Now that Mexico City is the next stop on cool-hunters’ travel wish lists, its first proper boutique hotel has settled comfortably into its own skin. But when Las Alcobas opened five years ago, it was something unique in the D.F.: a 35-room hotel with big-hotel amenities (a fitness room, a spa, private yoga or pilates on request) but the spirit of a guesthouse.
“Our philosophy has played well,” says managing partner Samuel Leizorek, who was born and raised in Mexico City and emphasizes the Mexican touches throughout the hotel, which recently joined Starwood's Luxury Collection. “It feels like a stay in someone’s home. There’s attention to details and a great intimacy with guests. We don’t nickel-and-dime them: There’s free Wi-Fi, a welcome drink when they arrive and complementary minibars.” (Alas, that Wi-Fi could be faster and more reliable.)
“We go above and beyond to pamper our guests,” he continues. That was certainly the case during my recent visit, when doormen leapt to hold umbrellas over our heads as my friend and I dashed to dinner next door, maybe ten steps away from the hotel entrance. (I stayed as a guest of the hotel.)
The other realm in which Las Alcobas stands out is design, which was done by rockstar interiors firm Yabu Pushelberg. The centerpiece is the sinuous rosewood spiral staircase that gracefully winds its way up from the lobby. Textures are richly layered throughout. But curiously, for a hotel whose name translates as “the bedrooms,” the sleeping quarters are functional and handsome, with beautiful rosewood furnishings and stitched-leather wall panels, but lack the design bravado on display downstairs.
No matter. No one spends time in their hotel room anymore anyway. The sunny breakfast room has a subtle farmhouse vibe, and guests can linger there with their laptops or books all day. Right outside are the galleries, luxury boutiques and restaurants of the posh, leafy Polanco neighborhood, and Chapultepec Park, among the largest in the western hemisphere, is just a short walk away.
The hotel also has two noteworthy restaurants of it is own. The fine-dining flagship, Dulce Patria, is a place where chef Martha Ortiz lets her creativity flourish in designing the modern-Mexican menu. Petit fours came to my table arrayed on a tray that was the base for a foot-high statue of a horse, and other treats went by dangling on miniature swing sets. The decor is similarly opulent, with red velvet banquettes and colorful embroidered Mexican shawls fashioned into cushions.
The flip side of all that drama is the all-day Anatol, which Leizorek calls “a neighborhood restaurant with high-end touches” like homemade jams and breads made with the kitchen’s own natural yeasts. Chef Justin Ermini made a name for himself at Connecticut’s Mayflower Inn, a Relais & Châteaux hotel. The aim was to make Anatol the kind of place locals could eat every day, and the menu ranges among crowd pleasers like flatbreads, a Rueben sandwich that Leizorek says rivals anything in New York, crudos and even quinoa-kale salad. (Bonus points for the house margarita, which is topped with a cloud of salt foam that enhances flavor without leaving crystals stuck to your lips.)
One local who is not there every day is Leizorek. That’s because he’s spending time in Napa Valley, working on Las Alcobas’s next hotel, which is slated to open in St. Helena next spring. I'm looking forward to seeing how the formula translates.
