We made a reservation the next day at Hotel Marco Polo, which describes itself as a “small, luxury, gay-friendly boutique hotel in Mexico City.” We didn’t search hard to find it; it was the first site listed when we typed “gay friendly hotels mexico city” into google and the price was right. Interestingly, the page that professed how gay-friendly the hotel is can not be found easily from the main website. Rather, if you click on the site map, you will find a list of pages aimed at niche markets: gay friendly hotels, hotels near the American embassy, hotels with honeymoon specials, etc. I wondered if this might mean the hotel was not seriously committed to being gay friendly. When I asked our bellman if the hotel was gay-friendly, he was quick to explain that it was not a gay hotel, but that, gay or straight, “our guests are our guests.” On other gay-friendly notes, the desk clerk did not give us the hairy eyeball when we asked for a shared beds instead of two separate beds, nor was it a problem when we were affectionate with each other in the lobby or hotel restaurant. I wasn’t surprised; Hotel Marco Polo is located on Amberes street in the Zona Rosa, surrounded by gay bars, cafes, and street life. Arguably, it is on the gayest street in the gayest neighborhood of Mexico City.

We found our room—a regular single—spatious (for Mexico City), well-designed, and very clean. There were several cute touches: little tissue paper fans accented every roll of toilet paper and box of kleenex, and a white terrycloth bathrobe was laid out on the bed invitingly. In addition to the bed, the furniture included a small breakfast (or work) table with chairs and handsome armoire that tastefully concealed the cable television. The color scheme of the room was in dark tones, mostly browns and greys, but floor to ceiling mirrors that run along a portion of the wall helped give the room an open feeling. The view, unfortunately, was nothing to write home about, since the hotel faces another tall modern glass building, but if you press against the glass you might be able to catch a peek at the night life brewing on the street below.

before

I’m happy to report how comfortable we felt in the room. The bed was clean, firm, and well-outfitted with good quality sheets and a fluffy comforter and pillows. You can control the temperature in the room yourself using a thermostat on the wall (which was perfect for Anahí, who can’t stand air-conditioning). The room offered the basic amenities of any nice hotel, including a complementary package of coffee, a small basket of toiletries, and a not outrageously overpriced mini-bar. (A mini-bottle of Cazadores brand tequila was 44 pesos.) They were also kind enough to visibly attach a price (35 pesos) to the bottle of water left enticingly above the mini-bar. (After unexpectedly getting charged 80 pesos for a carafe of water at the W Hotel in Mexico City, I was grateful for the warning.) Room service and laundry service are also available, but we did not take advantage of either.

We did, however, eat in the hotel’s restaurant, the Pimiento Verde, the following morning. The price of our room included complementary continental breakfast, and we went down expecting to find a pitcher of weak coffee and a plate of stale danish. Instead we found a lovely selection of sliced tropical fruits, some pan dulce, as well as yogurt and granola. When we sat down the waiter also informed us that eggs were included in the breakfast, as well as a a side of beans or chilaquiles. Our expectations for “continental breakfast” were further exceeded when the chilaquiles that arrived were spicy and delicious. I would not stop and eat at the restaurant if I were not staying in the hotel (the quality and prices, we decided, were about on par with Sanborns), but it was an excellent option for breakfast (and, I imagine, room service). Although breakfast is only served from 7am to 11am, bisquets and coffee are available from 4am to 7am, good if you have an early flight to catch but don’t want to deal with the airport on a empty stomach.

(On a related note, if you have a late departure, or simply want to spend a lazy day in bed, Marco Polo’s stated check-out time of 2pm can be extended until 5pm at no extra charge.)

after

One of the nicest things about Hotel Marco Polo was their rates, which drop 40-60% when you book online. The listed price for a single or double room booked online is $88 during the week and $80 Friday through Sunday. When we tried to make our online, reservation, however, the server wasn’t working properly, and we had to call and make sure they could guarantee the online price even though the server was down. At first, the receptionist said there was nothing she could do and that we would have to pay the regular rate of $144, but with a little persistance, we were able to make the reservation under the quoted online rate. Hopefully that has been cleared up, but in case you encounter similar problem, don’t hesitate to be persistant about the rate you should pay.

