Casa San Ildefonso, Mexico City, Mexico.
As backpackers we stay in more hostels than we can remember, we change beds more often than underwear and yet deep down there is only one thing that really matters – happiness wherever you are. Imagine my delight when after 2-3 days of travel on buses, friend’s flats, flights and airport floors when we landed in the complete relaxation zone of Casa San Ildefonso in Mexico City.
Loving the Relaxing Charm of Casa San Ildefonso: The Best Place to Stay in Mexico City, Mexico
As hostels go, this is one of my favourites of late and it is where you should aim to stay when you make it to Mexico’s beast of a capital city!
Relaxation at Casa San Ildefonso, Mexico City.
Here are 15 solid reasons why you should stay at Casa San Ildefonso Hostel when you travel to Mexico City. I truly felt welcomed, safe, comfortable and happy here. We only meant to stay for 3 nights initially but we loved the place so much we stayed for 7 nights in the end and loved it!!
After 2-3 nights of broken sleep, this was the cosy charming room in Casa San Ildefonso in Mexico City!
1. Cool Staff
By that I mean the staff know how to treat customers. Friendly welcomes, always saying hello, offering to help. I chatted to Cristina and Ireri who also helped with organising tours, translating and explaining all the cool things to see and do. One more big plus – they speak Spanish and English! The staff are cool.
Hanging out with Cristina in Casa San Ildefonso.
2. Charming Courtyard
When your eyes get feasted on this charming courtyard you will feel instantly at home. It’s a superb setting both atmosphere and architecture wise! Admire the views day and night and feel genuinely inspired.
Night time in the Courtyard at Casa San Ildefonso.
3. Cosy Beds
As I said – we had been on flights, night buses, airport stop overs and long journeys the previous 3 days before arriving at Casa San Ildefonso and guess what? The beds were made for us, they were comfy and I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.
Cosy beds and rooms!
4. Wi-Fi
These days I cite Wi-Fi as a must and a standard and Casa San Ildefonso doesn’t disappoint with three separate Wi-Fi points.
Using the Wifi in the dining room at Casa San Ildefonso.
I made use of the awesome upstairs room, which I self titled “The King’s Room”. Elaborate chairs and peace and I was able to get my work done!
The “King’s Room” upstairs.
5. Location – Historic Centre
Casa San Ildefonso is bang in the Historic Centre of Mexico City. This makes it easy to explore the nearby areas.
Casa San Ildefonso is located on a quiet street called Calle San Ildefonso in the Historic Quarter.
6. Free Breakfast
Breakfast is included and served from 7.15 am – 10.30 am. Breakfast consists of:
Drinks – orange juice, a range of tea and coffee. Drinking water is available 24 hours a day.
Food – cereals, bread, toast, jam, butter, biscuits, apples.
Breakfast at Casa San Ildefonso Mexico City
7. Relaxing Lounge
The downstairs lounge is a cosy place with soft white settees and chairs to relax and chat to fellow travellers.
The cosy lounge
8. Libraries, Study Room and Dining Room
You will never get bored in this hostel. There are libraries everywhere! Books in the reception, also in the lounges, dining room/study room and the “King’s Room.”
The lit up dining/study room.
9. Tour Organisation
Cristina is great at helping organise tours and the hostel reception has all the information you need on tours to the Volcanoes, Teotihuacan and Xochimilco. We did a tour out to Teotihuacan.
On a tour at Teotihuacan, Mexico.
You can organise everything without even needing to leave the hostel or go online!
You can organise your tours at reception in Casa San Ildefonso.
10. History
The building itself has its own history and you can ask Cristina about it. The building was owned by her grandfather and has seen some changes through the years. It has been running as a hostel since August 2013 so it’s pretty new for backpackers!
There’s a wee bit of history with this building too!
11. The King’s Room
Casa San Ildefonso is full of elaborate cosy rooms and I totally loved the room upstairs with a grand cabinet, a poker table and a massive dining table with plush chairs. This is exquisite for a hostel and I spent a few evenings in here working on my travel stories. I self dubbed it “The King’s Room” as it just felt that grand – fit for a King. Fast Wifi, no interruptions and a cup of tea by my side, this was a room of sheer bliss.
Blogging away in the “King’s Room” in Casa San Ildefonso, Mexico City.
12. Local Pub
That’s right on the very next corner, there’s a local pub, called Cantina Espana. They serve great food, beers and tequila and I made it my local for a week! On my last night, the manager Martin gave me some free tequila, a lock in and played some Snow Patrol as he knew they were from Northern Ireland.
Cheers down the local pub – La Cantina Espana.
13. TV Room
Upstairs there is also a massive TV Room!! The TV screen is one of the biggest I have ever seen in a hostel. You can watch films or DVDs in relaxation!
The TV Room at Casa San Ildefonso, Mexico City.
14. Quiet Pedestrian Street
Casa San Ildefonso is located on a quiet pedestrian street well away from the hustle and bustle of a busy city. You can relax here!
Casa San Ildefonso is on a quiet street in the Historic Centre
The cool street where Casa San Ildefonso sits!
15. Decent Price!
As backpackers the price is important of course and dorm rooms can be had for 260 Mexican Pesos (as of July 2014). That’s around $20 US to be right in the historic quarter and with free breakfast and wifi!
Decent prices for such a cool hostel here at Casa San Ildefonso!
So now you have the details, get booking your trip to Mexico City and the epic Casa San Ildefonso and tell them you read about it here on Don’t Stop Living! I’ll have a few more posts on Mexico City to come hopefully as I loved the place!
Mexico and Northern Ireland flags in Casa San Ildefonso, Mexico City.
To contact Casa San Ildefonso, you can check their website for details and can also book through the usual outlets, Hostelbookers, Agoda etc.:
Casa San Ildefonso © 2014 | [email protected]
San Ildefonso #38 Col. Cuauhtémoc México DF
+ 52 (55) 57891999
Here are some of my videos from Casa San Ildefonso:
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You’re right, wifi is absolutely a must nowadays, and I don’t think just for digital nomads. Free breakfast too. For me, being in a quiet location is also really important cos I’m very sensitive to noise when I’m sleeping, so this place looks like a great option!
Sam recently posted…Raw Vegan Prague: The Secret of Raw
Totally Sam – we need the wifi don’t we?! The free breakfast isn’t always a must for me, but it’s a bonus. The reason it isn’t a must is I feel that by having a free breakfast you become lazy to try the local cafes and places outside for breakfast, plus sometimes if you have an early tour or bus to get, you end up either munching your free breakfast on the way just because you’ve paid for it and feel you have to, or in some cases you miss it and then realise you’ve lost some money on food! This place in Mexico City ticks the boxes and Mexico City is just fantastic! Safe travels. Jonny
This place looks amazing! And for $20 US per night?!?!? In one of the largest cities in the World?!?! Talk about a steal! A proper tour of Mexico (i.e no all-inclusive resorts along the Pacific coast or in Mayan Riveria) is on my bucket list. Will definitely look into booking this hostel whenever I get that chance to visit Mexico City properly!
Ray recently posted…Jardim Botânico de Curitiba
Totally brilliant hostel Ray – especially the space and relaxation of it – and the staff. The $20 US is for a shared room per person – think you have to pay a bit more for the doubles and twins, we shared a 4 bed dorm for the week which was cool! Safe travels. Jonny