Hotel Boutique Casa de Arte

The staff were absolutely wonderful, but I wouldn't recommend this hotel. My friend and I got very different rooms: mine was smaller, yet I paid more, and hers had a mini fridge while mine didn't, even though there was room for one. Both rooms had terrible water pressure, and it took ages for the water to get hot. A plumber came at one point, but the problem still wasn't fixed. It's also a long way from the places you might want to visit in Oaxaca, including the best restaurants, museums, Zocolo, and Santo Domingo church. Cab drivers didn't seem to know where the hotel was when we needed to get back. For the money, I'd stay closer to the action.

The location is a bit far from the nice part of town. We knew that when we booked, but if you're going to Oaxaca for the city, I'd choose the lovely center. The place felt like it cared more about art than function. The artwork was nice, but it needs to work as a hotel first. The paper-thin walls and doors meant we could hear people talking in the hall and got woken up by it. There was hardly any water pressure, so showering was almost impossible, and rinsing shampoo out was a struggle. The toilet was clogged when we arrived, though maybe it wasn't clogged and just wasn't working because of the low water pressure. The bedside power outlet in the wood wall was loose too, and should be fixed to the actual wall. They advertised breakfast starting at 8, but when we were there at 8, the cook hadn't arrived and there was no breakfast.

I booked a room for three nights, then they asked for another $100 because there were two of us instead of one. They smugly told us we could pay or cancel and lose the money for one night. It seemed clear they'd done this to other people too. Scammers.

We stayed six nights and I'd book this place again without looking elsewhere. The pool area is small but cute and refreshing, and it never got crowded. The hotel is also very Instagram-friendly, with great staff. It's about a 15-minute easy, straight walk or a five-minute, 50-peso DiDi ride to the historic center. Some people complain about the distance, but you can see it before booking, and it brings the price down a lot. A hotel of this quality in the center would cost at least 50%-100% more. Across the street there's an amazing local seafood place, and a block away is the only Starbucks in town, if that's your thing while in Mexico. The rooms and bathrooms were super clean and smelled nice, and ours had a hammock that we appreciated. There were thoughtful touches and nice amenities, more than usual, plus a fridge, unlimited purified water, ice-cold a/c, and the option to call room service from the room, which isn't common in a small boutique hotel. The included breakfast had an extensive selection, with filling options, and there was good food and cocktails all day at reasonable prices.