by Heidi Verschaeve
June 2025

Travel is always a good idea, so I usually celebrate my birthday with a trip. This year, albeit a
couple of months after the fact, it took us to CDMX for a concert, a theatre show, museum
visits, art exhibitions, a culinary tour, lots of walking, family visits and some shopping at the
local markets, boutique shops and my favourite vinyl records store.

CDMX, better known as Mexico City, is a metropolis like none other, with its nearly 23 million
inhabitants, it’s one of the largest cities in the world by population.

So it’s quite the unique experience to find a hotel where you feel immersed in nature and
surrounded by green. It’s like having an escape from the city while you’re in the middle of it.
Grand Fiesta Americana Chapultepec is situated at the edge of the Chapultepec forest, Mexico
City’s green lung expanding over a surface of 866 hectares or 2140 acres (making it the biggest urban forest in Latin America and 2.5 times as big as Central Park in NYC!).

The luxury to have a view that immerses you in the forest, overlooking the historic Castle of
Chapultepec and even offering a glimpse of the cityscape of the famous Reforma avenue,
definitely makes its location very special.

A picture does say more than a thousand words, so just have a look at this spectacular view of
the forest and the castle from our suite:

Our suite displayed modern day luxury and commodities all around, including a master
bedroom with en suite bathroom, L’Occitane en Provence bathroom amenities, a separate
humongous living room area with THAT view with its own bathroom and minibar. If you really
have to get some work done, there’s a desk with 2 chairs, not that common and we
appreciated it very much. It really is those little thoughtful details that make a five star
experience. And also, the people…with more over 25 years of experience in tourism, including
15 years in the hotel business, I can tell you, they were top class! It’s a talent to deliver quality
service whilst genuinely connecting with your guests and anticipating their needs.

The Grand Fiesta Americana Chapultepec is an EP property, however we booked a suite with
access to the Club lounge offering continental breakfast, drinks and gourmet snacks
throughout the rest of the day and evening. May I add the patisserie was exquisite, and I don’t
easily hand out that compliment.

The hotel is a stone’s throw away from a selection of world class museums. Just take a walk
through the forest, smell the pines and try not to get distracted by the ritual of the Voladores de
Papantlá or the snack carts. Definitely visit the National Museum de Anthropology and the
famous Piedra del Sol, better known as the Aztec calendar.

You’re walking distance from delicious street food and Michelin rated establishments. Try the
“tortas” (sandwich) on the nearby Reforma Avenue, take a brisk walk to the upscale Polanco
neighbourhood for some sirloin & picaña tacos, Uber or bike to Maizajo in La Condesa for all
kinds of delights made with organic corn tortillas, there’s something for all tastes. And if you
come back to your hotel in the wee hours after a concert or a night out, there’s a 24-hour taco
truck across the street (I might have had a chile relleno taco or two).

It’s so easy to get around Mexico City, by Uber, walking, biking (on Sundays the main Avenue
Reforma is open exclusively for bikes and pedestrians), we even took the cable cars flying over
the traffic! Will I go back to CDMX? No doubt, it’s one of my favourite cities in the world!
Would I stay at the Grand Fiesta Americana Chapultepec again? Absolutely!