Room Mate Valentina
Zona Rosa, Mexico City, Mexico Book from Book from £45 per night
“Set in vibrant Zona Rosa, a candy-coloured futuristic style saturates this addition to the Room Mate mod squad”
Staff are as bright and cheerful as the surroundings - the young reception team work behind a circular neon-blue desk etched with Aztec symbols; breakfast is served in a funky cafeteria with walls of lime green. In the lobby, white plastic cacti stand guard before a splashy rainbow of glass shells, while out front, friendly doormen stand ready to hail you a cab or point you to the nearest shoe shop. Like her former incarnation - she was once a tired business hotel known as the Marco Polo - Valentina has travelled far to take her place in the trendy gang of big-city Room Mates.
Highs
- Very central location off Paseo de la Reforma, one of Mexico City’s most beautiful boulevards
- Clever digital music system in every room that pipes in radio stations from around the world; WiFi is free throughout the hotel
- A sizeable buffet breakfast is served until noon every day
- 24-hour reception who can make restaurant reservations, book tours, arrange car hire etc
- Sited in buzzy barrio with lots of cool bars and restaurants, area and hotel suits a young crowd
Lows
- The hotel is smack-dab in the middle of very liberal Zona Rosa - some may find the surplus of sex shops and gay nightclubs a bit much
- Rooms are above a busy street in a neighbourhood of bars and restaurants so the night-time noise level can get quite high
- Lots of computerised gadgets means there can be technical difficulties with heating, air con and stereo speakers
- No pool or parking
Best time to go
Our top tips
- Boutique Hotel
- 62
- Breakfast only, restaurants nearby
- All ages welcome
- Open all year
- Pool
- Spa Treatments
- WiFi
- Pet Friendly
- Disabled Access
- Beach Nearby
- Off-street Parking
- Restaurants Nearby
- Air Conditioning
- Guest Lounge
- Terrace
- Garden
- Gym
- Concierge Service
- Bicycles Available
Rooms
All 62 rooms in Room Mate Valentina have a similar sci-fi retro look: curved white ceilings with dizzying designs of op art, purple pods of moveable furniture, pink perspex walls, Aztec-inspired geometric patterned carpets. We weren’t sure what the green octagon shapes illuminating the walls of our Deluxe room were for (definitely not for reading) but they were very cool. As were the big bright repros of tequila labels that lit the Junior Penthouse suite we had a peek at.
All the rooms, even the less expensive Executives, have a sitting area of low-slung fabric sofas or a small work table and chair - beds are on blocks not far off the floor, crisply made up with white linen. Bathrooms are minimal and modern with circular sinks and walk-in power showers - ours was a monochrome white but we preferred the Junior Suite with one wall painted entirely in fuchsia.
High-tech gadgetry abounds from the wall-mounted LCD TV and stereo speakers to the digital radio system with touch-tone screen to the free WiFi; the mini-fridge is loaded with gourmet juices and snacks. Try and nab one of the higher floored corner rooms or even the Suite Penthouse for fab views above and beyond the mirrored office blocks. We were slightly nearer ground level and yes, I did need earplugs one night - but I just pretended I was Barbarella floating in her space pod.
Features include:
- Air conditioning
- Central heating
- Cots Available
- DVD player (on request)
- Extra beds
- Hairdryer
- Internet access
- Ipod dock
- Iron (on request)
- Minibar/fridge
- Phone
- Radio
- Safe box
- Satellite TV
- WiFi
Eating
Room Mate Valentina stays on the good side of those who like a lie-in. In a canteen of white tables beside the lobby, a breakfast of cereals, yoghurt, bread, cheeses and cold-cuts is laid out until noon (early birds can get going by 7.30am). Behind the buffet counter, there is always someone refilling the juice jugs or keeping an eye on the coffee machine - they won’t mind whipping up an omelette either.
Be sure and ask the reception for restaurant recommendations: we probably would never have gone to La Casa de Tono but behind its fast-food front is a jolly place with menus laminated on the tables and a house speciality of pozcale - a tasty stew of pork, tomatoes, onions and avocado. The Zona Rosa is packed with international cafes and bars, especially along the streets of Hamburgo and the pedestrianised Genova.
