Comments on: It was good enough for D.H. Lawrence

By: Susan

Susan — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 02:46:33 +0000

I used to always stay at the Montecarlo in the 80′s and early 90′s. The staff remembered me and always let me keep my luggage there when I left for short side trips and the rooms were just right funky.
Last year I took my husband there and the young guy at the desk hardly looked up from his computer game to greet us, though the phone system is still the old operator panel and phone booth routine. The rooms are dingy, and you are right, absolutely nothing has changed, except perhaps my taste and attitude. Sigh…

By: Javier

Javier — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 05:18:54 +0000

Pase a visitarte David. Ciantas cosas excepcionales hay en el DF. Desde restaurantes, hoteles y tiendas clasicas, hasta le gente que quiere y propicia el turismo. Ojala que haya muchas paginas como esta que inculcan a propios y extraños a visitarnos. Desde la frontera mas bonita de Mexico, Puedras Negras, Coahuila, un amigo os saluda

By: Judy

Judy — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 17:29:16 +0000

I vaguely remember a rotary phone, springy, uneven mattresses and a little window that looked into a sinister cubo de luz, without the luz. The best part of the Montecarlo is that fountain at the reception patio. Everything else is a bit disheartening from there.

By: Jose

Jose — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 21:30:22 +0000

I thought the pace was good enough to rest for the night on my way down to Oaxaca. By the way I caught your talk to the university students on Mexican TV up here in LA. I think I’ll have to buy your book now.

J. Velazquez

By: D.F.rrante

D.F.rrante — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 07:28:30 +0000

Hi David:

Im a current member of Adefesio, a site that tries to capture as much elements of the city (Mexico City) as we can get, but, not just without sense. We try to show to the readers, the complexity of our city in a simple way (streets, builings, urbanism, people).. I recently wrote a little review of your book in Spanish, i loved it….PLease tae a look and tell us what u think,,, Best regards

D.F.rrante

By: Felipe Zapata

Felipe Zapata — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 16:24:58 +0000

Dang, Mike, I was thinking of staying there at least once just so I could say that I did. But after reading your description of the place, I think I´ll just have to pass.

By: Michael Warshauer

Michael Warshauer — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 11:26:58 +0000

¡Viva el Hotel Montecarlo!
I started staying there on my second visit to Mexico City, February 1992. It was the equivalent of U.S. $14 a a night for a single room.

When my wife and I started staying there in ’93, the peso price had risen but the dollar price had dropped. We last stayed there in February, 2004 for about U.S. $25. At that point, I realized that my aching, aging bones needed more comfort and we started staying elsewhere. The acrobatic antics necessary to enter some of the smaller bathrooms no longer amused me, nor were the infamous “eraser” pillows, with a consistency of firm rubber, still tolerable.

The doorlocks on the rooms were always cantankerous, but fun if you liked puzzles.

I always enjoyed arising early, going the to branch of the Pastelería Ideal across the street, and bringing back fresh pan dulce for us, the old night clerk, Arnulfo, and later, the security guard.

Gracias, David, for reawakening memories of our earlier, more adventurous travels in Mexico.

Saludos,
Mike

By: Tapen

Tapen — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 14:03:18 +0000

Just for it’s location
alone, it is STILL a
good value.

Tapen