This apartment seriously has some of the best views not only in Mexico City but in any other place we have stayed. The overall cityscape is beautiful. The moon shines in the bedroom window (there’s black-out curtains if you want total darkness!). The balcony is big enough to enjoy coffee in the morning and watch the sun rise, or drinks in the evening and watch the twinkle of the stars and the lights of the city. 5 floors up, we were able to enjoy all the goings-on of the street below. The traffic was just enough to be interesting but never too busy or noisy.
This area of Mexico City combines the traditional (the camotero with sweet potatoes and platanos; the tamale and avocado vendors) with some great restaurants within a 5-minute walk. Our favorite hamburger and taco joint, Checo’s, has the best house-brewed beer around. Kuinitos has great carnitas. The Grizzly has a great selection of artisanal beers (we liked the fried chicken sandwich best). Estudio Mezcal opened right around the corner just a couple of weeks before we left, and it was already bustling every night. There is also an open-air food market nearby on Sundays with every vegetable, fruit, and meat imaginable. This market made shopping so much fun. There is a great little shop called eBambu (Francisco Diaz Covarrubias 36A) that has nice wine, mezcal, artisanal beer, and natural foods (also great soaps!)
The apartment itself is comfortable, homey, and easy to live-in. We stayed for almost 5 months, and we felt as much at home as we do in our own house. We were working from home the entire time, and the internet was stable and fast. The owners provided us with an extra desk and chair as well. They were incredibly accommodating and genuinely wonderful.
The decorations in the apartment are a tour through the arts of Mexico, from the Otomi-style wall hangings to the brown-pottery cazuelas. It is lovely, comfortable, and just a joy to be in. The kitchen is a dream! It is roomy and great to cook in. The refrigerator is roomy, and there are plenty of pots, pans, and utensils. We cooked almost all of our meals, and we were never lacking anything. The bedroom is roomy, and the bed is extremely comfortable. The closets and built-in drawers in the bathroom hold so much more than we imagined. The shower is ample, and the water was hot.
This apartment is in San Rafael, close to the San Cosme metro. It is located within walking distance to the Historic District (30 min), Roma Norte (15 min), Roma (30 min) and the Condesa (45 min). The Kiosko Morisco in the nearby neighborhood of Santa Maria La Ribera (15 min) is beautiful! And the park surrounding it is a wonderful walk any time of day or night. The streets of Panuco (10 min) and Lerma (15 min) are both filled with informal and fine dining. Walking down Paseo de al Reforma (15 min) is always great, no matter what time of day or night.
We will absolutely stay here again! Norma and Javier were wonderful to work with, and we now count them as friends.