Casa Oliva — Hotel in Mexico City

Horrendous start to the holiday. I arrived at Casa Oliva and they didn’t have my booking. I had checked in online, the booking was confirmed on booking.com, and I had messaged them in the afternoon to tell them my flight was delayed and I’d be arriving at midnight (but they never responded). The security guard was the only member of staff around when I arrived and he didn’t have my name on the list of guests checking in. He spent the next hour and a half trying to get in touch with the manager. When he finally did (so grateful to him) the manager said she thought my booking had been cancelled back in February. She blamed booking.com who ‘sometimes do this’.

The following day I expected some reimbursement to back up the apology, for example the first night would be taken off the bill, but when I asked they refused and became defensive and rude, repeating that the booking was cancelled (which was so bizarre at this point because I was actually staying in the hotel). The manager had said sorry but they didn’t really mean it - this was really appalling customer service.

When I arrived home after staying there a week I discovered that they’d also double charged me for the booking, finally booking.com refunded one of them.

There were more negatives (see images): the compact rooms are dark, grimy and very noisy, and the WiFi speed is agonisingly slow: Although well spaced out considering the compact size, the apartment is quite dark, smelt of damp (poor ventilation), my bedsheets had rips and tears in it, and the apartment was dusty and grimy in areas. There was a dead cockroach on the floor. It’s REALLY NOISY, late at night and early morning, you can hear the people next door or upstairs (scraping furniture, talking etc) - bad soundproofing. The WiFi is very SLOW (both in the apartment and on the rooftop/in the gym). This was so frustrating because I usually try to avoid using data abroad. The water pressure isn’t good, and water takes a while to heat up. Lack of service is a bit frustrating - there wasn’t enough loo roll or tissues, and the small kitchen bin was overflowing by the end of my week-long stay. Something I found a bit strange - My friends who were staying elsewhere came over for coffee before we headed out, and they needed to show their ID to the security guard. Thankfully they were carrying their passports. When I book an apartment, unless it states otherwise, I expect to be able to bring guests over without needing ID!

The only positive is that the courtyard is pretty.

I don’t enjoy having to write such an awful review but honestly it was a truly bizarre and uncomfortable experience. Take my advice - Stay away from Casa Oliva and Casa Miravelle (which they also run). There are plenty of other options in Mexico City…just wished I’d booked...

Horrendous start to the holiday. I arrived at Casa Oliva and they didn’t have my booking. I had checked in online, the booking was confirmed on booking.com, and I had messaged them in the afternoon to tell them my flight was delayed and I’d be arriving at midnight (but they never responded). The security guard was the only member of staff around when I arrived and he didn’t have my name on the list of guests checking in. He spent the next hour and a half trying to get in touch with the manager. When he finally did (so grateful to him) the manager said she thought my booking had been cancelled back in February. She blamed booking.com who ‘sometimes do this’.||The following day I expected some reimbursement to back up the apology, for example the first night would be taken off the bill, but when I asked they refused and became defensive and rude, repeating that the booking was cancelled (which was so bizarre at this point because I was actually staying in the hotel). The manager had said sorry but they didn’t really mean it - this was really appalling customer service.||When I arrived home after staying there a week I discovered that they’d also double charged me for the booking, finally booking.com refunded one of them.||There were more negatives (see images):|- Although well spaced out considering the compact size, the apartment is quite dark, smelt of damp (poor ventilation), my bedsheets had rips and tears in it, and the apartment was dusty and grimy in areas. |- There was a dead cockroach on the floor.|- It’s REALLY NOISY, late at night and early morning, you can hear the people next door or upstairs (scraping furniture, talking etc) - bad soundproofing.|- The WiFi is very SLOW (both in the apartment and on the rooftop/in the gym). This was so frustrating because I usually try to avoid using data abroad.|- The water pressure isn’t good, and water takes a while to heat up.|- Lack of service is a bit frustrating - there wasn’t enough loo roll or tissues, and the small kitchen bin was overflowing by the end of my week-long stay.|- Unusual visiting policy: My friends who were staying elsewhere came over for coffee before we headed out, and they needed to show their ID to the security guard. Thankfully they were carrying their passports. When I book an apartment, unless it states otherwise, I expect to be able to bring guests over without needing ID!||The only positive is that the courtyard is pretty.||I don’t enjoy having to write such an awful review but honestly it was a truly bizarre and uncomfortable experience. Take my advice - Stay away from Casa Oliva and Casa Miravelle (which they also run). There are plenty of other options in Mexico City…just wished I’d booked...

I love the service, Roma Norte location, design and flexibility at Casa Oliva! It can be booked direct on their website, Travelocity or Airbnb. I chose to book the Aguacate apartment via Airbnb. Although the listing was for Natalie, Miguel was immediately introduced and took great care of us. He was responsive prior and during the stay. He arrived at the door to greet us, carry bags, teach electronic lock use and grant WiFi access. Although we arrived several hours before 3 p.m. check in, we were immediately granted entrance to the building and access to our 1st floor apartment. We didn't even have to ring the bell because security was diligent enough to notice and announce our arrival. Via android the place is easy to find, but doesn't come up for iPhone users. The Aguacate aptartment has a full kitchen, 1 bathroom, and 2 bedrooms that have a courtyard between them that can be accessed by both bedrooms. They provided a gym, yoga mat, robe, lush common courtyard, WiFi, smart TV, laundry room, quiet & stable air conditioning, scented toilet paper, paper towels, hand soap, bottled water, body soap, trash bags, dishes, pots, pans, frying grease, blow dryer, steamer, bottle opener, 1 firm king size bed, 1 firm day bed, a desk, indoor/outdoor dining, sofa, and a great doorman too! The only issue was periodically, the electronic door would alarm when exiting, Miguel heard it and quickly demonstrated reset. Casa Oliva is in walking distance to street food, convenience stores, coffee shops, a speakeasy, as well as upscale and casual restaurants. I highly recommend walking to Dharma Coffee to start your day and Deseo 😋 Cafe for Mexican and American breakfast...