Clint and I stayed at the full-service, moderately-priced Hotel Don Miguel in Zacatecas. The impression you get from this view of the place, shot from the summit of La Bufa, is accurate. It's a business class hotel, with all of the attendant charm you encounter in such places.

Looks like a factory, doesn't it? Sort of feels like one when you stay there. But rooms are well-appointed and the staff is attentive. Your $80 per night buys you cleanliness and efficiency, but not charm. It does it buy you in-room WiFi which, in my opinion, earns the place a gold star.

For a luxurious, romantic weekend, the plushest place in town is the Quinta Real. (The link connects to a travel agent's website, because the hotel's own website is is slow with all kinds of flash, an annoying idea particularly favored by Mexican web designers.) It'll run you a good $200 a night, but you get the facilities of a full spa, a fancy restaurant and a beautiful setting. You can just make out the hotel building, immediately behind the old aqueduct.

A five-star hotel built around a 17th-century bull ring, it's probably a good choice for a honeymoon. That is, if you'd rather honeymoon in Zacatecas than in, say, Bali.

Most interesting, for my money, is the Hostel Villa Colonial. It's colorful, clean and homey. It has private rooms or you can stay in hostel-type lodgings. The staff consists of the owner and a couple of friends: they're pleasant and friendly.

I peeked into a hostel room about 2 PM, where I caught a traveler sleeping. Oh, to be that young again. Out all night and then sleep it off until mid-afternoon.

The Hostel Villa Colonial has a pleasant rooftop terrace. Clint and I ascended for the views of La Bufa and the cathedral. We were waylaid by young women from the university who were making a student documentary. They interviewed us about our impressions of Zacatecas which, we reported, were all positive. The girls were charming. Clint was charming. I stood off in a corner taking photos, cluck-clucking at the inappropriateness of their scandalous charmingness.

Here, I could have run pictures of a rare view of the rear of the cathedral, or of cars dangling from the cables of the Teleférico as they made their way up the Cerro de la Bufa. The Hostel Villa Colonial offers many such vistas; better than those from their pricier competition. But that's not how I roll. What caught my eye was this rooftop:

Someone assembled a collection of TV picture tubes. Don't ask my why. No doubt something to do with the almost visceral reluctance Mexicans have for throwing anything away.

Collecting picture tubes: it's probably something I wouldn't do. But I have to admit I can see the appeal, as I am sure can many of you...

The Hostel Villa Colonial is where it's at. Of the three hotels mentioned here, it's the only one where you can strike up conversations with guests and staff. It's relaxed and has lots of charm. And you can stay there for a week for what the Quinta Real would charge for a single night.

It's where you'll find me the next time I visit Zacatecas.