Condesa DF

The Terrace Suite at Condesa DF has 19 square metres of room and 15 of terrace, a fair split in a hotel that faces a park. The building is French neoclassical, of 1928, in pale stone with a fanlight over its arched door, on Avenida Veracruz, the tree-lined street between Condesa and Roma Norte. Grupo Habita made it a hotel in 2005, with Javier Sánchez as architect and India Mahdavi on the interiors. One room is painted teal, with cowhide armchairs either side of a white table, one of them on rockers, and a lacquered yellow stool in case anyone found it too restrained. Some bedrooms are panelled in wood from floor to ceiling; others are white, with a tall window onto the trees of the street. The Patio Rooms look into the courtyard instead, where El Patio serves Mexican cooking with French technique. On the roof, a triangular terrace faces Parque España and Chapultepec Castle beyond, and Keisuke Harada, trained under Morimoto, runs the sushi bar.

Recommended for anyone who wants a city break spent on foot and on two wheels, and for families, since children under twelve stay free. Bikes come with every room. Parque España is across the street, and Bosque de Chapultepec, the city's largest park, about 2km off, which on a bike is no distance. Back at the hotel there are boxing classes, and the hammam afterwards; at weekends the cinema shows art films, and a children's film as well. Breakfast is included. The nightclub is in the basement, and the Top Suite comes with a terrace of 65 square metres. Dogs are accepted, for a fee, and with a park across the street, the dog has the best of the arrangement.