Author Archives: theweekenderfiles

Mexico City – The Guide

I’ve been to Mexico City several times now and each time I go I discover something new and incredible. The first time I landed in this magical city we hired a driver to get us around the city and take us to the main important things. We only had three days so we were on a bit of a time crunch. I wish I could remember well our full itinerary but I will try and update this as soon as I can get a chance to look at my pictures from our first time.

The second time I came I was on a layover to Oaxaca with my sister. We had only a few hours to kill but thankfully it was early morning and this busy city was still sleepy and quiet. We went to breakfast at an incredibly beautiful place whose name slips my mind currently however, I will update this as soon as I can look back at the pictures.

Fast forward to this week. Again I only had about 36 hours in Mexico City, but I managed to see and experience so much just like the first time.

Monday: We landed relatively early, about 3 p.m. local time. We headed straight to the hotel which was about an hour and a half away from the airport. This sounds like it is really far, but trust me it really isn’t… It’s just the Mexico City traffic. Expect to be sitting in an uber for at least twenty minutes depending on your destination of course, Normally, tourists stay in the hotels close to the city center, however, I was lucky enough to snag a room at the Hilton MexIco City Santa Fe for the 60th anniversary of Barbie (TM). Click here to see the blog post just for the hotel. Later that night we went out to dinner. I’ll name the place but I wouldn’t give it my stamp of approval nor would i recommend going there. Tori Tori is a Japanese restaurant with strong cocktails and a beautiful atmosphere (which I do approve of) but the food was subpar and you could go to any corner sushi shop and eat better for cheaper.

Tuesday: We were up early this morning to get to Toetihuacan which is where the pyramids are. This archaeological site is about an hour and a half away from the hotel we were in at Santa Fe, however if you’re staying in the city center it will only be about an hour. Entrance fee is 75 MXN ($3.85 USD). There are five entrances, we went to gate 5, simply because it was the entrance closest to the restaurant we were going to have dinner at once we climbed the pyramids. There are two pyramids which you can climb, the sun and the moon pyramid, and a third palace structure for the god Quetzacoatl, this was a recent discovery and tours to this portion aren’t ready yet since archaeologists are still diggin up the site! A great reason to come back and visit! Climbing the pyramids is a feat but it is so worth it when you reach the top.

12:30 p.m.: Lunch time! You all know how much I love eating! I have known about this particular restaurant for a few years now, but I wasn’t able to go since we had limited time on the previous trips. The restaurant is La Gruta, it is in an underground cave. It is a spiritual experience having lunch inside this cave. Once you are done eating you can have your waiter light your candle and you are welcome to climb up the stairwell to place your candle in an inner portion of the cave. Lunch here won’t set you back much (approx. $40 USD, for lunch for two people) and you even get to experience a spiritual cleansing ritual!

7:00 p.m.: Once we got back to the hotel we decided to go to the movies. This is by no means a Mexican experience unless you consider spending $15 USD for two people to watch a movie at the Cinepolis VIP a true Mexican experience.

Wednesday: Last day in Mexico City! Always bittersweet leaving but there are always so many reasons to come back and explore. We headed out after breakfast to go check out the Jeff Koons & Marcel Duchamp exhibit that was at the Jumex Museum.It was just as spectacular as you could imagine. Jeff Koons can make bronze look like plastic which is just wow.

This restaurant was incredible and definitely gained its spot as #13 of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants. There is a seperate post just for this restaurant because it deserves it. I even had a celebrity sighting while I was there! Salma Hayek! She was so nice and absolutely stunning! This experience lasts about 3-4 hours since it was a 7 course menu so if you go make sure to keep some time open between any other things you may want to do.

After lunch we headed to the hotel to grab our things and head to the airport. This experience was incredible and there is always something new to explore in this beautiful city.