Jorg and Olif – The Slow Life Company

The advent of the modern design hotel has been a godsend in a world that travels more than ever. It is now possible in most cities worth their salt to find a cool oasis on the urban landscape. It’s as if the very concept of design hotels was devised by Slow Life because they are so much more than just a place to stay. Staying at traditional four or five star hotels is often accompanied by an element of stress. You feel as though you have to act like you’re at a four or five star hotel. Design hotels, as a rule, give you space to be yourself, all while wrapped cosily in a duvet of elegance, style and cool.

Mexico City has it’s pearl in the form of Condesa df. Located in the heart of the equally cool La Condesa neighbourhood, this hotel is truly an oasis in a city that is rife with constant movement and Latin intensity. It’s bohemian chic, hip and youthful but it’s also distinguished and playfully aloof. I was in town for some Cycle Chic events and I melted into the Condesa df like I had designed the place myself.

The hotel is the collective brainchild of Parisian designer India Mahdavi, hotelier Jonathan Moor and Mexican architect Javier Sánchez de Sánchez Higuera. The 40 rooms are pockets of sleek and iconic goodness, complete with iPods pre-programmed with funkalicious tracks, DVD players and even an Xbox if you need to hone your Fifa10 skills. Which, of course, you do on occasion.

From top left: A little lounge off the main atrium where the breakfast buffet is laid out and the morning’s crisp newspapers become gradually dog-eared; the signage on the little boy’s room on the rooftop terrace; the jacuzzi on said rooftop terrace; the lobby.

I’m sticking to the oasis metaphor but you’ll have to imagine an oasis with a humming nightlife. The rooftop terrace transforms from being a wellness mecca during the day to becoming a thriving hotspot complete with sushi bar in the evenings [which is why the iPod with headphones in the room may come in handy]. I always find that really cool hotels attract the locals and I’d rather mix with locals than tourists anyday of the travelling week.

From top left: The atrium restaurant from above; a boxing bag in the ‘Myself’ wellness area on the rooftop terrace; a little detail from my bathroom where goods from Malin & Goetz feature prominently; I used the rooftop terrace for a cracking Cycle Chic event during the day; the table in the lobby offers up free refreshments for guests – coffee in the morning, iced tea during the day and tequila in the evenings. Claro. Nice detail.

The Condesa df debunks every myth you may have heard about the Mexican capital. It’s a little piece of paradise tucked away in a delicious corner of the city oozing with slow life. A groovy base camp for exploring Mexico City.

Some other nice bits:
- Bicycles are available for guests. When you’re the founder of the Cycle Chic movement, that melts your heart.
- Channel 84 – the welcome channel – features a custom-made film that runs in loop. Coolest damn thing I’ve ever seen.
- Great service in the reception. No task too great for the lads.
- Delicious food throughout the hotel.
- Fantastic meeting room if you need it.

Some bits that need improvement:
- The free wifi connection was dodgy at best, both in the room and in the rest of the hotel.
- The service in the restaurant, especially in the mornings, could have been sharper.

Hotel Condesa df
Avenida Veracruz 102
Colonia Condesa
Mexico, D.F.
06140

You can book on the DesignHotels.com website.

Mikael

Mikael Colville-Andersen is a filmmaker and photographer who is also Denmark's bicycle ambassador. His blogs about Copenhagen's bicycle culture - Copenhagen Cycle Chic, Copenhagenize.com and The Slow Bicycle Movement - have relaunched the bicycle globally as not only a fashion trend but also as a respected, accepted and feasible transport form. He travels around the world giving lectures about Copenhagen's bicycle life and works as a mobility planner with focus on bicycle infrastructure and positive marketing of the bicycle.