Oaxaca - Not Quite the Welcome We Expected!

Oaxaca | November 3–4, 2026

After several exciting days in Mexico City, Karen and I were looking forward to discovering Oaxaca.

Our journey began with a little airport excitement.

Google Wallet informed Karen that our flight was delayed by an hour. With that extra time available, we decided to relax, have lunch and even make a Starbucks stop. There might also have been a McDonald's hash brown involved.

But just as we were preparing to make our leisurely way to the gate, Karen checked the airline information again.

Suddenly, the flight didn't appear to be delayed at all.

And according to the updated information, we had approximately four minutes before departure!

Panic!

We raced toward the gate, only to discover that the flight was, in fact, delayed.

At least we got some exercise.

Welcome to Casa Kabii

Arriving in Oaxaca, we headed to our hotel, Casa Kabii.

Unfortunately, our accommodation wasn't quite what we had envisioned.

First, we arrived at approximately 2:30 p.m. and were told that check-in wasn't until 3:00 p.m.

Fair enough. But things didn't improve much from there.

The beds were hard, there weren't enough towels, the bath mat was a questionable shade of grey, and there was hair in the shower drain.

There was also no hot water, a broken safe and a tiny gecko that had somehow made its way under the patio door.

Not exactly the relaxing boutique hotel experience we had hoped for.

At Least the City Was Beautiful

Fortunately, Oaxaca itself was a different story.

We explored the historic centre and enjoyed lunch overlooking Santo Domingo, where our platter included meats, cheeses and even grasshoppers.

We wandered through the decorated streets, explored shops and parks, and began getting acquainted with the city's colourful architecture.

Although we missed our planned walking tour, we still managed to enjoy our first afternoon.

Eventually, we decided it was time for a hotel change, and we moved to Casa Quiote.

With more comfortable accommodations secured, we could finally focus on enjoying everything Oaxaca had to offer.