The cheapest hotel in Pachuca is America , Victoria 203 (tel 7/715-0055; US$5-10), about 100m south of the zocalo, where very basic rooms are wonderfully cheap, and complemented by rooms with bath (US$10-15) and some with bath and TV (US$15-25). Stepping up, there's nowhere especially classy anywhere near the centre but the middle ground offers several good places, including the Hotel Grenfell on the zocalo, which may be worth checking once the remodelling has been completed. The most characterful is Hotel de los Banos , Matamoros 205 (tel 7/713-0700; US$15-25), with its comfortable, carpeted rooms, each with TV and bathroom around a central, enclosed courtyard. Standard rooms have attractively carved wooden furniture, though in the superior rooms (US$25-40) the craftsmanship is decidedly over the top. Fractionally cheaper but less good rooms can be found down the street at the colonially styled and plant-filled Noriega , Matamoros 305 (tel 7/715-1569; US$15-25) with mostly ageing rooms plus a few more modern ones, plus a one-dollar saving if you can manage without TV. Around the zocalo are two almost identical modern hotels, both with rooms that have plaza views: Ciro's (tel 7/715-2351; US$25-40), which has pleasantly furnished rooms with phone and TV; and Emily (tel 7/715-1868; US$25-40) is much the same but also has some suites (US$40-60).