Casa de las Mariposas (Butterfly House), Mazunte, Oaxaca, Mexico.

Earthen home in Mazunte, Mexico

  1. 8 guests
  2. 2 bedrooms
  3. 5 beds
  4. 1.5 baths
Rated 4.59 out of 5 stars.166 reviews
Hosted by Sarah
  1. 11 years hosting

Listing highlights

24-hour self check-in

Check yourself in with the lockbox whenever you arrive.

Beach and garden views

Soak up the views during your stay.

Dedicated workspace

A room with wifi that’s well-suited for working.
Some info has been automatically translated.
Casa de las Mariposas is our beautiful, hand-made family home. Set above and overlooking the beaches of Mazunte, Rinconcito and San Agustinillo, with stunning Pacific views of the Oaxacan coastline. If you enjoy all things nature and seek a spacious ,natural environment to relax and get away from it all, you will feel at home here. Bring an open heart and a love of nature and you will love your stay with us.

The space
Casa de las Mariposas is in the beautiful village of Mazunte, one of Mexico's much revered "Pueblos Magicos" both can be found on Go ogle search.

We are a 10-15 minute walk at a leisurely pace, or 2 minute drive down to Rinconcito beach, Mazunte beach, Mermajita's beaches or all the shops, bars and restaurants and only 20 minutes to the beautiful and legendary sunsets of Punta Cometa.

It's really peaceful on our little hill. You won't be woken by traffic, music and drumming, or rooster calls throughout the night, unlike in the village and beaches.

We can sleep up to 8 adults. 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. We have a lockable wardrobe and small safe for your valuables.

We have a fully equipped, open plan kitchen, 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 a dining table to seat a further 6 people.

The spacious bathroom has 2 full-length mirrors, a 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 views.

The house is a combination of solar and mains electricity, with complimentary wifi sufficient for all average needs. Most of the village's cafes, restaurants, have high-speed fibre optic should you have large files to upload or download. They will gladly let you use their wifi if you buy food or a drink.

Drinking water is supplied for you and delivered weekdays, let me know in good time when running low.

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 10 minute walk downhill to the beach or village but a longer 20 minute walk up, not really suitable for elderly parents, especially in the heat of the day.

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 loud music.

Security is not a problem with 4 outdoor cameras for peace of mind, but please keep your valuables locked away and out of sight wherever possible, your security is 100% your responsibility.

There are many mosquitos in Mexico and bug repellent can be purchased locally, you will find that most homes and all restaurants are completely open in Mazunte. At Casa de Las Mariposas we have installed screens on all our windows and doors and nets on every bed, which helps massively, but some mosquitos will always find their way into the house, especially with a palm roof.

Bugs are part of life in rural Mexico, especially anywhere beyond the centre of towns. You will come across spiders and sometimes 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 and see our pygmy skunk who very occasionally calls into 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.


Finally, please note, we are not a hotel nor do we claim to offer hotel quality facilities or services, we are a totally original, rustic, handmade family home, set in nature, with all that comes with that. We give you the opportunity to experience a little piece of the real Mexico, so often missed by many travellers. Please remember that we can not 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.

Guest access
The entire house and all facilities will be only yours during your stay.

Other things to note
Bring a torch. This will not be provided and is essential for getting about in the evenings.
We provide bath towels that remain in the house, toilet roll and hand soap.

Bug spray/repellent is advised on the coast in the evenings. The house is fully screened, but it's impossible to control mosquitos or small bugs.

This is a part solar part electric powered house, please turn off the lights and fans and use power respectfully.
Security inside and outside the property is your own responsibility, and valuables should be locked or hidden away when leaving the house, we have 4 outdoor security cameras for your peace of mind.

Check-in time is anytime after 3pm, check out time is 11am. There is a coded box with the keys at the front door. It can be difficult to find the house in the dark the first time, arrive in daylight if you can or use local taxis.

We can be flexible with check in/out times but this is dependant on prior or future guests - let us know your schedule in advance and where possible we will always help.

We are NOT a hotel, nor do we claim to offer hotel standards, facilities or services, we are a completely original rustic family home made by hand in beautiful, rural surroundings, please make sure all your group are comfortable with this style of holiday before booking.
We will however, give you the opportunity to experience a little piece of traditional Mexico that many travellers often miss.
Everyone around here moves at a relaxed speed, the way they live their lives.
Remember, we cannot control wildlife, animals, or insects, nor public transportation, public roads, or the weather, come prepared to enjoy your experience, the way life on the Oaxacan coast should be lived. .. with a relaxed, happy attitude and an open mind, but please, parties are held in the village or on the beach, never at the house!

