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When pondering where to stay while visiting Mexico City, there’s an endless array of possibilities suggested by travel guides, friends, and social. However, if impeccable style, unparalleled service, and location, location, location is what you’re after, well, look no further. The one and only place you should consider is Casa Polanco, a Leading Hotels of the World property, set in the heart of, you guessed it, the posh Polanco neighborhood of Mexico City.
With its all-suite property set inside a former private residence, the Spanish-revival style mansion, originally built in the 1940s, provides a reprieve of sorts from an otherwise bustling city. It sits across from the quiet Parque Lincoln, yet is close enough to the action of Avenida Presidente Masaryk, the main thoroughfare that holds the title of Latin America’s most expensive shopping street. It’s location is also minutes from the city’s other main avenues: Paseo de la Reforma, Paseo de las Palmas, Periferico, Mariano Escobedo, and Circuito Interior, placing it in the center of Mexico City’s vibrant city center, albeit in a residential corner, creating an intimate and exclusive retreat.
The Main Foyer
If that doesn’t sound enticing enough, let’s move on to what’s more important: the interior workings of the hotel. After first-time hotelier, Octavio Aguilar, purchased the mansion, his main objective was to create a sense of home and comfort not normally found in your typical luxury, boutique hotel. Rather, he wanted it to be less trend driven and more like being a guest in a friend’s house. Well, sir, mission accomplished.
Just passed the entrance’s wrought iron door awaits the emerald green Italian marble foyer of the mansion, where guests are immediately greeted by sandstone colonnades and period original moldings. Not to mention, the staff is on hand to personally welcome guests in the hotel’s chic, jewel-box library, directly off the main foyer. First on offer? A welcome cocktail (or two) of your choice. But the fun is only getting started.
Elizabeth Kurpis (Instagram/elizabethkurpis)
Just as would be the case at your friend’s casa, all cocktails, wines, and spirits throughout your stay are gratis, as are à la carte breakfast items and “snacks” laid out in the interior atrium throughout the day. Guests are free to imbibe all through the hotel’s common areas that includes a number of rooftop and garden terraces. One is even free to craft one’s own cocktail from the Art Deco bar cart in the hotel’s well-appointed library, the ideal place to enjoy Casa Polanco’s house tequila or whichever other poison you are inclined to pick.
The Library
Because Casa Polanco was a former residence, it features a lean 19 rooms, none of which is like the others. Think original millwork, custom textiles, objets d’art, and artwork curated from Aguilar’s own collection. Many of the suites also include park views along with oversized terraces, the perfect place to decompress after a day pounding the Mexico City pavement.
The Interior Atrium (Elizabeth Kurpis)
The Grand Entrance
Suite with Original Detailing
Park View Suite
The Outdoor Garden Terrace
The Leading Hotels of the World (LHW.com) is a group comprised of more than 400 hotels in over 80 countries, and has the largest collection of independent luxury hotels in the world. Ranging from converted former palaces and countryside retreats, to gleaming skyscrapers, serene private island escapes, glamorous tented camps, and beyond, 85% of the collection’s hotels are family-owned, and many are run by the third, fourth or fifth generations of the owning family, including famed properties such as Gstaad Palace, Baur au Lac, and Le Sirenuse.
All Images: Courtesy (unless otherwise noted)
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