What are we?

Casa de las Mariposas is our beautiful and peaceful  hand-made family home. Set above and over-looking the beaches of Mazunte, Rinconcito and San Agustinillo, we offer stunning Pacific views of the rural, Oaxacan coastline. If you enjoy all things nature and seek a calm, comfortable, natural environment to relax and get away from it all, you will feel at home in our much loved house on the hill.

Mazunte is one of Mexico's much revered "Pueblo Magicos". The Government created the 'Pueblos Mágicos' program to recognize places across the country that have certain characteristics and traditions that make them unique, and historically significant, offering magical experiences to visitors. A "Magical Village" is a place with symbolism, legends, history, important events, festivals, traditions, great food, and enjoyable shopping, day-to-day life – in other words, "magic" in its social and cultural manifestations. Like the other Pueblo Magicos of Mexico, Mazunte offers visitors special experiences because of its natural beauty, cultural richness, traditions, folklore, historical relevance, cuisine, art crafts, and great hospitality.

 We are a 10-15 minute walk, at a leisurely pace, down to Rinconcito beach, Mazunte beach, Mermajita's beaches and the shops, bars and restaurants and only 20 minutes to the beautiful and legendary sunsets of Punta Cometa. Bring a willingness to enjoy a good up and downhill walk.

 

It's really peaceful on our little hill, you won't be woken by traffic, late night drumming or rooster calls throughout the night as is the case closer to the village and beaches.

Please note, we do not offer hotel quality facilities or service, this is a family home available for short term rentals while we are away from Mexico.


In order to maintain the peace and tranquility of the area, we insist on strictly no parties, gatherings and no loud music after 11pm. Our neighbours are elderly, live close by and are fearless, they will come to the house to complain if disturbed late at night. You may be asked to find alternative accomodation with no refund if they are disrespected.


 We can sleep up to 8 adults and two kids, family groups are ideal as we have just two bedrooms. Upstairs we sleep 6 adults in 3 beds and the downstairs bedroom has one double and a short double or cabin bed ideal for kids or hobbits. There is a cot available for tiny tots too. We have a lockable wardrobe and small safe for your valuables. 


Casa de las Mariposas is protected as much as possible by mosquito screens. There are many mosquitos in Mexico and bug repellent can be purchased locally or bring your own, despite the screens on our windows and doors, mosquitos will always find their way into the house, especially with a palm roof. Most other homes and all restaurants are completely open in Mazunte and the surrounding villages so you should aim to be protected from mosquito's at all times.


We have a fully equipped, open plan kitchen with a refrigerator with small freezer, large gas stove with oven, coffee machine, liquidiser and a breakfast table with seating for 4. There is a comfortable lounge/reading area and second dining area with dining table to seat a further 6 people. 


The spacious bathroom has 2 full length mirrors, hand-sculpted shower and a standard flushing toilet as opposed to a dry toilet, more commonly found in the area. The bath tub pictured does not function, we simply don't have enough water in Mazunte for such a luxury.


The balcony, with a drop down desk for laptops looks out over the surrounding area and stunning sea views. You may find yourself tempted to spend your entire stay upstairs.  

We have a large private garden which comes with a 15 minute discrete watering visit week day mornings from Juan, he only speaks Spanish but is willing to help with anything you may need.


The house is a combination of solar and mains electricity, with complimentary wifi, occasionally sluggish, but sufficient for all average needs. Most of the village cafes, restaurants and hotels now have high speed fibre optic should you have large files to up or download and they will gladly invite you use their wifi as long as you buy food or a drink. There are  several with swimming pools that will allow you access if you use their restaurant.


Drinking water is supplied for you and delivered week days, should you run out let Juan know.


You will have private access to the entire house and garden as we sadly no longer live locally.


The road to the house is an easy 15 minute walk downhill to the beach or village but a longer 20-25 minute walk up at a slow pace, not for the unsteady, frail or unfit, especially in the heat of the day, it pays to be organised.


Do bring a good torch for the evening. Mazunte only has street lights on main roads so this is essential.  


