BajaNomad

any info on Oaxaca and Puebla?

rhintransit - 7-16-2014 at 08:18 AM

thanks to the various posters for info and photos on San Miguel de Allende, Mexico City, Taxco lately. does anyone have similar recent travel experience/tips for Oaxaca and Puebla? am heading to the mainland August 3rd for some much needed heat relief.
will spend most of my time in Oaxaca City but have never spent any time in Puebla. suggestions for where to stay, what to do in those areas would be most welcome. have thought about maybe a side trip to the beach, Hualtulco, Ixtapa, or ??? I hear they are lovely but worth visiting in the heat/humidity of August/July?

woody with a view - 7-16-2014 at 08:30 AM

check out the Mercado in OCity, then take the bus down the mountain to Pto Escondido. we used to stay at Casas de Acali run by a guy named Mario Inouye from Ensenada. this was in the late 80's so don't know if it's still there. really cool bungalows.

Ateo - 7-16-2014 at 08:39 AM

Oaxaca City is awesome. If you go to Huatulco don't buy any silver jewelry, or br very careful who you buy from. I didn't and later found out it was all fake! It'll be warm and humid, but you get used to it. Puerto Angel or Puerto Escondido could be fun side trips. I don't remember where I stayed, sorry.

boe4fun - 7-16-2014 at 09:06 AM

You might trying U2U'ing Blanca. She and Les should be familiar with the area.

dasubergeek - 7-16-2014 at 07:28 PM

All the hotels right across from the Mercado 20 de Noviembre in Oaxaca de Juarez are pretty much equivalent, all around $40 US a night except on weekends. If you can hack Baja hotels, Oaxaca's like a dream.

Hire somebody to take you down to the mezcal towns. The closest ones are about 45 minutes out of town, Mitla and Matatlan. Stop in Tlacolula (especially for the tianguis on Sunday, it's insane) and if you want a sense of how isolated these people were (and are!) drive from Mitla to San Lorenzo Albarradas. The drive is insane. (If you REALLY want to feel the isolation, rent a car and drive to Santo Domingo Albarradas or Ayutla.)

Bear in mind that Pto. Escondido is about the same length of bus ride from Oaxaca that Guerrero Negro is from Ensenada... it's definitely not a day trip.

dasubergeek - 7-16-2014 at 07:58 PM

Oh, and when you go to Oaxaca, for breakfast or lunch one day, walk to the old orphanage ("orfanatorio"). Walk up the side of it and tucked into a niche will be three women with a charcoal-heated comal. There you will have the best street food in Oaxaca City.

AndyP - 7-16-2014 at 08:20 PM

If you're staying in Oaxaca a week or more I highly recommend these short term apartments:

http://www.oaxaca-apartments.com/

Amazing value and a very nice new place, owned and run by a nice English speaking woman.