Condesa DF

Anyone who still thinks of Mexico City as a polluted, congested urban dystopia hasn’t spent much time in La Condesa, the district that lends the Condesa DF its name. Here the wide avenues are lined with trees, which along with the Art Nouveau architecture resembles Paris more than it does the neighboring Centro Histórico.

The Condesa DF is a perfect fit for a neighborhood stuffed with cafes, boutiques and galleries. This conversion of a 1928 apartment block is nothing if not stylish, highly modern without coming off cold or over-designed. The interiors are by the Parisian designer India Mahdavi, whose custom-designed details — from the furniture in the rooms to the tableware in the restaurant — convey a strong sense of personality.

Bedrooms are decorated in actual colors, a bold move for a design hotel; these rooms use chocolate brown and moss green where most would opt for varying values of white. Futuristic, sculptural tables sit alongside slightly retro seats and wood-paneled walls, and all the modern conveniences are present — flat-screen televisions, high-speed internet access and even an iPod. Bathrooms feature products by Malin + Goetz, which is certainly not your father’s hotel soap.

Some rooms have balconies or terraces with views over the neighborhood’s treetops, but all pale a bit in comparison with the hotel’s centerpiece, the triangular rooftop terrace, complete with a sushi restaurant, a small bar and an incongruously pastoral atmosphere. The main restaurant and bar are downstairs in the central courtyard, but for our money, nothing beats the odd thrill of breathing fresh air on a rooftop in Mexico City.

How to get there: Condesa DF is approximately a 30 minute drive from Benito Juarez International Airport. Transfers are available for USD57 for up to 2 guests, each way and USD65 for 4-7 guests.