BajaNomad - 10 Quirks About Mexican Hotels/Motels

10 Quirks About Mexican Hotels/Motels

DavidE - 7-8-2012 at 04:03 PM

1. When you drive in, your room will be the furthest from the only remaining parking place.

2. Good hotels will have two barking dogs. Lesser hotels have more.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

Udo - 7-8-2012 at 04:38 PM

Quote:

Curt63 - 7-8-2012 at 04:39 PM

3. Cheaper than US motels. Frequently costing less than $25

Barry A. - 7-8-2012 at 04:41 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Udo

Quote:

Ateo - 7-8-2012 at 04:46 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Barry A.

Quote:

Originally posted by Udo

Quote:

Originally posted by DavidE
1. When you drive in, your room will be the furthest from the only remaining parking place.

2. Good hotels will have two barking dogs. Lesser hotels have more.

3.Stay away from the motels that provide a picture and description of local roaches.

4.The hot water takes 10 minutes to come on. (if at all)

5. The parking is almost big enough for your rig, regardless of it's size.

6. The hot and cold water controls are always backwards in the shower, as well as the sink.

7.

8.

9.

10.

Barry A. - 7-8-2012 at 04:51 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ateo

Quote:

Originally posted by Barry A.

Quote:

Originally posted by Udo

Quote:

bajaguy - 7-8-2012 at 05:07 PM

Bring your own washcloth.......in fact, bring your own soap, shampoo and towel

woody with a view - 7-8-2012 at 05:07 PM

the maids are usually hot, the water not so much....

Pompano - 7-8-2012 at 05:11 PM

8. The mint on your pillow moves as you come closer.

willardguy - 7-8-2012 at 05:12 PM

TV remotes never ever work, but they're always quick to give you one.

DavidE - 7-8-2012 at 05:20 PM

In a really fancy place they'll usually use more words telling you when the lights are going to come back on.

Three And Four Star Places Are not Immune!

Barry A. - 7-8-2012 at 05:22 PM

--------but all is forgiven because normally the people staying there as well as the staff are friendly and nice. :yes:

DavidE - 7-8-2012 at 05:30 PM

...even the thirteen-year-old when she counts up how much you owe, on her fingers.

"You know you're in trouble when the mosquito mesh is welded"

They are hoping you will put in fresh batteries

thebajarunner - 7-8-2012 at 05:53 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by willardguy
TV remotes never ever work, but they're always quick to give you one.

Ken Cooke - 7-8-2012 at 05:57 PM

Groups of ladies in heels walking around at 8 a.m. [CLICK] [CLACK] [CLICK] [CLACK] [CLICK] [CLACK] [CLICK] [CLACK]

liknbaja127 - 7-8-2012 at 06:23 PM

Yeah we all complain BUT we still love the place AND we keep going back :bounce:

thebajarunner - 7-8-2012 at 06:28 PM

The gang that arrives at 3 a.m. will be driving a rig with a very large V8.
It will park directly in front of your room, less than 10 feet from your pillow.
It may even back in, and the very mellow mufflers will rumble for a bit.
They will unload a lot of baggage, coolers first
They will discuss the happenings of the day, gathered around the hood (tailgate) Much of this will apparently be hilarious, because laughter will ring out, over and over and over.
They will rattle, tinkle and bang around some bottles, cans, etc.
They will slam the vehicle doors (repeatedly)
and they will slam their room door (also repeatedly)

The only justice (and there is justice) - you were planning a 6 a.m. departure, so with careful planning you can repeat some, if not all, of the above arrival celebrations.

hotels

captkw - 7-8-2012 at 06:33 PM

that hot water is on the right and also the left and you lucky if its hotwater !!

mcfez - 7-8-2012 at 06:37 PM

The A.C. blows warm air :-(

rhintransit - 7-8-2012 at 07:15 PM

everything is represented, nothing works...

yellowklr - 7-8-2012 at 07:18 PM

Tv in the room is on the same channel as the office(novelas)

DavidT - 7-8-2012 at 07:54 PM

The "C" on the faucet handle doesn't mean "cold".
Doesn't mean "hot" either.

DavidE - 7-8-2012 at 08:25 PM

"C" MEANS COLD

"F" MEANS FRIGID

You know it's three stars or better if management does not use "momentito" at least four times during check in.

aguachico - 7-8-2012 at 08:25 PM

fabuloso y rosa venus.

