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Before I begin my usual Mexico hotel review, I want to share a story about a stupid thing I did, and the amazing thing that a beautifully stylish little hotel in Queretaro called MO17 Hotel Boutique did to solve my problem.

During my recent four-city Mexico trip with my best friend from high school, I stupidly left a bag of money — yes, an actual plastic zip-lock bag full of cash money — in the in-room safe deposit box of this hotel when we checked out (and a fairly sizeable amount of money, too — what am I, a bank robber?). I didn’t realize it until after we’d arrived in San Miguel, our next destination. As you can imagine, I was extremely annoyed.

I frantically sent a message to MO17 via Facebook, WhatsApp and the hotel’s own Website, all the while imagining how easy it would be for someone to claim they never saw that bag of cash and then have fun spending it. But the hotel staff responded quickly, confirming that they found my money and offering multiple options for how they could send it to me. Within a matter of an hour or so, they had sent me a code so I was able to retrieve all my cash (minus a well-deserved tip) via an ATM in my current destination. I want to thank the amazing staff for being so fast (and so honest). I love this hotel even more now!

QUERETARO HOTEL STYLE: Set in a 19th-century former private residence, the M017 Hotel Boutique (the name refers to the initials for the street name and the address number) offers a fresh and contemporary option in the historic city center, with original artwork by local artist Luis Sanchez throughout the property.

THE HOTEL ROOM: We stayed in room 4, which had high ceilings, exposed original stone walls, trendy lighting and stylish décor with original artwork and Scandinavian touches (the owner of the hotel, by the way, is Scandinavian). The large bathroom features an equally large shower with large rainforest showerhead. The room has a safe deposit lock box (where I left my money!), a mini-bar, work desk, clock radio, comfortable beds (each with four pillows and a throw pillow) and a wall-mounted TV. We found the room very comfortable and stylish at the same time.

HOTEL FEATURES: This Queretaro hotel has a nice rooftop terrace and a lovely backyard terrace with a small reflecting pool, a large tree with a hammock and lots of tables and chairs, where we had a tasty and reasonably priced breakfast (which is included in some room rates, but not ours). About once a month, they host entertainment events in the back terrace that’s open to the public— I was very disappointed that we timed our visit wrong, and missed a “circus” performance by just a couple nights. I love the artistic, creative vibe of this place and its staff!

The staff, by the way, is extremely pleasant, friendly and bilingual. And did I mention they returned a big bag of cash that I stupidly left in my room?

The hotel’s location is another selling point. It’s within walking distance of the main attractions in the historic city center, including churches, town squares, museums, restaurants and shopping.

BEST FOR: This Queretaro hotel is ideal for vacationers looking for a reasonably priced hotel with contemporary style and historic bones in the historic city center.

Source: latinflyer.com