When gazing out of The Ritz-Carlton, Mexico City, you get the most mesmerizing view: the leafy treetops of adjacent Chapultepec Forest that seem to stretch to the surrounding mountains. Within the nearly 2,000-acre park, you’ll spot attractions like Chapultepec Castle, Altar a la Patria’s six marble columns and a Ferris wheel.
Soaring 58 stories above the posh Polanco neighborhood, the sleek, glass skyscraper is one of the capital’s tallest buildings. And you can catch a glimpse of the breathtaking vistas almost everywhere you go in the hotel. But there’s more to explore at this chic, modern tower, from a must-visit sky bar to a forward-thinking spa. Here’s why you need to stay at The Ritz-Carlton, Mexico City:
The Views
We can’t stop raving about these panoramas. Residing on the building’s 37th to 47th floors, the hotel, which sits on the prominent Paseo de la Reforma, embraces its sky-high perch and puts the view front and center.
Admire the backdrop of the city’s architectural highlights, the park and peaks from the top-to-bottom windows in the rooms and suites, some of which have strategically placed tubs overlooking the scenery. Zip up to the 38th floor to SAMOS Sabores Míos, where you can appreciate the vistas from inside the restaurant through the wall of windows or outside on the almost vertigo-inducing terrace — tall, thick glass panels make you feel like you’re dining on the edge.
In the morning at SAMOS, peek at the park and the bright blue sky while sipping a mug of thick, warming atole (a traditional corn drink sweetened with guava and vanilla) and noshing on either the heaping plate of huevos Chapultepec divorciados (fried eggs with plantains, chorizo, beans, tortillas and cotija cheese) or the concha (a sweet, soft bread with a slightly crispy shell) from the basket of made-in-house pastries.
Or come to see the city aglow at night while savoring SAMOS’ flavor-packed Chintextle rice studded with octopus, shrimp and squid, followed by The Nest, a sculpture of a dessert with a spun-sugar nest (with stray pink chocolate feathers caught in the threads) holding a pink egg. Crack it open to enjoy a white chocolate mousse serving as the egg white and a mango and passionfruit “yolk.”
The Bar
Across from the restaurant, you’ll find another place to drink in the views. Carlotta Reforma Sky Bar lures you in with dim lighting, armchairs all facing the floor-to-ceiling windows and cocktails like the 360 (Flor de Caña rum with citrus and coriander oil, cucumber mint infusion and avocado leaf bitters).
If you sidle up to the black marble bar and mention that you love mezcal to head bartender Ivan Bollo Jiménez, he might break out some of his favorites, like Vago and 400 Conejos, both from Oaxaca, and unusual rimming salts (like peppery tarantula and herbaceous grasshopper) for an impromptu tasting.
Be sure to swing by at 6 p.m. for Pasaje, a unique daily sunset ritual that shares a piece of Mexican culture with guests. A bartender dons a black-and-white Day of the Dead-inspired beaded mask and brings over a silver tray of complimentary drinks — ours was tequila with pineapple, orange and lime juices — dramatically draped in smoke, thanks to a canister with dry ice and palo santo (meaning “holy wood”), which Mexicans believe helps clean bad vibes.
The Spa
At the six-treatment-room spa, you will still find views, but you’ll be too busy face down on the table alongside a family member or friend enjoying the Time Together Massage, a customized-to-your-needs service in the couples room, or face up with your eyes closed for a Natural Resilience Facial, which incorporates kobido (Japanese facial massage), jade rolling, aromatherapy and pre and probiotics.
But if you don’t have time for one of those indulgent treatments, The Ritz-Carlton Spa, Mexico City offers a clever concept called Timeless Capsule, a collection of relaxing and revitalizing express services. Even if your schedule is stacked with business meetings or museum visits, you can squeeze in one of the 12-, 25- or 40-minute options. Sit in the zero-gravity chair and let the therapist zap tension with a scalp massage or revive hurting-from-heels or tired-from-walking calves and feet. The Time Capsule treatments take place in a dedicated room close to the reception desk of the two-level spa for quick in-and-out access.
If you aren’t in a rush, take in the sauna, steam room and especially the pool. Surrounded by gray marble walls and wood floors, a heated pool runs alongside a double-sided fireplace. Sit under the gushing waterfalls or in the lounger amid bubbling water and glimpse the park and the Ferris wheel from the floor-to-ceiling windows.
The Design
Toronto-based Chapi Chapo (the firm also did the interiors for the new The St. Regis Kanai Resort, Riviera Maya) eschewed traditional Mexican design in favor of a modernist take on Mexican motifs and themes. It’s subtle — you will see it in an elevator bank, where inverted triangular lights recall Teotihuacan pyramids just north of the city, and the use of dark blues and ash grays, which pay homage to the use of smoke in ancient indigenous ceremonies.
Like the rest of the Mexico City hotel, the 153 guest rooms and suites warm up the color palette with lots of wood and, again, those views. Many covet the photogenic accommodations with glass-walled balconies, but the corner suites afford even more vistas. Take the gorgeous Luxury Suite, which boasts massive windows on three sides of the expansive 1,259-square-foot space with swiveling armchairs and a black oval bathtub lined with white positioned to soak up the scenery.
This being The Ritz-Carlton, the accommodations also feature top-of-the-line amenities, including white-marble-swathed bathrooms with Diptyque toiletries, Bluetooth-enabled Tivoli radios and Nespresso machines.
The Club Lounge
Regardless of your preferred accommodation, make sure it includes Club Lounge access. The spacious lounge comes with a terrace and more floor-to-ceiling windows. Sit on one of the sofas and watch TV, head to the bar to work on one of the computers or plug in your own, or take one of the tables to sample the five different food and beverage offerings throughout the day.
During our visit, the spread included mini New York steak sandwiches, fish wraps and a beautiful salad bar where each leaf of lettuce appeared carefully placed in tissue-paper-lined wooden bowls. The artfully crafted desserts look like they belong in a fine-dining restaurant, though the most popular sweet, a lounge staff member revealed, is the cookies. The 24-hour lounge puts the treats out at night in a cloche, and in the morning, they are always gone.
But even if you aren’t hungry, you should come down. We enjoyed tasty pours of the complimentary wine from Mexican labels like Casa Madero, Balero and Hilo Negro, while admiring the view, of course.
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