Where to Stay in Oaxaca Right Now
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If it feels like all of your friends have recently been posting pictures from Oaxaca, you’re not imagining things: Tourism to the Mexican state—home to mezcal and mole and a vibrant Indigenous culture—has been booming, with many visitors flocking to its colorful capital city of the same name. Here, you’ll find UNESCO-designated colonial architecture, pilgrimage-worthy restaurants and access to nearby pre-Columbian ruins and archaeological sites.
Best of all, the hotel scene still reflects the local culture. Instead of international chains, the city is brimming with boutique properties and design-driven inns, many of which are set within historic structures and filled with Zapotec art and textiles. And, of course, you’re never far from a mezcal tasting.
Quinta Real Oaxaca
Centro
If these walls could talk, they’d probably start by telling you this expansive compound in Centro used to be a 16th-century convent before becoming a prison, a printing press, government offices, criminal courts and a primary school—among many other uses. You can still see that history in architectural details like rows of arches and original greenish Cantera stone, though guest rooms are decidedly more timeless, with simple wooden furniture and high ceilings. The hotel makes for a surprisingly family-friendly option, with babysitting and laundry services available and a spacious pool in the bougainvillea-draped courtyard.
Grand Fiesta Americana Oaxaca
Centro
Set just across the street from leafy El Llano park, the Grand Fiesta Americana Oaxaca operates on a much bigger scale than some of its boutique peers: It has 144 rooms, which range from king beds to sprawling suites. But that doesn’t mean the property skimps on local flavor. For inspiration, the architects turned to handicrafts, endemic stones and geometric patterns found at nearby archaeological sites like Monte Albán and Mitla; you’ll find reddish tezontle (oxidized volcanic stones) in the central patio cactus garden and black clay pots from San Bartolo Coyotepec lining the wall of the spa, which is inspired by the petrified waterfalls of Hierve el Agua. Guests can engage with Oaxacan culture directly through mole and mezcal tastings, archaeological excursions and classes during which kids can craft their own alebrijes (colorful wooden mythical creatures).
Hotel Sin Nombre
Centro
Even by the sky-high standards set by this city’s lodging scene, Hotel Sin Nombre stands out for its attention to handicrafts and art. The 22-room property occupies a 17th-century colonial mansion and is filled with photographs of life on the Oaxacan coast, graphic black-and-white murals and wool textiles from Teotitlán del Valle. Sample dishes like bluefin tuna tacos and ayocote bean hummus in the central patio restaurant—alongside ponds populated by swimming axolotls—before hitting the rooftop pool, then spend your evenings sipping mezcal cocktails in the neon-lit Cantinita bar.
Escondido Oaxaca
Centro
Part of Grupo Habita, a collection of utterly hip properties based in Mexico City, this 12-room boutique hotel pairs a 19th-century house with a Brutalist-inspired annex, and common spaces include a cozy library and coworking space. Rooms skew minimalist, with recessed stone shelving and sabino wood furniture crafted by area designers. The Oaxacan artistry also extends to everything from the rugs and bedding to the robes and staff uniforms. Mornings begin with freshly baked pan dulce, mezcal tastings are offered on the terrace and there’s a hammock and daybeds to lounge on beside the rooftop pool when the afternoon sun heats up.
Otro Oaxaca
Centro
If you need proof of how in-the-thick-of-it this 16-room hotel is, just head up to the rooftop pool, from which you can practically reach out and touch the Baroque domes of the Templo de Santo Domingo de Guzmán. Standing in stark contrast to that ornateness is Otro’s Brutalist structure, which nods to Zapotec archaeological sites and features hard-edged materials like brick, limestone, raw concrete and reclaimed wood. There’s a 24-seat communal table on the rooftop, with a menu focused on charcoal-grilled dishes, and a coworking “bunker,” but the coolest spot is undoubtedly the underground spa. Down there, a heated circular plunge pool is lit naturally by an overhead porthole, giving the effect of a human-made cenote.
Pug Seal Zapoteco
Centro
Part of a mini-chain with two locations in Mexico City and one in the works for the Oaxacan coast, this 20-room property brings a splash of contemporary design to a stately home from the early 1800s. The main focus is the sunlit courtyard, which is lined with murals inspired by Zapotec mythology, and the color continues into the guest rooms in the form of geometric couches and artfully distressed accent walls. Breakfast is included, and while you can order the usual international suspects (oatmeal, avocado toast), don’t miss out on Mexican classics like mushroom memelas, chilaquiles and tortas ahogadas.
Casa Antonieta
Centro
The bones of this building—a former convent constructed in 1529—are some of the oldest in the colonial-era city, but interiors here lean away from Baroque adornment and toward a breezy, midcentury-inspired minimalism. In the nine guest rooms, you’ll find rattan headboards, handwoven rugs from Teotitlán del Valle and macuil wood furnishings from a Oaxacan carpenter that may have you googling “how to ship home a chair.” But as dreamy as the rooms may be, Casa Antonieta is all about its public spaces: You could spend hours lazing about in Muss Café, which serves organic coffee grown in the Oaxacan hills, or at the rooftop Amá Terraza, where you can sip Mexican natural wines while watching the sunset.
Casa Santo Origen
San Felipe del Agua Central
Oaxaca is undeniably enchanting, but with all that art and food and culture and music, it can be a lot. If you’re aiming to get in some relaxation during your visit, consider this eight-room property that sits 15 minutes outside of the city’s vibrant heart, where the suburbs meet the foothills of the Sierra Madre de Oaxaca. Timber ceilings, stone walls and colorful art and textiles add character to the suites, which feature balconies or patios, while potted cacti and succulents line the public spaces. As if to underline the fact that you have the whole place to yourself, the on-site restaurant, Entre Sombras, serves its Mediterranean-influenced dishes anywhere you’d like, from the pool deck to the terrace to your room.
Casa Silencio
Xaaga
There are plenty of wineries with luxe hotels attached, so why not a mezcal distillery? That was the thinking behind the creation of this six-room retreat in the pueblo of Xaaga, which is surrounded by agave farms about an hour outside of Oaxaca. With an eye toward sustainability, the property is made from natural materials like reclaimed wood, cast concrete and rammed earth (a technique called tapial), with details that add character like local clay tiles and towers made from recycled mezcal bottles. Suites, meanwhile, are kitted out with handwoven wool rugs, copper lamps and distressed leather furnishings. Of course, mezcal is the centerpiece of the experience here, so during your visit you can tour the production facilities, join in a tasting paired with signature snacks and then enjoy a five-course sunset dinner concluding with cocktails around the fire.
Booking With Chase Travel
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Lead photo courtesy of Pug Seal Zapoteco.
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