Villa Maria is all this site says it is -- a delightful and very affordable place to rent an apartment with kitchen, living room, bathroom and two bedrooms. It´s been an excellent choice for myself and my two friends for a two-week stay. The staff is very friendly and helpful without being intrusive, and the apartment is simple and comfortable. The courtyard is nice, but I notice that it´s set up as a place to pass through rather than a place to hang out. There are chairs and a table on the roof garden, but the area right outside our door isn´t really set up for lounging in the shade with a good book.
On the plus side, this is the only hotel in Mexico in which I´ve ever been able to sleep without earplugs (except on our first night, when a parade complete with marching band and firecrackers spent about an hour wending its way through our neighborhood between 2 and 3 AM.)
On the down side, the neighborhood itself is the most hectic one I´ve ever been in. The traffic and accompanying fumes are intense, the sidewalks narrow and broken (some are gone altogether) and walking even a few blocks can be a bit grueling. Last night, after a week´s stay, I finally wandered into the area north of the zócalo, and was amazed to find a whole new world. Wider streets, many with little or no vehicular traffic, and overall a much, much calmer and more peaceful feel. I´m not just talking about the directly-north-of-the-zócalo tourist zone, but also the older neighborhoods quite a few blocks further north and east, including the area around Casa Arnel.
If Villa Maria were in the north end, I´d give it top marks and be certain I´d return. As it is, I hope to find an affordable apartment with kitchen in a location that´s a bit more conducive to a restful vacation once I exit the front door.
- Maria Hotel Oaxaca
