I had read so much about Palenque and knew that the best place to stay was Chan Kah. How disappointed we were. On arrival we were shown a room that smelt damp but the staff assured us that as soon as we turned on the air con it would pass, I wish I had never beleived that. We lit candles, turned air con on, sprayed perfume but I did not get one minute of sleep - every inward breath smelt damp and fusty. The next morning we had to abandon our trip to the ruins as I was so tired - we spoke to Reception and they showed us a further 4 rooms - every one of them smelt. Not surprising as the floors are concrete and the cleaning staff hose them down with water and then lock the doors. Also, all the lights are white fluorescents!! The curtains and bedspreads were orange circa 1973! Chan Kah was probably very nice in its heydey but basically it needs a whole lot of updating. There are not many decent hotels in Palenque but we saw Villa Mercedes being built and we would advise that one. Meanwhile we stayed in the Best Western for the next 2 nights - sad really as we had wanted somewhere a little more atmospheric.

We enjoyed our two-night stay at Chan-Kah in March 2008. We thought the grounds were lovely and the bungalows comfortable (even if they haven’t been redecorated since the year I was born). We had plenty of hot water, the air conditioning worked great (which was heaven given how hot it was outside), and while we didn’t use it…the pool was beautiful. I’m sure that kids would love it! We ate at the restaurant several times, and were pleasantly surprised by the service and food. The waiter our first night there actually asked the kitchen to make us some salsa verde when we asked for some (not knowing that they’d have to make it just for us). The restaurant is open air, so don’t forget the bug spray.

We paid around $140/night, which I personally thought was a bit steep. Nonetheless, we’d stay there again if we ever go back.

* Tip for those driving to the hotel from Villahermosa (from someone who gets lost a mile from her house): as you’re heading south through the town of Palenque, you’ll go through a roundabout with some kind of large statue in the middle. Soon after this… veer to the right following signs for the Palenque ruins. If you hit a Pemex on the right-hand side, you’ve gone too far.

* Palenque opens at 8am. We arrived at 10am b/c that’s when Frommers said it opened… the heat and crowds definitely took away from the experience.

ask for a bungalow on the river and you can watch the howler monkeys climbing in the trees. they have very nice bungalows and the food is delicious.

I'm very surprised about the negative reviews of this place. I read about this place in a book called "1001 Places to See Before You Die" which was very positive (obviously, if you have to see it before you die). We had a difficult check in due to my absurdly poor Spanish skills and a misunderstanding with my Expedia booking (entirely my fault). Even with this, the staff were very friendly and everything was cleared up the next morning with the manager.

The bungalows are stunning. There are large openable windows with screens and curtains on three sides of the structure and a big covered porch with a table and two rocking chairs. Our bedroom faced a small stream where we saw howler monkeys on our first morning. We were also awakened at 4:30am by these same animals. The bathroom was nice and there is a huge area for your luggage, hanging clothes, etc. The air conditioning was adequate for the incredibly hot weather that we encountered.

The Palenque ruins were the most beautiful that we visited. Just walk out to the road by the hotel and wait for a VW bus or a van on it's way to the site to stop and pick you up. It costs 10 pesos. You have to buy both a ticket to the ruins and a ticket to enter the park. The palace is almost entirely accessible with at least two built courtyards and a tower. Don't miss the tunnel rooms underground. There is no food or water inside the park, but there are tons of vendors right outside the main gate. There is an OK open air restaurant there as well. Also, be warned that the waterfalls at the site and the ruins around them are located at the bottom of a very steep series of stairs. You should go here last because after hiking around the site in the extreme heat, you won't want to climb back up the stairs. There is an exit from the site near the waterfalls that deposits you on the main road near the museum.

The pool at the hotel is amazing, but the shallowest part gets way to warm for my taste. There are waiters around that will bring you beer and peanuts with lime juice. The restaurant is pretty decent, but nothing terribly fancy. The waiters were very friendly and attentive. The only weird thing was that there seemed to be very few people at the hotel. We nearly had the pool and restaurant to ourselves, which was fine by me.

I would definitely stay here again, even though it is expensive. I loved every minute of it.