Lonely Planet Review

Every whim is catered to at this aggressively colonial boutique hotel near Chapultepec park. Aficionados of Mexican artesanía will be thrilled by the 10 fancifully decorated suites. Worth the splurge? If you've ever wanted to step into a scene from the film Frida, it may very well be.

This 'Old House' was erected in 1994 to resemble a colonial mansion and is adorned from top to bottom with a melange of handicrafts from throughout the Republic. Decorators searched far and wide and brought back tapestries from Guerrero, copper kitchenware from Santa Clara del Cobre, black pottery from San Bartolo in Oaxaca, and so on. Each of the 10 enormous suites is purportedly inspired by a Mexican artist, although decor may have little to do with that figure (none of muralist David Siqueiros' art appears in the Siqueiros suite, for example.) Vaulted ceilings are brushed in pastels, with natural pigments used to achieve authentic tones. Bedrooms have specially designed bedspreads and night lamps occupying clamshell niches. The lobby is another page from the book of colonial fantasy, and a rooftop restaurant, shaded by an enramada canopy, serves - you guessed it - nouvelle cuisine à la mexicana.