FAQ

How do you get to Oaxaca?

Flying: There are now direct flights from Houston and Dallas, Texas to Oaxaca City. Or you can also fly into Mexico City and then to Oaxaca.
Bus: You can take a deluxe bus from Mexico City to Oaxaca from the TAPO bus station. Buses leave about every hour and take 6 hours. You can also take a deluxe bus from right inside the airport over to Puebla (1 to 2 hours) and then a bus down to Oaxaca, or stay over in downtown Puebla for a day or so.

Is there a bank or ATM near Casa Adobe?
There is an ATM and bank on the main road just outside of Tlalixtac—less than a mile from us. We can take our guests over there to use the bank services whenever they like. ATM’s give the best rate of exchange.

What forms of payment can I use to make my deposit.
We accept transfers by Western Union (contact us for details).
We are not able to accept credit cards.

Can I pay my bill in dollars?
We prefer to be paid in pesos at the rate of exchange on your date of arrival.

Is it safe to drink the water at Casa Adobe?
Everyone uses bottled water, and while our water in the house is chlorinated we still supply bottled water for our guests.

Can I eat salads and fruit?
If you are in a good restaurant in the downtown area that should be fine as the restaurants disinfect their vegetables and fruits. However, eating fruit from a street vender would be risky. If you are reasonable in what and where you eat and always wash your hands you should not have a problem.

Where is a good place to buy a zapotec rug?
The best area is Teotitlan del Valle. You can go into different weaver’s houses and see how the rugs are made or check out the rugs in the small rug market in the plaza. We highly recommend El Tono de la Cochinilla. The family run business makes all their rugs by hand–from carding the wool to weaving and will provide a demonstration.

How easy is it to get around the valley from Casa Adobe?
Buses and colectivos pass every few minutes three blocks from the house, these only go into Oaxaca City. About 1 kilometer from the house is the international highway with buses to all of the other villages and sites in the area. We usually drive our guests out to those bus stops.

What is a colectivo?
The colectivo’s in Oaxaca are burgundy and white and while they might look like a taxi, they don’t have a taxi sign on the roof. What you will see is a sign in the windshield that indicates where they going. i.e Tlalixtac. Once you enter the colectivo, it won’t leave until it’s full. Cheaper than a taxi but more expensive than the bus, we like to think of it as a ride-share, of sorts.

Is it safe to walk around Oaxaca and Tlalixtac during the day and at night?
Oaxaca is quite safe for foreign tourists, and the people in our town and other small towns will always be glad to help you. However, when you are in the various markets and especially on “market days”, always try and be aware of the people around you as pickpockets can be very quick.