Rosa venus the best degreaser, de-piojo and old skin remover on the planet.
Purple fabuloso sanitizing the tile floors across baja, great for quick a fragrant crime scene cleanup.

full bed one skinny pillow
queen one fluffy one skinny.

25 rooms in the hotel, two rooms full #1 and #3. Guess which room is yours?
So your in room #2 listening to the TV full blast in #3. Guests in #3 need to have a conversation by yelling over the volume of the TV

Request to move to #5 takes an act of congress, two room inspections and another remote that doesn't work, which you left a $100p deposit.
#5 has no hot water handle, but #2 did.
#5 has one skinny pillow on the queen when #2 had 2 pillows.

two tylenol pms and two tecates makes everything better

dtbushpilot - 7-8-2012 at 08:37 PM

no sink stopper and no wash cloth.....

chumlee57 - 7-8-2012 at 08:59 PM

The deposit for keys is always cinquenta pesos, all of which is exchanged for coffee, breakfast

then some

and oh yeah, most places provide big rig downshifting backround noise most evenings

David K - 7-8-2012 at 10:23 PM

Sounds like none of you have ever stayed at Baja Cactus in El Rosario!?
Hot water, pressure boosted, wash clothes, shampoo, coffee maker in each room, 12 Satellite TV channels, half in English, remote works, AC and Heater work...

However, no way to avoid rude people in other rooms, 30 minutes of idling diesel pickup noise at sunrise, loud talkers, etc. Always get an upstairs room because people in heels who like to drag the chairs around will arrive later than you go to sleep or get up before you want to wake! :light:

It is the best motel on Hwy. 1 in our opinion, and the owner (while long absent from this forum) has been a great amigo to all Baja Noamds and travelers.

Skipjack Joe - 7-8-2012 at 11:37 PM

A small tv will be up by the ceiling opposite the beds.

The novella will be about a love affair gone wrong where the antagonist grimaces with such violent anger that you think you're watching a horror movie.

The only other channel will feature Don Francisco's show:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Francisco_(television_host)

prorader - 7-9-2012 at 04:56 AM

Get your Credit Card Cloned for Free

CortezBlue - 7-9-2012 at 07:49 AM

22. Most Mexican hotels follow "UBC" Unknown Building Code. You know, 120V, metal electrical boxes and black tape as insulation laying on the floor with lamp wire tapped into a wall opening going who knows where.

D. All of the TV channels are in Mexican and the ones that aren't in in Spanish

[Edited on 7-9-2012 by CortezBlue]

DavidE - 7-9-2012 at 08:31 AM

You go to return the key and non-functioning remote in the morning and find the office door locked. There's one of those "Will Return At" plastic clocks in the window but the hour hand is missing.

The name (apodo) of the rooster on the roof is "Bruta"

surfer jim - 7-9-2012 at 10:13 AM

This is great...keep them coming. :lol:

Hint: any info on toilets/T.P?

[Edited on 7-9-2012 by surfer jim]

backninedan - 7-9-2012 at 10:43 AM

Most of the T. P. is one step away from particle board.

bkbend - 7-9-2012 at 11:22 AM

I just returned from a weekend stay here in the U.S.A. in a room with a showerhead barely 5 feet off the tub floor. I'm 6'5" and a happy quirk in Mexico is that I've never had to duck under a Mexican showerhead, it makes up for some of those things mentioned previously.

Pompano - 7-9-2012 at 11:26 AM

Why does your room smell like a sewer?

Easy...it is one. (like this actual motel room in Austria)

(Note: Anyone ever dare to stay at the Motel Chavez, San Quentin, in the early 70's? )

We set two records at that San Quentin 'motel'.

1. Honest to Thor... to this day, I have never seen a larger c-ckroach than that one on the ceiling over the bed in our ...room.

2. Felipa hit her highest note when she glanced up, spotted it, and screamed.

That was quite a night!

DavidE - 7-9-2012 at 12:08 PM

You know you're in trouble when your window only opens from the outside.

Wet bathroom floor tile is designed to be slicker than greased teflon. I figure this is done to try and break the legs of any c-ckroach crazy enough to try and skid across one.

Shower stall thresholds are always an inch taller than your tripping point.

If anyone bets you, that 4 watt incandescent bulbs don't exist, they'd lose.

Premium rooms have shower heads with more than one hole.

Soap dishes are always angled steeply outward to keep water from standing in them.

If you flush a toilet and it doesn't keep running, there is no water today.

Never use a hotel towel to dry the windshield of your car; it'll scratch it.

The only vegetation on the face of the earth you're allergic to is right outside your window.

