Pug Seal Oaxaca is a 20-suite hotel in a 19th-century colonial house on Porfirio Díaz, in the historic centre of Oaxaca City. It opened as a hotel in 2020 and keeps the calm, residential feel of its sister houses in Mexico City. Everything turns around a central courtyard painted with colourful murals. The design draws on Zapotec motifs, with brass inlay and a sculptural staircase, and the suites mix high-design furniture with old architectural details, weathered handmade textures and more murals. Suites come in six categories, up to a two-bedroom master. Each has a smart TV, a coffee station and local snacks and drinks, and tea and coffee are available at any hour. Breakfast is cooked to order and generous, but there is no restaurant, which suits a city where most visitors want to eat out at every meal. A personal concierge helps with plans. The streets of the centre start at the door, and the hotel offers a quiet place to come back to between them.
- Rooms
- 20 suites
Insider tip Leave dinner free every night and ask the concierge for tables around the centre; with no restaurant in the house, the city is the dining room.
Why I choose it We choose Pug Seal Oaxaca for its calm and its design: a small, courtyard hotel in the old centre that leaves the city's kitchens to do the rest.