Oaxaca, Mexico

Cocolia Hotel

Cocolia Hotel Photos

Style

Tierra-rooted retreat

Setting

Margins of Mazunte

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Peeking through the wild tropics of Oaxaca’s southern coast, adults-only Cocolia Hotel is a pared-back love letter to the landscape. Simple silhouettes, red cedar and earthy tones define each standalone suite, secluded behind a veil of foliage — some verdant, others lacy enough for glimpses of the Pacific. Whether or not you can catch sight of it from bed, two saltwater pools provide a lofty perch from which to admire its shimmer, and a celebrated restaurant brings its fresh, salty flavours to the forefront.

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A welcome ritual and coffee ritual

Facilities

Photos Cocolia Hotel facilities

Need to know

Rooms

28, including two suites.

Check–Out

Noon, and check-in is at 3pm. Both are flexible until 6pm and from 10am respectively, subject to availability and a $30 fee.

Also

Unfortunately, this hotel’s steep hillside setting makes it unsuitable if you have limited mobility.

Please note

The hotel’s nearest beach, Playa Mermejita, is not suitable for swimming due to its powerful open-ocean currents.

At the hotel

Beach nearby, open-air yoga studio and free WiFi throughout. In rooms: ceiling and floor fans, mosquito net, minibar, free bottled water and natural bath products.

Our favourite rooms

Minimalist, indoor-outdoor designs across each standalone room mean there isn’t much distinction between spaces. Really, it comes down to view and size: Horizon Views are the most striking for their far-reaching panoramas; Nature Views bring flora up close, and Ocean Views are the most immersive. If it's more space you're after, Premium picks will be best.

Poolside

Perched at the hill’s highest point, the two saltwater infinity pools make for particularly scenic swimming spots with tiered, lounger-lined decks that watch over Punta Cometa from their lofty outlook.

Packing tips

An appreciation for land and locale — Cocolia brings both to the fore.

Also

The shala is an open-air studio space, tickled by tropics and set-up for meditation, yoga and holistic rituals. An open-sided jungle-spying sitting area, the Contemplar, extends the invitation to slow right down.

Pet‐friendly

Dogs are welcome in all rooms and shared areas, including the restaurant, for $30 a night. Beds and bowls are available on request. See more pet-friendly hotels in Oaxaca.

Children

Cocolia Hotel welcomes over-16s only.

Sustainability efforts

Cocolia’s commitment to protecting its natural surroundings started from the outset, when designers decided to raise rooms off the ground, thus minimizing their impact on the land. Everything was crafted by locals with Mexican-made materials; and today, 40 per cent of the hotel’s land is protected from development to help preserve natural habitats, with solar energy, rainwater collection and greywater systems in place to conserve resources. Composting and recycling schemes help reduce waste, and Cocolia’s ties to the local communities extend to working with Mazunte’s farmers, supporting biodiversity and conservation initiatives, and helping protect a turtle camp at nearby Mermejita.

Food and Drink

Photos Cocolia Hotel food and drink

Top Table

Flora-fringed tables near the front are best for views out to Punta Cometa.

Dress Code

Cacao’s pride of place calls for Mexican-made pieces such as Dezso’s colourful shell necklaces and Collectiva Concepción dresses.

Hotel restaurant

Edged by the jungle with headland views, Cacao is a restaurant that takes its love for the land seriously. Knotted-wood tables have been handcrafted by Mazunte’s artisans and the classically Mexican dishes that top them feature seasonal produce from its sustainable, small-scale suppliers. For breakfast, homemade fried-corn tortillas come topped with huevos however you like ’em, before menus morph into all-day offerings of coconut-cream ceviche, chickpea tostados, shrimp (both bisque and sashimi) and wood-fired pizzas for those happier on dry land.

Hotel bar

Mezcalería does what it says on the bottle — and does it incredibly well. Menus are designed to separate each mezcal by region, footnoting defining flavours (some are smooth and smoky, others floral and fruity) with stories about their production and age. There are salty and citrusy add-ons available for each, and cocktails make sampling the fiery spirit a little easier. A selection of casual Oaxacan plates is at the ready to accompany tastings.

