Casa Kanabrí Hostal Boutique — Hotel in Mexico City

I am going to provide a fully comprehensive review about my experience at Casa Kanabri. I will start by saying that I brought a group of 17 people there for a yoga training and we were there for 2.5 weeks.

First of all, the cleaning staff and night crew were all incredible. Daniel, the night receptionist, is one the kindest people we have ever met. He was so welcoming and loving towards every single one of us. Maria and Isabel, the cleaning ladies, were as sweet as can be. They were always accommodating to our requests and you could tell they worked so hard at what they do, even going up and down the stairs with bags of laundry and trash that I hated to see them carry at their age. So much dedication!

I also want to note that the owner David was incredibly kind and accommodating as well. We had internet issues and he immediately came to the casa to get it sorted out and fix it - even leaving his own cell phone so we could have access to the hot spot while they fixed the internet.

The struggles that my team and I had were with the hostel managers, Aidee and Patricia. They were…for lack of better words, difficult to work with. From the very beginning of our communication, it feels like there was a lot of dishonest information coming my way. For example, before I even booked the place, I had asked if their terrace could fit up to 20 yoga mats and they said Yes with confidence. Our group was 14 students and we were very tight up there.

I worked with Aidee to book a chef to make breakfasts and lunches for our group during the whole trip, plus dinner the very first night. She never showed me the chef contract, and at the time I just trusted that it would go as planned because I host trips like this often and have never had an issue. How incredibly disappointing it was when night one, when the students arrived, dinner did not show up until 2 hours late. Aidee kept telling us the driver was 5 minutes away, 10, 15…and 2 hours later it showed up. At this point, I had sent everyone to go get food on their own because that was completely unacceptable. I understand this part was on the chef, but we were relayed incorrect information repeatedly from the hostel staff.

The chef was a complete disaster, but on top of that, my team and I communicated with Aidee and Patricia numerous times about the food and how bad it was. Not just “bad” in terms of taste…we were provided stale bread, moldy food, brown fruit, rotten broccoli. It was absolutely unacceptable. At one point, I sent a picture of the brown fruit to the managers, to which they replied that they checked it and it looked fine. Bizarre attempt to lie at something I sent a clear image of.

The final straw is that the managers told us we would get a refund for the food, since we asked for about half as much for the last week or so (it was so bad that no one wanted to eat it and so much was being wasted). When the last day came and I asked for the refund, Aidee and Patricia denied it. They said they wouldn’t refund (after we were told they would), made a claim about how it was in the contract, but then wouldn’t allow us to see the contract. To top it off, the hostel team got everyone in our group some thoughtful gifts, but in this conversation the managers told us that essentially they got us those gifts so we wouldn’t be mad at them about the chef and the lack of refund. So essentially they were trying to bribe us.

If you’ve gotten this far into the review, I will end by saying this. Casa Kanabri is probably fine for a short stay where you don’t need the managers for anything. However, if you are planning to book the whole casa for an extended stay, I think you’ll have better options in CDMX than here. The house is cute, but some of the rooms are tiny. The location is not ideal as it is on one of the busiest intersections in town so it’s loud throughout the night. And…well the hostel managers are not accommodating or...

I recently stayed at this hostel and had a mixed experience. While the design and decor were appealing, several issues made my stay uncomfortable.

Aesthetics & Decor: The hostel has a modern, upgraded feel with stylish decor, but the vibe was odd. It’s a basic hostel with an attempt at interior design flair, though it still felt somewhat cold and utilitarian.

Dorm Room: I stayed in a 5-bed female dorm, and for most of my stay, it was just me and one other person, so space wasn’t an issue. The room was clean, but the lockers were old, worn, and noisy, not securely fastened to the wall. The bedding had stains, and the top bunks were dusty and full of lint. The large window offered natural light but faced the street, affecting privacy.

Bathrooms: The bathrooms were disappointing. Exposed pipes and industrial design made them feel unappealing. Despite shower stoppers, drainage was poor, and the shower curtains didn’t reach the bottom, leaving the floor soaked. The bathroom on my floor was cramped, but the one upstairs was larger, though still far from ideal.

Common Areas: The kitchen had a foul-smelling refrigerator, making it uninviting. The lounge furniture was uncomfortable, and the windows were discolored, obstructing the view and giving the space a neglected feel.

Unsettling Experiences:... TBD

Staff & Service: The staff was unprofessional, especially the young woman at the front desk, who was uninterested in assisting guests. Communication was difficult, and she didn’t offer helpful local tips. The evening staff was much more professional and efficient. There’s a coffee shop next door, but the staff didn’t listen to my order and made what they wanted. I didn’t have time to address it as I rushed to catch my Uber.

Overall, this hostel works for a quick stop but falls short in service, maintenance, and comfort. It has potential, but improvements...

Very bad experience and I only stayed there because I already paid. The outdoor and the lobby decoration is nice, but it stops there. Reception service is terrible, the lady in charge is never there, welcomes you poorly and cannot provide any information about the city. No city map available, no activities are organized (not like other hostels) and there is no hostel atmosphere. The cleanliness of the place is highly suspicious. There is no proper bathroom, the sink is in front of the room doors. They have a bad smell, and showers/ toilets are dirty. The private rooms are extra small with no locker and no room to store your stuff. The rooms are so close to the sinks so you hear people brushing teeth while you try to sleep... also you have light flooding your room every time a person walks in. Doors are super loud to open, and overall the place is very noisy. Definitely doesn’t worth the 20$ a night. The description on Hostelworld is a lie. Stay...