When people ask me for hotel recommendations in Mexico City, they are usually looking for budget options, but if money is no object I steer them to the Camino Real on Avenida Mariano Escobedo in the Colonia Anzures. Opened in 1968, it was designed by architect Ricardo Legorreta in the form of a pyramid, evoking pre-Hispanic Mexico. Yet many of the design elements, including bright yellow and pink paint, are very much of the period. Indeed, while walking through its halls, or sitting in the lobby bar (with a clear plastic floor, and water underneath), I feel like an extra in a James Bond movie.

Even if you aren't looking for a place to stay, or cannot afford the Camino Real, you might want to have a drink in that bar. Or better yet, a coffee in the cafe, where you can ponder this Rufino Tamayo painting.