Last orders

Breakfast runs from 8am to noon; lunch is noon until 6pm, and dinner is 6pm to 10.30pm. Mezcalería is open from 2pm until 10.30pm.

Room service

Cacao’s dishes can be delivered to your door between 8am and 10pm.

Location

Photos Cocolia Hotel location
Address
Cocolia Hotel
Camino Mermejita s/n
Mazunte
70946
Mexico

Cocolia Hotel is carved into Oaxaca’s Pacific coast, in the small beach village of Mazunte and a short walk from Playa Mermejita.

Planes

Your nearest international airports are both around a 75-minute drive away, in Puerto Escondido and Huatulco. Private two- to four-person transfers can be arranged on request for around MXN$2,800 each way.

Automobiles

Cars aren't essential; the beach is within walking distance, and taxis can take you into town, which is fairly walkable itself. If you’re bringing your own wheels, make sure it’s a high-clearance 4WD (or ATV) and you’re a confident driver — Cocolia’s entrance is up a steep dirt road. Once you arrive, there's free parking on-site.

Worth getting out of bed for

Cocolia’s saltwater infinity pools, meditation and yoga pavilion, and in-house mezcalería may make for tempting reasons to stay put; but wander five minutes down the hill, and you’ll be reminded that this hotel’s appeal extends far beyond its borders. You can’t swim in Playa Mermejita’s powerful waters, but its close-to-home setting and serene sands make it an enticing spot to bask, nonetheless. Currents are calmer at Playa Mazunte, and its shoreline is backed by the namesake town’s rustic restaurants, boutiques and independent galleries.

Coastal trails conclude at Punta Cometa’s headland for storied sunsets, and Centro Mexicano de la Tortuga teaches all about turtle conservation. For more Pacific-based pursuits, guided boat tours can take you around La Ventanilla’s wildlife-rich lagoons, or dolphin and whale watching when the season’s right. 

Local restaurants

Your first flavour of Oaxaca’s beloved fare is swiftly handled by La Tertulia, a laidback spot that serves its adored-by-all tacos from a beachfront shack. Kali turns away from tradition and looks toward the Mediterranean for its fresh, seasonal dishes, while Cenzontle takes you further still, with award-winning, artisanal burgers.

Local cafés

For oven-warm loaves, pastries, well-stuffed sandwiches and caffeine boosts, roam along Calle Rinconcito to small-scale bakery, La Baguette. 

Local bars

Mezcal fills menus at most bars in Mazunte, and La Bodega shows exactly why. Its relaxed, rustic set-up serves the award-winning Oaxacan spirit on the sand, alongside classic Mexican comfort food and a selection of craft cocktails. 

Reviews

Photos Cocolia Hotel reviews

Anonymous review

By Mr & Mrs Smith

Every hotel featured is visited personally by members of our team, given the Smith seal of approval, and then anonymously reviewed. As soon as our reviewers have returned from this in-the-hills hotel near Mazunte and finished sampling their variety of mezcals, a full account of their Earth-kind break will be with you. In the meantime, to whet your wanderlust, here's a quick peek inside Cocolia Hotel in Oaxaca…

We can’t vouch for the Aztec treasure that’s rumoured to hide around the peninsula of Punta Cometa, but we have struck upon something just as special: an adults-only escape high in the hills of Mazunte. And Cocolia Hotel, it seems, is quite the golden find.

This sustainable hideaway knows how to flaunt its natural wealth. Standalone suites come shrouded by the coast’s tropics, uniting low-impact, open-fronted designs with strikingly simple finishes that allow your bedside views to shine. Savour the sea’s riches with ceviche and sashimi at the provenance-proud restaurant, or simply admire the Pacific’s might from either of a duo of infinity-edge pools.

Curated activities such as mezcal tasting and cookery classes tap into Oaxaca’s cultural riches, too. Once you’ve united with your nahual spirit during a meditative ritual in the shala, leaving your Cocolia cocoon may prove even harder. However, this wild shore’s abundant beauty and the storied headland's call reward those who venture further with yet more gems.

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