Oaxaca has lodgings to suit every style and pocketbook: world-class resorts, small beachside hotels, bed-and-breakfasts, homey casas de huéspedes (guesthouses), friendly trailer parks, community-maintained tourist lodgings, and many miles of breezy beaches, ripe for camping.

In Oaxaca city, the busy high seasons, when hotel reservations are generally necessary, are July, Day of the Dead (late October through early November), and mid-December until Janurary 6, the Day of the Kings. On the coast, high seasons are also mid-December through January 6, plus mid-February through Easter, and the months of July and August. Excellent, quiet low-season times to visit anywhere in Oaxaca are November after the Day of the Dead and the month of January after January 6, when prices are low and the weather is consistently temperate and dry.

The dozens of accommodations described in this guide are positive recommendations—checked out in detail—good choices from which you can pick according to your taste and purse.