Conde Nast Traveler Hot List - New Hotel in Puebla, Mexico

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3. ::c 0 ~ I Big Yeor tor ~ e ( o n d ltts Several of our favorite hotels emerged from the chrysalis of what seemed like never-ending renovations, and we're in awe of the consideration, patience, passion, and, yes, money that went into these transformations. Take Paris's Crillon, which, after a four-year closure, opened with a Karl Lagerfeld--designed apartment and 92 different styles :· of employee uniforms. Kudos to The Peninsula Beijing, Florence's Hotel Lungarno, and Hotel Eden in Rome, all of which significantly reduced the number of guest rooms to offer more spacious accommodations. And the designer Martin Brudnizki, who turned a ho-hum reception area at London's historic The Bloomsbury into the spec- tacular Coral Room, with a Deco bar and glowing orangey-red walls. Equally impressive was the way properties used their renovation to embrace their loca- tion: The Cove at Atlantis went all-in on Bahamian culture with its refresh, tapping local artists, chefs, and design- ers; and at Ventana Big Sur, all rooms were redone, tsluxe safari-style tents were added, and the spa got a relaxation deck that overlooks the Pacific. • __ testy e While spa-centric and hardcore medi- retreats have long existed, we're excited that well ness (like food, in recent years) is considered less niche as travel becomes more, well, holistic. If the chia- seed pudding and chakra-balancing offerings popping up at even the most mainstream properties are any indication, it's a trend that's sticking around, and these three get it just right. BOrgenstock Hotels & Resort Lake Lucerne, Switzerland On top of fresh Alpine air, you'll get facials with products from the Austrian beauty-and -well ness guru Susanne Kaufmann (above). meditation, and cus- tomized Ayurvedic treatments in the Himalayan foothills. Extra! Extra! Rosewood Phuket, Thailand Singing-bowl sound therapy, Reiki treat- ments, and plenty of dips in the Andaman Sea leave guests utterly reset. Three properties on this year's list had us booking trips to destina- tions we wished we'd explored sooner: the hip Rosewood and the artistic Cartesiano, both in Puebla, Mexico, and the historic 1898 The Post, in Ghent, Belgium. For more on those hotels and what to do in Ghent and Puebla, turn to pages 64, 88. The Oberol Sukhvilas Resort & Spa, New Chandigarh, India There's forest and moon bathing, 56 Conde Nast Traveler I Vol. IV 2018 photograph by MATT HRANEK

4. Thearrachera taco with guacamole, cucumber, red onion, sriracha, and peanuts at Fat Charlie in Guada/rJjara. It's been more than a decade since Pujol, Museo Sou maya, and the tuna tostadas at Contramar lured us off the quiet beaches of Cabo and Tulum and into sprawling, frenetic Mexico City. Then we ventured deeper into the real Mexico, to the crafts mecca of Oaxaca and the Chiapas countryside. Now we're eye- ing the second cities Puebla and Guadalajara, whose antiques markets, mole, and rich architecture recall Mexico City, though unlike the capital, everything you'll want to do here is within a walkable city center. Puebla also has two new sleek, high-design hotels that we predict will awaken the rest of the world to the city's charms, just as Cas a Fayette did for Guadalajara three years ago. It gave visitors a chic, ultramodern base from which to explore the cool shops and galleries clustered in the Lafayette arts district. Even better, both cities are entirely doable in a long weekend. Try pulling that off in Mexico City. ERIN FLOR 10 ~ PUEBLAISA MICROCOSM OF EVERYTHING WE LOVE ABOUT MEXICAN CITIES It's steeped in history. The Spanish conquistadors built the city of Puebla, and their colorful 16th-century mansions still line the city's center. The green, pink, orange, and purple row houses near the Callej6n de los Sapos antiques mar- ket stand in line like Crayolas in a box. Many of them open as store- fronts selling antique tea sets and pottery when the outdoor market is open, which is only on weekends. --7 PUEBLA/GUADALAJARA Right Now, It's All About Mexico's Other Cities I photograph by PACO NAVARRO Conde Nast Traveler I Vol. IV 2018 88

5. II() 'l' H 0 n It has the best ceramics (and possibly the greatest chicken sandwich on earth). On our last trip, we discovered Uriarte Talavera, a nearly 20o-year- old ceramics workshop and gallery across from the El Mercado de Sa bores street-food market. We loved it so much, we went twice. The first time, we watched the crafts· women hand-painting each piece coming out of the kiln. On rot:md two, we stocked up on teapots, espresso cups, and vases, then popped across the street to Sabores for a cemita de polio, Puebla's Jegenda1y sandwich of fried chicken, avocado, and queso fresco. It was as good as its sounds. We could live in these hotels. The eight-month-old Cartesiano is inside an old tile factory (the walls in itS19th-centllly annex are original}, and its earthy, beige-and-white rooms are a calming contrast to the rest of the city. The Rosewood Puebla has a fantastic rooftop bar with phenomenal views of the smok- ing Popocatepetl volcano. (Both properties made this year's Hot List.) The classic architecture is as impressive as the modern. The all-gold Cap ilia del Rosario, inside the qth-centuty Church of Santo Domingo off the main square, is one of the most brilliant chapels we've ever seen: The sun bounces off the gold leafing and illuminates the entire space (thankfully, it was left relatively undamaged by the two earthquakes last year). And the Japanese architect Toyo Ito's white, undulating International Museum of the Baroque rivals the modern buildings up in Mexico City. You haven't had mole till you've had mole here. Perhaps Puebla's most extraordi- nary gift to the world is the spicy, saucy, chocolaty wonder that is mole poblano, Mexico's famous dish. Get chef Angel Vazquez's sampler at his El Mural de los Poblanos, next to the city'sqth-century cathedral. The six flavors, which may include man- cha manteles or adobo, change daily and are always followed by a shot of local La Pas ita Iiq ueur. REASONS TO LOVE GUADALAJARA FROM TOP: Casa Fayette in Guadalajara; Capilla del Rosm·io inPueb/a. Dinner at Hueso. Its name means "bone" in Spanish, which makes sense once you see the walls covered in more than 10,ooo animal skeletons. Diners sit together at four long tables facing the open kitchen. Communal-dining haters, don't wony: You'll be too blissed out by chef Alfonso Cadena's braised short ribs to care. Mexico's gt·eatest architects left their mark here. You'll see the works of the Guadalajara native and Pritzker Prize winner Luis Barragan all over the cool Lafayette neighborhood-his Art Deco Casa Franco is now the modern art gallery Travesia Cuatro, which perfectly encapsulates the wider art-and-design scene that's blown up there. Its bar scene is legit. A day trip to Tequila is definitely worth it to see those bluish agave fields and do tastings at distilleries like La Rojefla (by train it's just two hours each way). But if you choose to stick around Guadalajara, get a taste of the stuff at Fat Charlie, where apron-wearing bartenders brilliantly pair top-notch tequila with fresh ingredients like ginger, cilantro, and roasted pineapple.