Conde Nast Traveler Hot List - New Hotel in Puebla, Mexico

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Several ofour favorite hotels emerged
from the chrysalis ofwhat seemed like
never-ending renovations, and we're
in awe ofthe consideration, patience,
passion, and, yes, money that went into
these transformations. Take Paris's
Crillon, which, after a four-year closure,
opened with a Karl Lagerfeld--designed
apartment and 92 different styles :·
of employee uniforms. Kudos to The
Peninsula Beijing, Florence's Hotel
Lungarno, and Hotel Eden in Rome, all
ofwhich significantly reduced the
number ofguest rooms to offer more
spacious accommodations. And the
designer Martin Brudnizki, who turned
a ho-hum reception area at London's
historic The Bloomsbury into the spec-
tacular Coral Room, with a Deco bar
and glowing orangey-red walls. Equally
impressive was the way properties used
their renovation to embrace their loca-
tion: The Cove at Atlantis went all-in on
Bahamian culture with its refresh,
tapping local artists, chefs, and design-
ers; and at Ventana Big Sur, all rooms
were redone, tsluxe safari-style tents
were added,and the spa got a relaxation
deck that overlooks the Pacific.

Extra! Extra! While spa-centric and hardcore medi- BOrgenstock Hotels & meditation, and cus-
retreats have long existed, we're excited Resort Lake Lucerne, tomized Ayurvedic
Three properties in Puebla, that wellness (like food, in recent Switzerland treatments in the
on this year's list Mexico, and the years) is considered less niche as travel On top of fresh Himalayan foothills.
had us booking historic 1898 The becomes more, well, holistic. If the chia- Alpine air, you'll get
trips to destina- Post, in Ghent, seed pudding and chakra-balancing facials with products Rosewood Phuket,
tions we wished Belgium. For offerings popping up at even the from the Austrian Thailand
we'd explored more on those most mainstream properties are any beauty-and -well ness Singing-bowl sound
sooner: the hip hotels and what indication, it's a trend that's sticking guru Susanne therapy, Reiki treat-
Rosewood and to do in Ghent around, and these three get it just right. Kaufmann (above). ments, and plenty of
the artistic and Puebla, turn dips in the Andaman
Cartesiano, both to pages 64, 88. The Oberol Sukhvilas Sea leave guests
Resort & Spa, utterly reset.
New Chandigarh, India
There's forest
and moon bathing,

56 Conde Nast Traveler I Vol. IV 2018 photograph by MATT HRANEK

PUEBLA/GUADALAJARA Thearrachera taco with
guacamole, cucumber, red onion,
Right Now, It's All About sriracha, andpeanutsat
Mexico's Other Cities Fat Charlie in Guada/rJjara.

I ~ It's been more than a decade since
Pujol, Museo Soumaya, and the
88 Conde Nast Traveler I Vol. IV 2018 tuna tostadas at Contramar lured us
off the quiet beaches ofCabo and
Tulum and into sprawling, frenetic
Mexico City. Then we ventured
deeper into the real Mexico, to the
crafts mecca of Oaxaca and the
Chiapas countryside. Now we're eye-
ing the second cities Puebla and
Guadalajara, whose antiques markets,
mole, and rich architecture recall
Mexico City, though unlike the capital,
everything you'll want to do here is
within a walkable city center. Puebla
also has two new sleek, high-design
hotels that we predict will awaken the
rest ofthe world to the city's charms,
just as Casa Fayette did for Guadalajara
three years ago. It gave visitors a
chic, ultramodern base from which to
explore the cool shops and galleries
clustered in the Lafayette arts district.
Even better, both cities are entirely
doable in a long weekend. Try pulling
that off in Mexico City. ERIN FLOR 10

PUEBLAISA
MICROCOSM OF
EVERYTHING
WE LOVE ABOUT
MEXICAN CITIES

It's steeped in history.

The Spanish conquistadors built
the city of Puebla, and their colorful
16th-century mansions still line the
city's center. The green, pink, orange,
and purple row houses near the
Callej6n de los Sapos antiques mar-
ket stand in line like Crayolas in
a box. Many of them open as store-
fronts selling antique tea sets and
pottery when the outdoor market is
open, which is only on weekends.--7

photograph by PACO NAVARRO

II() 'l' H0n

It has the best ceramics (and We could live in these hotels.
possibly the greatest
chicken sandwich on earth). The eight-month-old Cartesiano is
inside an old tile factory (the walls
On our last trip, we discovered in itS19th-centllly annex are original},
Uriarte Talavera, a nearly 20o-year- and its earthy, beige-and-white
old ceramics workshop and rooms are a calming contrast to the
gallery across from the El Mercado rest of the city. The Rosewood
de Sabores street-food market. Puebla has a fantastic rooftop bar
We loved it so much, we went twice. with phenomenal views of the smok-
The first time, we watched the crafts· ing Popocatepetl volcano. (Both
women hand-painting each piece properties made this year's Hot List.)
coming out of the kiln. On rot:md two,
we stocked up on teapots, espresso The classic architecture is as FROM TOP: REASONS TO
cups, and vases, then popped across impressive as the modern. LOVE GUADALAJARA
the street to Sabores for a cemita de Casa Fayette in
polio, Puebla's Jegenda1y sandwich of The all-gold Cap ilia del Rosario, inside Guadalajara; Dinner at Hueso.
fried chicken, avocado, and queso the qth-centuty Church ofSanto Capilla del Rosm·io
fresco. It was as good as its sounds. Domingo off the main square, is one inPueb/a. Its name means "bone" in Spanish,
of the most brilliant chapels we've which makes sense on ce you see the
You haven't had mole till ever seen: The sun bounces off the gold walls covered in more than 10,ooo
you've had mole here. leafing and illuminates the entire animal skeletons. Diners sit together
space (thankfully, it was left relatively at four long tables facing the open
Perhaps Puebla's most extraordi- undamaged by the two earthquakes kitchen. Communal-dining haters,
nary gift to the world is the spicy, last year). And the Japanese architect don't wony: You'll be too blissed out
saucy, chocolaty wonder that is mole Toyo Ito's white, undulating by chefAlfonso Cadena's braised
poblano, Mexico's famous dish. Get International Museum of the Baroque short ribs to care.
chef Angel Vazqu ez's sampler at his rivals the modern buildings up
El Mural de los Poblanos, next to in Mexico City. Mexico's gt·eatest
the city'sqth-century cathedral. The architects left their mark here.
six flavors, which may include man-
cha manteles or adobo, change daily You'll see the works of the
and are always followed by a shot Guadalajara native and Pritzker Prize
of local La Pasita Iiq ueur. winner Luis Barragan all over the
cool Lafayette neighbo rhood-his
Art Deco Casa Franco is now the
modern art gallery Travesia Cuatro,
which perfectly encapsulates the
wider art-and-design scene that's
blown up there.

Its bar scene is legit.

A day trip to Tequila is definitely
worth it to see those bluish agave
fields and do tastings at distilleries
like La Rojefla (by train it's just two
hours each way). But if you choose
to stick around Guadalajara, get a
taste of the stuff at Fat Charlie, where
apron-wearing bartenders brilliantly
pair top-notch tequila with fresh
ingredients like ginger, cilantro, and
roasted pineapple.