We review Casa Antonieta: boutique style in the heart of the historic centre of Oaxaca de Juárez, Mexico
A heritage home away from home.
When it comes to the best boutique hotels in Mexico, travellers are spoiled for choice thanks to the nation’s penchant for good design and a cultural disposition that means that hospitality seems to be in the DNA. And in beautiful Oaxaca, the state renowned for its food, culture, and coastline, we recently had the opportunity to stay at Casa Antonieta. Conveniently located in Centro Historico, this little hotel is a dream come true for design-loving travellers.
While this stay was complimentary, all thoughts and opinions are our own.
We review Casa Antonieta in Oaxaca de Juárez, Mexico
The history
For fans of hotels in heritage buildings, a stay here will delight. Casa Antonieta is not only part of a complex that is thought to be one of the first buildings in Oaxaca, but its site is where first evidence of human occupation in the area was found. In fact, the building was originally erected in the mid 1500s and known as The Spanish Villa de Antequera, part of the former Convent of San Pablo.
The arrival
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One of the many delights of travelling through Mexico is coming across countless exquisite doors, behind which you may never know what exists. When we arrived at the property from Oaxaca Airport via a communal taxi (more on that below), we were dropped outside an elegant wooden door with a charming rabbit-shaped knocker. As the receptionist beckoned us inside, we passed hanging woven baskets filled with local plants, leading the way into the captivating courtyard.
This beautiful inner space that features colonial-style arches and columns is almost like a personal third space for guests at Casa Antonieta. It’s a space to catch up on a book or to start one of the many tomes littered around. In the mornings, it’s a place to grab a coffee while in the evening, a selection of homemade biscuits and pastries from the hotel’s adjoining cafe are available for guests to enjoy.
It’s also the space where a small desk welcomes guests for check-in and check-out, staffed by a team of always-smiling and ever-helpful people whose friendliness adds to stay in spades.
The room
On the ground floor, our room was tucked towards the back of the courtyard. Throughout the space, an array of local handcrafts adorned the walls and acted functionally, with small woven purses holding vanity kits and expertly embroidered bags housing amenities.
One of the main design features is the over-sized woven headboard that acts as both an art installation and a complement to the lofty ceilings. All of the natural materials and hues are offset by the central rug in shades of ruby red and bright pink to add a splash of warmth. We had our own little courtyard just off the bedroom with two chairs for getting cosy in too.
The spacious bathroom gives an outdoor feeling, not dissimilar to what you might experience in Bali. In the shower, a stone pedestal is smartly raised, allowing the surrounding moat at the lower level to capture the water without causing the run-off to get everywhere. Amenities are by local Mexican company Loredana and work wonders with the well-pressured shower for speedy relaxation after hours pounding pavements.
During our downtime, we caught up on our favourite shows on the TV that featured Netflix and other streaming services. The daily Oaxacan chocolates left by room service were another thoughtful (and delicious) aspect of the stay.
Food & drink
One of my favourite touches at Casa Antonieta is that the hotel offers guests a drink on the house daily. You can choose from a selection of local artisanal wines, beers, and sodas, and I think that they are best imbibed from Ama Terraza, the property’s terrace, where you can catch a panoramic view of the city.
The terrace is also one of the spots where you can enjoy your breakfast, alongside Muss Cafe on the ground floor. A daily selection of a la carte offerings including avocado toast and fresh fruit and granola can all be washed down with a banging coffee.
Getting there
If you’re heading to the hotel from Oaxaca Airport, you have two options. When you come through into the arrivals hall, there is a stall with a ‘Taxi’ sign (it will probably have a bit of a queue.) When you get to the front of the line, they will ask where you are going and give you two prices: one for a private taxi and one for a communal taxi. They quoted us 400 Mexican pesos per person for the private option and 200 Mexican pesos per person for the communal, so we went with the latter. It took about 40 minutes to get into the city and the driver calls out the name of your stop and will help you get your bags in and out.
Uber does not work in Oaxaca (Uber Eats delivery does though answer used it successfully a few times) and while people say that Didi does, we couldn’t get it to function. We did however find a taxi company that operated fully over WhatsApp and whose team spoke English. They were always on time when we booked them and they would share the name of the driver plus a photo of the taxi number for ease. The longest we ever had to wait was 15 minutes and you will need to have cash to pay the driver, so just ensure you have enough. You can contact them at: +52 951 311 3411.
Discover more about Casa Antonieta or Book through Booking.com
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