Oaxaca and Puerto Escondido 2025
Photo credits: Debbie Jones, Sue Wriley, Lisa Jimenez, Linda Ebert, Dana Walker and Sharon Purdue
In 2019, Mike and I spent 3 months driving all around Mexico before deciding to retire full time in Puerto Aventuras (PA), on the Riviera Maya coast. One of our stops on that trip was Oaxaca, where we spent several days exploring the city and some of the local areas. We loved that it was not as touristy as many places and that the local indigenous cultures were alive and well preserved in their history and foods. Fast forward to last year when, I led a group from PA to Guadalajara. The group had so much fun together they decided we needed to have adventure. Oaxaca was our number one choice.
We spent over a year working with Pancho, our guide and Mexican spirits expert to plan our group trip. With the new road from Oaxaca to Puerto Escondido newly open, we decided we needed to add a few days on the Pacific coast.
The first thing we did was look for a hotel that would meet our needs: close to the center of town, walkable to many local sites and shopping and with just the right ambiance. With the help of Francisco Rustrian of Oaxaca Experiences, we decided on Hotel Vertiz . It was perfect - an older building with a restaurant and rooftop bar. The rooms were small but very neat and clean and the garden in the center made for a lovely hacienda-type setting. A plus here was that Francisco arranged a short walking tour so we could get the lay of the land, followed by a mezcal tasting on the rooftop. A perfect start to our trip. And we ended our first night with dinner at the Michelin Mention, Ancestral Cocina Traditional Restaurant where we enjoyed a tasting menu.
The next thing we did was work out the details of where to eat and what to see and do in Oaxaca. There are so many options. Oaxaca has always been known for its local cuisine, rich in moles, unique from other regions of Mexico. It has now been crowned a real Foodie Destination as well as one of the top tourist destinations in the world. Add that to the new highway to the Pacific Coast and I would highly recommend visiting this area sooner rather than later, before it is completely overrun by tourists.
For activities we made sure to include a lot of free time to explore the shops, art galleries, museums, botanical gardens and churches. Oaxaca is a very safe place and a walkable city both in the day and night. To really get a feel for this part of Mexico you have to get out of the city and do some exploring. Mitla is a gorgeous area, and a perfect example of both the Zapotec and Mixtec cultures. The ruins here are well preserved and part of the modern-day town, with a Catholic Church built right on top.
After touring Mitla we took a little time to shop and then headed to lunch at a lovely family-owned restaurant called Azul Adobe. This quaint establishment was fabulous and offered several different types of mole, each with its own distinct flavor. For those not familiar with the foods of this area, you may think there is only one mole. In reality, mole means sauce (think guacamole) and this region has them in a wide variety of colors and tastes. There is a mole for every palate.
After lunch we visited a 5th generation weaver in Teotitlan. The family is involved in all aspects of weaving from raising the sheep to gathering organic items for dying. They did a wonderful presentation, explaining every step of how they are preserving the old ways of doing it all by hand. Their pride in their work and artistry was wonderful to see and the end results are absolutely incredible.
We made one more stop on the way back to our hotel which was my request to see the Tule tree one more time. This tree is 2,000 years old and its offspring on the other side of the church is 1,000 years old. There are a lot of stories around this tree because it is a cypress that has thrived in its semi-arid landscape, making for many magical stories.
Tired from a long day, we decided to have dinner on the rooftop restaurant just across the street from our hotel, Tierra Del Sol. The atmosphere is casual but elegant and the food was wonderful. They offered a lot of small plates; a perfect meal to end the day.
The next morning we loaded into the vans and headed to Mezcal Macurichos, a 4th generation mezcal producer who has an incredible story and legacy. This family is determined to not sell out to large producers but to continue to harvest their agave and produce their mezcal in the same way they have for generations. This was not only an incredible opportunity to witness and learn about mezcal making, but it included an absolutely delicious meal made by the women of the family. There is nothing quite like enjoying a meal around your hosts’ huge dining table. Several of us decided to hang out here after our meal and take in the ambiance as they prepared to cook their next batch of mezcal. We still made sure we had plenty of time to shop and sightsee around the city that afternoon.
