Atix Hotel

Atix gave La Paz its first true design hotel, and it is a proudly Bolivian one: the architecture uses rough-cut Comanche granite from the altiplano, interiors hang with works by contemporary painter Gastón Ugalde, and textiles and ceramics throughout come from national artisans. The hotel stands in Calacoto, the leafy business-and-restaurant district of the Zona Sur, several hundred metres lower than the city centre—a genuine advantage while acclimatising to La Paz's altitude.

Rooms are calm and contemporary—oak floors, woven throws, huge windows—with upper floors looking towards the triple-peaked Illimani, the 6,400-metre massif that presides over the city. The top floor holds the hotel's twin draws: a heated glass-walled pool and a bar-restaurant whose terrace puts Illimani behind your sundowner.

The kitchen takes Bolivian produce seriously—altiplano grains, Amazonian fish, Tarija wines—and the Zona Sur's best restaurants spread within a few blocks. Staff arrange the city's essentials: the Mi Teleférico cable-car network (a genuine attraction), the witches' market and Valle de la Luna, plus onward logistics for Uyuni and Titicaca. For comfort, design and easier breathing on arrival in the world's highest capital, Atix is the smart landing.