Staying at the Casa Na Bolom museum is guaranteed to enhance your visit to San Cristóbal. Founded in 1951 by archaeologist Frans Blom and photographer and conservationist Trudy Blom, the house has become a cultural centre for studies into indigenous cultures and the conservation of the Lacandon Jungle and its people.
Volunteers run the house and continue the Bloms’ work (money from guests goes towards various community projects in the jungle), and tours of the museum are included in the price of your stay. Throughout the house you’ll see photos taken by Trudy Blom chronicling her explorations and excavation work. Rooms are characterful, with antique wooden furniture and multi-coloured textiles. You can talk to members of the Lacandon villages (if they’re in town), attend one of the regular candle-lit piano concerts in the museum’s small chapel, or simply swap stories with other enthusiastic guests over delicious communal meals. Afterwards, cosy up before bed in front of your own fireplace.
Highs
- Money from guests directly benefits the Lacandon people
- You get a free guided tour around the museum - an architecturally and culturally fascinating building with many artefacts
- Lying in bed, warm and cosy from your open fire
- There are fascinating trips to the local villages, where you'll visit markets, dress up in traditional Mayan clothes and try the local hooch
Lows
- Non-central location, about 7 blocks from the Zócalo (main sqaure)
- Rooms have no central heating and can feel damp and chilly in the mornings
- You’re not staying in a boutique hotel but a museum, so be prepared for people wandering about the courtyards
- No safe boxes in the rooms, although you can leave valuables in the reception/office
Best time to go
San Cristóbal and the surrounding highlands have a temperate climate, and daytime temperatures generally remain warm all year round. Nights can be pleasantly cool in summer (June-October), but in the winter you’ll be glad there are blankets and fires in the rooms. Nestling in front of an open log fire can be very romantic - just bear in mind the nightly drop in temperature when you book your trip.
Our top tips
If you can, take a guided tour of the mountain village of Chamula on special religious days. The indigenous villagers use the Catholic cathedral but their ceremonies and rituals (from chicken sacrifices to drinking posh, the region’s firewater) are fascinating. Visitors are allowed to watch, although no photos are permitted.
- Boutique Guesthouse
- 16 rooms
- Breakfast (+ other meals on request)
- Over 2s welcome
- Open all year
- Pool
- Spa Treatments
- Beach Nearby
- Pet Friendly
- Disabled Access
- Car not necessary
- Parking
- Restaurants Nearby
- WiFi
- Air Conditioning
- Guest Lounge
- Terrace
- Garden
- Gym
- Bicycles Available
Rooms
Casa Na Bolom has 16 guest rooms, which are all named after various towns in the state of Chiapas and decorated accordingly. They’re basic but authentic, with interesting reading material, old photographs, spotless bathrooms, fresh drinking water and antique wooden furniture.
We stayed in a (slightly dark) Standard Room just off one of 2 pretty courtyards filled with flower pots. The wall hangings and bedspreads were made from the typical blue-coloured textiles of the town of Mictonic; beside us was San Bartolme, which had similar woven furnishings in red.
Other rooms are closer to the herb garden (look out for the thatched 'spiritual altar', used for healing ceremonies and purification rituals conducted by Lacandon shamans). The larger Premier Rooms (Amatenango, Huixtan and La Cueva) are brighter, with views over the yellow courtyards.
All rooms have hearty fireplaces - useful, as temperatures can drop suddenly here. We felt a bit nervous about starting a fire, but kindling and pitch sticks are already arranged so they’re easy to light. It made our room beautifully cosy and our nights at Na Bolom far less chilly.
Features include:
- WiFi
Eating
The flavoursome homemade bread, granola and marmalade are the highlights of Na Bolom’s breakfast, served at one of the round tables in the museum’s courtyard. You can also have eggs done a number of ways - try them Frans Blom style, with red and green salsa.
