La Palomilla Bed and Breakfast — Hotel in Mexico City

First off, the property is adorable. It's very unique, authentic-feeling, and in a great area of town. While the setup maybe leaves a bit to be desired (some rooms have bathrooms outside of the physical bedroom in a public hallway/stairway), it was ideally situated for a large group of friends or a bachelorette party all traveling together. The area was very safe, the night man was very helpful, and overall we enjoyed the physical property quite a bit.

That all being said, NONE of that is worth the MASSIVE headaches we had to deal with on several different occasions with the owner and manager of this location, not to mention the THEFT of our money and valuables while we were staying on property.

We (a group of professional women all in our 30s) stayed on the property for a long weekend, with two members of our group coming early and staying (essentially) the whole week. For four days, we had the property completely rented for our group. We are all well-seasoned travelers, celebrating a friend's upcoming wedding. We wanted to stay in a fun and unique location in Mexico City to enjoy the fantastic restaurants and sights of the city...we were not there to "party."

Early in the trip, the ladies staying at the property solo noticed that their wallets (which were not stored in the safe, but WERE kept in the locked room and were not removed) were missing substantial amounts of money (around $300 USD). Further, a valuable pair of fine jewelry earrings were missing from the same room.

When this was brought (in a very non-accusatory manner) to the attention of the manager/owner, Alessandra, the ladies were told that there was no chance these were taken by the cleaning staff, that the owner trusted the staff with her life and would of course stand behind them instead of her guests. When we asked to see the camera footage of the time in question, the owner refused to show us more than an angle where nothing was visible in the room (even though additional angles were available on camera), and then said that if we wanted to make sure our valuables weren't stolen, we should have placed them in the safe.

While yes, it would have been smarter to put the valuables in the safe, failure to do so is not an INVITATION to be ROBBED by untrustworthy staff. The room was locked and the valuables were packed inside of a suitcase. This was not carelessness or lack of awareness. And if the management trusts their staff so implicitly, then why were we not allowed to see footage and why does the owner keep safes at all?!

Unfortunately, we learned our lesson after that and left nothing to chance with the management and ownership. However, that wasn't the end of the problems. The property had power outages and water outages while we were staying there, there were broken appliances (hair dryer, room door, etc.) and often the food or other amenities we paid for weren't available for one reason or another.

At the end of our stay, we again complained to the owner about the missing money, jewelry, and other shortages in our stay, asking only to be (a) acknowledged, and (b) compensated in the form of a free breakfast or something similar...basically, just a token acknowledgment of the ACTUAL issues we faced while staying at La Palomilla. In return/retaliation, the owner accused US of stealing a (broken) hairdryer and a Google Cast (?) (which we didn't even know were in the rooms).

This is really beyond the pale. We have all known each other for years, and have never had these issues when we've traveled in the past. This entire experience with La Palomilla soured an otherwise lovely trip to Mexico City. I would NEVER recommend this location to any friend traveling to Mexico City when there are so many other wonderful options where you're not dealing with despotic owners or thieving...

We stayed in La Palomilla for one week in June of 2023 and i would highly recommend it for anyone looking to stay in the Roma/Condesa area. I can't say enough about how perfect our stay was. I travel a lot for my job and have stayed in many hotels and B&B's, and this place is truly superior.

I think the most important aspects of a hotel are that it's clean and that the bed is comfortable - and La Palomilla checked both boxes nicely. The room was so clean, in fact, that I was comfortable walking around barefoot and there wasn't even a grain of dirt on the ground. The bed was nice and firm and the sheets were surprisingly soft, so I didn't feel like I was missing any of the comforts at home.

The stay was also very quiet. They happened to not be full the week we were there, so little to no noise from other guests and it's on a very quiet street, so you will be able to sleep/nap any time without disruption.

Our rate included breakfast, which I also highly recommend. Every morning we were treated to a big fresh fruit plate, homemade jams, granola, and a warm traditional Mexican breakfast which changed every day. The staff also used very sanitary practices and so we were very comfortable eating and drinking everything we were served. Really delicious.

