Anniversary in Guadalajara—The Hotel Morales

Señora Cuevas and I observed our 48th wedding anniversary yesterday. We celebrated by spending an extended weekend in Guadalajara. Guadalajara was new to us. We'd been in México CDMX countless times, but never in the Big Guad. (Not counting a couple of nights in nearby Tonalá going and coming from the airport.)

We decided to stay at the Hotel Morales, in Centro. The Morales has excellent ratings on TripAdvisor and other web sites, and it's well merited. Everything about our stay was first rate and enjoyable.

The  dimly illuminated interior of the hotel is in a Spanish Morisco style. The public areas have antique furnishings. Everything is lovingly cared for and I smelled the good scent of lemon oil polish when I walked down the stairs.

On the other hand, the rooms have every modern amenity for one's comfort.

The hotels gallery of images far surpasses mine, and to view them, you merely have to click here.

We booked the Imperial Suite for 3 nights. It's a spacious corner room, tall ceilings and windows, hardwood floors, with a king bed. The big attraction for me was the ample jacuzzi in an alcove of the bathroom.

I made the most of the jacuzzi.

The jacuzzi tub filled rapidly and the water was as hot as one might wish.
The shower, in a separate stall, was very good, with near instant hot water and plentiful volume and pressure.

The bathroom also held a spacious, illuminated three door closet and a safe.

I'd booked the Paquete Lunamiel add-on, which adds "romantic room decoration", that is rose petals strewn about, kissing swans made of towels on the bed; a nice bottle of vino spumante Italiano, a fruit basket and a buffet breakfast for two. Because of our particular dining schedule, it took us a while to get to drink the wine, we barely touched the fruit, the breakfast was o.k. Sra. Cuevas found a handy mini-fridge under the large screen tv (which we did not watch.)

A corner of our suite

A cozy nook with antique radio and record player

The restaurant is pleasant and the food that we had was well prepared for the most part. Keep in mind that it's more of a convenience for guests than a gastronomic destination. The Ensaladas Mixtas were particularly fresh and good. Salmon a la plancha was well prepared.

Ensalada Mixta

Soon after we checked in, the reception desk rang our room to tell us that our taxi driver had found a cell phone, but due to "traveler confusion", I didn't realize that it was my phone. The staff later tracked down the driver, and my phone was returned the next day for a modest fee.

There is a nice, outdoor swimming pool on a terrace off the third floor, as well as a gymnasium.

Heated pool

I'd wanted a fourth night, but the hotel had no availability. However, I was able to book a double suite with two camas matrimoniales, in the new, brighter (and warmer) part of the hotel, through booking.com. It was surprisingly easy and hassle free.

Patio in new section

New patio

Our second room had no window, but there was a skylight dome in the spacious bedroom. There was plenty of light, and, of course, air conditioning. The bathroom held a tub and shower, and the tub was equipped for hydro massage.

The staff is outstandingly friendly and helpful. The Sales Manager, Sra. Liliana Nila, was ever helpful. Her husband, Lic. Manuel Mejia is in charge of Guest Relations and serves as Concierge as well. He was very gracious in obtaining restaurant reservations for us, and pleasant to talk with.

The desk staff at reception are all pleasant and attractive young women who are always smilingly helpful.

There is no lack of easy, casual restaurants within a short walk.
If we are ever in Guadalajara again, the Hotel Morales would be our place to stay.

Ratings
Comfort *****
Service *****
Cost: varies by room and other factors.
INAPAM discount given, on request


Hotel Morales Historical & Colonial
Downtown Core,

Ramón Corona Ave. No 243
 Zip Code 44100

Guadalajara Jalisco, México

P: +52 (33) 3658.5232 | 01800 315.5232
E: reservaciones@hotelmorales.com.mx
W: www.hotelmorales.com.mx