Casa Mexicana trip report

[uncfnp]

My biggest grip staying at CM, or anywhere downtown, are the hawkers. Even when we have passed by the same store for the 20th time that visit they still try to sell me cigars, shots of tequila, hats, vanilla, t-shirts, etc. Even when in my post dive attire, wet, disheveled and lugging gear, I get invited to eat at their establishment.


I know this happens all over San Miguel but since the hotel is a prime spot on Melgar and near the cruise port, it seems especially active with tourist venders. I am so tired of them that I have actually toyed with staying OOT.

 

[scrane]

"Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore."

 

[AdivingBel]

I am so tired of them that I have actually toyed with staying OOT.

You know where to stay...

 

[Snoweman]

My biggest grip staying at CM, or anywhere downtown, are the hawkers. Even when we have passed by the same store for the 20th time that visit they still try to sell me cigars, shots of tequila, hats, vanilla, t-shirts, etc. Even when in my post dive attire, wet, disheveled and lugging gear, I get invited to eat at their establishment.


I know this happens all over San Miguel but since the hotel is a prime spot on Melgar and near the cruise port, it seems especially active with tourist venders. I am so tired of them that I have actually toyed with staying OOT.

They pretty much gave up on my wife and me after two days of walking by them three or four times a day.

 

[DFDubb]

My biggest grip staying at CM, or anywhere downtown, are the hawkers. Even when we have passed by the same store for the 20th time that visit they still try to sell me cigars, shots of tequila, hats, vanilla, t-shirts, etc. Even when in my post dive attire, wet, disheveled and lugging gear, I get invited to eat at their establishment.

I know this happens all over San Miguel but since the hotel is a prime spot on Melgar and near the cruise port, it seems especially active with tourist venders. I am so tired of them that I have actually toyed with staying OOT.

It's extremely frustrating at best. I've always stayed at CM because, as someone already mentioned, it's OCD clean and I'm about that life. It's a complete whip though to go anywhere as you have to walk by the same hawkers over and over, several times a day, and get the same nonsense pitch every single time. Our last trip over thanksgiving might have been the straw that broke the camels back for me. Next time I'm going to try a hotel that is a few blocks back from Melgar to see if it is any better.

Escalators were out of service and being worked on the entire week we were there. My company manufactures heavy equipment that is used in salt water/sand (dredging / mining), so I know a thing or two about this sort of thing. No reason at all to have the ongoing escalator issues. I would go down and have a beer while waiting on my wife to finish getting ready so I could see what kind of work the guys were doing to the escalators. I never actually ever saw any sort of work being done or even any tools being used. Literally, the guys were standing inside the machines looking perplexed day after day. Exact same situation every single time we would leave and return to the property. Day after day after day after day. It's actually quite mind boggling.

 

[cpace]

Fox News not available,...

No Fox News? How will I get my daily fix of Trump propaganda?

 

[Snoweman]

My company manufactures heavy equipment that is used in salt water/sand (dredging / mining), so I know a thing or two about this sort of thing.

It's one thing to use equipment designed for an environment. It's quite another to maintain equipment that's not designed for it.

I saw them working on the escalators frequently while was there. Usually, there were two or three people inside the "guts" trying get them working. It's too bad they can't add an elevator to the street level. No ADA in MX, though.

 

[Christi]

Just a few comments:

As far as the escalators go - I'm sure that Casa Mexicana staff and management are as frustrated as you at having to call the escalator company to come out so frequently.

AS far as the cable goes, they don't advertise "American cable" or "Prime channels" - so what you are getting is what is available for local cable. Local cable does not have many English offerings - and we don't have many channels through basic cable. I personally cancelled my cable subscription and just stream Netflix, You Tube and SLING TV

The Hawkers are annoying everywhere and it's actually something I am am bringing to the tourism board - it's SUCH a turnoff and an annoyance. I was actually walking through the square the other day - of course I still look like an American tourist even though I am a MX citizen - they have no way of knowing that. One of the hawkers was trying to lure me into his store - I decided to stop. In perfect Spanish, and very politely I said: "Can I give you a really big tip? American tourists don't like being harassed to go into stores - they want to be able to walk down the street in peace and enjoy this beautiful island. What you are doing is a turn-off and gives a really bad image of the island. If they want to buy something, they go looking for it and they will come in, but what you are doing will keep them out." He was stunned by my Spanish - and I'm sure it didn't change a thing, but I felt better haha!

 

[BRT]

I'm pretty sure that the aggressive hawkers make more money than the quiet ones. Natural selection at work.

 

[ChuckP]

It's extremely frustrating at best. I've always stayed at CM because, as someone already mentioned, it's OCD clean and I'm about that life. It's a complete whip though to go anywhere as you have to walk by the same hawkers over and over, several times a day, and get the same nonsense pitch every single time. Our last trip over thanksgiving might have been the straw that broke the camels back for me. Next time I'm going to try a hotel that is a few blocks back from Melgar to see if it is any better.

Escalators were out of service and being worked on the entire week we were there. My company manufactures heavy equipment that is used in salt water/sand (dredging / mining), so I know a thing or two about this sort of thing. No reason at all to have the ongoing escalator issues. I would go down and have a beer while waiting on my wife to finish getting ready so I could see what kind of work the guys were doing to the escalators. I never actually ever saw any sort of work being done or even any tools being used. Literally, the guys were standing inside the machines looking perplexed day after day. Exact same situation every single time we would leave and return to the property. Day after day after day after day. It's actually quite mind boggling.

I casually laugh at this - I own a landscape company and have been in Coz June, August, October and November this year - four guys weeding the grass at the marina by hand and on two trips they were in the same spot! I love the country and I love the island even more. Sun comes up, the water is wet.....

So this heavy equipment stuff and salt mining - tell me why I had to pay up front for 400 tons of road salt from Eqypt this year verses paying for loads as they were delivered out of the docks in Muskegon or out of Detroit - and at double the price! That bothers me a whole heck of a lot more than walking up some stairs!