# In the Buzzing Neighbourhood of La Condesa – Exploring the World's Digital Nomads at Andaz
Key Highlights :
The buzzing neighbourhood of La Condesa in Mexico City has fast-tracked its way to the top of the digital nomad’s trail. Its streets are now a mixture of laptop-filled cafés, sleek cocktail bars, and bustling quesadilla stands. Away from the urban metropolis is Andaz in La Condesa, the newest occupants of the Conjunto Aristos complex – a one-time government building designed in the late Fifties.
In La Condesa, beloved by the city’s remote-working incomers, two things are guaranteed: the purple puffs of jacaranda trees when you look up, and an endless stream of padding across the cobbles on looking down. With the area booming in both two- and four-legged residents, Andaz has taken the logical next step – by introducing La Condesa’s first ‘Wooftop bar’, where a full doggy menu caters to its canine elite.
The hotel itself is an Instagrammable pink staircase Millennial, with a dash of Art Deco. There are neon-pink lights lining the escalators, eking into light wood and cool greens, plants aplenty, and hints of blush and mustard in the café, and the Wooftop. The rooms are a straighter affair, brightened by bold pinks and geometric designs across the walls. There are record players in the rooms, with a vinyl library at reception from which you can curate your own playlist.
The Wooftop bar and pool are the real draw here. The bar is a beer garden-cum-canine club replete with egg chairs, a foosball table, and a street food truck (for customers with any number of legs). A large gym with its own mini yoga studio, attached to the Pasana spa, where you (though not your dog – yet) can choose between purification and protection rituals, using salt blocks from evaporated volcanoes. There is also a rooftop pool.
Away from the hotel, Frida Kahlo is ever-present throughout Mexico City, her face etched on everything from street art to jewellery and hand-stitched shoes. For those wanting to get a closer look at the artist’s life, Casa Azul – the house in which Kahlo lived, painted, hosted Leon Trotsky, and died, is a must (casaazul.com; book in advance). The exhibition on how Kahlo used fashion as armour against the illnesses that plagued her short life is particularly affecting.
A visit to Casa Azul also comes with a brilliant byproduct: Coyoacán. The city’s oldest colonial neighbourhood is an explosion of colour and character; everything is handmade and homemade, and well worth making space in your luggage for. Browse the stalls, sip a michelada-to-go, and recharge at Jardín Centenario with some tacos el pastor as a reward for all of your hard-arting.
Mexico is a fresh produce hub, with all of its exports going through the capital first. At Andaz, that reaches its zenith at Cabuya; a rooftop seafood restaurant showcasing the best of the country’s cuisine. (It’s also the tallest rooftop in La Condesa – a brave feat, given CDMX is the second-fastest sinking city in the world.) The oysters are practically saucer-sized; the softshell crab tacos, Mahi Mahi tostadas, and Mayan octopus are also a must. For a quick bite or breakfast, there is the Derba matcha café, where eggs, mushroom coffee (the new wellness drink du jour), and pastries are served up until the afternoon (the chocolate redondo is Heaven). Wooftop is the best bet for lunchtimers, with sliders, salmon fillets, and arancini on the menu. And that’s just for dogs.
There are 220 rooms at Andaz, of which 10 are suites (including one with an outdoor terrace). Digital nomads and dog lovers alike will find a home away from home here. La Condesa is a great vantage point from which to explore one of the world’s largest cities – either during the day, or at night, once you have finished your (remote) work. Rooms start from £230 per night.
