Let me say that I went to this hotel with already low expectations. I was simply hoping for a clean bed and a clean restroom. I did not get either one.

This hotel is no longer a "parador" or government run hotel. When we initially made our reservations, we were given one rate. The day we arrived from the U.S., they increased our rate by a couple of dollars because of a tax imposed based on their new status as a non-parador (or something like that). Maybe they really couldn't help it? If I were the owner, I would have lowered the rate, so that I could honor the price that I originally quoted, but that's just me. Regardless, it was only a couple of bucks, so no huge deal. This hotel is in the downtown area of Mayaguez. There are shops and restaurants within walking distance. I won't get into details about the city of Mayaguez, but I will tell you that if you are a foreigner do your research. This is not San Juan and it is not a tourist area. The hotel is located in the heart of an area where locals live and work. If you want to know the real Puerto Rico, welcome to Hotel El Sol. Brush up on your spanish.

The staff at the hotel were very friendly, but the rooms had problems. Our first room had a bathroom that was absolutely INFESTED with ants. I'm not talking a few ants. The sink was covered with ants. They were all over the shower stall. They were on the walls by the towel rack and they were all over the window sills. They were running around the mirrors and the toilet paper roll. It was absolutely disgusting. I'd never been to Puerto Rico, so I had no idea what to expect and I was not expecting this. I called the front desk and the man offered to move us, but said he could not guarantee that another room would not have ants, too. We chose to stay in our room given that kind of "assurance." He also offered to come spray our room with bug spray. We didn't want him spraying indiscriminantly since our belongings were already there, so we decided to buy our own spray and control how and where the spray was used.

It took a day, but we got the ants under control in the bathroom. We woke up the next morning to shower, and the shower curtain was DISGUSTING. There was blood and other stains inside. We totally didn't even use the curtain...just N-A-S-T-Y. I'm getting sick just thinking about it. Anyway, we went out for the day and came back late that night to go to bed and lo-and-behold, the ants were in our bed, I kid you not. That was it. At that point, we had them move us to a different room.

They moved us, and the second room was MUCH cleaner. Much, MUCH cleaner. Honestly, it looked like we'd just gotten a very dirty room to begin with. The bathroom was totally cleaner. There were still a few ants, which couldn't be helped because of the open windows they use (screens and shutters -- no glass), but the ant problem was NOTHING like the first room. The rooms do have air conditioners and you can close the shutters, but they still invite ants. The rooms also had refrigerators. All rooms had double beds, no queens or kings. I also don't remember the option of smoking or non-smoking, but that didn't seem to be a problem.

Parking is in two, gated parking lots. They give you an electric opener to access the lots when you check-in. Rooms also have cable. There is also a swimming pool and a restaurant.

If I had the choice to stay here or go to a higher priced, "touristy" hotel, I'd plunk down the extra cash in the blink of an eye. Without thinking about it. The only reason I stayed was because I was with a group, and I wanted to stay with my friends. Had I not been with a group, I would have bailed after I saw the initial ant infestation.

I would absolutely NOT recommend this hotel unless you just could care less about where you sleep and just want a bed. If that is all you need, this will fit the bill. If you have any standards, I suggest you think twice before staying here.