Candelaria Design ~ Oaxaca, Mexico Tour

May 2-8, 2024

Join us in the alluring city of Oaxaca, Mexico for a 7 day, 6 night tour in Candelaria Style!! We have teamed up with an award-winning designer here in Scottsdale, Alfonso Verduzco who works with artisans in Oaxaca to help us plan everything!

Oaxaca is the culinary and culture capital of Mexico and regularly makes Travel and Leisure magazine’s list of top 10 cities in the world! We will be staying near the main square, called the Zócalogorgeous, at a XVII-century colonial mansion converted into the boutique Hotel Sin Nombre, an ode to art, design and gastronomy. Our tour will take you on a handful of day trips beyond town and is designed to immerse you in the rich history and culture. We have lined up amazing experiences with local artisans, local chefs, a guided city/culinary tour, visits to museums and galleries, mezcal tastings, and dinners at the best award-winning restaurants!

Daily details and pricing below!

Reach out to Tiffany@candelariadesign.com to be placed on our interest list!

May 2: Fly to Oaxaca International Airport - you are responsible for your own airfare, but we will let you know the flight information we (your hosts) will be flying on. We will have airport transportation arranged to take us to the Hotel Sin Nombre, our beautiful hotel for the week. Get settled and then join us for a welcome dinner at Los Danzantes!

May 3: A made to order breakfast is included daily at the hotel. At 10:30 we will meet in the lobby to explore our local area with Mark & Alfonso or you can explore on your own. We will visit Santo Domingo Cathedral. Museum De las Culturas. Local Shops. Barro de Jalaclaco. La Malquerida Tasing Room. Around 5:30 we will all meet at the hotel to go to our dinner reservation at Casa Oaxaca.

May 4: At 9:30am we will embark on a guided Artisan Tour via private van to visit and see behind the scenes of three popular workshops around the city. We will begin at a very cool hand-crafted hat shop where we will see how they are made and can try a few on for size. Next we will visit the ceramic workshop of Maestro José García, better known as the Lord of the Mermaids as he is a blind pottery artist - coming here is memorable and inspiring. Third we will visit an Alebrijes shop, "Alebrijes" are the most emblematic craft of Oaxaca, these colorful fantasy animals are carved from wood and are very popular in the region. At 5pm we will enjoy a private four-course dinner in Almú. After we will ride back to our hotel in Oaxaca and relax for an hour before we head out to town for bar hopping/cocktail sampling with an ancestral mezcal maker!

May 5: At 10am we will take our private vans to visit The Tule Tree - largest living tree in the world, a UNESCO World Heritage Site! We can shop at a few boutiques and the small craft market while here. Afterward, we will take the vans to explore San Bartolo, with a stop mid-way for lunch at award-winning Alfonsina. While in San Bartolo we will get a private tour and can partake in an optional hands-on/take-home activity at Alfonso’s black clay workshop. For dinner, Alfonso’s workshop is setting up a private dinner just for us on property complete with a unique artisanal welcome drink, a local artisan ice cream maker, and amazing local food.

May 6: At 10am we will embark on a guided tour to Tlacolula Valley. We will begin with a private cooking class for lunch and then visit a few local workshops. The first stop is a Wax Art at CASA VIVIANA where they will demonstrate the process of wax art and candle making. Next we visit an award-winning textile workshop in Mitla, where they will demonstrate the process of weaving and natural dyes. After a traditional dinner in Tlacolula Valley, we will head back to Oaxaca around 8:30pm.

May 7: Today we depart at 9am for a guided tour of Monte Alban (sacred ruin temples). After a few hours there we will have the afternoon to enjoy Oaxaca, relax and pack. At 6pm we will have an incredible farewell dinner on the private patio on Cobarde overlooking the Santo Domingo Cathedral!

May 8: Relaxing morning and brunch at hotel. Fly back home (we will arrange transport from hotel, but flight is your responsibility).

Pricing: $7,500 for 2 people/double occupancy room or $4,000 for a single person with single room.

50% deposits to secure your spot is March 22 and our pre-tour party where you will meet your fellow travelers and we will go over every day in detail is also Friday, March 22 at our studio in Old Town Scottsdale.