Hotel Plaza Kokai

One of Cancun's older hotels, the four-story Hotel Plaza Kokai offers budget-friendly rates, but with facilities and rooms that reflect its low price. Its small wood-paneled lobby has an eclectic mix of furnishings that include wicker seating, huge pieces of artwork depicting forest scenes, and a model ship. Outdoors, a small courtyard has a small pool and white metal chairs, but half of it is shaded by the building. There's also a rooftop terrace with hammocks, loungers, and food service, but guests primarily spend their time outside the property. The hotel is a popular gathering spot at night for locals, who flock to its bar for live jazz and karaoke on the weekends.

Hotel Plaza Kokai is located in downtown Cancun, near a plethora of restaurants, bars, and shopping marts. It's a five-minute walk to the main bus station, which has buses to the airport, the Riviera Maya, and cities throughout the Yucatan peninsula. It's at least a 10-minute drive to the beach, while the best beaches and nightclubs in the Hotel Zone are closer to 20 minutes away. Avenida Tulum, one of the city's main streets, is about an eight-minute walk away, and city buses pass right in front of the hotel. Cancun International Airport is about 30-minute bus or drive.

The Hotel Plaza Kokai's 45 rooms are spacious, but they have dated decor, and some of the furniture shows wear and tear. Their design is the same across the board, consisting of lattice-wood furniture, beige tiles, and maroon bedding that matches the hotel's facade. Local-inspired artwork provides a charming touch to otherwise modest spaces. All have two-person dining tables, while Junior Suites add sitting areas by the beds and sometimes whirlpool tubs. 

Standard amenities include tiny flat-screen TVs with limited English-language channels, air-conditioning (operated by magnetic key card), electronic safes, and free but spotty Wi-Fi. Travertine-tile bathrooms have showers with plastic curtains, full-length mirrors on the doors, hairdryers, bottled water, and basic toiletries.

The hotel has two on-site two restaurants, one on each side of the lobby. The hotel's main restaurant serves an extensive menu, while a smaller restaurant serves breakfast and doubles as a banquet room for events. An area for dominoes adjoins the breakfast room, and it's a popular spot for older local residents, who also gather there to watch sports. An on-site bar with live music is popular on weekends, but can be loud.

A small pool with an adjacent tiny shallow section for kids is located in the courtyard, but there are only a couple of loungers and it rarely gets used. A rooftop solarium with loungers, a couple of hammocks, and a couple pieces of play equipment for kids is on-site, plus food and beverage service is available there. Other amenities include luggage storage after check-out, a vending machine, and a public computer with internet access but no printer. Free Wi-Fi is available throughout, but the signal can be weak and slow.