The view from the balcony of my suite at Las Alcobas is of the Polanco skyline. Synagogues, skyscrapers, mid-century modern homes, Polanco is one of Mexico City’s high-end urban neighborhoods, developed in the 1940s and 50s when the city was expanding beyond the Centro Historico.
These days, there is a vintage, quaintness to the California Colonial architectural style and the meandering streets of Polanquito, the neighborhood’s most charming area of parks, shops, and restaurants. This shouldn’t be interpreted as Polanco having lost its modern draw; these streets are home to some of the best luxury brand shopping in the city, some of the most expensive homes, and restaurants in the highest echelons of the city’s dining scene.
Fifteen years ago, Las Alcobas converted an apartment building into a luxury hotel, catering mainly to business travelers. These days they have just as many leisure travelers as business, and the levels of tourism that Mexico City receives yearly have far surpassed what anyone could have expected at the beginning of the 2000s. Las Alcobas continues after all these years to be a favorite among luxury travelers who want to stay in Polanco, despite the myriad of options now available across the city.
Their entrance is dominated by a sweeping spiral staircase with a bubbling fountain below, and a small lobby tucked to one side features couches and upholstered chairs for sipping a midday coffee or waiting for your driver to arrive. The first-floor Anatol restaurant is entered through a hallway to one side of the staircase. Anatol has developed its own following over the years and is known for its global comfort with Mexican touches. The lobster esquites, a riff on a classic Mexican street snack, are divine, as is the roast chicken with the pepperoncini sauce. The hotel offers 24-hour room service with a limited menu overnight and a full breakfast menu that can be enjoyed in Anatol or in your room.
Rooms come in 9 different categories, with the 7th-floor suites and the corner presidential suite being the biggest. I stayed in a deluxe suite with a separate bedroom area with a massive flat-screen TV and a small desk in a window nook. A short hallway connected it to a sitting area with a larger working desk that looked out onto the outdoor balcony with that great view I mentioned at the top of this review. There was another massive flat-screen here, as well as a L-shaped couch and well-stocked mini bar, with Mexican snacks and non-alcoholic drinks included in the nightly rate, and a selection bottles of other spirits that could be purchased.
All rooms include these amenities, as well as Nespresso machines, lockboxes, slippers and robes, Bvlgari toiletries, and a collection of handmade soaps, from which guests are encouraged to choose two to take home. Despite some of the rooms being on the small side (King-size Standard Superior rooms start at 300 square feet), every bathroom within the hotel is ample and luxurious. A large vanity, rain shower showerhead, full bathtub, and separate toilet area, complete with a bidet, are standard. There are only three rooms out of the entire 39 that don’t have a bathtub.
There’s a small gym on-site with basic equipment and a weight set, and the 2nd-floor spa is small but mighty. I had an excellent deep-tissue massage during my stay and felt like my masseuse really listened to all my concerns beforehand. The spa also offers facials with their organic SENS facial care line as well as body wraps and scrubs that incorporate local herbology.
The well-trained staff here is extremely helpful, from setting up off-site activities like trips to the pyramids to arranging an aromatherapy-centered soak in the tub. I found the staff to be friendly and polite, and not overly rigid like it can be at certain luxury hotels. I was hobbling around on a bad knee while there, and everyone went out of their way to open doors, bring me ice packs, and just generally make my stay as easy as possible.
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Mexico City now has dozens of luxury hotel options for travelers who want pampering and amenities, but Las Alcobas has the benefit of 15 years of experience in making guests happy, and it shows in their services and the staff. For an excellent location in Polanco and accommodating personnel, Las Alcobas is one of the best. Rooms run from $600-3250usd, breakfast included, taxes not.
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