Laredo border crossing

[Mr.Chips]

When we crossed at Progresso, there was no line up and the paperwork was completed efficiently.The town is small and you really cant get lost finding your way out.I am not sure what we did at Matamoros...think we missed the bypass as the signage was not very good.We eventually came out to 180 and stayed the night at a no tell in Ciudad Victoria. If this is your first trip,I would suggest Colombia and the route outlined in the earlier posts.

[circle110]

Thanks, Mr. Chips. That's what I have decided to do. A major factor is that the schedule of the buses from DF to Matehuala would have my girlfriend arriving in the late afternoon (very convenient since that's when I'll be arriving as well) whereas with DF-Ciudad Victoria all buses I could find were overnighters arriving in the wee hours of the morning which is very inconvenient. Your comments just confirm that Colombia is the way to go for many reasons.

[circle110]

Question for Ajijicalf:

Could you give me any more specifics on the location of Villas Real? Is it off of 57? WIll I see it from the highway to make an exit?

Thanks!

[Mr.Chips]

You cant see it from the highway but pretty hard NOT to find as it is on the main road through Matehuala .....walled and on a corner....not far from the OXXO which is a good spot to pick up coffee in the morning....400 pesos for the night...they actually have at least one 2 bed room as well for slightly more...room was spotless...crossing at Colombia was a breeze...doesnt appear that the toll road is monitored as my travelling companions did not have a Texas Tag...several police cars ticketing on Hwy 2 so check your speed

[circle110]

Thanks Mr. Chips,
I'm actually writing this from Guanajuato so I found Real Villas and, as you said, it was hard not to see it - it is indeed the only pink castle in town. I agree, the room was spotless and the 400 pesos for 24 hours was a pleasant surprise as I'd read it was 400 for 12 hours. The peace of mind of having my loaded car in an attached locked garage was worth more than that.
For anyone else thinking of stopping there, they do have a room service menu with reasonable prices and they deliver it through a nifty privacy carousel in the wall. We didn't order anything because I thought there would be no food available so we stopped at the supermarket and picked up some dinner fixings which worked out fine too.
The border crossing at Colombia was a breeze except for one anomaly. The father of a family of 3 in line in front of me had the same name as someone who had commited a serious crime in Mexico. They had to spend 45 minutes searching databases to make sure he wasn't the same fellow. With typical Mexican bureaucratic efficiency, they wouldn't move to the next person in line until they resolved the issue so we all had to wait. So much for saving time. Así es la vida mexicana. Otherwise, it was very simple and quick. I second the warning about speeding on Mex-2.
Thanks to everyone for the advice and tips; it made my trip less stressful having an idea what to expect and the Matehuala/Real Villas tip was worth its weight in gold!

[seismeses]

Originally Posted by circle110

Thanks Mr. Chips,
I'm actually writing this from Guanajuato so I found Real Villas and, as you said, it was hard not to see it - it is indeed the only pink castle in town. I agree, the room was spotless and the 400 pesos for 24 hours was a pleasant surprise as I'd read it was 400 for 12 hours. The peace of mind of having my loaded car in an attached locked garage was worth more than that.
For anyone else thinking of stopping there, they do have a room service menu with reasonable prices and they deliver it through a nifty privacy carousel in the wall. We didn't order anything because I thought there would be no food available so we stopped at the supermarket and picked up some dinner fixings which worked out fine too.
The border crossing at Colombia was a breeze except for one anomaly. The father of a family of 3 in line in front of me had the same name as someone who had commited a serious crime in Mexico. They had to spend 45 minutes searching databases to make sure he wasn't the same fellow. With typical Mexican bureaucratic efficiency, they wouldn't move to the next person in line until they resolved the issue so we all had to wait. So much for saving time. Así es la vida mexicana. Otherwise, it was very simple and quick. I second the warning about speeding on Mex-2.
Thanks to everyone for the advice and tips; it made my trip less stressful having an idea what to expect and the Matehuala/Real Villas tip was worth its weight in gold!

Is the Real Villas a "no-tell" as in an amorous rendezvous kind of place? I like the secure parking and room service aspects, but we're traveling with our 6 y.o. child - would it be an appropriate place for us??

[Ajijicalf]

Yes, Villas Real is a "no-tell" as in an amorous rendezvous kind of place. The caveat is that the television has mostly "in your face porn." There are, 1 or 2 non=porn channels.

With a 6 year old, I'd go another mile or two south and stay at Las Palmas. It is an older motel, but it is clean, the rooms are located well off the road and you park your car right outside the door to your room. I believe they have a guard also. It also has a decent, sit down restaurant on the premises. The last time we stayed there, I think the room rate was about $75USD/night. Last item, they also have internet access in the lobby.

Originally Posted by seismeses

Is the Real Villas a "no-tell" as in an amorous rendezvous kind of place? I like the secure parking and room service aspects, but we're traveling with our 6 y.o. child - would it be an appropriate place for us??

[circle110]

Yes, it is a "no-tell" but, had I not known that in advance, there isn't much to clue you in. There were dozens of regular non-porn TV channels and we only found porn because we kept clicking to see if it was really there. There was nothing sordid or explicit at all in the room. If the garage parking is really important to you, I'd say it's OK to stay there with a child. However, if a guarded parking lot is just fine for you, then I'd agree with Ajijicalf that Las Palmas would be a better choice because it is a tradition hotel and fairly nice at that (we ate our breakfast there before moving on).

[conklinwh]

It's about an 11 hour day but you can do San Antonio to San Miguel/Guanajuato in one day. We do it sometimes but have good friends that do it monthly. If you did stop, only Matehuala & SLP are options.
I would use Columbia crossing. You would need have an FM3 and a certified tax list from Mexican Consulate to have any value. I would bring a "cost list" and gut it out with a good story.
Ciudad Victoria is good from Harlingen/Brownsville but not Laredo.
We often drive via Houston to Harlingen. Then is less than 10 hours to San Miguel, a lot easier driving and a lot less tolls. You could go San Antonio to Harlingen via Corpus Christi and then via Ciudad Victoria but certainly a long way around.