Las Bugambilias

Rooms

The spacious rooms are named after flowers (in keeping with the guesthouse’s focus on natural health and beauty), and are all beautifully decorated with distinctive colours. We stayed in vibrant pink Bugambilias; equally striking are Violeta, with its rainbow satin curtains, and the canary-yellow Magaritas.

The rooms are filled with atmospheric paintings by local artists and lots of traditional furniture, including elegant wooden armoirs, carved writing desks and pewter-framed mirrors. The enticing beds (kingsize or twin in all rooms except Orquideas and Camelias, which have queensize beds) are adorned with Oaxaca’s famous hand-woven cushions and bedcovers. Each room has a tiled ensuite bathroom, most are air-conditioned, and all but one (Camelias) have a balcony or private courtyard.

There’s also a suite, Girasoles (‘Sunflowers’), with 2 bedrooms (1 with a kingsize bed, the other with a double or twin beds) and a sitting area. It's located above the reception, separate to the main house, and is the best option for families.

Features include:

• WiFi

Eating

Lavish breakfasts are served between 8 and 10am at a beautifully-set communal dining table in the main house - enjoy fruit platters, freshly squeezed juices, yoghurt, homemade granola, French pastries straight from the oven, and daily egg specials like black bean omelette. This is a good chance to exchange travel tales with fellow guests and get sight-seeing tips or restaurant recommendations.

Although no other meals are served at the hotel, one supper suggestion that’s bound to come up is the family-run restaurant next door, La Olla ('The Cooking Pot'). It’s well-known locally and takes pride in its gourmet presentations of Oaxacan cuisine - dishes include a range of organic salads and soups (like squash blossom), and tasty fish (the herb-wrapped red snapper and ‘devil’ shrimps in chilli sauce are winners). We jumped in feet first and ordered the Botana La Olla, a sharing plate of Oaxacan appetisers, including chicharrón (pork scratchings) and chapulines (grasshoppers) - both very crunchy!

When milder palettes prevail at lunchtime, the restaurant also offers whole-wheat sandwiches with fresh fruit on the side. Or you can stop in for an evening cocktail on the pretty roof terrace before trying one of the many excellent restaurants, cafés and market stands in Oaxaca's historic centre, all within walking distance of Las Bugambilias.

Don’t be shy about signing up for a cooking class with La Olla’s head chef, Pilar Cabrera (held in the kitchen of sister guesthouse La Casa de los Milagros. It’s a fun half-day of shopping (she’ll take you round the local market), chopping (you’ll be hands-on assembling the food) and, of course, cooking. Afterwards participants sit down for lunch and tuck into tamales and tortillas, plus delicious dishes made from Pilar’s original recipes (copies of which are available for you to keep).

Features include:

• Restaurants nearby

Activities

• Learn the secrets of Oaxacan cuisine by joining one of Pilar Cabrera’s fun, and tasty, cooking classes (located off site)
  
  
• Treat yourself to a revitalising temazcal (steam bath) treatment
  
  
• Visit the famous Zapotec sites at nearby Monte Albán, Mitla and Yagul (the Cabreras can arrange tours)
  
  
• Go shopping at one of Oaxaca’s famous handicrafts markets
  
  
• Marvel at the pre-Hispanic treasures on display in the ‘Louvre of Oaxaca’ - the Museum of Oaxacan Culture - and learn about modern Mexican art movements at the Museum of Contemporary Art
  
  
• Explore Oaxaca’s churches, including the 17th-century Basilica de Nuestra Señora de la Soledad, and admire the frescoes in the grand 2-storey cloister of 16th-century former monastery Santo Domingo de Guzmán
  
  
• Visit the mesmerising ‘frozen waterfalls’ (natural rock formations) at Hierve el Agua
  
  
• Hire a car and tour the villages surrounding Oaxaca, stopping off to see the oldest tree in the Americas at Santa María del Tule
  
  
• Mountain bike rentals and horse-riding can be arranged through a local agency
  
  
• Depending on the time of year, you can join the family for local celebrations, including Day of the Dead (1-2 November), Noche de Rábanos (‘Night of Radishes', held in December), Christmas, Easter, and Guelaguetza (a dance festival held in July and the largest fiesta in Oaxaca)

Activities on site or nearby include:

• Cooking classes
• Cycling
• Golf
• Hiking
• Horse riding
• Nightlife
• Shopping / markets
• Yoga

Kids

Children over 2 are welcome at Las Bugambilias, and the relaxed, family-run atmosphere makes you feel immediately at home. We'd recommend it for school-age children with an interest in history (pretty spectacular history, note), scenery (ditto) and culture. The city is easy and safe to explore on foot, or you can rent bikes with child seats (but do keep alert on the busier roads).

Best for:

Children (4-12 years), Teens (over 12)

Family friendly accommodation:

The best room for families is the Girasoles Suite, which has a second bedroom with the option of twin beds. It's above also reception (separate to the main hotel) meaning you don't have to worry about disturbing other guests. Some other rooms are adjacent, or share a sitting area, which can work for a family with older children.

Cots Available, Extra Beds Available

For more family-friendly places, see our Kids Collection

Location

Las Bugambilias is located in the provincial city of Oaxaca, 500km south of Mexico City. It's 5 blocks north of the Zócalo, Oaxaca's historic centre.

By Air
Oaxaca Xoxocotlán (10km away) is the closest airport. It's served by domestic flights from Tijuana and Puerto Escondido, plus occasional services from the US. If coming from the US, or wanting to combine Oaxaca with the coast, you'll find there are more flights to Bahías de Huatulco (270km away). If you're coming from Europe, you’ll probably fly into Mexico City (500km away), from where there are about 10 daily flights to Oaxaca.

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

From the Airport
From Oaxaca airport you can either take a taxi or hire a car (see below). If coming from Huatulco, you'll need to drive or take the air taxi service to Oaxaca.

By Bus
First-class bus services operate regularly between Oaxaca and Mexico City (6 hours), Pochutla (7 hours), Puerto Escondido (9 hours), San Cristóbal de las Casas (12 hours), Tehuacan (6 hours) and Villahermosa (14 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. There's no off-street parking at Las Bugambilias, but parking on the road outside is generally not a problem.

Detailed directions are provided when a booking is confirmed.

More on getting to Mexico and getting around