Hotel El Mirador - Balderrama Hotel Collection

Spectacular views!

Very pricey. No coffee unless you buy it from the kitchen.

Very clean, simple/rustic furniture that was in keeping with style of hotel. Everything in good working order from main spaces to room. Limited English by staff but all were friendly, helpful and went the extra step to ask about our stay and ensure we had what was needed. Breakfast was few Mexican dishes, an omelette making station, desserts and fruit - which was more than adequate!

The tours to the park and other locations weren’t as well advertised to non-Spanish speakers. It was unclear what was included with each tour. Also, all tours we took a tour where everything was in Spanish only - it wasn’t clear if we could ask for English and this would have been helpful.

El Mirador reminded me of some famous older hotels at U.S. National Parks: the location is unparalleled, and that’s why you stay there. And like those hotels, because of the remote location (which does make staffing and supplies more expensive), and that there isn’t an alternative, it sometimes stumbled on other details. LOCATION: There are other hotels in the area but this is the one perched on the canyon with a breathtaking view, perfectly oriented (at least during my stay) for sunrise. I believe every room has that view. That’s what you’ve paid for. The hotel is about five minute’s drive from the El Chepe station at El Divisadero. Representatives and shuttles were there to meet the train, they had your name on a list. This service was complimentary. SERVICE: Helpful and friendly if a bit mysterious. Almost everyone arrived from the train at the same time, and left as well, so check-in and check-out was crowded and confused. There was also a gap of more than three hours between check out at noon and departing for the train at 3:30 – it would be a great idea if the hotel offered a tour during that time. Some other tours were offered, I took a sunset walk with a Tarahumara woman that was expensive but interesting. At check-out you are presented with a wad of handwritten slips with your expenses that got transferred to a computer system. It’s old school. It felt good that this hotel catered far more to Mexicans than Americans, but it also meant that though you could almost always get help in English, at least some Spanish made communication easier. ROOM and DECOR: It’s all about your balcony. You’ll be spending sunrise and sunset there. The rest of the room was pleasant and comfortable, but simple. Tile floors, your bed, a dresser and a TV. The bathroom and vanity was also simple. I cannot recall if water was provided, but wifi was not (see below) so I would bring a bottle or two, or be prepared to pay about 100 pesos per small bottle (continued)

(330 ml) at the restaurant. Hot water was reliable. FOOD: Full board is a set, relatively simple three-course menu at the restaurant. I do not recall anyone having an alternative, so if you have dietary requirements make sure ahead of time they can accommodate you. Breakfast is a buffet. Quality ranged from unmemorable to quite good (the steak one night was excellent, a very pleasant surprise). Dining meal by meal instead of full board is possible, but expensive. Even with full board, non-alcoholic drinks were not included. Expect them to be close to 100 pesos. Also, if you pay for full board, it did feel like I either missed the first or last lunch because of the hour of arrival. WIFI: You need to pay for it, but it is not expensive – during my stay, 50 pesos per day for a voucher that was a day – more or less. Though front desk recommended not using it for two devices, it did work for two. CONCLUSION: El Mirador is expensive and could do better, but like the lodges at the Grand Canyon or Crater Lake, it was still incomparable and worth the experience - and the view.

Amazing views and amazing food. Service staff were wonderful. We had a fun time

My room was dated and showed signs of wear and tear. Not what I expected for a $400 a night room. Screen sliding door and sliding door itself was broken. We had no hot water for the shower and none of the usual amenities that come in a room at that price.