Otro Oaxaca, a Member of Design Hotels

The reception knew it was my wife’s bday and a note and gift awaited her in the room. Throughout our stay they assisted us on WhatsApp. The spa was unique and words do not describe the experience in the cenote. But I have never been in a hotel with this amenity. The bar and pool on the roof were great features and probably better to use in hotter seasons. The hamburger in the restaurant was exceptional. Need I say more.

I would not recommend this hotel. I'll start with the good: Location is great, the design looks good, the cleaning staff were lovely, The cenote is unique and cool. The upstairs restaurant, Cobarde, is great. End of list. This is labeled as a "5-star hotel" on Google and is priced as such for Oaxaca. Be aware that this is not a 5-star hotel. The design, while visually stunning, makes for one of the most user-unfriendly rooms I've ever stayed in. Very uncomfortable, tight spaces. Nowhere comfortable to sit but the bed. The bathroom is tight and awkward, a nightmare to use with someone else. The room smelled of sewage in the bathroom and mildew from the AC. There is nowhere to unpack your clothes except for a couple of hangers. Though the rooms have doors and windows, they are not sealed and you can hear every single noise coming from outside, including people clomping up and down the metal staircase all night (again, looks cool but, wow, what a dumb design choice,) as well as every noise from the neighboring room and bathroom, and the thumping sounds of the DJ they had in the courtyard the night we arrived. I slept with earplugs each of the five nights we were there. One bottle of water for two people isn't enough, and asking for refills multiple times a day is annoying. The cost of this room is the same as I paid for an Edition hotel in Europe and the experiences are night and day. The service also does not merit a 5-star rating, except the cleaners. Though everyone working there was friendly, requests to the front desk are inconsistently addressed. We asked if we could move to a larger room, the attendant said they would look into it but never followed through. One morning we had a very early tour, so I asked if we could have coffee brought to the room early in the morning. They assured me it would be there. It never turned up, and the person working the desk when we left seemed unaware of the request. Before the trip, I had arranged for flowers for my partner's birthday to be delivered first thing in the morning. They turned up around 3pm (honestly I was surprised they turned up at all.) If this hotel was priced correctly, some of these things could be overlooked. But it's one of the most expensive hotels in the city. I did not look forward to returning to our room each day, which is not the feeling a "5-star" hotel should evoke.