Círculo Mexicano

Grupo Habita was at the forefront of the original boutique-hotel boom, and they’re still at it with Círculo Mexicano, a 19th-century building in the Centro Histórico updated by architects Ambrosi Etchegaray into a striking and unique 25-room boutique hotel.

The accommodations, on the second and third floors, are arranged around a central patio, and in the public spaces the contrast of weathered period materials and brand-new modern construction is at its strongest. The rooms themselves are designed in a Shaker-inspired minimalist style, in simple traditional materials and Oaxacan textiles, with clutter kept to a minumum and subtle luxuries where they count, including furniture by local design studio La Metropolitana.

It feels private, almost residential, but hidden on the rooftop is a terrace with a swimming pool, a bar, and a lively restaurant, the kind of expertly conceived social space at which Habita excels. The ground floor is occupied by a marketplace which includes a barbershop and a fashion boutique, a Círculo Mexicano has an authentic cultural connection to its setting; this very building was once home to the celebrated photographer Manuel Álvarez Bravo, whose works are on display throughout the hotel.