Small hotels have big impact on Puebla tourist trade

The city of Puebla has blossomed as a destination for travelers who favor upscale, one-of-a-kind boutique hotels. While there are plenty of big hotel brands in town, these new, smaller properties offer some of the most memorable accommodations experiences.

The newest name on the scene is La Purificadora, which opened in May. Housed in a former water-purification plant that dates to the 1870s, this 26-room property is the brainchild of Grupo Habita, the style-conscious owners of the Hotel Habita and the Condesa DF in Mexico City as well as Hotel Basico on the Riviera Maya.

In addition to a gourmet restaurant and sleekly stylish decor, the property boasts a rooftop terrace with swimming pool, Jacuzzi, gym and bar. Nightly room rates range from $145 to $295.

Unique boutiques

A marketing consortium called Hoteles con Angel was formed in 2006 to promote several boutique properties in and near the city of Puebla. The consortium is in the process of creating a central Web site and reservations center; for now, hotels must be contacted individually.

Member properties include:

" Antigua Alqueria de Carrion: This 16-room property opened in 2005 in the town of Atlixco, just outside Puebla. Set in a lovely 16th century building, the hotel has three peaceful patios. Its stylish rooms feature partially exposed brick and heavy wood doors crafted from the building's original ceiling beams.

Original art and hand-painted wall details are among the touches that make this place special. The property offers a package that includes greens fees at nearby El Cristo golf course, priced at $150 per night from Mondays to Thursdays and $350 on Fridays and Saturdays. Rack rates start at about $90 and up.

" Casona de la China Poblana: This impressive building in Puebla's historical city center was the 16th century home to a wealthy family that employed an Asian servant who became known as "La China Poblana," hence the name.

It opened as a 10-room hotel in 2006 and features rich, traditional decor, with modern touches such as silver sculptures and guest baths. High ceilings in each guest room create a feeling of space, and many of the rooms, -- which have names, rather than numbers -- have two levels and Jacuzzis. Guests must be at least 14 years old. The property also has four meeting rooms. Rack rates start at about $190.

" El Sueno Hotel + Spa: This 11-room property is the trendiest of the boutique hotels that make up the Hoteles Con Angel consortium. Hotel restaurant La Tentazione serves up soothing lounge music and international cuisine in a hip interior, and the bar specializes in such drinks as the tequila martini and tamarind martini.

Guest rooms here are named for female artists, writers or photographers from Mexico, including Frida Kahlo and Tina Modotti, and come equipped with minibars, safe deposit boxes and air conditioning. The spa offers 20 treatments and is open to the public. There is also a rooftop deck with a Jacuzzi and view of Puebla's cathedral.

The property is restricted to guests age 14 and older. Prices start at about $327 per room, double, including breakfast, and $467 with lunch and dinner included.

" Estrella de Belem: Opened in 2006, this six-room luxury property is in the center of the town of Cholula, in a former private home dating to 1890. The hotel's cuisine tends toward the gourmet; bread is baked on site, and a platter of wine and cheese await arriving visitors.

Guest rooms feature high ceilings, plasma TVs, hand-carved wood furniture, wireless Internet, safe deposit boxes and even heated floors for the cooler months from November to February. Two master suites have working fireplaces and sunken tubs and Jacuzzis.

The property also has a beautiful small library, with high shelves and an eight-person meeting table inherited from the family of the couple that owns the property. The pleasant rooftop deck has a small heated pool, Jacuzzi and nice views of the biggest churches in Cholula.

Restricted to visitors age 14 and older. About $150 and up, single or double, including breakfast.

" La Quinta Luna: Set in a former Cholula residence built in 1680, La Quinta Luna opened as a hotel in 2004.

This elegant, seven-room property, a member of Mexico Boutique Hotels, is also the newest member of Hoteles con Angel, having joined in April.

Each room is named after an indigenous nocturnal animal with a pre-Hispanic local name; there are three standard rooms, two junior suites, one master suite and a new presidential suite that was added in October 2006. All rooms look out onto a serene central courtyard.

The hotel, which is owned and run by two married professors and their adult children, offers a free live concert on the first Sunday of each month; the owners' interests are also evident in the large library, which has some 3,000 books as well as wireless Internet access.

The property hosts wine-tasting sessions; new this year is a monthly wine tasting with gourmet food, priced at about $45, including four different kinds of wine.

Each of the attractively furnished guest rooms has high ceilings, conservative but modern furnishings, free minibar, DVD player, safe-deposit box and coffee. Rates are $160 and up, single or double.

" Meson Sacristia de Capuchinas:This property, in the heart of Puebla's city center, has large guest rooms with antique furniture and a peaceful, quiet atmosphere.

Its small dining room, open only to hotel guests, serves gourmet cuisine with a modern flair, and chef Alonso Hernandez offers cooking classes, priced at $65 for a three-hour class, including tasting afterward, the perfect way to learn to make the tasty mole poblano sauce that has helped to make this city famous.

The hotel offers an anniversary package that includes one night's accommodations in a junior suite (an upgrade to master suite when available), nighttime candlelight and flower petal decoration in the room, a dinner for two, a bottle of sparkling wine and a fruit basket, priced at about $247.

" Meson Sacristia de la Compania: Housed in a building that is more than 250 years old, this hotel has the same owners as Meson Sacristia de Capuchinas but offers more traditional, rustic elegance. In addition, all of the original and antique art and furnishings at Meson Sacristia de la Compania are for sale. The lobby doubles as an antiques store.

Rack rates start at about $160 for a junior suite. Cooking classes are offered in conjunction with its nearby sister property Meson Sacristia de Capuchinas.

To contact reporter Mark Chesnut, send e-mail [email protected].

Get More!

For more on Puebla, see "History, culture makes Puebla worth a visit."