The house is private and hidden from the road, so interaction with the village is entirely under your control. The beauty of living in this location is the privacy and peace it offers at all times so please respect our 11pm curfew on music and loudness.


Security is not a problem but do keep your valuables locked away and out of site wherever possible to avoid temptation, we are not immune to petty theft and your security is 100% your responsibility.


Bugs are part of life in rural Mexico, especially anywhere beyond the centre of towns. You will come across spiders and scorpions in all homes and hotels. The common Black and tan scorpion you find indoors are not dangerous but no one wants that kind of holiday experience so we supply bug killer in the house just in case and suggest a squirt to disable them ( they always drop to the ground seconds later ) followed by a swift whack with a flip flop, this will end all concerns. It becomes automatic to shake out towels and shoes before using them as a precaution too. The house is fumigated every 2 months for your comfort but we cannot control the wildlife, you may even be lucky to see our pigmy skunk who very occassionaly calls in to the kitchen looking for late night snacks.


The drive up to the house takes several minutes but it should be noted that the dirt road can be difficult to negotiate for inexperienced drivers in the rainy months.   If renting a car please take out full insurance to cover yourselves for inevitable bumps and the odd scratch.  We have private parking for up to 3 vehicles. There are local taxis in the centre of the village for guests without vehicles or those wanting to keep their vehicles on the paved roads down the hill, you can get a taxi up the hill and be home in minutes. We also have recommended drivers for airport and bus station pick ups and drop offs. We can connect you with the right person if required, they cost much less than the official airport taxis.


Everything you need for a comfortable and fun stay is available in the village of Mazunte with many great restaurants to choose from, as well as local festivals, daily live music and a wide choice of excursions and tours including boat trips where you can swim with turtles and whale and dolphin watch. You can visit the lagoons to see crocodiles, iguanas and 100's of native birds and all are within close reach and very reasonably priced.

The newly updated and refurbished turtle museum offers a great insight into the world of this much respected sea animal and during the season there are daily opportunities to release baby turtles into the wild, an experience adult and child alike will never forget.


San Agustinillo, Zipolite and Puerto Angel are just a short drive, taxi or collectivo ride away at a minimal cost and each beach offers the visitor a completely different experience.

The town of Pochutla is only 30 minutes away and well worth a visit on Monday market day, it offers a couple of large supermarkets, if you prefer to stock up or for those items you may not find locally. We recommend buying food and drink for the first 24hrs before arriving to the house, you won't regret it.


Just 20 minutes drive away, visit the mangroves and lagoon of Ventanilla with its natural crocodile and bird sanctuary and mini zoo and rstaurant. The stunning boat tour is a must for all nature lovers. Early morning horse riding along the long expanse of Ventanilla beach is available and incredible. Whale watching boat tours are also available in season. Further afield you may wish to go white water rafting or take water hikes and bird watching trips along the Copalito and San Francisco rivers.


Huatulco's town, breathtaking bays and international airport (HUX) are within an hour from Mazunte and can been reached by car, bus or taxi. In the opposite direction and also one hours travel is Puerto Escondido town and international airport (PAX). Famous for its fabulous waves, international surf competitions and nightlife, it's well worth a visit. The beautiful and historical city of Oaxaca is an amazing 6 hour drive or minibus ride (from Mazunte or Pochutla) through tropical forests and high altitude coffee plantations, the views are spectacular, the trip can be a little queasy for those with sensitive travel tummies. There is  alternatively a 10 hour airconditioned bus ride from Pochutla to Oaxaca with less to see but less curves in the road.  Also with it's own international airport (OAX) Oaxaca city has flights to the coast twice daily, cheapest when booked in advance.


Finally, please note, we are not a hotel nor do we claim to offer hotel quality facilities or services, we are a totally original, very rustic, handmade family home, set in nature, with all that comes with that naturally. We give you the opportunity to experience a little piece of the real Mexico so often missed by many travellers. Do please remember, we cannot control the wildlife or the bugs nor public transport, public roads or the weather. Please come willing and prepared to enjoy your experience the way life is meant to be lived on the coast of Oaxaca ... with a super-relaxed, happy attitude and an open heart and mind.


Happy travels.


Saludos, Sarah