The Hotel Posada San Agustín, where I stayed for three nights in Durango, is in the heart of Durango’s historic Centro, right on 20 de noviembre, a main thoroughfare through the district, and walking distance to just about everything, including the Plaza de armas, where a lot of tours start from. I have rarely had the privilege of staying in the heart of a tourist zone and really appreciated being able to go back to my room for a break without having to make a huge effort to get there, never mind being in such a beautiful and architecturally interesting building! The neighbourhood was super quiet at night, with my only complaint being that the church right next door rings its bells at 7:00 a.m.!
The hotel is located a block from Zaragoza (all Mexican cities apparently have the same names).
You enter into the first of two gorgeous courtyards:
I was greeted warmly and checked in promptly, with my request for a standard room being honoured. They have suites, and I debated upgrading to a ‘junior’ one for a mere $50 more, but decided to stick to my original plan. My most pressing question once I had my key (and remotes for the TV and AC) was what to do with my truck. I was told I’d have to drive around the block and park it in the Palacio lot across from the archeology museum, get a ticket, and then the hotel would stamp my ticket whenever I wanted to take my truck out. The clerk drew me a map to make sure I was understanding her correctly. The lot was super easy to find and quite convenient to the hotel, although I wish I’d dropped my luggage first!
Moya spent the whole weekend parked here, safe and sound, with 24-hour security:
Back at the hotel, I crossed the first courtyard and went through the second (That floor! Those arches!):
My room was upstairs at the back (my request), so I had to climb these lovely stone steps:
The room was definitely ‘cozy’, but absolutely perfect for my needs. My bed had quite possibly the only comfortable mattress in all of Mexico (Croft thinks I could be right because he’s never encountered one!):
There was a desk/vanity area:
I liked that there was a switch for a light in the closet that automatically turned it on and off:
This was my favourite part of the room, the chair and ottoman! I had something similar in my T or C apartment and is what I wish I had here:
(BTW, I had that EXACT same carpet in my mobile house in Quebec. I see it a lot in m/hotels in Canada and the U.S. and am beyond amused that it’s also used in Mexico!)
The bathroom was adequate, with good hot water and pressure in the shower! The window opens to the stairwell!
This fancy working phone by the toilet made me laugh:
And I loved the phone by the bed!
What I didn’t like about the room would be easily fixable. Since there is only a tiny window to the outside (above the desk), they put in a glass block wall by the door to let in natural and hallway light. But the hallway light is on all night and the roll down shade doesn’t cover the entire window. I ended up having to use the duvet to fully block the light.
I also didn’t like that there was a family of about 50 people (only mildly exaggerating) staying in the suite next to my room and they were LOUD coming in at night. No concept of indoor and outdoor voices and footsteps, but that’s a Mexico thing. If they hadn’t woken me up every night, I would have slept very well since the room was dark and quiet until 7:00 a.m. and the bed was comfortable!
The hotel wifi was terrible (would work for a while, then quit, then work again), but I needed to use up my Banda Ancha, so that didn’t bother me too much. I would have been disappointed if I needed to work.
I really enjoyed my stay at this hotel. It has a very cozy and homey atmosphere. I liked going down to the front courtyard in the morning to drink their surprisingly decent coffee (and an orange juice) and sit in a comfy chair to read the newspaper. The location was beyond perfect. I rather planned my days in a figure 8-type pattern so I could pop in in the late afternoon and have a rest. Durango taxis are apparently super cheap, but I never needed one.
I love staying in these hotels in the centro but unfortunately they tend to be exposed to the very loud music and goings-on until the wee hours. You were lucky to experience a quiet night. And yes, the architecture!
This hotel is in a bit of a bubble where there are no bars. So nothing loud at night, just the brats next door.