DrMaturin
May 21, 12, 1:26 pm
I'm not exactly sure which forum to post this into so I'll start here. Mods, please move if you see fit.
My wife is a native of GDL and we travel there periodically to visit family and see the sights. We just came back from a three night stay at the new Riu Plaza there. This hotel is the tallest building in the city, boasting 40 floors of meeting and guest rooms topped by a penthouse. Although we typically stay at the Crown Plaza or the Hilton, on the advice of family we decided to give the Riu a shot.
Check in was easy and quick. When we arrived at our room the first problem came up. I'm an extremely light sleeper and when I made the reservation I requested a quiet room away from elevators and ice machines. Well, of course our room was the closest to the elevator :mad:. I find the binging noise of elevators very annoying and can keep me awake, so I was upset that my request was ignored. Fortunately the elevators made only a soft sound when the elevators arrive so this didn't turn out to be a problem and we didn't have to change rooms.
We booked a Junior Executive Suite and were on the 35th floor, with a spectacular view ^. Like in many hotels Junior Suite here just means big room, but it was spacious and comfortable. Every floor has it's own color scheme and ours was purple, which my wife didn't like but which didn't bother me. However, our room did have one glaring deficiency. The bed only came with cheap foam pillows. Now, I hate foam pillows and can't sleep comfortably on them (sleeping well in hotels is, as you can see, an issue for me). In fact, I will often travel with my own down pillow. But for this trip I only packed a carry-on bag and with all the presents we brought there wasn't room. We asked that feather or down pillows be sent up and were informed that they were unavailable at the hotel! A really shocking omission at a hotel that bills itself as five-star :td:. The bed itself was fine.
Our reservation included breakfast and the breakfast buffet was excellent, with numerous Mexican and non-Mexican dishes, and lots of healthy options. We sat outside on the patio while we ate, which was very nice. We didn't eat any other meals there so I can't comment on the other restaurants. The hotel does have it's own coffee shop with lots of snack to choose from.
The hotel struck me as quite busy. The lobby is very nice with a high ceiling and lots of people coming and going. Clearly the place is very fashionable :cool:. We sat at the bar a couple of nights and just people watched, which is always fun. I like hotels with busy lobbies and nice bars and this place fit that bill.
The gym is average hotel gym. There are four treadmills which could be all taken in the morning if you come at the wrong time, as well as assorted other cardio equipment and some weight machines. The outdoor pool was nice, if a bit cold in the morning, and there were lots of lounge chairs surrounding it. This could get a bit busy in the afternoon. It was a nice place to catch some sun.
On balance it was a nice stay and I'd stay again, remembering to bring my own pillow :D. My wife was less impressed and prefers the Crowne Plaza. GDL is a paradoxical place. On the one hand are all the horror stories out of Mexico that we all read. On the other hand there is a lot of new foreign investment and several relatively new luxury hotels in the city, the newest of which is the Riu.
My wife is a native of GDL and we travel there periodically to visit family and see the sights. We just came back from a three night stay at the new Riu Plaza there. This hotel is the tallest building in the city, boasting 40 floors of meeting and guest rooms topped by a penthouse. Although we typically stay at the Crown Plaza or the Hilton, on the advice of family we decided to give the Riu a shot.
Check in was easy and quick. When we arrived at our room the first problem came up. I'm an extremely light sleeper and when I made the reservation I requested a quiet room away from elevators and ice machines. Well, of course our room was the closest to the elevator :mad:. I find the binging noise of elevators very annoying and can keep me awake, so I was upset that my request was ignored. Fortunately the elevators made only a soft sound when the elevators arrive so this didn't turn out to be a problem and we didn't have to change rooms.
We booked a Junior Executive Suite and were on the 35th floor, with a spectacular view ^. Like in many hotels Junior Suite here just means big room, but it was spacious and comfortable. Every floor has it's own color scheme and ours was purple, which my wife didn't like but which didn't bother me. However, our room did have one glaring deficiency. The bed only came with cheap foam pillows. Now, I hate foam pillows and can't sleep comfortably on them (sleeping well in hotels is, as you can see, an issue for me). In fact, I will often travel with my own down pillow. But for this trip I only packed a carry-on bag and with all the presents we brought there wasn't room. We asked that feather or down pillows be sent up and were informed that they were unavailable at the hotel! A really shocking omission at a hotel that bills itself as five-star :td:. The bed itself was fine.
Our reservation included breakfast and the breakfast buffet was excellent, with numerous Mexican and non-Mexican dishes, and lots of healthy options. We sat outside on the patio while we ate, which was very nice. We didn't eat any other meals there so I can't comment on the other restaurants. The hotel does have it's own coffee shop with lots of snack to choose from.
The hotel struck me as quite busy. The lobby is very nice with a high ceiling and lots of people coming and going. Clearly the place is very fashionable :cool:. We sat at the bar a couple of nights and just people watched, which is always fun. I like hotels with busy lobbies and nice bars and this place fit that bill.
The gym is average hotel gym. There are four treadmills which could be all taken in the morning if you come at the wrong time, as well as assorted other cardio equipment and some weight machines. The outdoor pool was nice, if a bit cold in the morning, and there were lots of lounge chairs surrounding it. This could get a bit busy in the afternoon. It was a nice place to catch some sun.
On balance it was a nice stay and I'd stay again, remembering to bring my own pillow :D. My wife was less impressed and prefers the Crowne Plaza. GDL is a paradoxical place. On the one hand are all the horror stories out of Mexico that we all read. On the other hand there is a lot of new foreign investment and several relatively new luxury hotels in the city, the newest of which is the Riu.