Siete Balcones (7 Balconies)

Dinner was okay -- no meal with cigaratte smoke is ever fantastic, this one was okay, but perhaps because we were tired from the trip, everything seemed like a bit of an effort.

Our hotel, Casona del Llano, got great reviews on TripAdvisor.com. But the combination of an uncomfortable bed, luke-warm staff and distance from the Zocalo gave us sufficient motivation to consider other hotel options. And a good reason for a walk through Oaxaca on a beautiful day.

We found some of the hotels our cab driver had recommended, and I started to get nervous about actually getting a room at a nice hotel during the Christmas holiday. We stumbled across Hotel de los Siete Balcones at the corner of the pedestrian walkway (the Alcala) and Morelos, one block from the Zocalo. We decided this was the perfect location, and were not disappointed.

It's a small hotel, just 7 rooms (5 regular, 2 master suites, one of which we took, which actually had 2 balconies). The staff was super-friendly, it includes a breakfast of fresh fruit, yogurt, granola, hot chocolate and coffee, and a few days they had tomales and quesadillas. All in a beautiful courtyard. Grade: A+