# Safe Motel Parking



## Sunny67 (Jun 24, 2019)

Hello, we are moving down to Huatulco this Summer. We will be driving a FULL vehicle with bikes on a rack out the back as well. I'm concerned about a loaded vehicle as we overnight on our way down. I've tried searching for motels that have those individual garages - but they seem very hard to find. I'd love to be able to just bring a lock and lock up the garage door rather than bringing the bikes inside each night. Looking for any recommendations on clean, safe places you've stayed in right now looking at San Louis Potosi and maybe somewhere near Tehuacán. I am not held to those 2 stopping points if you have some other thoughts on places or other tactics for securing the load. Thanks so much everyone!


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## maesonna (Jun 10, 2008)

Have you tried searching for that kind of hotel under the Spanish name for them, _hoteles de paso?_ For example, if you do a search with the name of one of the cities (spelled correctly): _hoteles de paso en San Luis Potosi_. Or websites that are directories of hoteles de paso, like guiahotelesdepaso dot com, or moteles dot com dot mx. I don’t know how good those directories are, but it’s one possible way to search.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

There are lots of so-called "Love Motels" in all cities in Mexico. They generally have a entrance that protects the interior so it can not be seen from the street. Then inside each unit has a private garage that hides the vehicle from view. Sometimes the garage is just closed by a curtain rather than a lockable door, but your vehicle would be doubly out of site of anyone.

They are designed to be used by couples that live with big families and have no privacy at home, a common occurrence in Mexico. They rent rooms by the hour but often will let you stay overnight. The first time I stayed in one, I didn't understand I was supposed to leave after 4 hours. They woke me up at 2 am and asked why I was still there. Privacy is big deal to them. You don't get out of your car to register, you just pay at a window as you drive in. Then the entrance to the unit is from the garage so no one ever sees you outside of the vehicle.

I think your vehicle would be quite secure in one of them.


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## Sunny67 (Jun 24, 2019)

Thanks Tundra Green. I believe that's what I'm after but it seems hard to locate them using Google. Anyone know of any names as places to start my search? Maesonna was helpful too but still can't seem to turn up much. Thx


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

Sunny67 said:


> Thanks Tundra Green. I believe that's what I'm after but it seems hard to locate them using Google. Anyone know of any names as places to start my search? Maesonna was helpful too but still can't seem to turn up much. Thx


I doubt that there is any evidence of most of them online. I just look for them along the highway on the way into and out of most larger cities. I know that is not as comfortable as knowing in advance where you will stay. And I have had a few times where I had a hard time finding a motel. Once, in Ciudad Juarez, we stopped and asked someone where to find one. The other choice is the big chains like Comfort Inn, Holiday Inn, but they usually just have a big open parking lot. I have stayed in a hotel in the center of town that had a locked parking area with a security guard but it was not part of a chain and probably had no online presence either.


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## lat19n (Aug 19, 2017)

TundraGreen said:


> There are lots of so-called "Love Motels" in all cities in Mexico. They generally have a entrance that protects the interior so it can not be seen from the street. Then inside each unit has a private garage that hides the vehicle from view. Sometimes the garage is just closed by a curtain rather than a lockable door, but your vehicle would be doubly out of site of anyone.
> 
> They are designed to be used by couples that live with big families and have no privacy at home, a common occurrence in Mexico. They rent rooms by the hour but often will let you stay overnight. The first time I stayed in one, I didn't understand I was supposed to leave after 4 hours. They woke me up at 2 am and asked why I was still there. Privacy is big deal to them. You don't get out of your car to register, you just pay at a window as you drive in. Then the entrance to the unit is from the garage so no one ever sees you outside of the vehicle.
> 
> I think your vehicle would be quite secure in one of them.


Seriously ? Yuch...

When we drove from Texas to Mexico City with a trailer in tow we had no trouble finding secured parking - but we did have every locking device ever invented by man on our tires/trailer to assure its security. One hotel in Saltillo had locked gated parking. Another hotel in Queretaro let us park our 'rig' right outside the front door, under the 'awning' - which the guard watched all night.


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## surabi (Jan 1, 2017)

lat19n said:


> Seriously ? Yuch...


Don't knock it till you've tried it. There's nothing "yuck" about those motels, in my experience. I stayed in them, as a single woman, a couple of times. They were quite clean. You don't have to turn on the porno channel if you don't want to.

But I have to say that another poster's statement that they're mostly used by couples who need some private time away from the big family may be true in some cases, but they are mostly used by men cheating on their wives. Why do you think there's so much secrecy, with cars hidden behind a curtain? They're not referred to as No-Tell Motels for because they're used by husbands and their wives.


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## [email protected] (Nov 12, 2017)

Sunny67 said:


> Hello, we are moving down to Huatulco this Summer. We will be driving a FULL vehicle with bikes on a rack out the back as well. I'm concerned about a loaded vehicle as we overnight on our way down. . . . Thanks so much everyone!


I cross the border at Colombia Bridge, Laredo, Texas and drive straight to Matehuala ( staying at the Las Palmas Midway Inn ) . . . lots of expats seem to use this "midway" stop. Beyond to where you are going that I cannot say. ( my next stop en route to San Cristobal de Las Casas has been Cordoba ((( I drive around Puebla - earlier post from me on that cuota (toll road) experience )))

However the posts above mention that along the highway you will see "Motel" painted on walls, etc. . . . YOU WILL SEE THESE . . . so what I was told before my first drive down to Chiapas . . . drive during the daylight hours, and with a few hours of sunshine remaining begin searching for the "Motel" or "No Tell Motel" environs . . . depending on your driving skills and speed ( I stay below the speed limit and use the big rigs for a traffic flow guage ) helps identify approximate distance you can cover, and the towns to begin your search . . . get up early the next morning and repeat . . . . 

((((( even in Matehuala when filling up my Jeep's gas tank & checking tire pressure, that late afternoon I noticed another motel and walked over asking if they allow pets ( I have two Siberian Forest Cats ) and they said yes, so enjoy a little of the adventure interacting with the locals )))) that makes two motels in a small radius . . . .


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## Ddufur (Feb 20, 2019)

Hi. Hope your travels are safe and uneventful. Have you made the drive yet?
We had planned to be in Huatulco 2 months ago.But are stuck in Sacramento waiting on the consulate to open so we can start our visas. We sold our house and bought a place in the Bocana neighborhood of Huatulco. 
Hope to see you in Huatulco soon!😎🌴


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