There were also a lot of small touches that were so special - the way they cut our fruit into little hearts on the first day, the little toys they gave us at breakfast, the small parting gift, afternoon cookies, and they even prepared a brown-bag breakfast for us the morning we left early for Teotihuacan. They made all kinds of special accommodations as needed. The staff were so kind and sweet, they felt like family!

The rooms are very minimalist, in a good way. Not too overcrowded or overly decorated - nice, calm and simple, with cute touches. Full disclosure - we were in a Master suite, so we found the room to be of adequate size and had plenty of space for our luggage near the bed. We also had an ensuite bathroom which I found to be very large and modern. I did see the inside of one of the junior sweets and while it was smaller, I didn't think it was too small.

The location is also top notch. Just a few blocks from Chapultepec Park and all its museums, and walking distance to some of the best restaurants CDMX has to offer. We felt very safe in our neighborhood and had no problem walking around.

If i had to come up with one negative, it would only be that the rooms don't have air conditioning. This is usually not a problem as CDMX doesn't get very warm, but we happened to be there during a heat wave. Still, the city cools off very nicely at night, so if you are in a junior suite you are in a street-facing room that has windows that open to the street and therefore you can get plenty of cool air at night. If you are in a Master suite, as we were, then your window opens up to a covered, indoor shaft (kind of like the core of the building was cut out to send light down to the first floor). That means you don't get much air flow through your window. Fortunately we were on the top (4th floor), so if you can handle 3 flights of stairs I recommend the Luni room. The door faces the terrace which means you could prop open the door and get some fresh air that way.

I would definitely stay there again and recommend it to anyone looking to stay...

Our stay at La Palomilla Hotel in Mexico City was, regrettably, a disappointing experience. The reality of this boutique hotel fell far short of the impression given online, and I would caution prospective guests to manage their expectations accordingly.

First and foremost, the rooms are extraordinarily small—far smaller than the misleading, stretched-out images suggest. If you are travelling as a couple or have more than just a carry-on bag, you will struggle for space. The bathroom is equally cramped, making even basic comfort a challenge. To make matters worse, upon taking our first shower, we discovered that the drain was completely blocked with an alarming amount of hair, making it impossible for the water to drain properly. One was left standing in one's own filth!

Breakfast was, to put it mildly, uninspiring and basic. The selection was extremely limited—you simply ate what was served; there was no choice, which consisted of 2 slices of low-quality toast with butter and jam (which was moldy), about 1 tablespoon of yogurt and granola, a plate of 1 to 2 types of fruit and a Mexican dish, coffee or tea. While the breakfast is on the healthier side, the lack of variety and poor-quality bread make it an underwhelming start to the day. If one is not accustomed to eating Mexican food for breakfast, you're out of luck for an alternative.

On the second day I consumed a glass of the complementary watermelon juice provided by the hotel and as a result got food poisoning. One of the most frustrating moments came when my husband requested some yogurt for me—only to be flatly refused, even though yogurt was served at breakfast. A small act of kindness would have gone a long way, yet instead, we were met with an unnecessary lack of hospitality.

Service at the hotel was underwhelming. One particular staff member/ day receptionist—whose name we do not know—was distinctly unpleasant and unhelpful. When we informed him of the clogged shower drain, we were met with a blazè expression. The final straw was when we requested a late departure as I was unwell. Despite the fact that no new guests were due to arrive until several days after our departure we were made to feel like an inconvenience rather than valued guests. The schedule of guest arrivals and departures was posted in the kitchen.

Another major drawback was the lack of proper sound insulation. Throughout our stay, we were the only guests in the hotel, yet it was still difficult to get an early night's rest due to the poor room insulation. I can only imagine how disruptive it would be with a full house.

That said, the cookies they provide as snacks were actually quite enjoyable, the outdoor balcony though lacking a view, and the toiletries were small redeeming features.

Overall, La Palomilla failed to meet even the most basic expectations of comfort, service, and quality. There are far better options in Mexico City, and I would strongly advise...