Mexico City Gay Hotels Best Neighborhood for Gay Travelers15

Gay Mexico City is so much More Than Zona Rosa

Most websites that want to help gay travelers book hotels in Mexico City simply present the results of a google search of Mexico City Gay Hotels in Zona Rosa.

Zona Rosa is the Mexico City Gayborhood and I talk about it on this website. However only at Tracey Parker Travel will you find that Zona Rosa is only a small picture of the gay community here in Mexico City. This website will show you the ins and outs of Mexico City Gay culture inside and outside of Zona Rosa.

Here in this post we will give a description of Barrio San Juan, a downtown neighborhood that I have determined is the best for Gay travelers.

It is close to Zona Rosa, but much closer to many other gay places, museums, restaurants, that are must sees on your gay vacation in Mexico City.

Plus the hotels in this area are much cheaper than in Zona Rosa.

I’m a huge fan of Alameda Central and La Cuidadela. They are beautiful Spanish Style urban parks that are full of gay cruising day and night. I can’t think of any place today in the United States where this level of gay cruising still exists.

When I began writing this blog I often got frustrated in the afternoons. When this happened I got on my bike and headed to Alameda Central. I liked to spend the afternoon enjoying the fountains, trees, and laid back vibe of the place. I also got off on the excitement of the hustlers who worked on the side of the park by Metro Hidalgo. It was a nice mix of low key and intense energy.

After awhile I began to realize that the sleepy downtown neighborhood that I had to ride through in order to get to La Alameda was actually full of mid range hotels, restaurants, street food, and more. It wasn’t sleepy at all. I just never noticed it because nobody was talking about it. I am writing this post to change this.

There are No Gay Friendly Hotels In Mexico City.

I’m often frustrated at how many posts I see on the internet about gay hotels, only to find a list of ‘gay friendly hotels.’ What does gay friendly mean? Do they not Lynch us if the hotel is gay friendly?

Let me set the tone of what you can expect as a gay traveler in Mexico City. Mexico City is a town of 20 Million people. It is the largest city in North America. There are people of all types here. Homosexuality is not hidden here and it is expressed quite flamboyantly by many.

This does not mean that everybody approves, but you can rest assured that the disapproving will not feel empowered to say anything. People mind their own business here and a gay couple will not attract any negative attention, or really any attention at all. So if this fits your definition of gay friendly, you’ll be very comfortable here.

Anybody who promises you that one hotel is more gay friendly than another is lying to you.

El Centro/Downtown

One of the purposes of international travel is to push your boundries and experience something different. If you’re coming to Mexico City to experience the

bathhouse culture

sex parties

cruising all over town

Selecting a hotel in Colonia Centro will allow you to experience Mexico City in its purest form. It has been effected less by the international hipster culture that is currently dominating Roma and Condesa. Roma and Condesa are beautiful neighborhoods, and definitely worthy of a walk, but staying in Centro puts you much closer to the off the beaten path gay cruising establishments that are so much a part of what makes gay Mexico City.

To be clear, Centro is very big and the part of Centro that I am recommending is the part located directly south of Alameda central, in between Colonia Juarez (Zona rosa) and the rest of Colonia Centro.

The neighborhood is bordered by Eje Central Lazaro Cadenas, on one side, and by Avenida Balderas on the other. If you get a hotel on the other side of Eje Central, I think you’ll regret it. There are a lot of hostels and cheaper hotels on that side, but there are plenty in the area where I am talking about.

The other side of Eje central is much louder and busier and it gets more congested than you’ll want to experience at certain points of the day. Also, despite its name, is not centrally located. It is so crowded that it is difficult to get in and out of and basing yourself there is not a good idea in my opinion.

I have two walking tours that take you deep into el Centro, and I highly recommend you follow them. But Centro is not a place to walk around and get lost. It’s easy to get overwhelmed and it’s almost impossible to happen upon something worthwhile unless you are specifically looking for it.

Why This is the best Neighborhood for Gay Travelers to get a Hotel?

