The decision to visit La Huasteca Potosina was easy, however trying to find the best Ciudad Valles hotel. became quite the task. Many Ciudad Valles hotels lacked reviews, many images, or context of where it was in relation to the rest of the town. Although camping is a popular option in La Huasteca Potosina in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, staying in a hotel can offer a comfortable rest and reprieve from the day’s adventures. After visiting Ciudad Valles and staying at Hotel Casa Ortiz, I know that we made the right choice!
HOTEL CASA ORTIZ LOCATION
After much research, I managed to narrow down my top hotel options in Ciudad Valles to Grann Hotel, Bonito Express, and Hotel Casa Ortiz for our needs. Hotel Valles is a popular choice as well. Grann Hotel, Bonito Express, and Hotel Valles are all located on the main road of Ciudad Valles. Hotel Casa Ortiz is located two blocks off the main road. After walking around Ciudad Valles, I’m really glad that we chose to stay off of the main road, although still in close proximity.
The close proximity to the main road made it just a quick walk to go to a restaurant, and kept the area safe. As the main road does get quite busy and noisy, I would not recommend staying on it directly. Additionally, it is bit more difficult to find parking on it if you have a rental car in San Luis Potosi. Being off of the main road allowed us to park right in front of the hotel without issue.
THE HOTEL
The building the hotel is located in gives the appearance of a large house rather than a boutique hotel. After passing through the main entrance, cobblestone paths lead through the premises to each room. There is a common terrace area with tables and chair for chatting or working, just past the pool.
The hotel itself prioritizes showcasing the beautiful of the Huasteca Potosina, supporting local artisans, and being environmentally conscious. Throughout the hotel, you’ll see beautiful murals painted by a local artist. These murals depict the beauty of the Huasteca Potosina.
We saw the proprietor of the hotel a few times while staying there, and she was so friendly and kind! You could tell that she really cared about making Hotel Casa Ortiz a meaningful, unique place to stay, and a wonderful experience for guests. Truly the mark of a great boutique hotel.
We needed to check out very early, 6 am, in order to drive back to San Luis Potosi to make our flight back to Cancun. This was no problem for the hotel and they made both check in and check out at Hotel Casa Ortiz very easy. It was one of the easiest check in and check out processes of any hotel I’ve ever stayed at.
Averaging around $51 USD a night for two people, I feel as though the hotel is very reasonably priced given my experience. You can click here to check current prices or book.
THE ROOMS AT CIUDAD VALLES HOTEL CASA ORTIZ
Each room at Hotel Casa Ortiz is named, and features a hand painted mural outside the door. I loved the pretty paintings outside each room, and it really made the hotel feel special! Inside the room, framed tapestries made by local artisans decorate the walls. I’m a nerd for textile art and embroidery, so I loved seeing the incorporation of local culture that way.
I stayed in the Guayabo room, and although the room was quite small, it was not unbearable. The room does have tile floor, so it can get a bit chilly through the night, however it does have its own heating and cooling unit, so you can adjust the temperature as you wish. The bed and bedding was decently comfortable, so falling asleep was no problem. The room had plenty of outlets to recharge my devices after a long day out.
Being on the first floor, the room could get a bit noisy at night and early in the morning. I could frequently hear people outside of the room or in the room on the other side of mine. The Guayabo room is also right next to the fence surrounding the hotel, which accounts for some of that noise. When trying to fall asleep, however, the room was quiet and not an issue. During my stay, I saw more hotel guests at the restaurant than I did on the actual property, so aside from the noise, it almost felt like I had the whole property to myself!
The shower in the room was fantastic! The hotel shower has probably the best water pressure of any the hotels I have stayed at in Mexico. The water was quite hot and lasted long enough for a reasonable shower. The bathroom does not have any ventilation, and does get VERY humid to the point that there is water on the floor and walls after a shower. As a result, it is difficult to get a wet swimsuit to dry when hung. I tried opening a window to rectify this, but it didn’t help much.
I was impressed to see that the hotel had smart TVs in each room, which allows you to watch your favorite Netflix shows! I stayed in one of the nicest hotels in Mexico City right before arriving in San Luis Potosi, and that hotel didn’t even have a TV with Netflix access. Unfortunately the TV in my room wouldn’t connect to the internet, however I also never tried contacting the front desk to fix it as I was out exploring so much that I didn’t need it!
