Way back in 2008 we launched our Mexico City section and at the time we only featured five hotels. Mexico City has come a long way since then and it’s now routinely touted in magazines as one of the hottest destinations in the Americas. Back when we posted our first reviews there were very few leisure travelers at these top luxury properties. It was mostly business travelers. More than a decade later, a lot of vacationers have discovered the city’s amazing food, culture, and art.
Mexico’s capital is now so popular that you can find a luxury hotel for almost every type of traveler — international chains with reliable brands and service, small boutique properties with personalized service, artsy hotels with a stream of who’s who walking through the door, or places that make you feel like you have your own city apartment plus concierge service. Here’s a breakdown by neighborhood of the best places to stay in Mexico City.
Reforma Avenue
Mexico City’s most iconic avenue is bordered to the north by the Cuautemoc neighborhood and the Juarez neighborhood to the south. Both of these neighborhoods (in particular Juarez) have a growing list of fantastic eating, drinking, and shopping options. If you want to feel like you are in the big city and be right at the center of its beating heart, a hotel on Reforma is a good option.
One of the best luxury hotels in the city is one of the oldest—the Four Seasons. That was joined later by a St. Regis and more recently the Ritz Carlton and the newest big-name brand Sofitel, all of which are right on Reforma Avenue. For an independent hotel that’s close but set off of the hustle and bustle by a few blocks, try the artsy and sophisticated Volga hotel that opened up in 2023 or the industrial-chic Carlota in Cuauhtemoc or the art-centric Stara Hamburgo in Juarez.
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Roma /Condesa
The Roma and Condesa neighborhoods are currently at their very height of popularity. Hip, artsy, and residential, these neighborhoods are Mexico City’s Brooklyn, Wrigleyville, or Boys Town. Stay here for the nightlife, all the incredible restaurants, and also all the greenery — there are incredible amounts of green space and parks in both. Because these neighborhoods are more bakeries than business, you will find mostly small, intimate hotels here with personalized service and a feeling of really living in the city.
For the art and design-obsessed La Valise in Roma is the place, with funky in-house designed furniture, local artists displayed on the walls, and fantastically fun and decadent extras like beds that roll out onto the patio for sleeping below the stars. San Fernando in Condesa is just steps from Parque Mexico and is designed to give you the feeling of owning your own art deco apartment in the city. Condesa Df from the folks at Habita, is one of the larger hotel options, on a sleepy, tree-lined street on the border of Roma and Condesa. Andaz Condesa, a concept hotel inside an architectural treasure is the latest cool Condesa hotel with a full spa and several restaurants on-site.
Polanco
Polanco has long been Mexico City’s most chic and affluent neighborhood, even though several other locations could now compete for that title especially if you look at prices alone. Regardless, this neighborhood with its charming streets named for writers and poets, its parks and green spaces, and its dining and shopping scene that includes some of the biggest names in the biz, continues to draw the crowds, both local and international.
Several solid options for luxury hotels have existed in Polanco for over a decade, like Las Alcobas, which has great restaurants downstairs, very nice rooms, stylish public areas, and is on the main upscale shopping street in Polanco, Avenida Masaryk. There’s also quite a nice JW Marriott in Polanco, with more character than most in that chain because it originally opened as a Mandarin Oriental. The W Mexico City is also here, close to Reforma, the massive Chapultepec park, and the Museum of Anthropology. Polanco’s latest luxury lodging is Casa Polanco, which if you want a boutique experience with great personal service, is right next to Parque Lincoln and within walking distance of most of the neighborhood’s top restaurants.
Centro Historico
Mexico’s City’s historic downtown is great for feeling the pulse of the city and there is a growing nightlife scene, but it hasn’t reached a critical mass of restaurants and bars yet to compete with other areas. During the day it’s one of the busiest and most lively places, with a constant stream of both locals and tourists and lots of the city’s historic buildings and museums to visit. Getting in and out of the Centro in cabs can be rough so use public transportation to make your life easier.
There are fewer lux options in the Centro because of the draw of other more high-end neighborhoods like Roma or Polanco, but they do exist. The Umbral downtown is a truly luxury option with a variety of dining options and a cool rooftop bar with pool. Then there is the Downtown hotel which is a luxury stand-by and one of the first hotels to bring a higher level of tourists back into the Centro. Circulo Mexicana is another good luxury option, but in a particularly difficult location to get an Uber or cab in and out so expect to adjust.
Other neighborhoods
We’ve added a few others over the years, including one property out in San Angel. It’s important to pay attention to neighborhoods here and what you’re planning to do most of your time. While the city has gotten cleaner and safer since we first started writing about it, the traffic is as brutal as ever, if not worse. Join the locals on the subway if you want to get where you’re going much faster.
See all our reviews of the best luxury hotels in Mexico City. Updated in June 2024.
Article by lydia-roma
Associate editor Lydia Carey is a writer and translator based in Mexico City. She is the author of “Mexico City Streets: La Roma,” and gives local tours when she’s not walking her dogs or eating street food.
