La Casa del Sótano

First the attributes. The people working at Casa del Sontano, on the front desk and the small cafe on the terrace in particular, were very helpful and kind. They made our stay as pleasant as possible and exuded the hospitable charm of Oaxaca. This hotel is very close to the main attractions, including Templo de Santo Domingo, with a beautiful view from the roof that comes at an affordable price. Although we did not have a chance to use the jacuzzi, we loved the view, especially at sunrise. One other benefit, out of the four places we stayed in Oaxaca they had the best and most consistent WiFi, so digital nomads may enjoy working at the terrace restaurant.||However, the hotel reminded me of the comparisons between Instagram photos vs reality. The reviews of other guests seem that they stayed at another location. The large property may have been luxurious at one time, but our two rooms were small and dark, with a damp odor. The doors were awkward, with the small entrances split in half requiring you to go inside sideways. It would also be difficult for a person with mobility issues to navigate all the stairs, but the city would be challenging on its own. While I cannot recommend staying here, we did find a way to make do and were greatly assisted by the staff.

Old building and facilities... The water pressure is weak, so you have to be careful when flushing the toilet. The room is dim since no light comes in, and it feels a bit damp. Good location thou

I will return to this place, the price is right and the accommodation was good. The rooms were clean and the service was wonderful. Shout out to Yvonne. Thanks

This hotel exceeded all my expectations for the reasonable price! The grounds are absolutely gorgeous and my room was very comfortable. Air conditioner worked great. The bed was a bit hard as others mentioned, but it didn't bother me. It was quiet enough to get good sleep at night. I loved walking around the beautiful terrace. Note: some of the front desk staff spoke English, some didn't. But they were very helpful & nice trying to understand my broken Spanish! The restaurant was nice but maybe a bit overpriced. I only ate there once. There are so many awesome places to eat in the surrounding area that you really don't need to eat there. Location of the hotel is awesome. Very close walking distance to the attractions in Centro.

This hotel was fabulous. We came back for an additional night after our hike. The AC was working, the beds were comfortable, and the rooms were very nice. The views are incredible and it is in a very good location close to restaurants and the downtown area. The staff was also so helpful and nice. I read some bad reviews on google and was a little nervous, but those reviews were definitely not fair because this place was amazing.

So peaceful and beautiful! A small oasis well located in Centro, an easy walk to the Zocalo, Santa Domingo with friendly staff and a sweet little restaurant. Many restaurants and bars nearby.

Excellent location near the city centre. Lovely clean room with a big comfy bed. Views from the roof across the city to the mountains were wonderful. Very accommodating staff let us store our luggage on our check out day whilst we explored the city.

They told us the hot water would be out for a couple of hours. There’s been none all day. Then they said there’d be “a little” tonight but it’s horseshit - and it already dribbles out of the shower head to begin with. We need to shower tonight and it’s literally freezing cold water. This isn’t camping.

This a hidden gem, it says hostal but its actually hotel. The staff there is very friendly and informative. I stayed here 3 weeks when I lost my cell phone and passport. While waiting for my passport the hotel and staff where very helpful and a great host. I recommend this hotel 1000 times. They also have a restaurant on the top floor. The sauna it's awesome too although you have to pay extra to use it since it's not your typical sauna, it's herbal infused. Will definitely stay here next trip to Oaxaca.

Casa del Sótano is a small hotel, many rooms having small balconies that let you step out and enjoy the fresh air and look onto a lovely little courtyard. Ask for a top floor room, and you may get a view that lets you look over most of the rooftops of the city and see the mountains in the distance! Architecturally, it's got lots of fascinating terrace levels, including a beautiful terrace with a small kitchen/cafe that serves breakfast in the morning. There's also a roof top with cafe-style seating and the view from there is simply gorgeous. The hotel is somewhat taller than all the neighboring buildings, giving it a terrific panoramic view of the city. Housekeeping seemed to do their job well. Every day, they exchanged towels, cleaned, organized, etc. They made towel art and even made bows and roses out from the toilet paper rolls and tissue boxes. Only complaint was not the service, but the towels, which were somewhat stiff. Blankets are, say, normal quality for a hotel at this price point. Bed was good; none of us woke up with sore backs or weird kinks. No air conditioning, though the place is made of stone, so generally cooler than outside on hot days. Front desk was helpful booking airport taxis, advising on local sights, and was kind and courteous. Wifi was free and reliable if you could get a signal. Our room was near the end of the building, so we had to get out onto the balcony for a clear signal for phones, though laptops were reliable throughout the room. Speed was medium-ish, with occasional drops; that is, it was normal for Mexico. All in all, judging against, say, a Four Seasons, this is 3.5 or 4 starts, but given that the price is absurdly low compared to luxury hotels, I highly recommend this place at 5 stars. Bathrooms: Lovely, mostly stonework, with a window, cute little soaps and shampoos, with a sink in the room, not the bathroom, which is nice for multi-tasking for multiple people in a room.