Hotel Marco Polo offers a nice middle ground between the myriad of budget hotels throughout Mexico City (most of low quality) and the high-end, high-priced hotels that run along Reforma. It is not a super-chic hotel (the bar closes with the restaurant at 11pm), but it has an elegent, professional feel to it, and, in additional to all the amenities I’ve mentioned already, boasts a small fitness center, business center, and valet parking. It is an excellent choice for gay and lesbian travelers looking for a well-equipped, moderately-priced hotel in the heart of the Zona Rosa.

Hotel Marco Polo; Amberes 27, Colonia Juárez, phone: (55) 50 80 00 63 , reservations:  (55) 50 80 14 45, (55) 55 11 18 39, (55) 55 14 39 07; http://www.marcopolo.com.mx/

One of the things I love about the Centro Historico is the way the combination of the architecture, the fonts on the signs, and the styles in the storefronts allows you to time travel through decades, even centuries of Mexican history. Simply walking down Cinco de Mayo, from the majestic Palacio de Bellas Artes, past the 16th century decadence of the Casa de los Azulejos and the stylish lines of art deco buildings, all the way down to the Catedral Metropolitana, gives any visitor a sense of the way different eras seem to overlap and bleed into each other in this part of town.

My favorite place to stop for nourishment along Cinco de Mayo is La Pagoda. Formerly called “Cafe Popular,” La Pagoda has all the charm and attitude of a well-run roadside diner. The front part of the restaurant has row of booths for two or four, opposite a long counter. The counter is often full of single gentlemen stopping in for some comida corrida or a piece of pan dulce and some coffee, depending on the time of day. The back room is sunnier and has more booths and tables. The decor is an interesting blend of 1950′s and 1970′s hues and furniture, with small televisions propped in the corners of the ceiling, displaying an ever-rotating slide show of featured menu items.

The service is snappy and provided by sassy waitresses (of all ages) dressed in matching pink uniforms, complete with hair piece. Perhaps the reason the service is so good is that patrons are handed an evaluation card with the check. I’ve never had a reason to fill it out negatively, and usually have something positive to say about the service.

In my experiences, waitresses have never so much as raised an eyebrow upon seeing a large group of machas or an affectionate lesbian couple tucked in a booth. Additionally, I have seen transgender women dining here, without incident.

The menu offers a wide variety of styles of food, from sandwiches served on bagels, to soups (including ass decent sopa azteca), to egg dishes, to salads, to more standard Mexican fare. My favorite item on the menu is the chilaquiles verdes, with chicken, with an egg, or plain; all are delicious and filling. The portions are large and served with a generous amount of cheese. La Pagoda also offers well priced comida corrida during the day (around forty pesos). Nothing on the menu is over 100 pesos, and most items are under 50.

Aside from its savory fare, La Pagoda is well known for its pan dulce and delicious cafe con leche. For those that have never ordered cafe con leche in Mexico, the ritual of the experience is part of what makes it delicious. Dark, hot Espresso is poured first into a glass (you say how much), then topped off a minute later with hot, slightly sweet milk. The glass vessel allows you to witness the color of the beverage get lighter and lighter as the milk reaches the top of the glass. I will admit to not being a very sophisticated coffee drinker, but I love ordering this, and have done so at both 9:30 in the morning and 11:30 at night.

La Pagoda is open twenty-four hours a day, and is a wonderful place to stop for a reasonably priced and delicious meal or snack both during the day between sights in the Centro Historico and late at night in an attempt to prevent a hangover the next morning.

La Pagoda, address: Cinco de Mayo 52, Centro Historico, corner of Filomena