This day was the height of gastronomic experiences. It was going to be very difficult to outdo our homemade meal, but off we went to the Michelin Star restaurant Lavadura de Olla. We certainly were not starving but one look at the menu and we somehow found room to try some of their extraordinary dishes. I have to say one of my favorites was the simple plate of various heirloom tomatoes, thinly sliced over a beet puree and topped with a fruit vinegarette. Some of the other spectacular dishes we tried were guacamole with grasshoppers - don’t knock it until you try them. A zucchini dish, a pork rib and a tomato stew with a serrano potato and oregano. All paired with cocktails and wine. To end this amazing evening, Pancho took us to a small bar that his friend owns.
The next day was time to say goodbye to Oaxaca City but not without first visiting the Monte Alban Ruins Monte Albán. Before they could build this city of aristocrats, the Zapotecs first spend 100 years leveling off the top of a mountain, thus putting those of the highest rank closer to their gods. It was home to several indigenous cultures but best known for the Zapoteca and Mixtec. The ruins are beautifully preserved, and the views are stunning. Well worth a two-hour tour.
Our next stop was a very small, family-owned restaurant outside of Oaxaca on the way to Puerto Escondido, Carnes Conchitas, which is one of our guide’s, Diego, favorite spots and, according to him, the best place in all of Oaxaca for Tlayudas. And he did not disappoint. What an amazing lunch. Tlayudas are like very large tortillas or a very thin pizza covered with lard, beans, cheese and served with an huge assortment of grilled meats and vegetables. I think their plan was to get us tired and full for our drive to Puerto Escondido and it worked.
The new road was completed less than a year before we traveled it. There were places that construction is still being done to keep landslides from happening, other spots the road was one lane because of landslides. Even with our delay it is still a better alternative than a 7-hour drive on switchback roads. And the mountains around us were spectacular.
PART TWO – Puerto Escondido
After 3 days of city life and exploring the areas around Oaxaca City we decided it would be nice to relax and enjoy the Pacific Coast. We settled on Hotel Punta Zicatela. This group was wonderful to work with, the staff was helpful during the entire planning process. They were pleasant upon our arrival and check in was easy and welcoming. The hotel offers a continental breakfast for a minimal fee, beach refreshment service and an awesome rooftop bar for the perfect sunsets. Happy Hour on the rooftop follows the sunset. It is centrally located, has a nice pool and plenty of beach seating. Rooms were clean and large with small kitchenettes.
Tired from a full day of walking Monte Alban, eating and driving through the mountains, we all opted to spend the afternoon and evening relaxing at the hotel and ordered pizzas to be delivered after sunset.
The only disappointment was we decided against the Bioluminescence experience because we were informed that the conditions were not great. It was going to be a 90-minute drive one way, which didn’t sound appealing with conditions not being perfect. We appreciated the honesty of the guides in sharing this information with us.
For lunch on Friday several of us loaded into vans and headed to Espadin. Located on top of a cliff overlooking a tranquil Pacific cove. This location is exquisite. The restaurant is part of a lovely boutique hotel. The food was fantastic and service was excellent. The meal was topped off by whales breaching offshore as we were finishing our lunch.
To make up for not being able to do the Bioluminescence experience Pancho and Diego surprised us with dinner at a lovely taco spot close to our hotel, followed by a candlelit beach party under the stars.
For our last day, we had an early morning start and loaded into 2 boats to go off whale watching. Our captains did not disappoint and neither did Mother Nature! We saw rays jumping, whales close to our boats, two types of dolphins frolicking in the sea and even a couple of amorous turtles locked in an embrace right next to our boat.
Following our morning adventure we enjoyed some free time to wander and find the perfect spot for breakfast. Our group settled for a restaurant in a small hotel just down the street. Following breakfast everyone had the optios of shopping, enjoying the pool or relaxing on the beach.
Pancho and Diego had another surprise in mind for us. We were told to enjoy our day but meet up on the rooftop for the sunset. They had spent the afternoon shopping the local markets and had borrowed a friend’s home to prepare an incredible feast of Pasta in cream sauce with grilled prawns. Tables were set with candles, the evening was beautiful and this intimate setting was the perfect ending to an amazing adventure.
If you think you know Mexico but have not wandered out of the all-inclusive resorts or gated communities, I encourage you to take the leap. And for those who are a bit hesitant, group travel is a great option. Let us know if you want more information for your groups and we can put you in touch with the right people.