Mexico City Recap

Welcome Back Cuties!

I am so excited to bring this Mexico City post to you all today! As you guys know, last weekend, Colton and I went to Mexico City for the weekend to celebrate our sweet friends wedding! The moment I heard Mexico City was where the wedding would be, I told Colton we were 100% going! Mexico City had been on my list for a while, but I never really had a reason to go until now and I am so happy that we did!

I have always heard amazing things about Mexico City, but it honestly blew my expectations out of the water. It was truly so beautiful! The architecture was everything and the culture of the city was literally coming through the roots of all the trees. There was art everywhere you looked and every place we went to was so cool and trendy. I truly felt like I was in Europe the whole time we were there.

FRIDAY

SHOP THE LOOK 

white tank // blue pants //  white tote // sandals // suitcase

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Our first day in Mexico City!

Friday morning, we took the 11:00 am flight from Houston to Mexico City, getting us in around 2:00 pm! We flew United and not only was it super affordable (like $200 round trip) but they had a ton of flight options! We landed around the same time as another group for the wedding, so we all met up, grabbed a 12 pack of corona for the ride (we were ready to party) and Ubered to our hotel.

We stayed at El Camino Royal in Palanco, which is where the whole wedding party was staying! It’s a very big and famous hotel in Mexico City, due to its architecture designed by architect Ricardo Legorreta. It is actually considered a Hotel-Museum for its beauty and art collection – so it was really cool!

Once we got there, we checked in and had a quick drink with the groom before heading to our rooms to unpack and get ready for the Rehearsal Dinner, which was at the hotel as well!

 

SHOP THE LOOK 

 black dress // heels // red lipstick

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After the Rehearsal, I was somehow set in charge to find a place to go afterward for drinks and not to toot my own horn, but I found the coolest spot! So toot-toot!! We went to the St. Regis and on the third floor, they have an indoor/outdoor, semi rooftop bar, with great view s of the city! This bar was so stylish and boogie, I loved everything about it! They had these couches that were perfect for our larger group, everyone who worked there was so nice and the drinks were bomb! I highly recommend ordering the Paloma!:)

SATURDAY

{Maque in Condessa}

SHOP THE LOOK

dress // similar sandals // purse

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Saturday morning, we woke up early to explore the city a little bit and have breakfast before getting ready for the wedding!

We found ourselves walking the streets of Condessa (a super hip and trendy neighborhood) and having breakfast at Maque! We were originally planning on going to another place but after stumbling upon it, we quickly changed our minds! The atmosphere and the energy were incredible for it being 9:00 in the morning. I really wanted to sit outside, but it had a wait and since we were on a tight schedule, we were able to do so. The hostess could tell that I was bummed, so he told us to follow him inside and to my surprise, he set us up in the most cutest little window nook that I had ever seen! We could still look outside and people, we could hear the live music and it was just everything I could have wanted!

 

SHOP THE LOOK

dress // heels // purse // earrings

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That afternoon, night, and morning was all wedding related!! Ya’ll, this wedding went from 1:00 pm to 4:00 am!! We didn’t make it that long, but still -lol!! We had such a great time and it was literally one of the most beautiful and romantic weddings I have ever been too.

You can see more on my Mexico City Highlights Section on my Instagram! 

SUNDAY

SHOP THE LOOK 

top // shorts // sandals // earrings // rayban// handbags

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Sunday was my Birthday (!!) and even though our hangovers were super real, we wanted to enjoy the short amount of time we had left, so we pulled ourselves together and went out to breakfast. Ojo de Agua came highly recommended to us by everyone there, so it’s where we went and it was delicious!! The one in Polanco was a quick 10-minute walk from our hotel, but there are multiple throughout the city!

The acai bowl and fresh squeezed orange juice was everything we needed in life that day lol.

SHOP THE LOOK 

fringe jacket // tank top // similar shorts (it’s the same brand!) // sunglasses // similar sandals

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We then went back, changed and made our way to the La Ciudadela Market! They had aisles and aisles of the coolest things, from purses to blankets, clothing, hammocks and more! You can truly get lost in here! The market was absolutely huge and so cool!

 

{ “Pre Dinner Drinks” at Balmori Rooftop Bar & Restaurant}

SHOP THE POST 

tank top // jeans // heels // red lipstick

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That night, we went out to celebrate my Birthday with another couple that we were friends with from the wedding! They decided to stay an extra night in Mexico as well, so it worked out perfectly! We originally wanted to go to a restaurant called, Huset for my Birthday dinner, but since it closes early on Sundays, we were recommended El Traspatio instead!

Traspatio a had a rocking atmosphere, it was all outdoors and draped with lights (aka – everything I love) and they brought us tequila shots for my big day! We had such a good time there that we literally ended up closing the place down (if you look behind us in the photo, you can see the chairs already on the tables in the back) lol! While I was originally bummed about Huset, I am so glad we went here! After being told we had to leave (I mean… they had been closed for over an hour and we were still there lol), we made friends with the bartender and ended up hanging out there for at least another hour. I’m not going to give y’all the tea (sorry – love y’all!), but it turned into one of the most memorable nights of my life and one of my new favorite stories.

MONDAY

SHOP THE POST 

dress (similar dress) (similar dress) // necklace // sandals // purse

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Monday was short and was spent exploring the neighborhood of Roma! Roma was seriously so lovely, the architecture was unbelievable and around every corner, we found something new and amazing!! We stumbled upon so many cool pop-up markets and art displays and were also finally able to stop by Huset to have a drink since we weren’t able to the night before! It was everything I could have imagined it being!

