place to stay in Oaxaca and best things to do

2 couples..not going to Z or La Barra this year..... instead venturing to Oaxaca and looking for hotel or b&b recommendations for 6 nights.
Have already found Casa Colonial and looks lovely but am wondering about the 20 minute walk to the centro. Is this an issue?
Any one who has been to Oaxaca in the pst 6 months or so would love to hear what you enjoyed the most
Thank you
Jo

We haven't been to Oaxaca in a while, but we always stay at Casa Colonial. Highly recommended! We always walk to the center of town. There is much to be seen in the way of arts and crafts in the surrounding villages. Jane Robison, the owner of Casa Colonia, can arrange for tours.

oaxaca is arguably the coolest place in mexico

i would stay closer to town, ESP if only there for a few days

We'll be there for 5 full days. Arriving on Tue Jan 23 leaving Jan 30 want to be there on a Sunday for the Tlacolula market.
Don't mind a bit of walking for sure but I'm curious as to how spread out Oaxaca is compared say to SMdeA? A few years ago we stayed near the Instituto Allende and did classes at the top of the hill past the main marketl...usually took a cab up and walked back down LOL.
Casa Colonial looks great btw

Casa Colonial is very nice and it's quite secure; you have to ring the bell to get in.

San Miguel has a population of about 130,000. The city of Oaxaca, not counting the outlying villages has over 300,000. It's much larger.
The Tlacolula market is nice, but it's a rural, shopping for food and staples type of market, like the one in Patzcuaro, only larger.
The three markets in the city of Oaxaca are great, and there every day. The Abastos market is so large and at times overwhelming, that we prefer to visit it not on it's main day. Again, it's a market for shopping, and filling your larder. Both Tlacolula and the Abastos market in Oaxaca city are very much like the little mercado in Zihuatanejo, without the tourist area selling t-shirts and bathing suits, only much larger.
You will have a great time.
Here are our top 5+ things that must be done.
Monte Alban
Mitla-the Tlacolula market is on the way
The Convent Museum, and the botanic gardens in the rear.
The pedestrian only street that starts at the zocalo and goes past the convent museum.
Taste lots of Mezcal-there are opportunities to do that everywhere.
Drink hot chocolate while visiting the Abastos market, and buy pounds of the chocolate tablets to take home.
Yes, we have spend a LOT of time there!

Frostbite ..not too concerned with safety per se although of course we don't do anything foolish.

We've visited Patzcuaro 7 times over the years and stayed in both Casa Werma and with Victoria Ryan at the Casa Encantada so we do like smaller b&b type places where you can meet other travellers and benefit from a local owners insight. I'm just not sure about the distance from the Casa Colonial to the areas we'll want to visit which is why I'm asking. We tend to wander, we love markets ( I can easily spend 3+hours in the market in Patzcuaro), we like historical buildings and history. We will often go out for a few hours then head back to accommodation to drop parcels, change shoes, use facilities etc.
DH really likes mezcal so I think a few mezcal tastings will be on the to-do list!

Talley Ho than you very much for your list exactly the type of information that is also helpful.
This will be our 13 year of spending 2-3 weeks in Mexico and the second of not visiting Zihua/La Barra. We do miss the area but thought there's so much more to explore and we're not getting any younger so this year we did Queretaro/Guanajuato/Puerto Vallarta/Quimixto. (Have to say that Zihua has it all over PV in my books!)

Next January we're heading back to DF for the first time in 45 years plus Morelia ( friends there) Oaxaca and San Agustinillo.

Frostbite ..not too concerned with safety per se although of course we don't do anything foolish.

I was just suggesting that you don't have to lock up your room. It's pleasant to relax in the garden, library or dining room without worrying about your stuff.

How I envy you guys, Jo! So far, I've been to half of MX's 31 states, but Oaxaca somehow always seems out of reach. We'd go from Zihua if it could be done in a few days, but it sounds like just the capital and environs warrants about a week. Can't wait to hear of your experiences there!

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http://www.OneMansWonder.com

Jeff, you've done a lot more Mexico travel than we have! We seem to keep going back to the same places and the fact that we've developed a close friendship with a family in Morelia also drowses back to that town.
I have to say we missed La Barra last year and expect to miss it this year but circumstances change and finding the ideal place to stay is a big part of beach time.
I'll come back and do a trip report and maybe we'll be back to Z in 2018...one never knows.

Great list! A couple other favorites as well:

Museo Rufino Tamayo - outstanding pre-Hispanic art collection. Loved the soft lighting which compliments the works.

Hierve el Agua - bubbling mineral springs run into natural infinity pools right on a cliff's edge with spectacular panoramas. Water dribbling over the cliff edge for millennia has created mineral formations that look like huge frozen waterfalls.

We took a day-long tour to Mitla, Tule, a textile village and Hierve el Agua. It was well worth leaving the driving to someone who was experienced with the narrow roads up the mountain to the falls.

Can I ask who you used for your tour? Thanks for the further recommendations to see/do

Can I ask who you used for your tour? Thanks for the further recommendations to see/do

I cannot recall the name of the tour outfit but they are located at Hotel Rivera Del Angel on Calle FJ (Francisco Javier) Mina. We stopped by the hotel after visiting the huge 20 de noviembre market and bought our tickets the day before the trip. I don't believe they will pick you up at your hotel.

There are lots of group and private tour guides available. The one we took was inexpensive and our fellow travelers were from all over the world which made the day great fun. Our time was somewhat limited and it was a good way to pack a lot into the visit.