If your room has a telephone, count on it ringing at three AM.

"Si tenemos WiFI" means "Yes we have WiFI inside the office"

Never punch a pillow trying to plump it up, unless you have a first aid kit.

sancho - 7-9-2012 at 12:11 PM

I didn't read thru the posts and I don't know if these
are quirks or just experiences, I always look for water
pressure, in Barra de Navidad I tossed out a Gecko
from the room, only to reconsider it bad luck so
retrived him and placed him back in his spot,
was streching out on a bed one afternoon kinda
slid my hand under the pillow felt something
warm, alive, with fur, not something you would expect,
after landing back on the ground, found the Motel
cat curled up under the pillow

durrelllrobert - 7-9-2012 at 02:35 PM

if there are more than one electric receptacle none of them work because they don't want you to waste their electricity

Lightbulbs and towels

thebajarunner - 7-9-2012 at 02:51 PM

Quote:

If anyone bets you, that 4 watt incandescent bulbs don't exist, they'd lose.

Never use a hotel towel to dry the windshield of your car; it'll scratch it.

When did you actually find a lightbulb on the nightstand that worked??

And, my wife has washcloths larger than the Baja hotel towels.

DanO - 7-9-2012 at 03:51 PM

One word: Chickens.

Taco de Baja - 7-9-2012 at 04:20 PM

Heck these rooms sound nice compared to the "Hawaii named" hotel in Baker, CA....
Hot and cold faucets reversed,
"hot" water in reality only got warm
2 inch thick green shag carpet
dark "wood" paneling on the walls
4 fuzzy channels on the t.v.
shower head was set at about 5.5 feet
slow draining sink and shower

One night was enough in 2001 before I moved up the street to a slightly better establishment. When you have 3 choices, you take what you can get. I probably could have done better by sleeping in the desert. :lol:

Frank - 7-9-2012 at 04:25 PM

When you check in they give you a small bag of chips. You don't know what it's for until you get into the room and see another near empty bag of chips feeding the wildlife in the room with you.

DavidE - 7-9-2012 at 04:41 PM

Bathroom light - 4 watts

Main overhead light - 3 watts

Skipjack Joe - 7-9-2012 at 04:43 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by DavidE

"Si tenemos WiFI" means "Yes we have WiFI inside the office"

This is classic ..... :lol:

And so true.

Marc - 7-9-2012 at 06:14 PM

The toilet isn't working so bring pliers and wire. Also the bathroom door will not open all the way because the toilet is in the way.

[Edited on 7-10-2012 by Marc]

mooose29 - 7-9-2012 at 11:29 PM

Beds that have a huge dip in the middle
Window AC/heater that sounds like a freight train coming through the wall in 10 minute intervals until the generator turns off
The smell of bleach is so strong it stings your skin

It all makes for great adventures and some of our best stories involve hotels. Great thread.

shari - 7-10-2012 at 11:02 AM

this has been a great thread....hmmm, have to remember to make sure our sinks have stoppers...thanks DT.

One thing I have learned is to carefully check a room before you rent it because some rooms are better and better equipped than others.

check list includes check bed quality, check hot water, check tv, ask for a fan if there is no AC, check for how far wifi reaches, check screens, try to get upstairs room...and always bring your own pillow (we travel with sheets and a blanket too), toiletries.

We also keep in our suitcase, a power bar to plug into the only outlet so we can charge stuff, a small extension cord if you have to move the fan. I also have learned to ask about the hot water...they say there IS hot water but some places only turn it on by request or only have it on at certain times of day. I also bring a small solar bedside lamp for reading...oh and ALWAYS have a couple sets of earplugs!!!!!

My worst mexican hotel nightmares are when there is a dance hall next door that cranks up just as you are going to sleep and has insanely loud music till 5 in the morning.

baja showers

Skipjack Joe - 7-10-2012 at 12:10 PM

This is typical of the older motels.

Paint is peeling off.
Stall is rusting.
Mold on sides.
Water comes down in drops.
Hot water is anything but.

This one is the motel across the street from the gas station at Vizcaino.

Old baja - I wouldn't trade these experiences for anything.

009_6.jpg - 49kB

thebajarunner - 7-10-2012 at 12:48 PM

Checked into a fairly decent motel in West Palm Beach a few years back,
there was a condom wrapper on the edge of the bathtub.
Needless to say, the little woman beat a fast march to the office and did all kinds of denunciations.

