Casa Polanco
Luis G. Urbina 84, Mexico City, Mexico City, 11560, Mexico
Why We Like It
With a name that translates to “Polanco House,” you'd be forgiven for expecting something modest. This 19-suite sanctuary feels like slipping into the home of a worldly friend, albeit the well-to-do kind with a live-in art collection and a Rolodex full of designers. It was the brainchild of Polanco native and entrepreneur Octavio Aguilar, who bought the property with plans to lease it out to an embassy. Seeing that the building permit allowed for hotel use, he set forth on a four-year restoration, carefully preserving original plaster ceilings, ornate ironwork, and soaring arched windows. A new wing joined the fold, and it’s now a calm and ritzy respite in Polanco, Mexico City’s answer to London’s Knightsbridge or Manhattan’s Upper East Side. What’s wonderful is the abundance of social spaces like the rooftop terrace and the library (complete with honor bar), along with thoughtful touches like high tea and curated in-room not-so-mini bars.
Fodor's Expert Review
In posh Polanco, right across from Parque Lincoln and minutes from high-fashion heavyweights like Louis Vuitton and Dolce & Gabbana, sits Casa Polanco, which started welcoming guests in 2022. Originally a 1940s aristocratic residence, the building has undergone a meticulous restoration at the hands of renowned architect Claudio Gantous, resulting in a place where design lovers come to swoon over white-washed walls, objets d’art, and luminous rooms, some of which have balconies.
PROS
- Elevators service every floor (a rarity in the city), so you’ll never have to drag your suitcases up and down.
- Casa Polanco’s electric bicycles are yours to borrow for free.
- Each guest receives a complimentary pressing of two clothing items daily.
CONS
- Bring your black card or at least a strong appetite for splurging. Casa Polanco is on the pricey side.
- The hotel permits cigars in the patio off the library, which may not delight every nose.
- The third-floor gym has limited machinery.
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Room
The 19 rooms are spread over all the floors and each category—from the six Deluxe King Size rooms to the one-of-a-kind 646-square-foot Lincoln Suite—nudges the comfort dial higher. Whichever door you unlock, expect high ceilings, 600-thread-count Egyptian-cotton sheets by PM Linos wrapping the beds, funky bedside lamps, bespoke furnishings, Bang & Olufsen speakers, Nespresso machines, and a complimentary maxi (not mini) bar that’s restocked throughout your mansion stay. National beer, kombucha, coconut water, and snacks are standard.
Tip Balcony hunters should book any of the five Premier Park View rooms or splash on the Lincoln Suite for the bonanza terrace that’s large enough for sunrise yoga. The Premier Patio Double Bed sleeps three guests and would suit friends traveling together.
Bathroom
Plush robes, Dyson hair dryers, and Casa del Agua artisanal water in refillable glass bottles await in the bathrooms, which gleam in marble with rainfall showers and soaking tubs in the larger suites. Custom toiletries crafted by Polanco-based high-end perfumer Xinú invite herbal notes into the space.
Lobby
Hidden behind a wrought-iron gate cloaked in climbing greenery, an elaborately carved doorway welcomes you into Casa Polanco. Inside, a river of green marble spills across the floor of the lobby, which is a microcosm of everything Casa Polanco does so well: unstuffy elegance, intentional design, and hospitality. The lobby has colonnaded arches, column pillars, and velvet olive furniture that contrasts with the true-white walls. Marble spiral stairs lead the gaze (and the guests) up to the rooms, and just off the lobby, you’ll find the library, which is one of Casa Polanco’s many lovely social spaces. There, you may sip on Clase Azul reposado tequila from the honor bar cart while perusing books chronicling the lives of Fernando Botero and Frida Kahlo.
Pool
There’s no swimming pool.
Spa
On the third floor, the hotel has one spa cabin built for two (ideal for couples or best-friend decompression). Sealed with acoustic insulation, it keeps things outside its walls calm and serene.
Gym
After indulging in tacos, tortas, and similar hearty fare, you’ll appreciate the ability to work out at the gym that’s located on the third floor. It has lush views of Parque Lincoln and is flooded with natural light from stylized cut-out windows, while a horizontal mirror takes up one wall. The gym has TechnoGym equipment and room for floor work and stretching.