A communal dinner is dished up daily in the vast dining room, which has an extremely long table and various paintings, tapestries and pieces of artwork (including carved wooden jaguars) that have been donated by guests over the years. The furniture, including the locally-made leather-backed wooden chairs, dates from the 60s and you can still see the Bloms’ personal touch around the room - for example in the overhead lamp shades made out of their old hats.
Most of the organic ingredients used in the 3-course meals come straight from the garden (from squash and cabbage to fennel and sage). We started with a tasty carrot soup, then moved on to salad, green rice and chicken brochettes - all placed on the table in healthy-sized platters. We were joined by a lively Danish tour group, who pitched in passing out plentiful second helpings.
Lunch is available at the museum but most guests are out exploring the town during the day. We chanced upon a sweet little place nearby, Dona Chayito, with a lasagne-like dish called Pastel Azteca that was simply delicious. There are also plenty of restaurants, cafés and market stands around San Cristóbal’s Zócalo.
Features include:
- Breakfast
- Communal dining
- Dinner by arrangement
- Lunch by arrangement
- Organic produce
- Restaurants nearby
- Vegetarian options
Activities
- Explore the museum and gain an insight into the Bloms’ work with the Lacandon people
- Join a tour of one of the conservation projects in the Lacandon Jungle
- Attend a candle-lit piano recital in the museum’s chapel (held on Wednesday and Friday evenings and Sunday afternoon)
- Take a guided tour of mountain villages, where you’ll visit indigenous churches and homes
- Take a walking tour of San Cristóbal and its fascinating markets
- If they’re in town, join members of the Lacandon people over a communal meal and find out about their history and local conservation issues
- Arrange a spiritual cleansing with a shaman
- Buy beautiful handicrafts, including hand-woven blankets and bags, from the smiling village elders in the museum courtyards
- Visit the stunning Sumidero Canyon nearby. The canyon holds important cultural significance for local people and is home to many species of wildlife, including crocodiles
Activities on site or nearby include:
- Birdwatching
- Hiking
- Historical sites
- Horse riding
- Museums / galleries
- Nightlife
- Plantlife / flora
- Shopping / markets
- Traditional cultures
- Trekking
- Wildlife
- Yoga
Kids
Children over the age of 2 are welcome, and some rooms have space for up to 3 or 4 guests. The hotel has a safe enclosed courtyard, and its own botanical gardens.
Best for:
Children (4-12 years), Teens (over 12)
Family friendly accommodation:
San Bartolome, Mitontic and Zinacantan can sleep 4 in 2 double beds. Most other rooms can sleep 2 adults and 1 child.
Extra Beds Available
Babysitting:
Babysitting is available by arrangement.
For more family-friendly places, see our Kids Collection
Location
Casa Na Bolom is located in the small city of San Cristóbal de las Casas in Mexico's most southerly state, Chiapas.
By Air
Tuxtla Gutierrez Angel Albino Corzo International (99km away) is the nearest airport. It's served by domestic flights from Mexico City, Guadalajara and Huatulco - click on the links below for a list of airlines.
From the Airport
Take a taxi or one of the frequent shuttle vans to San Cristóbal (see Rates for an idea of cost). The journey takes around 2 hours.
By Bus
There are regular buses to San Cristóbal from Tuxtla Gutierrez (a journey of 2 hours) and Palenque (5 hours). Two or more buses also operate daily between San Cristóbal and Mexico City (19 hours), Oaxaca (12 hours), Puerto Escondido (12 hours), Mérida (13 hours), Villahermosa (7 hours), Chetumal (10 hours), Playa del Carmen (13-16 hours), Tulum (12-16 hours) and Cancún (17 hours). See bus schedules.
By Car
Having the use of a car makes exploring further afield easier - see our car rental recommendations.
Detailed directions to Casa Na Bolom will be provided when a booking is confirmed.
More on getting to Mexico and getting around
Airports:
- Tuxtla Gutierrez Angel Albino Corzo International 99.0 km TGZ
Other:
- Beach 150.0 km
- Shops 0.5 km
- Restaurant 0.5 km