Located in Between Mexico City’s 2 gay neighborhoods.
- Republica del Cuba, purely a party street filled with classic gay bars and clubs and many new emerging concepts. A must see.
- Zona Rosa – Mexico City’s beloved gayborhood with a fascinating history past and present.
Bordered by 2 Spanish style parks that are great for walks, bursting with Mexican culture and with an underground gay cruising element 24/7
- Alameda Central
- La Ciudadela
Centrally located for Quick Uber access Everywhere and Many Public Transit Options too
- Take the Hidalgo Stop of Reforma metro bus to get to Chapultepec park and Polanco
- Take the green line from metro Juarez to get to Coyacan
- Take the Pink Line to Zona Rosa, Roma, and Condesa
  - Change at Glorietta de Insurgentes to take the metrobus to Ciudad Universitaria
- Take the Metrobus into Centro, Banos san ciprian, La Merced
- Take the other green line to Mercado Jamica

This neighborhood really covers all the bases and the prices are so accessible. In the US, people usually have to go away from downtown in order to find cheaper accomodation. This is one of the great parts of Mexico City. There are hidden barrios all over downtown where real deals can be found.

I was lucky to find an apartment here in 2018 for $6,000MX or $300 US per month. Paying a rent that low allowed me to only have to teach English classes for 4 hours per day. The rest of the time I spent having the experiences that I write about in this blog.

Tracy Parker’s Recommended Gay Neighborhood, in between Zona Rosa and Republica del Cuba, and in the Center of Mexico.

Expectations

Whether you’re really on a budget or whether you’re like me and you feel one of the only ways to enjoy what you actually came for on a vacation is low expectations. Let me say it again, The point of this travel blog is

to present a gay community and culture that will allow for different things to happen in your development as a gay man than is possible in the united states.
To present the history of Mexico, which is fascinating and so unknown to its neighbors to the north, allowing you to come home more of a global citizen

Mexico City is not a place to go to be wined and dined and to experience luxury at low prices. Yes the prices are lower and your dollars and euros and pounds will go a very long way, but the culture of luxury simply does not exist. If you keep your expectations low, the below list of budget hotels will provide clean accommodation and an incredible location for you to accomplish the two goals I just listed.

Paying more for a luxury hotel that is staffed by people who have no idea what luxury is is a recipe for disappointment. I’ve never read any travel blogs that say this. But I’m being honest here. That is why I recommend these hotels as places for you to enjoy this transformative experience of Mexico on a budget.

Where to Stay Mid Range Hotels in Colonia Centro

Ibis Alameda

Clean Rooms
Non Smoking
Click to Book

Hotel Kali Ciudadela

Renovated Rooms
Large Rooms
Click to Book

Selena Downtown Mexico City

Expat/Tourist/Digital Nomad Socials
Top Notch Brand Name among Traveler Scene
Click to Book

Puerta Alameda Suites Mexico

Very Reasonably Prices Suites
Great Restaurants very close by
Click Here to Book

The New Carso Alameda Luxury Lofts

View of Alameda
New Loft Concept
Click Here to Book

Where to Stay High End

Hilton Reforma

Rooftop Pool
Impeccable Rooms
Click Here to Book

Perfectly located with fabulous views of Alameda central or the monument to the Mexican revolution, this is the best hotel in the neighborhood. Unfortunately the price matches the quality. Bonus points for the pool. Pools are a rare commodity in Mexico City. Isn’t that surprising? We gringos think of Mexico as synonymous with pools and beaches. Mexico City has no beaches and very few pools.

Where to Stay Budget/Hostel

All the places on this list are nicely decorated, clean places, with Bunk Bed sleeping arrangements and prices to match. If you are dying for a transformative Mexico City Experience, but you’ve never thought that international travel was in your budget, these places may be able to surprise you about what is possible.

They also have single, double, or ‘family size’ rooms available at low prices. I would confidently say that any of the single room accommodations would easily rank next to the above list of mid range hotels.

Mexico Hostel

Located on Calle Independencia, the main strip of restaurants of this Neighborhood
Historical building renovated with clean stylish design.
Click Here to Book

Massiosare El Hostal

Cheapest I’ve found So Far
Located in a stunning historical building with really cute updates
Killer View from Rooftop Deck
Click Here to Book

Selena

Digital Nomad Favorite for Co-Working Space
Frequented by Mostly Foreign Tourists
Click Here to Book

Neighborhood Amenities

El Bósforo Mezcaleria

Google Maps Link

Very underground, candlelit, speakeasy vibe Mezcaleria. Follow the directions closely because there is no sign outside. This places is a really popular spot and it has really good Mexican Craft Beer and Mezcal along with really yummy tapas.

Closed on Sunday and Monday, and open from 7 PM to around 2 AM. Great place to begin or end an evening.

Plaza San Juan