Casona Roma Norte
Durango 280, Mexico City, Mexico City, 06700, Mexico
Why We Like It
Despite its petite size, this hotel punches well above its weight in amenities; there’s a gym, a massage suite, 24-hour room service, and various distinct and delicious dining concepts on-site—something to tempt every traveler. Tucked into the historic Roma Norte neighborhood, Casona manages to be both a serene escape and a social hub. You’re steps from iconic Mexico City haunts, and yet you may not want to leave the hotel at all, thanks to its in-house happenings and unexpected sense of space for a city boutique stay.
Fodor's Expert Review
Unveiled in October 2024 by boutique brand Hamak Hotels, this 32-key sanctuary is housed in a lovingly restored 1920s rose-hued Belle Époque mansion that has lived many lives, including a neighborhood convenience store and residential apartments. With original floors underfoot and Mexican art adorning the walls, today it wears its most elegant guise yet. Its protected century-old façade still stuns with Porfirian and art deco flourishes, echoing the grandeur of Roma Norte’s architectural heyday.
PROS
- Fabulous location that grants guests access to the many wonders (cultural, culinary, and otherwise) of Roma Norte.
- The ability to try Mexican distillates you’ve never heard of at the agave room.
- Aesthetically pleasing interior design.
CONS
- Rooms are not fully ADA-compliant
- Those sensitive to noise or fur may find Casona Roma Norte’s pet-friendly policy less than ideal.
- Shower water temperature can be temperamental.
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Room
Mexico City-based Simple Arquitectura brought in handwoven Oaxacan rugs, creamy neutrals, and bold color accents, and most rooms have delicate wallpaper. The 32 rooms range from 215 to 269 square feet. Across the board, you’ll find art above every headboard, sockets by the beds, plush 450-thread-count organic cotton sheets, workstations, 55” Smart TVs for lazy nights in, Nespresso machines for your morning pick-me-up, and complimentary bottles of water. No two rooms are exactly alike, but if you’re asking for the showstopper, the Casona Luxury Suite wins with a balcony and the most expansive square footage.
Tip Friends traveling together who want two separate double beds should book the Balcony Urban View Double.
Bathroom
You’ll linger and luxuriate in marble bathrooms with rain showers and circular vanity mirrors, and use custom-blended bath products concocted exclusively for the hotel.
Lobby
The pale pink exterior immediately shifts to muted beiges and whites after you enter through the tall double doors. The lobby has a minimalist check-in desk flanked by tan velvet sofas and built-in shelves with ceramics and coffee table books. It is styled to feel more like a private home than a traditional hotel. Framed pieces by Mexican artist María Rec—known for her collages—add quirk and personality to the space.
Pool
There is no pool.
Spa
There’s no sprawling hydro-circuit at Casona Roma Norte’s spa, the Relax Room. It’s a single treatment pod on the same floor as the gym that offers 30 to 120-minute massages and facials. You can combat high altitude-related dry skin with the Facial Hydration Express (45 minutes) or book the signature Time Zone Reset (90 or 120 minutes), a slow-flow massage that blends acupressure, reflexology, and lymphatic drainage.
You Should Know Because there’s only one spa cabin, advance reservations are essential.
Gym
The gym at Casona Roma Norte is a compact yet well-appointed rooftop hideaway with natural light. It is outfitted with Technogym equipment and has a Nordic ski machine. The gym is open daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., giving early birds and night owls equal opportunity to move.
Tip The hotel offers Urban Yoga Retreat sessions every Tuesday and Saturday at 8:30 a.m. They are free for hotel guests and available to outside visitors for a fee. Email the front desk ([email protected]) to reserve your mat.
Dining
Creativity, local ingredients, and narrative storytelling bind Casona Roma Norte’s restaurants together. From the culinary vision of chef-showman Aquiles Chávez (the mustached TV personality sometimes dubbed the Mexican Anthony Bourdain), Aquiles is the breakfast-to-dinner flagship restaurant serving nicely plated field-to-table cuisine and memorable bites like the homemade lavender butter bread.
Suchi Nipona & Sinaloa Cuisine is the Sinaloa‑Japanese fusion spot with walls that showcase Lucha Libre and sumo illustrations. Signature rolls sneak in shredded pork, marlin paté, and plantain tempura, and the most talked about is the Dorito‑crusted shrimp roll where each roll is perfectly balanced on a single Dorito chip.
La Macaria Matcha & Tea Room is the cozy corner. Under origami swans, guests sip matcha, artisanal teas, and specialty coffee at this French, Japanese, and Mexican ground-floor pâtisserie.
Drinking
Be guided through Mexico’s terroirs and have personalized cocktails whipped up that introduce you to new and local spirits at Akamba, the hotel’s moody agave bar with a sweeping volcanic stone table. Hidden below ground, this space is intentionally cave-like, with soaring shelves stockpiled with over 50 regional distillates and liquors, including raicilla, xtabentún, and mezcal.
Mexican Art
Every floor showcases works from Mexican artists. María Rec’s playful cut-out collages set the tone in the lobby, while there are dreamlike wall paintings by psychoanalyst and artist Carolina Barrios lining the hallways. In guest rooms, Ana Valdés’ minimalist lines are visible while Mexico City itself takes center stage in Santiago Arau’s large-format drone photographs. The hotel’s only non-Mexican artist is Berlin-based artist James Bullough, who created the massive mural (La Suculenta) seen in Aquiles.
What's Nearby
Getting Around
Casona’s address is your springboard to one of Mexico City’s most walkable boroughs, so you can wander leafy streets, café-hop, and boutique-browse without ever hailing a ride. When you do need wheels, Uber is quick and reliable, while the Sevilla Metro station (three blocks away) puts the Line 1 train at your disposal. Nearby are some small museums with big personalities, including Mooni, Salón de la Plástica Mexicana, MODO (Museo del Objeto), and Museo Casa de las Mil Muñecas, a doll museum holding over 1,000 pieces from around the world.
Restaurants
Follow the aromas towards Contramar for seafood (the tuna tostadas are wonderful), Lardo for dulce-de-leche buns, or Frëims for Baja tacos, chilaquiles, and chicken with waffles. Azul Condesa is the spot for grasshopper-topped guacamole and cochinita-stuffed panuchos, and Rosetta is Michelin-starred and serves modern Mexican plates in a candlelit mansion (21 minutes away). On sugar duty, Churrería El Moro (numerous branches around town) is a worthwhile stop for piping-hot churros. Coffee cravings are sorted at Dosis (exceptional flat whites and yummy banana loaves) and Cucuruchu (buttery croissants from 8 am).
Bars
Find mixology mastery and mezcal magic at places like Licorería Limantour (one of Mexico City’s most celebrated cocktail bars), just a 20-minute walk from the hotel. When cocktail hour calls, Rayo is a nearby favorite (three minutes), which leans experimental. Café Tacobar serves tacos with fun cocktails like the Gringo Loco and gin-based Salmoncito (no actual salmon involved). At Caiman, the cocktails are as impeccably styled as the crowd sipping them. To drink natural wines from Mexico’s Valle de Guadalupe, check out Hugo on Avenida Veracruz.
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