Hotel Snapshot
In the Santo Domingo Plaza, where tourists and locals alike congregate to bask in the shadow of the stunning New Spanish Baroque facade of the Santo Domingo Church, the hub of activity quietly hides an oasis behind an unassuming former colonial home.
The Otro Oaxaca, another architectural gem in Grupo Habita's crown, is a design-forward urban retreat that puts guests at the center of the city’s colonial Centro district while also serving as a tranquil respite. Framed by these gorgeous sienna-toned bricks with a modern brutalist styling done by Grupo Habita’s interior designer Carlos Couturier and João Boto Caeiro at Rootstudio in 2023, it retains the historic character in the plaza, while transforming the interior to be a timelessly modern boutique hotel.
One step into the hotel, and the vibrant chaos of the plaza fades away, and a wave of tranquility awashes you. From the rooms to the rooftop, it’s the serene vibes that wash over you as the simple yet stunning design work fosters a sense of peace. However, the excitement of Oaxaca and its vibrant food markets, mountaintop ruins, natural infinity pool, and compact colonial streets with block after block of some of the best bites you’ll ever have are all waiting for you past the front archway.
Design & Character
While Oaxaca is a known culinary destination, it also not so secretly houses an architectural feast for the eyes, which Otro proudly contributes to. From the custom, locally made artisan furnishings to the impressive brick cenote in the hotel's spa, Otro Mundo, every inch is meticulously curated to be a visual delight.
The cenote’s design brings a touch of the Yucatan to Oaxaca and acts as a centerpiece attraction for the spa. The simplistic structure stands out as a one-of-a-kind design and captivates everyone who enters. Even the rooftop terrace, with an infinity pool and a communal table for specialty dinners, is situated to be framed by the Sierra Madre mountains and the twin domes of the church across the plaza.
The vernacular styling of the earthy red brick, recycled wood flooring, and polished concrete gives it a sense of having always been there, while still feeling like a fresh, modern addition to such a historic city. It avoids feeling too austere or cold, as other modernist works can, and instead captures a natural, welcoming energy without being overbearing or trying to reject the local flavor. It embraces both the past and future of such a creative and artistic slice of Mexico.
The Rooms
The sixteen rooms come in a variety of styles, from superior rooms to townhouse suites, and each features locally sourced, natural materials that champion the city’s textile heritage. The rooms each feature unique accents, with ribbed ceiling vaults in the superior rooms and oversized day beds in the suites, but the townhouse, with its private concrete soaking tub and terrace, offers strong reasons to consider the upgrade. The bathrooms are sleek and straightforward, with mixed cream concrete walls and black accented showers.
The Food & Drink
The main restaurant, Sabor, nestled in a corner of the open-air lobby, tucked under an oversized cantilever, offers a seasonally rotating, locally sourced menu by Chef Saul Carranza, in keeping with the ways of Oaxacan cuisine. In the mornings, you can grab a traditional Mexican pastry or desyueno and coffee to start your day, and come back in time for a post-dinner cocktail under the stars.
The Amenities
On the roof, an infinity pool stretches out to reflect the architectural splendor next door, offering views of the mountains that frame the city. Down below, just under your feet in the central courtyard, is Otro Mundo.
Otro Mundo offers massages, ranging from the classics to a unique style called Batter, where masseuses use rebozos (woven shawls) to gently stretch, rock, and relax the muscles, as well as access to the artificial cenote. There’s also a sauna to complement the cenote, and it’s all happening below the lobby. Keep an eye out for a porthole in the reclaimed wood floors of the courtyard, which filters sunlight down to brighten the teal blue waters below.
Location & Neighborhood Recs
Only a few steps away are two Michelin Guide-featured stops, Casa Oaxaca and Labo Fermento. Both represent the wild directions local cuisine can take, with Casa Oaxaca proudly serving some of the best traditional moles from its rooftop, and Labo Fermento introducing an all-fermented, Japanese fusion menu to counter the heavier flavors of the city.
Unmissable: the Santo Domingo church’s former cloisters are home to an immaculate cultural museum that is both a repository of local treasures and an architectural treasure in its own right. Further from the plaza, food markets with drool-worthy stalls await, and for the more adventurous, day trips out to the mountain top ruins of the Zapotec city, Monte Alban, and the natural infinity pool found at Hierve el Agua will leave you breathless, and not just from the elevation change.
Fast Facts
Address: C. Macedonio Alcalá 505, Ruta Independencia, Centro, 68000 Oaxaca de Juárez, Oax., Mexico
Vibe: A modern urban oasis in the heart of Oaxaca’s colonial Centro.
Rating: 3 star
Starting Rate: $340 USD
Room Count: 16
Our Favorite Thing About the Hotel: It’s a tie between the rooftop pool with unbeatable views of the Santo Domingo church and the manmade cenote in the spa beneath the open air lobby.
Amenities: Spa, rooftop pool, restaurant & bar, co-working space/screening area, concierge.
Nearby Attractions: Santo Domingo Church, Museum of Cultures of Oaxaca, Oaxaca City Zócalo, Museum of Pre-hispanic Arts of Mexico, Mercado de Benito Juárez.
Airport: Oaxaca Xoxocotlan International Airport (OAX)
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