Hotel del Sol

Since current management took over in October 2009, the
focus at Hotel del Sol has been on creating a home-away-from-home atmosphere for vacationers in
the lesser-known part of Cancun: Puerto Juarez. This isn’t
a hotel for business travelers, given the lack of a business center, distance from the Cancun Convention Center, and distance from the banks and infrastructure of downtown. But for budget travelers looking for a quick stopover before taking a ferry to Isla Mujeres, or seeking an affordable beachfront pad, this hotel might fit the bill.Located across
the street from the Maritime Terminal of Puerto Juarez, the hotel is a simple
block-and-plaster building. Though the exterior looks dated, the interior is nicer (if a bit bland), with diamond-inset tile floors and casual modern lobby furniture; there's also a computer station set up. A roof terrace provides nice water views, as well as a couple loungers and tables.  There
haven’t been any updates in recent years, and there is some small visible
wear, such as cracks in the plaster finish. Otherwise the hotel is pristinely clean. 

The best
way to describe the Puerto Juarez part of Cancun is “off the beaten path." This
is as far north as one can get in Cancun, and it’s also one of the oldest parts
of the city. The surrounding neighborhood shows its age and has mostly squat, single-story block-and-plaster
buildings that in many cases haven’t been painted in decades. That being
said, the area is also host to the best fresh fish markets in the city (many
of the restaurants in Cancun send their workers here on a daily basis in the
early morning hours to purchase the catch of the day for the restaurants),
Playa Niños (an eight-minute walk down the street), the Ultramar ferry out to Isla Mujeres (a seven-minute walk), and the original Maritime
Terminal for the city (just across the street). The last stop for the R1 bus, which runs to the ADO bus station downtown,
along the length of Tulum, and down the length of the Hotel Zone strip, is under a five-minute walk away. And although there isn’t a local
supermarket nearby (the closest and best option is the Comercial Mexicana
across the street from the ADO terminal some 15 to 20 minutes away by bus), there is a small local fruit and vegetable market around 15
minutes on foot from the hotel, just past the Ultramar ferry, where Spanish-speaking guests or adventurous wanderers can find produce. There is an Oxxo convenience store right across the street, as well as Mandinga Restaurant, and nearby are a
variety of local eateries or "puestos" where you can find tacos, tamales, grilled fish, and other Mexican street food.

Of the hotel's 24 rooms, 18 are Standard Rooms with a single queen-size bed or two single beds. The Junior Suites feature a
queen-size bed, while the Suites feature two queen-size beds. The Apartment features two king-size beds, plus a side room with a queen bed, but no kitchens.The rooms
are simply furnished with dark-wood desks, closets, wardrobes, and trim.
Bathrooms are functional, and feature only showers, with shampoo dispensers
mounted on the shower walls. Colors vary; some rooms have turquoise patterned bedspreads (matching the palette in the lobby), while others have cheerful orange and yellow bedspreads. The overall look is only slightly dated, though there is some visible wear. The staff
go the extra mile to create artistic masterpieces with the towels on the
beds, but this is as far as the frills go. Many guests report that the beds are incredibly
hard, and there are no coffeemakers in any of the rooms. The only mini-fridge we saw was in the Apartment. It's worth noting that not all of the rooms provide coastal views, and those that do have the outlook partially blocked by the road and buildings across the street. Some of the side rooms look out over the stretch of the Puerto Juarez residential district. If you want glimpses of the ocean, make sure you book one of the corner units along the front of the hotel. 

The on-site
restaurant serves breakfast and coffee every morning. The
menu changes regularly and features traditional Mexican dishes. Some
guests have mentioned that during low season the breakfasts can be too simple. As lunch and dinner are not served, and none of the rooms have kitchens, guests will need to eat out for other meals. Laundry services are available on-site for a per-piece fee, and in the surrounding neighborhood are local "lavenderias" that
charge by the kilo and will wash, dry, and fold clothing for guests.There are
roughly 12 parking spaces available (depending on the sizes of
the vehicles). There is a tour agency just to the side of the hotel where guests
can schedule a variety of activities, ranging from swimming with whale sharks,
to snorkeling and scuba diving out at Isla Mujeres, to heading to Chichen Itza
or Tulum. The
interior lobby has tables and chairs for lounging, as well as books in English
and Spanish to pass the time. There are a few computers available for use,
including an old CRT piece and a modern flat-screen PC. There is free Wi-Fi
throughout the hotel (though it can be finicky).