Where to Stay in Mexico City: Inside La Valise in Roma Norte

Mexico City days tend to stack up quickly. Museums turn into long lunches, which turn into neighborhood walks, which somehow end with a late reservation you booked on a whim. By the time you get back to where you’re staying, all you really want is space, quiet, and a place that feels calm enough to rest before doing it all again the next day.

That’s where La Valise Mexico City comes in.

The hotel sits on a residential street in Roma Norte, inside a renovated 1920s French-style mansion. When you walk through the front door, you’re not met with a lobby scene or a long check-in process. The desk is small and set just beyond the main staircase, and the flow of the house feels residential from the start. It feels more like arriving at a private address than checking into a traditional hotel..

I’ve always had a soft spot for historic buildings that haven’t been over-sanded into neutrality, and La Valise keeps many of its original details intact. There are exposed beams, original wood floors, wrought-iron balconies, and paneled walls throughout the house. You move between floors via staircases rather than corridors, which reinforces the sense that this was once, and still feels like, a home.

The design doesn’t stop at preservation. Mixed in are quirks that are deliberately eclectic: lion heads at the ends of bannisters, octagonal-shaped rooms, and a “Piscinema” that doubles as an indoor pool and private movie projection theater.

Founded in 2014 by European entrepreneur Yves Naman, La Valise Mexico City has just eight suites. It expanded in 2023 to include additional leisure spaces, and in 2024, it received one Key in the inaugural MICHELIN Guide Key selection in Mexico.

Inside the Rooms

With only eight rooms, La Valise puts its focus on where it counts. Each suite is different, both in layout and personality, and the rooms are large enough that you naturally spend downtime inside rather than in shared spaces.

I stayed in the Gravity Suite, a roughly 1,000-square-foot room anchored by a four-poster bed. The layout is long and linear, with the bedroom leading into a railroad-style walk-in closet and then into a bright, white bathroom with a clawfoot tub. After full days out in the city, it was an easy place to come back to, shut the door, and take a long break before heading out again — or not.

Other suites take different approaches. The Atlas Suite has a raised platform behind the bed that leads into the bathroom, where a spiral staircase brings you up to a private rooftop deck with an outdoor clawfoot tub. The Polaris Suite features a bed mounted on wheels that can be rolled out onto the terrace, making it possible to sleep under the stars if the weather (and noise) cooperates.

The rooms are eclectic and intentionally mismatched. Furniture styles vary, artwork changes from room to room, and nothing is standardized. If you prefer sleek minimalism, this probably isn’t the hotel for you. If you like spaces that feel collected over time, with personality and a dash of uncluttered maximalism, this is the key for you.

Mornings at La Valise Cafe

Next door to the hotel is La Valise Cafe, a small French-style cafe that quickly becomes part of the routine. Breakfast is included for guests and is continental — yogurt and granola, pastries, fresh fruit — with larger dishes available for an extra charge.

The cafe also works well as a place to sit with a laptop. Wi_fi is fast and reliable, outlets abound, and the atmosphere stays calm throughout the day.

A Roma Norte Base

There’s no full-service restaurant on site beyond the cafe, but given the location, that feels intentional. Roma Norte is one of Mexico City’s most walkable neighborhoods, and you’re surrounded by restaurants, bakeries, wine bars, and coffee shops within a few blocks. It’s easy ot head out for meals and just as easy to come back, regroup, and head out again.

La Valise works best as a place to stay between being out in the city. There aren’t many shared spaces designed for all-day lounging, but the rooms themselves are generously oversized and interesting enough to make slow mornings or midday breaks feel well spent.

La Valise Collection

The Mexico City property is just one of the La Valise collection, which also includes locations in Tulum, Mazunte, San Miguel de Allende, and Los Cabos. Across the group, the throughline is clear: small-scale properties, character-driven buildings, and rooms that are treated as individual spaces rather than units.

La Valise Mexico City is a strong choice for couples, solo travelers, and repeat visitors who plan to spend most of their time exploring the city and want a quiet, well-located place to return to. It’s especially well-suited to travelers who appreciate design.

It’s less suited to families with young children, travelers seeking extensive on-property amenities, or anyone looking for a large lobby scene. As a base for exploring Roma Norte and the rest of the city, it’s a smart, design-forward option that prioritizes space, privacy, and location.