Thanksgiving in Mexico City
 

Another destination holiday is in the works. In the last several years, my husband and I (early seventies), our daughter and son-in-law (mid-forties) and his parents have enjoyed Thanksgiving or Christmas in Savannah, Charleston SC, and Santa Fe. We have rented comfortable three-bedroom apartments/condos/homes in areas convenient for exploration of the surrounding areas. Fully equipped kitchens and adequate dining areas made it easy to have breakfast and some other meals at 'home.'

We have identified Mexico City as our next destination. None of us has ever visited there so I welcome suggestions. At the moment, our thinking is that we will not rent a car. We will use taxis and public transportation where feasible and hire a car and driver or take a tour for excursions outside the city.

I'm looking for recommendations regarding lodging: neighborhood, specific rentals, agencies. I know there are numerous listings on all the usual sites (VRBO, etc) but I'd like more guidance from knowledgeable FodorFriends. My inclination is to rent through an agency to have the security of a local resource but I welcome enthusiastic recommendations for individual properties as well. Thanks so much for helping me with this!

>>>our thinking is that we will not rent a car. We will use taxis and public transportation where feasible and hire a car and driver or take a tour for excursions outside the city. <<<

Good thinking -- or at least, this is what I would do.

Can't help about an apartment as we always stay in hotels, usually in the historic center. I suppose you would want Condesa or Roma. If you have difficulty finding a suitable apartment, perhaps you could stay in a hotel and have Thanksgiving dinner at a restaurant which offers it for visiting gringos. I understand Sanborn's did this in the past -- perhaps they still do.

Thanks, Fra.
At first, realizing how little I know about the city, I was thinking of the advantages of a hotel, particularly the concierge services. But we all agreed to try to find an apartment. Thanks for your suggestions for the historic center.

I would not rent a car and I would stay in a hotel :-)

I was surprised to see the number of 3BR apts available in centro on VRBO, some offering airport pickup and bi-lingual tours for very reasonable rates. We usually stay in Roma or Condesa, as we've been to centro a number of times already and prefer the much better restaurant scene there for evening meals. Centro is great for the colonial ambiance/history while Roma is more Art Deco with tree-lined streets, people out jogging and dog walking at all hours. Probably for first timers, centro would be the way to go, but you'd want to check out Roma/Condesa as well, along with a trip to Chapultepec. There is a nice hotel in Roma that has kitchenettes: https://www.booking.com/hotel/mx/real-salamanca.es.html
You had mentioned you'd explored surrounding areas on other trips, is that your plan in Mexico as well? And how many days?
Eating out in Mexico is much cheaper than the other places you've mentioned, so that may somewhat offset the need for a place with a kitchen. Plus it's so much more fun.
This was a timely article, though nothing really new or unique: http://mexiconewsdaily.com/mexicolif...s-perspective/
PS, suze, what hotel did you stay in last time you visited Mexico City? Would you recommend it?

I highly recommend this large "penthouse" apartment in Centro in Mexico City. https://www.vrbo.com/38233 4 of us stayed there - though about 8 years ago. See stellar reviews on vrbo.
It has LOTS going for it - super convenient location - in a historic - though not fancy - but well maintained building.
Owner lives in the unit next door and is usually available when needed and tremendously helpful in putting a trip together. She has taxi drivers she regularly recommends. She is German, but has lived in Mexico for years - as a filmmaker - speaks English, Spanish, German obviously and probably other languages as well. The apartment is very nicely decorated in a spare modern way with great local art. The kitchen is nice - owner has an employee who sees to stocking kitchen as desired etc. the apt has a lovely urban view from living rooms. We all loved staying there!

glover,
Thanks for the link and the strong recommendation! What a find! I've already sent the info to my daughter