For travelers who prefer their exertion curated, the hotel offers private sessions with a personal trainer or guided yoga and Pilates classes. Sessions may take place in the privacy of your suite or even in the park across the street.
You Should Know While there are state-of-the-art TechnoGym machines at the gym, there aren’t many of them, so you may have to make do with whatever is available when you arrive.
Dining
Days start with the Eye Opener, a prelude to breakfast. Upon check-in, guests are asked for their preferred morning elixir (coffee or tea), which is discreetly delivered to in the morning at an hour of your choosing.
La Veranda is the all-day dining venue, which has seemingly endless ceilings, towering indoor trees, and suspended light fixtures. To retain that feeling of home, this glass-roofed space is exclusive to in-house guests and their amigos.
You’ll want to pile your plate high at the breakfast buffet (from 730 a.m.), where you can help yourself to fresh fruits, rose-shaped smoked salmon, Garibaldi vanilla pound cake, and even churros. There is also an à la carte breakfast menu.
Teatime, included in the room rate (4:30-8 p.m.), brings dainty bites like tiny sandwiches and buttery biscuits alongside tequila and flutes of champagne. La Veranda has an all-day menu (till 11 p.m.) and you can take your meals wherever the mood strikes.
Drinking
As cherished houseguests, you are offered a generous pour of warmth and spirit (literally) via the honor bar cart in the library, where you can help yourself to top-shelf brands like Casa Dragones, Don Julio, and Chivas Regal. Your in-room Maxi Bar is complimentary and restocked throughout your stay. The aforementioned Tea Time is another opportunity for tipples.
Art & Decor
The gallery-like setting was deftly choreographed by curator-critic Santiago Toca with the blessing (and private stash) of owner-host Octavio Aguilar. In the hallways, common spaces, and guest rooms, there are pieces by celebrated Mexican artists such as lenswoman Graciela Iturbide, known for her portraits of indigenous life. Contributions are on display from abstract artists Ricardo Pinto, Jordi Boldó, and Ricardo Mazal, the latter who has a triptych in the library. Gantous Arquitectos, who handled the building’s renovation, won a LIV Hospitality Design Award for their work there.
What's Nearby
Getting Around
Forget the car at first. Polanco is one of the capital’s safest districts for aimless ambling. Cross the road to Parque Lincoln for people-watching on benches, or keep walking fifteen minutes southwest and the city’s green lung, Bosque de Chapultepec, rolls out for 1,700 leafy acres. It’s got plenty of museums as well as a castle and zoo.
Art and history lovers can head northeast from the hotel. The mirror-clad Museo Soumaya and its neighbor Museo Jumex shimmer into view after a 30-minute walk or a 10-minute Uber. Taxis, ride-shares, and the efficient Metro (Polanco and Auditorio stations are close by) whisk you further afield.
Restaurants
From this pedigreed Polanco postcode, you’ll be falling fork-first into some of Mexico City’s most raved-about kitchens within minutes. A ten-minute stroll lands you at Michelin-starred Quintonil or Pujol. Book months ahead to taste Pujol’s ever-evolving Mole Madre (now more than 3,700 days old). If you prefer your meal with a lower tariff and pavement seating, walk seven minutes to locally loved El Turix on Avenida Emilio Castelar for tacos and panuchos.
Bars
Whether it’s gin (GinGin Polanco, Epicenter Gin & Tonic Bar), whiskey (Scotch on Calle Julio Verne), low lights and karaoke (Il Canto), a speakeasy (Ley Zanahoria Speakeasy Bar) or craft cocktails (Limantour Polanco) you’re after, you’ll find it within walking distance.
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Rate Includes: Free Breakfast
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Social Spaces
Casa Polanco has a series of convivial social areas; the favorite is the library on the street level facing Parque Lincoln. It’s a thoroughly inviting space where the hotel’s musicophile curator has even devised a suite of music playlists that travel from the 1940s to the present day, playing songs from Latin American artists.
Guests may also spend their “do nothing” hours at the ground-floor patio, which is outfitted with black and white outdoor furniture and umbrellas, or the top-floor terrace sprinkled with more hardcover coffee table books from Assouline. This is one spot that lets you appreciate just how truly leafy your neck of the woods is. Anyone can claim the terrace for a starlit private cena (dinner) arranged by the hotel team.