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FOUR SEASONS HOTEL, MEXICO CITY, MEXICO
During his brief reign as emperor of Mexico in the mid-1860s, Austrian-born Maximilian I ordered the construction of a wide boulevard that would traverse the country's capital in the same fashion that the Charnps-Elysees passed through Paris. The Hapsburg ruler, whom Napoleon III appointed to the throne, was executed by Mexican nationalists in 1867, but his European-style thoroughfare remains the heart of what is now the world's second-largest metropolis. The bustling, tree-lined Paseo de la Reforma is home to several of Mexico City's most notable monuments, including Chapultepec Castle (where Maximilian and his empress, Carlota, resided), the National Palace, the Angel de la Independencia war memorial, and the 14-year-old Four Seasons hotel.
Set near Chapultepec Park and the National Museum of Anthropology and History, the Four Seasons, like its surroundings, displays European influences. Bougainvillea and banana trees adorn the colonial-style hotel's central courtyard, where guests and city residents gather to hear classical jazz performances. The courtyard bar menu includes several Mexican standbys, but you will not fmd tacos or fajiras at Reforma 500, a formal dining venue with Mediterranean selections that might include crawfish soup with coriander, fettuccine with shredded duck and pine nuts, and Provencal-style roasted lamb chops.
The Four Seasons completed a renovation of its flagship restaurant and 240 guest rooms in spring 2006.While most. of the accommodations overlook the property's courtyard, tile topfloor presidential suite faces the street, offering a supreme view of the Paseo de la Reforma. Four Seasons Hotel Mexico, D.F., +52.55.5230.1818, 800.819.5053, www.fourseasons.com
ACCOMMODATIONS
The eight-story hotel's 200 guest rooms and 40 suites have courtyard or city views.
FACILITIES
The Four Seasons does not have a dedicated spa, but massages are available en suite or in one of the three treatment rooms at the hotel's rooftop health club, which also includes a pool.
DINING
The formal Reforma 500 serves Mediterraneanstyle cuisine indoors or on the courtyard. El Bar offers casual dining and
an extensive menu of fine sipping tequilas.
CONCIERGE RECOMMENDS
Take a weekend tour with the hotel's art historian, visiting the nearby Aztec pyramids at Teotihuacan and the Dolores Olmedo Patifio Museum, home to one of the largest private collections
of works by Diego Rivera
and Frida Kahlo.
RATES
From $340 for a standard room to $3)50 for the threebedroom presidential suite. |
