Hotel Escondido Oaxaca

The historical center of the city of Oaxaca is a wonder — a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a fantastic tapestry of every era from the 16th century to the present. Hotel Escondido Oaxaca is a blend of its own, a 19th-century house and an attached neo-Brutalist structure, combining to create a contemporary boutique hotel designed with an eye towards blurring the distinctions between old and new.

Its proprietors, Moisés Micha and Carlos Couturier, aren’t exactly new at this — they’re the founders of Grupo Habita, and are thereby responsible for just about all of Mexico’s most stylish hotels (including, confusingly, an entirely separate Hotel Escondido on the Oaxacan coast, hours from the city).

With just twelve rooms, Hotel Escondido Oaxaca feels almost residential in scale, and there’s plenty of variety in the accommodations, from the relatively modestly sized Balcony and Patio rooms to the Top Suite, which offer roughly double the space. What they all have in common is a beautifully textured minimalist style, as well as comforts that are subtly modern and quietly luxe — the furnishings are handmade by local craftsmen, the textiles and uniforms are designed by Oaxacan artists. The old house contains the hotel’s common spaces, which include a pool, a bar, a co-working space, and a restaurant — this last one perhaps the most prized of all, given Oaxaca’s renown as one of Mexico’s culinary centers.