Unlike many hotel rooms, you may notice that this hotel does not have a phone in room. I was a bit confused by this as room service was listed as an amenity on Google. There was a night that I was tired and room service honestly would have been really nice, but the restaurant is right across the street and didn’t require much effort to get to anyway. For me, the lack of phone was only a slight inconvenience, but if you do not have international phone service and rely on hotel phones to stay in contact with loved ones, I can see how this may be a larger issue.
Housekeeping at the hotel was quick and did a great job making up the room each day. I once stepped out early in the morning just for a couple hours, and by the time I got back around 11am, the room was already back in perfect condition!
The hotel prioritizes being environmentally friendly. One of the ways they incorporate this in the room through all natural bath products. While many higher end hotels in Mexico do have bottled water in room, as the tap water in Mexico is undrinkable, Hotel Casa Ortiz opts for a pitcher of water in the room instead. I overheard the proprietor of the hotel explaining that the water in the pitcher is safe to drink and done in an effort to reduce bottled water waste. We did not feel comfortable taking a chance on this, especially given the current global pandemic.
I would like to stress that the room was completely clean, however because the water was sitting out when we arrived, we didn’t know if the pitcher had been completely cleaned and refilled between guests or not, and we did not want to risk catching the virus. Instead, I recommend buying the largest bottles of water possible {typically 2 liters}, to cut down on individual bottle use as much as possible.
CIUDAD VALLES HOTEL SAFETY
Staying at Hotel Casa Ortiz felt very secure. The hotel is located on a quiet, residential street just two blocks off of the main road. We were informed upon check in that the front doors of the hotel are locked at 10pm every night. Every time we passed by the front desk someone was sitting there, keeping watch. We walked in the area around the hotel at night, and never felt in direct danger. Like in any big city, be aware of your surroundings and be careful of where you are walking at night.
AMENITIES
Hotel Casa Ortiz features a few notable amenities. The most obvious of these is the pool that sits in the center of the property. I did not use the pool while I was there as La Huasteca Potosina is known for it’s beautiful waterfalls and swimming areas, nor did I see anyone else using it. Every time I passed it, the pool was very clean, and if it was warmer or I was around during the day, I definitely would have swam in it!
The hotel additionally has a covered terrace with tables and chairs. It would be a lovely place to get some work done outside or just to have tea in the morning.
KAPUL RESTAURANT CIUDAD VALLES
Kapul is the restaurant associated with Hotel Casa Ortiz. When we were driving up to the hotel, the first thing we noticed was how cute the restaurant was! I actually spotted the restaurant before I noticed the hotel itself. Kapul was fantastic for me, because unlike most restaurants in Ciudad Valles, Kapul had multiple vegetarian options. Most restaurants in Ciudad Valles did not have a single vegetarian option other than queso fundito, so this was a welcome change!
The first night, I ordered the quesadillas fried, and honestly, despite being a quesadilla enthusiast, they weren’t my favorite. The first night we were there, we were served some sort of dip and tortilla chips {it seemed to be chickpea based or some variation of hummus} that was fantastic! I’m still trying to figure out what exactly it was, because I’d love to make it for myself at home. The second night, I ordered the panini vegetariano, and I loved it! Honestly one of my favorite vegetarian sandwiches to date. The side salad that came with it was also great.
The restaurant has a decently long cocktail list, and also serves local craft beer from San Luis Potosi, which my friend really enjoyed. The prices at the restaurant were very reasonable, given that the restaurant was more upscale than many of the restaurants in Ciudad Valles. Staff was always friendly and polite.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Hotel Casa Ortiz is a wonderful Ciudad Valles hotel. We loved the boutique style, that the hotel was owned by locals rather than a large company, and that the hotel incorporated the local Huasteca Potosina culture. Staff was friendly and helpful, the price per night was reasonable, and the restaurant was great. This absolutely will be my go to hotel for potential future trips back to the Huasteca Potosina! This region offers so many beautiful places to visit, and Hotel Casa Ortiz is the perfect compliment to those attractions. Click here to check current rates for Hotel Casa Ortiz or book your stay.
Looking for things to do in La Huasteca Potosina? Click on the following guides below to read more, or click here for all my travel guides for La Huasteca Potosina in San Luis Potosi, Mexico:
- Cascada el Meco
- Cascada el Salto
- Cascada de Tamul
- Cascadas de Tamasopo
- Las Pozas – Jardín Escultórico Edward James (Edward James’ Surrealist Garden) Xilitla
Left to right: Cascada el Salto, Las Pozas, Cascadas de Tamasopo
Want to explore more of Mexico? Click here to explore some unmissable places in Mexico.
xx,
E
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