I didn’t even really know anything about Mexico City before I went on this trip, so choosing a hotel came down to reading random reviews online. Specific phrases I was looking for were things like “excellent location” and “magnificent” – and it was the Presidente InterContinental that had the most.
I also noticed that it was located next to several other really nice looking hotels (including a tempting Hyatt). That and a quick look at the street view on Google Maps was all I needed to choose this as my home for my trip to Mexico City.
I know that’s a dangerous way to choose a hotel, but it’s been working for me for years now, and it’s likely I’ll keep doing it this way unless I run into a string of bad choices. Whatever works, right?
A full review of my 2 night stay at the Presidente InterContinental Hotel in Mexico City
The taxi ride from the airport to the hotel is always nerve racking in a new-to-me city, as I find myself thinking things like “oh god I hope my hotel isn’t in this area” or “wow, it would be nice to stay here!” as we zip around the city.
The good news is that right as I was starting to think “wow, it would be nice to stay here”, the taxi driver rounded the corner and pulled up the the stunning-looking Presidente InterContinental. Score!
Exterior of the Presidente InterContinental Hotel in Mexico City
Exterior view from the back – the Presidente InterContinental is on the left, and the Hyatt on the right.
The main entrance. Here we go!
The lobby
I felt pretty good walking though the front doors (the lobby looked phenomenal), and I felt even better after the desk clerk who checked me in presented me with a card key to an upgraded room on the 34th floor overlooking the city.
View of the lobby, immediately after walking through the main entrance. Yup, this is a bit more fancy-pants than the Royal Cancun All Suites experience I had shortly after this stay. This is nice!
Check in desk (along the back wall).
Wide angle view of the lobby and check in desk. This is a beautiful property IMHO.
Getting to my room
34th floor hallway.
The door to my room (3417).
The view from the room
My first impressions of the room were really good, thanks in large part to the huge window which provided a stunning view of the city below. And just as it happened at my stay at the Hilton Waikiki Beach recently, I didn’t even notice much of the room as I ran to the window to soak up the view. It was an impressive sight to say the least.
This is what I saw as soon as I walked in the room.Whoa.
Check out that view! I love a hotel room with a great view, and this one certainly didn’t disappoint!
As you can see, the Presidente InterContinental is in an excellent location within the city. The views from the room are epic at all hours of the day!
Watching the sun rise over Mexico City from my room.
The higher the floor the better for awesome views of the city below (especially at night).
An overview of the room
Once I pulled myself away from the view, I took notice of the rest of the room. It wasn’t large by any means, but it was very well designed and very comfortable looking. I knew right away that this was going to be a really good stay.
The bed wasn’t impressive as the view, but it worked just fine.
Pillow overload!
Thanks, but I really only need one pillow…
View from the other angle showing the desk, TV, and seating area. Note that the window shade blocked 100% of the exterior light when in the down position. Very Impressive.
A closer (yet distant) look at the seating area. The most interesting thing about this room is that it looked nothing like the room I had at the InterContinental Barclay in NYC. There’s very little design consistency from property to property it seems.
Wide angle view of the entire room. Simple, yet stylish.
Wide angle view from the other direction.
The desk area (with integrated mini bar) was nice.
Very nice to see a Herman Miller Aeron chair (what I prefer to call “the *** Master”) – these things are so comfortable!
With the window shade open, the desk was a nice place to work (or eat).
Those of you with breathing issues might be interested to know that I noticed the thinner air way up here on the 34th floor. Combine that with the fact that Mexico City is a high-altitude city, and I did find myself breathing heavier than normal way up here.
The bathroom
The bathroom vanity.
It is slightly awkward that you have to walk through the bathroom as soon as you enter the room, but overall not a big deal.
Complimentary bathroom amenities. Yes, that remote control is in the right place, because…
…there’s a TV built into the vanity mirror. How cool is that?
No, you can’t see the TV from the toilet unfortunately.
Unfortunately my room did not have a tub, but the shower looked really nice.
Food and dining
Dining options in the hotel were decent. When traveling alone like this, I usually choose to do breakfast and dinner at the hotel, while being more adventurous by trying street food or take out places for lunch while I’m out exploring during the day.
That’s not very adventurous, I know, but traveling alone is different than traveling with others. Especially for me, as someone doesn’t tend to be very social on my own. If you ask me, dinner at the hotel is always a nice and relaxing way to finish the day.
I intended to have dinner in one of the hotel’s 8 restaurants the first night, but after a quick look around they all appeared to be high-end places that suddenly made me feel like I wasn’t in the mood for fine dining (especially alone). I turned right around and decided that room service would be the best option.
Room service
Room service dinner on night 1: these are the crispy rolled chicken tacos. Delicious!!
I also had to get a plate of regular tacos as well. Oink oink.
I opted for room service again on the second night, and once again, I was not disappointed.
Room service dinner on night 2: hamburger and french fries. This was pretty good as well.
The lobby bar
I don’t normally drink, but I had some time to kill on the second day while they were cleaning my room so I went down to the lobby bar and had a beer. Why the hell not, right?
I basically had the place to myself so I was able to get a bit of work done without interruption.
All the natural light in the lounge (via these skylights) was a nice touch.
Final thoughts
So, the question is this: was it worth paying a premium to stay at the Presidente InterContinental? Absolutely! The two nights that I stayed here were top-notch, and I would recommend this property to anyone looking for a nice hotel in the heart of Mexico City. It’s located in a really nice area just off of Paseo de la Reforma, so getting around is very easy. I couldn’t have asked for a better place to stay.