DavidE - 7-10-2012 at 12:49 PM

It has honest to god WALLS?

dizzyspots - 7-10-2012 at 03:41 PM

bajarunner: on our 1st trip to Gonzaga Bay...nice full moon night....went to bed early cuz we were heading south really early to San Ignacio to play with the whales. Middle of the night..about 0300...Campo Beluga...two groups of young folk..having a great time just down the beach...entertaining us with laughter and loud "metal" music...they dozed off at about 0530...imagine their surprise at our 0600 departure to "Credence" blasting from the speakers as our way of thanking them for their "serenade".

Righteous!!!

thebajarunner - 7-10-2012 at 03:47 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by dizzyspots
bajarunner: on our 1st trip to Gonzaga Bay...nice full moon night....went to bed early cuz we were heading south really early to San Ignacio to play with the whales. Middle of the night..about 0300...Campo Beluga...two groups of young folk..having a great time just down the beach...entertaining us with laughter and loud "metal" music...they dozed off at about 0530...imagine their surprise at our 0600 departure to "Credence" blasting from the speakers as our way of thanking them for their "serenade".

and priceless.

Creedence, no better wake up music

DianaT - 7-10-2012 at 03:53 PM

Turning back the sheets and seeing some short hairs---not yours

Being told there is hot water, but not that that is when there is water at all

Needing to use a flashlight in the middle of the night on the way to the bathroom to avoid the crunching sound of dying c-ckroaches

Opening the wrong room by mistake because the same key works all the rooms

The owner's kids peeking in the high windows.

and a strange but good one we found at a nice hotel in Guadalajara --- very hot water in the toilet --- a very strange sensation. :biggrin:

woody with a view - 7-10-2012 at 04:12 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by DavidE
You go to return the key and non-functioning remote in the morning and find the office door locked. There's one of those "Will Return At" plastic clocks in the window but the hour hand is missing.

well, sorta. we took a bunch of vacuum sealed jurel from BOLA to the PacSide and left our loot in a freezer at one of the tiendas along the way. 3 days later when we returned there was that "will return in...." sign.

1.5 hours later and the lady showed up. watchagonna do? at least the border wait was only 15 minutes so it musta been a blessing in disguise, although we didn't see it that way at the time!!!!! :light:

BajaDanD - 7-10-2012 at 10:31 PM

one room with a concrete floor only furniture was a hard bed. no tables no lamps. My dog stood the whole night in the same spot wouldnt move never layed down. bathrooms were outside and in another building never could find them in the dark.

Sprocket - 7-11-2012 at 10:01 AM

Motel xxxx! our race team has stayed here for 6 years running!
You know you have arrived when.

Even though you made reservations with the owner and his son last year and came down to check a couple of weeks before the race, they still don't have any idea who you are.
So you open your briefcase and offer to pay for all the 15 rooms upfront for the next week and "A mi hijo como estas, cuanto tiempo! Si si todo esta listo!"

-The owner/manager hands you a key and the plundger at the same time.
-The key wont unlock your door but will unlock your buddies room and every other door you try.
-once in the room it smells of Fabuloso! The only channel that works is stuck on El Chavo!
-you dont dare walk around in bare feet.
-no hot water, no shower head,no shower curtian or door, no water pressure but its allways dripping the room that dose have hot water feels like you are getting shocked (maybe it cause your looking at exposed electrical wires for the little box that makes the hot water)we have stayed here so many times that the guys from
the race team have fixed the plumbing and even put the Cs back in the correct place on the sink and showers!
-the smell of sewer.
-the chaka chaka music is blaring and its 3pm and you know it wont stop till 5am and only gets worse when the live band showsup and you see the bar getting its Tecate delivery.
-you come into you room to find your buddies have taken all your pillows, blankets towels and light bulbs but left the tp (sandpaper)! funny NOT!
-someone lights a M80 outside your window and no one calls the cops.
-the roaches have stollen your power bars during the night
-your truck is blocked in by the bands beat out astrovan and no one can ever find the keys!
-The lights dim when the water pump comes on! or the ac comes on!
-The breakers trip when more than 3 rooms are running ac.
-The hotel resturant is never open ever!
-Theres a mini frig but its not pluged in and takes the week your there to get cold
-Theres menus in the room but no telephone???
- The menus list condoms and lube after the burritos but before the ceviche
-If there is a phone plan on the guys from the race team settingup a wakeup call every hour from 1am to 10am!

Got love Ensenada race weekend!

[Edited on 7-11-2012 by Sprocket]