Mexico City
Mexico City ranks high on any Royal Holiday member’s bucket list. With more than 8.5 million residents living in more than 300 neighborhoods, Mexico City remains one of the biggest urban centers in the entire world. Exploring its 16 delegaciones or “boroughs,” from Álvaro Obregón to Xochimilco, can be the work of a lifetime, but even a weekend trip to the city promises endless options for excitement, education, and relaxation. Whether using Royal Holiday points for business or pleasure, a visit to Mexico City will be impossible to forget.
Staying in Mexico City as a Royal Holiday member means living the luxurious life at the Hilton Mexico City Reforma. Located in the city’s center and overlooking the Alameda Central and Paseo de la Reforma, the hotel provides easy access to the city’s most important landmarks. However, Mexico City Reforma’s sumptuously appointed rooms, in-house bank and dining options, two pools, and full-service spa make it difficult to leave.
People have lived in Mexico City since the 14th century, when it existed as the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan. The city gained its current name in the 16th century, when the Spanish invaders, under the leadership of Cortés, found “Mexico” easier to pronounce. Today, Mexico City, also called the “Distrito Federal,” stands at the center of Mexican culture, business, and the arts. Thus, Royal Holiday members can experience the best that the country has to offer by simply exploring the rich patchwork of neighborhoods that make up the city.
The Hilton Mexico City Reforma sits along one of the capital city’s main roads and provides easy access to the National Museum of Anthropology, an excellent place to get a firm grounding in Mexico’s long and storied history, and the 1,600-acre Chapultepec Park, which features the Monumento a los Niños Heroes. The historic center of the city, like the centers of many great capitals with long histories, includes numerous wonders, from the National Palace to the Metropolitan Cathedral. However, for a more sedate excursion, many Royal Holiday members will want to travel west, where they can find comfortable neighborhoods like Condesa and Zona Rosa, which contain a plethora of sidewalk cafes and bustling markets. Parents will definitely want to bring their kids to see the Papalote Children’s Museum, while adults looking to party until dawn should visit the lively Polanco neighborhood, with its trendy nightspots and hip restaurants.
Despite the hypermodernism of Mexico City’s urban landscape, the city offers easy access to those looking to explore Mexico’s exciting past. A short trip north brings Royal Holiday travelers to the Teoithuacán archaeological site, while the borough of Xochimilco offers historic canal cruises through a city designed hundreds of years ago. In addition, visitors who grow tired of the urban hustle and bustle can take a quick trip beyond the borders of Mexico City to the pyramids of the ancient Aztec people. This is a must-see destination.