Fodor's Expert Review Hotel Geneve

This five-story 1907 hotel, referred to locally as El Génova, has a pleasant lobby whose atmosphere successfully combines elegance and whimsy. Art and antiques throughout the hotel call attention to its history and famous guests, such as Winston Churchill and Charles Lindbergh. Guest rooms are small but comfortable, with (mostly) modern furnishings.

The Hotel Geneve was the first hotel in Mexico to offer a telephone and bathroom in every room, taxi service, telephone switchboard operators, and elevators.

room

Rooms feature comfortable newer beds, and hand-carved red cedar headboards and furniture. The Vintage Suites are each dedicated to a different famous guest, with furnishings meant to evoke old-school glamor.

YOU SHOULD KNOW For all the gentility of the hotel, it's on a noisy street in a noisy neighborhood, so ask for a quiet room if that's a concern.

bathroom

Basic but bright and clean, with full-size tubs.

Photo: Gorgeous dining room in #hotelgeneve #visitmexico #mexico_maravilloso #mexigers #mextagram #ig_mexico #igersmexico #cdmx #df #mexicodf #mexicotravel #vive_mexico #loves_mexico #pasionxmexico #mexico_tour #mexico_estrella / @skateboard_j

lobby

Give yourself time to explore--and later relax in--the grand lobby, which tells the history of the hotel via plaques, art, and antiques from its heyday.

Photo: Gorgeous dining room in #hotelgeneve #visitmexico #mexico_maravilloso #mexigers #mextagram #ig_mexico #igersmexico #cdmx #df #mexicodf #mexicotravel #vive_mexico #loves_mexico #pasionxmexico #mexico_tour #mexico_estrella / @skateboard_j

spa

A basic spa, with good massages and a handful of other treatments, as well as a tanning bed and sauna.

gym

Basic and good be updated, but rarely anyone there.

dining

The small, Wonderland-esque Veranda Bistro features a living wall, checkerboard-tile floor, playful accents, and a menu of contemporary Mexican cuisine.

drinking

The clubby Phone Bar is ringed by antique phones with a classic London phone booth in the center.