Where you’ll sleep

What this place offers

Beach view
Bay view
Kitchen
Wifi
Dedicated workspace
Unavailable: Smoke alarm

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4.59 out of 5 stars from 166 reviews

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Overall rating

  1. 5 stars, 70% of reviews
  2. 4 stars, 22% of reviews
  3. 3 stars, 7% of reviews
  4. 2 stars, 1% of reviews
  5. 1 stars, 1% of reviews

Rated 4.4 out of 5 stars for cleanliness

Rated 4.8 out of 5 stars for accuracy

Rated 4.7 out of 5 stars for check-in

Rated 4.8 out of 5 stars for communication

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars for location

Rated 4.6 out of 5 stars for value

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Where you’ll be

Mazunte, Oaxaca, Mexico
This listing's location is verified.

Neighborhood highlights

Our little neighbourhood consists of a few private homes scattered about the hill owned and lived in by mostly foreigners or out of towners who have chosen Mazunte as their permanent home. We love our peaceful, happy neighbourhood and although set above the village feel very much a part of everything but without the noise and dust of traffic and passing traders, it's a true escape. For this reason our rule of no parties, music or noise disturbance after 11pm must please be respected.

Meet your host

Host
166 reviews
4.59 out of 5 average rating
11 years of hosting
My work: I study, my mum works with austistic adults teaching them to trust and comminicate within the world outside of theirs and teaching the people around them to understand them better..
Speaks English and Spanish
Hi there, My name is Naiya, my mum is called Sarah and this is a snippet of our story. In 1999 my mum began a road trip that unknown to her would completely change her life. The journey started in a trailer park in West Virginia where she found a 1972 Winnebago covered in canvas and abandoned by it's owners for many years. the plan was to drive all the way down through Mexico to Belize and Costa Rica and on to South America. The adventure started well and she saw no reason not to complete her journey from beginning to end, the Winnebago had other plans. A few days before Christmas with a puff and a splutter the engine died and she rolled into a beautiful little beach village called Mazunte on the west coast of Oaxaca. It took a month to find and fix the problem and during this time she fell in love with Mexico and Mazunte and a whole new life as she saw it could be. That month changed her world and started mine, her first decision was to have a baby, she was the happiest, healthiest and most relaxed she had ever been in life and just knew this was the place to do it. It happened immediately and she spent 7 beautiful months on the beach with me growing inside her, it was incredible but having decided to give birth to me in her home town in the UK and fearing that she would never return she gathered every last penny she had and bought a chunk of land on a hill over looking the village and the beautiful ocean, it was a crazy decision but this way she would have to come back. She left for the UK with a heavy heart and a big round tummy a week later. My mum and I managed to return many times as I grew bigger and stronger, doing little bits of work on the land each time, first a bodega where we could store tools and live while we would be building then foundations and on one occasion we gathered a team of helpers and 2 Italian carpenters and managed to construct the roof. It was so frustrating for her not having the money to pay builders and architects to create our dream but working and saving money, now in the States, gave her time to understand the land and people and really appreciate every inch and moment we would spend there. Between running a business and being a mum she spent hours and hours every day and night on-line and in libraries learning everything she could about building on a budget and gathering ideas and pictures from wherever she could, a plan was formed. She sold up and packed up we and moved to Mexico permanently when I was only 3. That was it, she wanted to build our new lives for us away from the craziness of the western world and she was going to do it! Having plenty of ideas by now and hundreds of sketches but very little money we arrived with tools and a few books from Amazon on natural building. We lived in the dirt for 3 long years as the house slowly grew around us (we have so many stories). Our trusty worker Roman (now the gardener), myself and my courageous mum did almost all the work together, it must have been a long and difficult journey for her and I know she was lonely at times but we achieved the impossible dream and created this our beautiful home where we lived so very happily for 7 more years. We now live in the UK, we came back just for school really and we'll stay until I finish all my studies, raising money by renting our home to you to keep it maintained and help towards my future University fees, it's been tough on my Mum leaving our dream but it's for all the right reasons and I love her for doing it for me. As for the Winnebago, she sold her to a circus in Pochutla to buy wood to build our roof with. We watched her disappear into the sunset, driven by the ringmaster, with a lion in a cage towing behind her ... me waving madly, perched as always on the side of Mum's hip, Mum smiling with tears rolling down her face (true story). Our motto: A little courage can take you anywhere.

Host details

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Things to know

Cancellation policy
House rules
Check-in: 3:00 PM - 2:00 AM
Checkout before 11:00 AM
8 guests maximum
Safety & property
No smoke alarm
Carbon monoxide alarm
Must climb stairs