Hotel Parque México

What it is. A boutique hotel on Avenida México, in Hipódromo Condesa, decorated with Mexican motifs, artisan-made furniture and original artwork on the walls. It has 35 junior suites, 4 master suites and a presidential suite, each individually finished, and a terrace with live music twice a week. There is a café and a bookshop on site.

Where it puts you — which is the real argument. Avenida México runs around Parque México, the art deco park laid out in the 1920s on the oval of an old racecourse. Avenida Ámsterdam traces the same oval one street out. This is the pleasantest half-hour walk in the city, and the hotel is on it.

What is within ten minutes on foot. The whole Condesa restaurant and bar circuit; Parque España; and the Roma, which starts a few streets east and holds the galleries and the gourmet markets.

Practical notes. Av. México #133. Metro Chilpancingo and Patriotismo, line 9, and Sevilla, line 1, are all within walking distance. Parking in the Condesa is scarce — ask the hotel what it offers before arriving by car. Weekend nights on the terrace are the busiest; ask for a room away from it if you want quiet.