There are pluses and minuses with this hotel. Overall, though, it is just fine...A-OK. It is located uphill from the Zocolo. This means that you are walking "down" to the main attractions and "up" when you return or take a taxi. The walk is not a killer but if you are older or just out of shape, taxi is a good option. It is on a one-way street, which means that getting to it can be frustrating until you learn which streets to use. It is a small hotel, quaintly a hacienda style with a central court yard, rooms along the sides and balconies at various levels. I do not recall an elevator, so if you have heavy bags you have to lug them up staircases. Rooms are small, but you can get around. Not much room for suitcases, though. Furniture is old, but functional and clean. Floors are tile. Bathrooms are tiny. There might be rooms with larger bathrooms, but we stayed in one room and went into rooms of others that we met there and all were tiny and cramped. There is no place to put toilet article bags, hair rollers, cans of shaving cream or ointments...those get laid out on a bed outside the bathroom and you bring in what you need when you need it. Showers are really small, but you can get clean. If you are large or tall, not so good for you. The rooms are kept clean, very clean, and although there are not air conditioners, it gets cool enough in Oaxaca where you do need to use the blankets they have on the beds. The staff is very nice, few people are very facile in English, so practice your sign language. That said, most of what you might be asking for is understandable, like help with luggage, taxi, where are (Donde esta?) restaurants, Zocolo, etc. And they do have a good street map of Oaxaca that we used religiously...especially to get back to the hotel. Breakfast is romantic and charming. A trellis-covered patio is a bar at night and otherwise their dining room. Outdoors, flowers blooming, sun coming up, wear a fleece to keep off the chill and order. Menu has photos and some English. Fresh juices and the coffee is made by the cup so you get a nice brew. There are other balconies, or roof tops in the facility so it is worth your while to explore and get up on them for great views of the town and the surrounding hills. You can tell that these areas are used for parties and receptions as they are quite open. Prices are very reasonable and many people use that to accept the smaller than usual bathrooms and small inconveniences at this traditional hotel. We would stay here again.

Charming little place. Comfortable beds. Good food. Kindly staff. But... OH MY GOD THE MOSQUITOES!!! With open air shafts between rooms, no screens on the windows, and a garden full of water features that collect standing water when it rains, this place is a mosquito death trap. I left with more than thirty bites. Given the prevalence of mosquito-borne illness (including Zika) in Latin America, the hotel management needs to take the health of guests more seriously. Screens on the windows (both exterior and in the air shafts) at a bare minimum. Dispose of the standing water hazards or install agitators to prevent mosquitos from breeding.

Be careful and read their cancellation policy closely. We tried to cancel our reservation several months in advance due to unforeseen circumstances and were still charged full fare. Have not experienced this with any other Oaxaca hotel. Not right.

I feel terrible writing this review but feel like I should echo what another TripAdvisor wrote. Everything about this hotel is perfection. The amount of pride and effort going into how immaculate the grounds and rooms are kept is exceptional. The owners are incredibly nice, and the location is very convenient and safe for anywhere within the city. The rooms are nicely laid out, have very comfortable beds, and if you get a room on an upper floor there are incredible views. The rooftop terrace is more beautiful than anything I've ever seen. Also, the restaurant on site has very tasty food and wonderful service. So why the three stars? It pains me to do this, but there is a bar that apparently only recently opened up around the corner called Casa Istanbul. They play music and have live bands performing on random nights of the week with no regard to the noise or the time. The front doors of the establishment are left open so that everyone in the city can hear their terrible music, and crank up the volume louder and louder throughout the night. One night, we were woken up by a 3am sound check that went on for 45 minutes. The following night, a band played from 11pm to 2am. This isn't just normal Oaxaca city noise that some people complain about. Honestly I find the gas trucks, the church bells, and the rooster and turkey next door charming. I also sleep like a rock, and becoming a surgery resident has only helped me to sleep through some of the most obnoxious sounds known to man. However this is something else. No closing of windows, curtains, earplugs, or noise/wave machine can come close to making the music from Casa Istanbul tolerable. Plus, once the room is closed up it gets incredibly stuffy/hot without AC or a breeze. The owners were so gracious that they even switched us from our incredible room with a view to a bottom floor room where we were slightly more shielded from the noise. While it made it slightly more tolerable, we still could not sleep. I booked this hotel thinking we would be able to tolerate the usual Oaxaca city noise, but this is so much more than that. If you can sleep in the middle of a nightclub without being blackout drunk, then give this a try. Otherwise, I'll try not to say "I told you so."

We spent a week here. We had a nice room overlooking the beautiful courtyard. The room was a little small and the bed was overly firm, but otherwise ok. No one on staff speaks much English, but Gabriel who runs the little restaurant in the lobby does and he is very helpful. Its convenient to Santo Domingo and to the main zocalo area. There are plenty of restaurants a short walk a way also.

We spent a weekend in Oaxaca and stayed and Casa Sotano. The price was really reasonable, which was a major reason I chose it. It turned out the location and hotel were pretty good, so it was a great value! Perhaps my love for the city of Oaxaca is influencing my review, but I found Casa Oaxaca to be a great budget hotel. Casa Sotano is about a 10 minute walk from the centro. While it is on a quiet street, plenty of restaurants and bars are nearby. The room was fine - bed was ok, and there was a tv though we never used it. The bathroom was super tiny! Like, I am not a big person and it was hard to move around. If you are over 6 foot or weigh over 200 lbs, it might be tricky. Maybe other rooms are more spacious. Casa Oaxaca has a restaurant/bar on the roof that we didn't try, but looked like a nice place to get a drink and enjoy the view. Hotel staff was super kind and helpful. They helped us plan our trip to monte alban (we didn't want to hire a guide but just had some questions about when to go) and they gave us a late check out our last day. While it is certainly not a luxury hotel, it's a nice place to stay while in oaxaca.