Hotel Marquis Reforma by John Borthwick

Twenty million people surround you. Not that you'd know it when you're in the Hotel Marquis Reforma, on Paseo de la Reforma, at the heart of Mexico City, the most populous settlement on earth. A grand layer cake of civilisations, Mexico DF (as it is known) offers far more than a long weekend's worth of art, cuisine, temples and cathedrals. The oldest city in North America, Mexico City is built on the ruins of the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlán, founded around 1325.

The elegant Hotel Marquis Reforma overlooks Chapultepec Park and is within walking distance of the city's financial, cultural and shopping districts. Its 84 suites and 124 guest rooms offer amenities such as high speed internet. The Reforma embodies a postmod "Deco-echo" (so to speak) styling and is a short taxi ride from everything you need to see or do in Mexico City. However, the hotel has such excellent dining and bars, that the question sometimes arises: how to motivate yourself out the door? In the fine dining La Jolla restaurant, the choice presented by dessert trolley alone is maddening: just try the lot in a "sampler" plate, known appropriately as the Postre Gran - the Big Dessert. Evening cocktails are served in the Caviar Bar to the sound of live music. As well there's a huge indoor swimming pool and fitness area, plus one of Mexico's finest spas.

At 2,250 metres altitude, Mexico City is thin on oxygen, heavy on smog. It's an astounding place, particularly if you are fascinated by history. However, a word of caution (it came from a Mexican): "The religion of Mexico is 85 percent Catholic and 15 percent pick-pocket." Eternal vigilance is the price of possession here.