 

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MEXICO CITY GUIDE

Safety

Before I get into the whole guide, safety was the number one question I received about this trip! Which is honestly totally understandable. From my personal experience, I felt very safe our entire trip. Like I felt way more unsafe when we visited Athens, Greece a few years ago. Everyone was truly so kind and the whole city was just so nice.

With that being said, every time you go out of the country and travel to a new city, you have to be smart and cautious. Take Ubers over Taxi’s, don’t go in bad areas, don’t walk alone at night and keep an eye on your belongings.

Getting Around

• UBER!!: If you are traveling to Mexico City, then you’ll want to 100% Uber!! Not only is it incredibly affordable (our average Uber ride was $3 and the most expensive one was $9) but also because it is the safest. Even though the little pink taxis are adorable, with Uber, your rate is given to you upfront, your location and your drive are tracked and the entire trip is recorded. Plus, there are a million Ubers, so it is super easy to get one!
• Walk: If it’s not too far (& is daylight) skip the Uber and choose to walk instead! We did this a few times and just stumbled upon the coolest places.

Where to Stay

WHERE WE STAYED

• El Camino Royal: We chose to stay here because it is where everyone from the wedding was staying! It’s a very big and famous hotel in Mexico City, due to its architecture designed by architect Ricardo Legorreta. It is actually considered a Hotel-Museum for its beauty and art collection – so it was really cool!

WHERE YOU SHOULD STAY

• While we loved our hotel, if we wouldn’t have been there for a wedding, we would have chosen to stay in a more boutique hotel in either the neighborhood of Roma or Condessa! These are the two areas we found ourselves constantly Uber to and from.
• Neighborhoods
  • Roma de Norte
  • Condessa

Both of these neighborhoods are absolutely adorable and is where all of the trendy and younger people hang out/live. Everything is so nice and hip, the neighborhoods themselves are gorgeous and the architecture made me feel like I was in Europe!

Favorite Restaurants & Bars

BREAKFAST/BRUNCH/LUNCH

• Breakfast (Condessa): Literally, the name of the restaurant is called Breakfast and it’s adorable! A very European style cafe, great for a morning coffee and outdoor seating people watching. A much more relaxed atmosphere than the rest of the below.
• Maque (Condessa): We stumbled upon this gem while exploring Condessa Saturday morning and I am so happy that we did! The breakfast is very Traditional Mexican (be sure to ask for the English menu), the atmosphere was incredible, it was so cute, they had live music and I just loved everything about it. It’s a restaurant and a bakery, with lots of cafe styled outdoor seating. It’s really popular, so if you get there past 9:00 am, expect to a wait if you are wanting to sit outside. If you don’t care about sitting outside, they have a ton of indoor seating! Next time, I want to go back for lunch because the avocado toast looked bomb.
• Mercado Roma: A popular and architect-designed food hall with lots of stalls and counters from popular restaurants in Mexico City. It’s a great way to try a lot of specialty foods in one place while squeezing in some people watching at the same time. We didn’t have time to go here, but I wish we did because it came highly recommended by so many!!
• Ojo de Agua: A super cute and super fresh, farm-to-table restaurant! Lots of fresh squeezed juices and smoothies along with a full menu too! There are multiple locations throughout the city, all with the same menu and equally incredible outdoor seating but I recommend the one in Condessa! We went to the one in Palanco because it was walking distance from our hotel, but we walked by the one in Condessa one morning and it was quite the popular spot! It also overlooks a really beautiful fountain! I highly recommend the fresh squeezed orange juice, the acai bowl and the avocado toast!

HAPPY HOUR/DINNER

• Huset (Roma): Huset was at the top of my list before going to Mexico City. While it would probably be a great spot for lunch, I recommend going for pre-dinner drinks or for dinner itself! It’s all outdoor seating and the ceiling is open but is covered with the most romantic vines and lights. We wanted to go here for my Birthday Dinner on Sunday, but they close early at 6:00, so we went the next day instead and it was everything I could have asked for!
• Traspatio (Roma): Where we ended up going for dinner and came highly recommended as well! It had all outdoor seating and a super great atmosphere!

AFTER DINNER DRINKS

• St. Regis Hotel Rooftop Bar: On the third floor of the St. Regis, they have an indoor/outdoor semi rooftop bar, with great view s of the city! This bar was so stylish and boogie, I loved everything about it! They had couches that were perfect for our larger group and everyone who worked there was so nice! The drinks were also bomb! I highly recommend ordering the Paloma!:)
• Balmori: Another super trendy rooftop bar located in Roma! We went here at an off time but from what I have heard, this place gets wild at night!!

Things to Do

Since we were there for a wedding, our time was limited, but I highly recommend checking out all of the articles I saved on my Travel Pinterest Board for more things to do!!

• Walk around and explore the neighborhoods of Roma and Condessa. There are street artist and vendors throughout both of these neighborhoods.
• Casa Gilardi: We sadly didn’t have time to visit this house, but next time for sure! It’s a house/museum by the minimalist architect, Luis Barragan-designed! It’s really cool and private tours are held by the family that runs it!
• La Ciudadela: The market we went to on my birthday! A Great market for bags, purses and everything Mexico City related!
• Mercado de San Juan: Fruit and Vegetable Market 

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If you have any questions, please leave them below!

xo,

Lauren