I had the opportunity to stay at Enrique’s place for five weeks with my cat Cleo in February and March 2021 and we were very happy. The pictures of the apartment are good which helped me choose this place, but I was pleasantly surprised that it was even nicer than I imagined. Love the buda painting in the dining room! The beds are comfortable and the sheets are good quality. The clean and contemporary kitchen is well equipped with pots and pans, plenty of bowls and nice dishes but I didn’t cook a lot as I wanted to take advantage of all the great neighborhood restaurants. One of the most important things for me was a comfortable quite working space with reliable Wi-Fi and it all worked out without any issues.. There are two separate desks which would work well for two people working remote. The building is very secure with 24 hour security (Javier and Israel) who are very nice and attentive. The building is also very quiet (no barking dogs) with the exception of what I assume were children running around in the apartment above. Two of the three bedrooms have smart tv’s with streaming access and cable. One is especially nice with a comfortable futon that I called my ‘Netflix room’. There is balcony off two of the bedrooms and the living room which was perfect to hang out on in the afternoon and early evening and enjoy a glass of wine or mezcal with a beautiful view of the blooming jacarandas and palm tree lined street. I lived in Mexico City for twenty years (mostly in Condesa and Roma) which I liked, but I fell in love with the neighborhood (Letran Valle/Narvarte) where this apartment is located. It is absolutely beautiful, safe and so many places to explore on foot. Everything you need (coffee shops and lots of them, great restaurants, taquerias, Un mercado, comida corrida, and beautiful parks) are all within a short walking distance. And museums, historic center and other places of interest are a short and inexpensive uber ride.

Here is a list of things not to miss:
1. Parque de los venados (2 blocks away)
2. The most amazing french bakery 3 blocks to the right on Dr. Vertiz on with banana/Nutella and guayaba/cream cheese sweet bread and so much more.
3. Independence Market 2 blocks to the right on Dr. Vertiz then take a right on Angel Urraza and walk three blocks and you will find a typical Mexico City market on the left. You can find everything from fresh flowers to the most beautiful fresh produce and meat. There are also a few restaurants in the market that have really good breakfast including chilaquiles, juevos divorciados, juevos rancheros etc.
4. There are two fantastic restaurants on the other side of the street right in front of the apartment that are not on Yelp or Open Table. One is a deli that has an incredible Spanish Potato Tortilla with prosciutto that I enjoyed for breakfast and the other restaurant has breakfast but I enjoyed the evening atmosphere more as they have a full bar with nice cocktails and lots of people enjoying dining outside with their dogs (fyi you’ll know you’re in the right place or not by the large sign outside the entrance).
5. El Naranjito taqueria on the corner of Peten and Pilares. Awesome tacos al pastor and clean.
6. Exploring on your own to find your own amazing experiences

Enrique is a fantastic and friendly host. There was only one problem upon arrival where the boiler was not working so no hot water for a shower but he was on top of it and had it working within a day and I never had a problem with it again. He checked in with me just enough to ensure that everything was ok and to see how I was enjoyed my stay which I appreciated but I really felt like I had the place to myself which is what I wanted and needed. If you are traveling from the U.S. and returning to the U.S. right now, you will need a Covid test within 72 hours of your flight to the U.S. You only need the Antigen test which is the least expensive (350 pesos) and you will have your results in 10 minutes. I recommend Farmacia del Ahorro on Division del Norte on the other side of Parque de los Venados. Super easy. Also if you’re traveling with a pet, you might need an updated health certificate for your pet which you can get at the veterinary clinic right next to Enrique’s building for $450 (4 times less than what I paid for the same thing in the U.S.). I highly recommend Enrique’s place and hope you enjoy the apartment, neighborhood, weather, and city as much as I did.
Steven J Drege