Name: Cantera Real
Address: Libres No. 404 Centro Histórico,Libres, Oaxaca, Oaxaca, Oaxaca, 68000, Mexico
Rating: 7

Air conditioning

24-hour reception

Currency exchange

All Spaces Non-Smoking (public and private)

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Internet

Pets allowed (under 5 kg)

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At the hotel

Oaxaca International Airport

Cantera Real

Oaxaca

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This hotel was chosen by our tour agency, unfortunately, not by us. From the moment we arrived, we found it difficult to communicate with the receptionist/clerk because she spoke no English and we spoke no Spanish. Our group leader ditched us so we couldn't get his help but thankfully we checked in same-time as some kind bilingual people who helped us understand the forms we had to fill out. I know a little Spanish but not enough to fully understand the staff. I don't expect people in Mexico to speak English but I'm used to hotels at least having written things in English or other languages, so it was a challenge. This of course come with the territory of travelling the world - I just want people reading this to be prepared/aware. 

Note to anyone with walking difficulties: there is no elevator, so request a first floor room or be ready to lug your bags up some stairs. The front desk clerk showed us to our room - there was a girl finishing up preparing our room and she seemed to be telling the clerk something was wrong with our room. They went into the bathroom then re-emerged and told us to go ahead in. When the clerk left, we noticed a filthy/stained toilet, and a bathroom light that didn't work - toilet/shower was in completely blackness. There were also many missing lightbulbs in the room, wall paneling peeling off, and holes in the wall with wires sticking out of them. And worst of all - the A/C didn't work. 

We had no way of communicating all this to the clerk but thankfully got help from our bilingual friends again. The clerk told them the A/C is "under maintenance" aka doesn't work (it was October but it was 80-some degrees Fahrenheit and the window that opens in the room is tiny). The clerk also said they could "get a light bulb and change the bathroom light tomorrow." Um, what? We said we wanted another room and they hesitated but ultimately agreed. The hesitation itself was annoying considering we hardly saw anyone else at the hotel and our bilingual friends told us they just switched rooms so we knew theirs was open. So anyway, we got their room which had a working bathroom light and a floor fan, at least. Still no A/C so it was disgustingly hot during our entire stay even with the door and window both open and the fan blasting on high. 

The language barrier also made eating at the hotel restaurant an ordeal. I mostly blame our tour guide for not being available to help us (especially since we had dietary requirements and they knew that), but would an English menu on-hand be that difficult? Google Translate and bugging the bilingual guests only got us so far. I tried to order Huevos Rancheros with no meat but the waiter didn't understand so I settled for scrambled. The food itself each day was good but ordering it was difficult with dietary requirements. We only had dinner there once which was also difficult. Some of the menu's had X's, and the placement of those X's varied from one menu to the next. We asked if the X's meant the food wasn't available and the waiter did not know. He asked others, who did not know. So we tried ordering something with an X next to it and lo and behold, they didn't have it. It was an unnecessarily confusing process but at least the food we got was good. I especially enjoyed the hot chocolate de leche. The waiter(s) for the most part were patient with us and tried; I just thinking having at least 1 menu on-hand in other languages would be a benefit. Also, updating the menu to reflect what they actually have would be nice. 

The common areas of the hotel look pleasant, especially during Dia de los Muertos with the decorations up, but the guest rooms themselves are drab and stuffy. Even the open-air hallways felt wonderful and as soon as you step into the room, it's an awful stagnant heat. The beds are hard, plus the the blankets and bath towels are old and scratchy. There is no floor mat, or wash cloth, so request extra towels for those. You'll also have to request a hair dryer, it's not in the room. When we requested water, they brought us a pitcher of water and we did not know if it was filtered or not. We wanted to purchase bottled water but no luck. Even our bilingual friends didn't trust drinking the mystery pitcher water. Fortunately there are two small shops nearby where you can buy bottled water. As for the bathroom, sometimes the water turns murky and brown, not sure if that's normal there or what. One morning the shower was slightly cold but tolerable - and another morning it was FREEZING. We didn't see any bugs or filth or anything so it seems like a relatively clean place. 

It wasn't too far a walk to interesting sights, so I guess the location is decent, too. It has a few minor positives but this is not a place I would ever stay again or recommend. The lack of A/C alone makes it unbearable. 

Relatively clean but run-down and uncomfortable stay

I spent 3 nights in this hotel over the day of the dead.  The lobby and open areas are decorated in a traditional Mexican style and are very beautiful.  They had a shrine up on the lower floor for the day of the dead.  They also have free parking which came in handy since we drove to Oaxaca.  The room was quite small and consisted of two very hard twin beds.  The pillows were like rocks.  The hotel is centrally located and a short walk to the main square and church.  There is a bar and restaurant connected to the hotel, and the food there was quite good.

Authentic hotel in the heart of Oaxaca

The Cantera Real good place to stay.  The people that run and own this hotel could not have been more helpful in every way.
We were walking distance to all we wanted to see.
The only negative were the beds.  They are very hard as well as the pillows.  The rooms are very clean but a bit dark.  Bathrooms were good and had nice hot water.  Again the people there are very accommodating and made are stay special.

Wonderful people

Although the decor of the hotel was lacking, we all found the Staff to be so helpful and gracious.  The price was amazingly low compared to nearby accommodations.  A great place to stay, quiet, and walking distance to the Zocolo.

Wonderful Staff and location

My husband and I stayed here for a few days over the "day of the dead weekend" .
Location was excellent - walking distance from all Main tourist spots. Staff were friendly and helpful. 
Our room had a private outside area just for us which was nice to use for exercise in the mornings.
Overall it's a nice hotel especially for the price and very authentic! 
The only negatives were ; 
Poor wifi. 
Could only use hairdryer for 5 mins before it overheated and switched off.

Cantera Real

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