so much cheap and tasty food to be had nearby.
I did use UberEats to order from the nearby Maison Kaiser one morning, and found it to be incredibly quick and easy, so that’s worth checking out if you’re in dire need of a room service substitute.
There are elevators, and there’s a small downstairs lobby that’s about the only public space in the hotel. In spite of the elevators, the hotel is not handicap accessible, as the entrance features a short set of steps up to the main floor, with no apparent alternate route up.
There’s free WiFi in rooms, and while it worked well enough for most of our stay, it was slow at times. I don’t think the average traveler is likely to be bothered by it, but if you’re traveling for business and need consistently fast internet, you may end up frustrated.
Location
While I might think about splurging to stay in the gorgeous Colonia Roma neighborhood next time I visit Mexico City, the Cuauhtémoc neighborhood is a nice central location. MX Grand Suites is close to museums, Chapultepec park, and not far from the hipper Colonia Roma and Condesa neighborhoods. It was easy to call an Uber in front of our hotel within 15 minutes any time of the day, though we could easily have been a bit less lazy and taken a 20ish minute walk to many locations (Ubers were just SO cheap in Mexico, it becomes very tempting!).
Oh, and I almost forget I have to say it, because so much of Mexico City felt safe, but the area around the hotel is very safe. We felt comfortable walking back to the hotel at night, and the only incident we saw police respond to in the area involved a drunk girl who’d fallen and twisted her ankle.
You’ll find a wide array of food nearby, from taco stands, casual Mexican restaurants and bars, to a variety of international foods. Yelp was useful in exploring all the options nearby, but you’ll find great tortas and tacos, a super popular churro spot, French pastries, and lots more within a 10 minute walk.
We didn’t see any nearby grocery stores you might stop at to stock your kitchen, but there’s plenty of convenience stores, with the closest just a block away.
Service
The hotel entrance is kept locked, with 24 hour security/ desk attendant. While the employees at the front desk had varying levels of English proficiency, they were consistently friendly and helpful.
Our room was always clean, with towels and toiletries re-stocked when we returned in the afternoons, so no complaints on the maid service.
One thing to be prepared for that was a little weird: when checking in, we were presented with a number of papers to sign, agreeing to hotel policies, one of which was entirely in Spanish (the desk clerk assured us that it was only for internal use). Then when they asked for a credit card for incidentals, they ran an authorization, printed a receipt that looked like a normal credit card transaction receipt, and asked me to sign it. I think the authorization was for around $150, but I can’t find the slip. At any rate, the pending charge did indeed drop off of my account after a couple weeks, so in spite of the unorthodox method, it’s nothing to worry about.
Book a Room at MX Grand Suites
Shop around to find the best deal:
MX Grand Suites on Booking.com
MX Grand Suites on Expedia (this is where I booked, and found a great package deal that gave us a free night’s stay)
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