Flor de Maria

Rooms

All of the rooms have 2 double beds, which will suit both couples and friends travelling together. They're clean and comfortable but rather basic - no TV and just one bedside table and reading lamp. Our room had glass doors that opened onto a tiny balcony overlooking the street; other rooms lead directly onto the plant-filled inner courtyard or the roof terrace. Some of the slightly larger corner rooms have sea views. All have overhead ceiling fans (there’s no air conditioning at the hotel) and showers with piping hot water; purified drinking water is available on each floor.

When owners Paul and Joanne bought the hotel more than a decade ago they kept the previous owner’s flower and animal paintings, which adorn doors and walls, as well as the large mural in the restaurant. These, and the traditional hand-woven multicoloured bedcovers from Oaxaca, give the place a faded charm reminiscent of days past. But with WiFi in all rooms, Flor de Maria has kept up its modern side too.

Features include:

• WiFi

Eating

The cheap-and-cheerful restaurant is run by Joanne, who used to manage her own café in Toronto specialising in Peruvian dishes. She uses some of the same ideas here - marinading all the meat and chicken before it’s cooked, and grilling most of the dishes.

The menu varies with the season - comfort food like chicken curry or beef stew in high season, and national favourites such as chilles rellenos and ropa vieja (literally 'old clothes' - flank steak boiled and shredded, then steamed with tomatoes and onions) on national holidays. But don’t expect nouveau Mexican cuisine - this is home-cooked food, unpretentiously plated and very reasonably priced.

There are always vegetarian options, soups and something Italian on the chalkboard menu, too. We tried the spaghetti bolognese one night - it was very tasty, but the portion size was somewhat on the meagre side.

If you want to eat out, there's a selection of pizza and pasta joints, upmarket Mexican restaurants, small cafés and juice bars within walking distance. Danny’s Terrace has good shrimp tacos and makes great Bloody Caesars (vodka with Clamato juice and hot sauce).

Please note that the hotel restaurant is only open from mid-December to mid-March.

Features include:

• Restaurant
• Restaurants nearby

Activities

• Go on a fishing or turtle-watching trip (staff can help with arrangements)
  
  
• Take a tour of the nearby freshwater lagoons and the bird sanctuaries at Manialtepec and Chacahua
  
  
• Visit the crocodiles at the Ventanilla lagoon
  
  
• Surf on Zicatela beach
  
  
• Book a massage and temazcal (native sweat bath) at the local sweat lodge
  
  
• Hire a car and tour the pretty villages around Puerto Escondido
  
  
• Swim at the longest swimming beach in town - just outside your front door
  
  
• Laze on the roof terrace, swinging in a hammock with a cocktail

Activities on site or nearby include:

• Cycling
• Fishing
• Hiking
• Horse riding
• Kayaking
• Nightlife
• Scuba diving
• Snorkelling
• Surfing
• Wildlife
• Yoga

Kids

No children under 12 are accepted. Those over 12 are treated as full paying guests, and no extra beds are available.

Best for:

Teens (over 12)

For more family-friendly places, see our Kids Collection

Location

Flor de Maria is located in the town of Puerto Escondido, on Mexico's southern Pacific coast.

By Air
Puerto Escondido (3km away) is the nearest airport. It's served by 1 or 2 flights a day from Mexico City (a flying time of an hour) and Oaxaca Xoxocotlán International (a flying time of 40 minutes). You can also fly into Bahías de Huatulco International (99km away), which has several domestic and international links.

Click on the links below for a list of airlines serving all these airports.

From the Airport
From Puerto Escondido and Bahías de Huatulco airports you can hire a car (see below) or use the van service (collectivo). You can also drive from Oaxaca Xoxocotlán to the hotel (a journey of around 4 hours).

By Car
Having the use of a car makes exploring further afield easier, but watch out for the potholed roads - see our car rental recommendations.

It's a very easy drive from Puerto Escondido airport to the hotel. If driving from Bahías de Huatulco, head along Highway 175 via Pochutla. If you're coming along Highway 200 from Acapulco the drive is around 5 hours.

By Bus
There are several buses daily to/from Oaxaca (the journey takes 8-10 hours), Mexico City (12+ hours), Acapulco (6-7 hours), Huatulco (4 hours) and Pochutla (1 hour). Buses also go to San Cristóbal de las Casas and Tuxtla Guitierrez.

Detailed directions to the hotel are provided with confirmed bookings.

More on getting to Mexico and getting around