Hotel Los Laureles review

I recently spent close to a week in Oaxaca City during the great Guelaguetza Festival and all the fun activities that take place at the same time. The last two days though we escaped the noise and bustle of the historic center and stayed put in a refuge on the edge of the city: Hacienda Los Laureles Hotel & Spa.

We’ve long had a review of this boutique hotel—in many respects the best in the city—but we recently updated it and put in some new photos. It’s a rather timeless place, so the changes from year to year aren’t great. Upcoming plans include more solar power and some needed flat-screen TV upgrades. Otherwise, if you loved this hotel five years ago you’re going to love it now. The husband and wife owners are experienced hoteliers who have worked all over Mexico with Intercontinental, in the USA with the same parent company, and in the Caribbean. This experience shows, from the money they’re willing to invest in upkeep and the training that puts the staff here at a higher service level than you’ll encounter with many Mexican city hotels.

What also sets this hotel apart is…how it’s physically set apart. It’s in Oaxaca’s ritziest neighborhood, with the governor a few blocks away and many local captains of industry living behind walled houses in the neighborhood. The views from here are lovely, with mountains and blue skies rising up behind the property. Once upon a time this hacienda was in the countryside and most of the land around it was dedicated to farming. It has a much smaller footprint now, but the grounds here are spacious and gorgeous, with well-tended lawns, big mature trees, and butterflies flitting around the many flowers and bushes.

But don’t take our word for it: check out this one-minute video tour:

There’s parking on site if you’re renting a car to explore the artisan villages of Oaxaca and if not, you can catch a taxi into the heart of the UNESCO World Heritage city for about $4.

We didn’t leave the property the two days we spent here, except for a couple strolls of the neighborhood I took to get some exercise. There’s a nice swimming pool with lounge chairs and the excellent indoor-outdoor restaurant looks out on the gardens. There’s also a spa on site offering a range of treatments and a temezcal if you want to work up a sweat. Staffers can set up excursions to Monte Alban and the chef here conducts cooking classes with a market tour.

See more at our full review of Los Laureles in Oaxaca.