When you’re feeling flush, the high-end dining scene in Mexico City is superb. Restaurants Biko, Pujot and Izote (owned by celebrated chef Patricia Quintana), all in the swanky Polanco neighbourhood, top most of the 'must-try-it' lists. And 'must-diet afterwards' ones too.
Features include:
- Breakfast
- Children's meals
- Minibar/fridge
- Restaurants nearby
Activities
- Stroll or cycle (bikes are for hire at the hotel) along the leafy diagonal boulevard of Paseo de la Reforma - lined with striking glass skyscrapers, its closed to traffic on Sundays and often has open-air art exhibitions
- Gaze at the golden Angel de la Independencia, the towering winged statue commemorating Mexico's independence and one of the city's most famous monuments
- Meander along the cobblestone stretch of Francisco Sosa, considered Spanish America's first urban street, in colonial Coyoacan, the oldest part of Mexico City
- In Coyoacan, relive the art and anguish of Frida Kahlo in her home, Casa Azul - complete with its own mini-Mayan pyramid in the garden - or peruse memorabilia of her Russian revolutionary paramour in La Casa de Trotsky down the road
- Go boating on the lagos of Bosque de Chapultepec - this large forested park has a children's fun fair, modern art museum and a castle; the impressive architecture and the pre-Conquest collection of the Museo Nacional de Antropologia here is a must-see
- Remember the more recent past at the new (opened October 2010) Museo de Memoria y Tolerancia (a museum showcasing the most significant examples of intolerance committed by mankind, such as acts of genocide) with its laudable aim of 'encouraging new generations to seek a healthier co-existence'
Activities on site or nearby include:
- Architecture
- Boat trips
- Cycling
- Historical sites
- Museums / galleries
- Plantlife / flora
- Shopping / markets
Kids
Children of all ages are welcome. The rooms are playfully designed and kids will love the moveable fabric furniture, which can function as beds too. There are no specific services or facilities for children, but there are extra beds and cots on request which can go in all rooms. Children under 12 stay for free.
Best for:
Teens (over 12)
Family friendly accommodation:
There is one Suite Penthouse which can connect with a Junior Suite Penthouse for larger family groups.
Children's meals:
There's a restaurant on-site and 24 hour room service. Opposite is a mini-mall with plenty of good value eateries
Families Should Know:
Be aware that the hotel is located in a very ‘adult’ neighbourhood, with sex shops and gay nightclubs.
Distances:
- Airport: 20-45 minutes (depending on traffic)
- Shops: 1 minute
For more family-friendly places, see our Kids Collection
Location
Room Mate Valentina is off Paseo de la Reforma in the Zona Rosa district of Mexico City.
By Air
Fly to Mexico City International Airport or to Toluca Airport. Click on the links below for a list of airlines serving these airports.
From the Airport
Take a licensed taxi (20 to 45 minutes depending on traffic), which should cost around MX200 (MX700 from Toluca). The hotel can also arrange a transfer, see Rates. You can also hop on the metro, but you'll need to change at Oceania and San Lazaro. Get off at Insurgentes, on Line 1 (the pink line), around 15 minutes' walk from the hotel.
By Car
Driving in Mexico City is best avoided, as the capital is very densely populated and roads are famously congested, plus there are no parking facilities at Room Mate Valentina. You're better off hopping on the metro or getting a taxi (although this doesn’t mean you won't be stuck in traffic). But if you really want to hire a car see our car rental recommendations.
Getting Around
It's easy to negotiate Mexico City's underground subway system. The hotel is near Insurgentes, 6 stops on the metro from the Zocalo (changing at Pino Suarez).
Detailed directions will be sent to you when you book through i-escape.com.
More on getting to Mexico and getting around.
Airports:
- Mexico City International Airport aka Benito Juárez International Airport 20.0 km MEX
- Licenciado Adolfo López Mateos International Airport aka Toluca Airport 60.0 km TLC
Other:
- Beach 500.0 km
- Shops 0.5 km
- Restaurant 0.5 km