I stayed with Ariana over a month and we became great friends. That should give you an idea how good my experience with her was.

Ariana won't consider you a client. You are a guest in her place and you will have a place in her daily life. As an artist herself with many creative acquaintances, you will be amidst the best than Mexico City offers in the arts and music scene. She is a very kind heart and we had a lot of fun together. Your other host, Otto, is a venerable 12-year old belgian shepherd, the wisest creature in the whole city. Everybody within 2 miles of the house knows and loves Otto.

Ariana currently offers three rooms in her house for guests (long term and AirBnB), and she has a great eye for the people she chooses as housemates, so you end up amidst this fun expat-and-mexican community which continues to thrive long after people have stopped living with her. The other guests in the house are also now my friends, as well as even some people who had stayed with her in the past and were no longer then when I was there. The only warning I will give you: no kidding, most of the foreigners who have stayed at Ariana's have ended up deciding to stay in Mexico!

You will be in close proximity to the 'trendiest' parts of town, but in an area that has not been overly plastified. Mexican fresa-hipsters will initially express their disbelief at where you are living, but then will quickly realize this is where it's at. You are also 5 minutes away from one of the best transportation hubs in the city, with 3 metro lines and the buses going to Santa Fe and UNAM. Some of the best food in town is within a few blocks, in unassuming local eateries that Ariana is an expert in pointing out to you. 5 minutes away you have Parque Lira, one of the most beautiful parks in the city, and still a hidden gem. 15 minutes further you get to Bosque Chapultepec, which has nothing to envy from Central Park. From Ariana's place you can reach the 'second section' of the park, which is infinitely better than the more popular 'first section'.

Regarding the house: It is part of one of the city's most beautiful Art Deco projects, which spans a large city block. The part that faces the busy street is a 4-story building, and in the back are about 10 houses. These houses are entirely shielded from the noise coming from the street and share a pretty central courtyard.

Inside, the house has two stories, including 3 rooms on the 2nd. My favorite part of the house however is the roof deck, where you can sunbathe or hang out on a hammock. The roof also has the best room of all, which she rents long-term.

I will be coming back to visit Ariana any chance I have.