Grand City Hotel

Grand City Hotel is a modern option outside of the heart of downtown with spacious rooms suited to business travelers or longer stays. While the exterior is in need of some updating (the paint has largely faded on the sign proclaiming the name of the hotel), once guests step through the double glass front doors the look is thoroughly contemporary. The air-conditioned lobby has bamboo furniture and brick-façade walls, as well as a clear view out to the garden, pool, and restaurant area. Staff is on call 24 hours a day for checking in and out.

Grand City Hotel is located just behind the Telmex office on Yaxchilan Avenue, five minutes on foot from Walmart and Sam’s Club, and about 10 minutes from the Casa de La Cultura, Planetarium, and the baseball stadium. It is directly across the street from the Red Cross Hospital and a 24-hour pharmacy. It’s far enough out from the heart of downtown that guests are away from the majority of the clubs, but if you walk north on Yaxchilan about 15 minutes you’ll find the nightlife of the mainland. Costco is roughly 15 minutes away on foot.

It’s 20 to 30 minutes away from the beaches of the Hotel Zone by bus or car. Taxis can be hailed from the street right out front, but if visitors want to catch a bus down to the tourist strip, both the R1 and R2 buses run down Coba Avenue around 10 minutes east of the hotel, where Tulum Avenue and Coba intersect.

Rooms have exterior entrances lining the pool and garden area, and some windows face out towards Yaxchilan Avenue and the Red Cross hospital. The rest face an interior wall covered with greenery. The 2013 renovation is evident; all have modern decor. Expect white tile floors, white walls, streamlined wood furniture, and either red or brown bed runners. Rooms sleep four, and typically come with two double beds; some have faux leather futons that can sleep one to two children. All have work stations, making the rooms suited to business travelers. The bathrooms feature basin sinks, decorative ceramic tile walls and floors, and showers. 

Each room comes with a mini-fridge, small microwave, a set of dishes, and a coffeemaker with one liter of water plus coffee included daily. Amenities include flat-screen TVs, free Wi-Fi, irons and ironing boards, and hairdryers in the bathrooms. 

The southern rooms have the least impressive views; they face a small walkway for workers and a vegetation-covered wall. Workers are only allowed to pass by during the daytime hours to avoid disturbing guests, until around 4 p.m. Meanwhile, the rooms looking out over Yaxchilan Avenue can be noisy due to traffic, and the northernmost rooms will have to deal with the nearby bar that often has live music playing until the early morning hours.

Don’t let the front of the building with its fading paint on the signs and basic plaster-and-block construction fool you: the rest of the Grand City Hotel earns its three pearls. The hotel restaurant, Naay Café, serves a range of basic Mexican fare for breakfast and lunch, with room service available during those hours, along with coffee from local producer, Café Koba (also included in the rooms). While it doesn't serve alcohol or dinner, basic bottled beverages such as water, juice, and soft drinks are available upon request 24 hours a day.

The pool gets both sun and shade and is lined with loungers. The pool area is well-manicured with palm trees and tropical vegetation, but the size of the pool fits the size of the hotel: There are only 18 rooms here, and the pool would not fit all of the guests at the same time if the hotel were at full capacity.

There are 10 parking spaces available in front of the building.