BajaNomad - flying from tijuana

flying from tijuana

sylens - 5-30-2007 at 05:36 PM

(to make this post baja-related)

in december, and wondering if any nomads can recommend a hotel in guadalajara? we like to be in the center of town, preferably on or near the main plaza, but do not spend lots of time in room, so luxurious accomodations are lost on us. want a place from where we can do a lot of walking around seeing stuff. :bounce:

any and all assistance will be appreciated.

tia,
lili

mike odell - 5-30-2007 at 06:22 PM

sylens,
We travel to Guadaljara on the average 5 times per year,on business, and are quite happy with Cervantes hotel, very close to the centro,but quiet at night, which is important, unless you like ambulances, police cars, and other sirens throughout the night hours! some like Mission Carlton also close by, but a bit more expensive, and somewhat more noisy. Both of these hotels are in the 70 to 90 usd per night depending on season.
Hilton and its ilk are very much over 130 per night, for comparison.
Google Guad ie hotels for more info.
Just our recomendation, hope it helps!
Also if you need a taxi and a wonderful gentleman to take you around, Jose Carreras, has been aiding us for years,and knows where to find anything and everything.! He is almost family to us, I wouldn't spend time in the city without him!!l If this helps or if you need more info let me know.

DianaT - 5-30-2007 at 06:29 PM

Hi,

In 1989 and again in the later 90s we stayed at the colonial hotel, San Francisco Plaza. It was a mid-priced place, really quite lovely, and from there, we walked everywhere in the downtown area--- all of the main downtown plazas We thought it was great, but it did have hot water in the toliet which was strange. :spingrin:

Since it has been a number of years, I googled it and found this report---you might check it our further. It looks like it is still a mid-range place which is what we always like.

Yahoo Hotel Review

It was colonial in style, and a great location, and did not find it to be noisey, IMHO. Also, right down the street we found Abel, the taxi driver who became a great tour guide.

Diane

P.S. On the main square, it is something to watch them take down the gigante flag in the evening---a very long process. It is a city that has grown tremendously, but still has so much to offer.

[Edited on 5-31-2007 by jdtrotter]

danaeb - 5-30-2007 at 07:23 PM

B&B - Qunita Don Jose - Tlaquepaque
www.quintadonjose.com

Guadalajara is a huge city. You can stay in the center of town, but it's not necessarily the best place to stay. Tlaquepaque is a folk-art shopper's paradise, has good restaurants, pedestrian-only streets and beautiful (if faded) colonial mansions. The town of Tonola is a few miles from Tlaquepaque - also a great place for shopping.

--Dana

DianaT - 5-30-2007 at 07:54 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by danaeb
B&B - Qunita Don Jose - Tlaquepaque
www.quintadonjose.com

Guadalajara is a huge city. You can stay in the center of town, but it's not necessarily the best place to stay. Tlaquepaque is a folk-art shopper's paradise, has good restaurants, pedestrian-only streets and beautiful (if faded) colonial mansions. The town of Tonola is a few miles from Tlaquepaque - also a great place for shopping.

--Dana

Tlaquepaque used to be far away, but no more. It is a nice place, as is Tonala, and I would visit both. In Tonala we ate lunch where a traditional Mariachi group was playing---teaching the young to play along with them. But there is still the heart of Guadalajara that is so vibrant, so historical, and just wonderful. We still would like to be there when the Mozart festival is there.

When John was there for a college summer class, way back in the dark ages, it was only a city of about 500,000. He was quite surprised to find places like Zapopan now a fancy suburb. And, yes, we found that in Mariachi Square, the Mariachis in the afternoon had just a little too much happy juice, but it was still fun.

JMHO, I would still stay in the downtown area. Dang, you are making me want to go back.

Diane

DianaT - 5-30-2007 at 07:57 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by lencho

Quote:

Originally posted by jdtrotter
but it did have hot water in the toliet which was strange.

Also a bit strange is that you discovered that fact. I'm not even going to ask how...

--Larry

Larry, have you ever sat down and felt the steam? It was a strange thing, but not necessarily a bad thing. :spingrin:

larry - 5-30-2007 at 07:58 PM

Hotel Frances is the oldest hotel in North America (1610). It is a half block off Plaza Tapatia and directly across the street from the Jalisco State Capital Bldg which houses unbelievably great murals by Orozco (no admission charge).

The common areas of the hotel are beautiful. I stayed there 9 years ago, and the room was not deluxe. I have read recently that the rooms are shabby. But the price is cheap and the location and atmosphere are the best.

I am going to Guadalajara next month and will probably stay in one of the boutique hotels in Tlaquepaque, but that is well outside the city center.

mil gracias

sylens - 5-31-2007 at 05:03 PM

it bears repeating, nomads are unbelievably knowledgeable and helpful. thanks, guys.

mike, i've checked the cervantes and it looks good.
diane, same with san francisco and to both of you, what's the deal, do the taxi and driver come with the room :lol:

?

dana, the quinta don jose seduced me with its charm; the online reviews gush glowingly :yes:

i've persuaded husband to spend 3 nites there, one way or t'other.

diane, i can picture the mariachi lessons

can't wait.

larry, the age of the hotel frances and the picture with all those balconies is very appealing.

you guys have given us some wonderful options to choose from. won't be easy. will be fun. since this is planned for december, we've got lots of time to enjoy the planning. will post upon return regarding what we did, making sure to mention the tijuana airport, to make this post street legal.

again, thanks for all your suggestions. :spingrin:

DianaT - 5-31-2007 at 05:15 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by sylens

mike, i've checked the cervantes and it looks good.
diane, same with san francisco and to both of you, what's the deal, do the taxi and driver come with the room :lol:

Our taxi driver found us as we walked to have breakfast. Abel was great. He had learned his English from tourists---mainly people from Texas, so he spoke English with a Texas accent.
Lots of fond memories of that day

Have a great trip.
Diane

danaeb - 5-31-2007 at 05:17 PM

sylens - I'm so glad, you won't be sorry. I don't know if you've already made your reservations, but the rooms by the pool are very large and comfy. You walk out the front door of the b&b and you're right in the heart of a lovely colonial town. Great walking, eating and shopping. I know the proprietors - they are a nice young couple.

When you get closer to your departure, U2U me - I have some restaurant names.

--Dana

Oso - 6-2-2007 at 12:36 PM

Your flying from BAJA to Guad, reminds me of the (equally irrelevant) classic Tlaquepaque joke...

(Sorry, but the punchline requires a little knowledge of Mex slang)

Tlaquepaque is famous for artisanry, particularly hand-painted gourds (guajes).

A gringo is in the marketplace admiring these and wishes to impress the artisan with his incipient Spanish:

"¿Haber munchos guajes por aqui, verdad?"

The artisan replies:

"No Señor. Los guajes vienen de afuera. Aqui no mas los pintamos."