Until recently, Mexico City's most popular hotels were located in one of two areas: the deep-pocketed Polanco neighborhood and the high-rises of Paseo de la Reforma. But in recent years, a number of small, independent properties have sprung up in Condesa and neighboring Rome's trendy (and foreign-heavy) districts, many of them with the elegant charm that characterizes the vast capital's leafy areas. It has been moved to an old building. . The most desirable hotels in this new region tend to favor understated charm over over-the-top luxury, but these hotels are a perfect fit, especially in areas of the city that take design seriously. Here are three of the latest standouts.
For the 10-room Casa Cuenca, the first hotel project to open just off Condesa's leafy Calle Veracruz, photographer Mara Sánchez Renero and her sister, interior designer Gala Sánchez Renero, transformed the historic building into I decided to renovate it. “It's about preserving Mexico City's architectural heritage and honoring our cultural heritage as a melting pot of influences,” Mara says. Together with Gala's husband, architect Ivan Esqueda, the sisters transformed the 1930s mansion-turned-office building by combining Beaux-Arts decor, such as a grand staircase in the outdoor courtyard, with midcentury modern decor and furniture. It has been renovated into a minimalist hideaway. Rooms are divided between the main building and a newly built extension, with brick lattice walls adjoining private patios. Throughout the property, rooms are decorated in mostly neutral tones, with bathrooms featuring a combination of colorful tiles. The hotel's restaurant Mareza opened last month with a menu curated by American chef Cristina Recchi, drawing on her eclectic influences to include Spanish, Portuguese and French-influenced cuisine with Mexican ingredients. is provided. A recent highlight is grilled shrimp seasoned with chili and topped with mandarin orange. Rooms start at about $175 per night.
The largest of the hotels, Casona Roma Norte offers 32 earth-toned rooms in a 1920s building in the heart of Loma Norte's lively restaurants and bars. Reborn last fall after an 18-month complete renovation, Casona is now a gastronomic hub in its own right. Past the lobby, with its original marble floors and velvet sofas, is the Japanese and Sinaloa restaurant, which serves dishes like crispy tofu and sweet and sour pork belly. There's also a matcha tea room on the ground floor, a light-filled atrium that houses Aquiles, a fine-dining Mexican restaurant run by chef Aquiles Chavez, and an agave bar downstairs. A grill bar and cocktail bar are also scheduled to open on the hotel rooftop in the spring. Rooms start at about $455 per night.
The 17-room Hotel Dama opened last summer in a renovated 1950s apartment building in a mostly residential area of Condesa that exudes retro charm. Just off the lobby is a small sunken living room with a banquette sofa and a bookshelf filled with Mexican literature, Oaxacan pottery and textiles. Rooms are spread over three floors and feature beautiful checkered floors and rust or mustard accents. There's also a shaded rooftop with a lounge area and a restaurant where you can order mezcal-based cocktails and small plates like sea bass ceviche and pumpkin blossom fritters. Rooms start at about $280 per night.
