Amberes Suites

Offering beautiful, spacious and comfortable suites in the Zona Rosa, Suites Amberes feels less like a hotel and more like condo. While it is pricier than many other options in the area, it offers some nice amenities compared to others in the same price range: air conditioners and heaters in each room, full kitchens with gas stoves, irons, hair dryers, coffee makers and separate WiFi routers and networks in each suite. The hotel avoids nickel and diming its guests: WiFi, breakfast, valet parking and access to a small gym, sauna and rooftop terrace all are included in the price. The balcony suites face Amberes street, while the others face the back. The suites are decorated with all Mexican art, and the seven-floor hotel also has an elevator. That said, the 40-year-old hotel could use updated décor in the halls, particularly the 80s photos near the gym. Check out the restaurant, which boasts the world’s third largest tequila collection and offers room service.

I'm not usually a fan of 1970s-era hotels, but the Amberes Suites somehow rises above its birth during that architecturally infamous decade and is among Mexico City's most pleasant hotel surprises. The hotel has 28 suites, all of which are spacious and incredibly good deals. Located in a good Zona Rosa spot -- close to the action but just far enough away -- this place has several ways of making guests feel welcome. Each suite, for example, has its own wireless internet router, so you never have to worry about getting a signal in your room. Suites also have their own pants press, and breakfast is included in the price of the room. And (perhaps its crowning achievement) the hotel's restaurant claims to have the world's third-largest tequila collection, much of which is on display. That may help some folks forgive the restaurant for its tacky, somewhat offensive display of animal heads. And, perhaps, for the (tackier?) 1980s-era photos around the otherwise attractive gym.