Short-Term Rentals

San Cristóbal [1] has a way of beguiling visitors into staying just one more day, one more week, one more year…yet there are surprisingly few furnished houses and apart-hotels available for weekly or monthly rental.

The websites www.sancrisrentals.com [2] and www.vacationrentals.com [3] have decent selections, and you may have luck perusing the bulletin boards at Casa de Pan restaurant, Super Más grocery store, and Kinoki theater.

Over US$50

A great value whether you’re staying for a couple days or a couple weeks, Villas Casa Morada (Av. Diego Dugelay 45 at Chiapa de Corzo, tel. 967/678-4440, www.casamorada.com.mx [4], US$80 1 br, US$130 2 br) has eight comfortable and charming apartments, each featuring ironwork furniture, wood-burning fireplaces, and fully equipped talavera-tiled kitchens. Framed textiles and hand-painted hearths lend a homey Chiapanecan feel, while in-room telephone and Internet access (wired and wireless) keep you connected. Add daily maid service and a 24-hour reception desk and you really get the best of the hotel and apartment worlds. A restaurant serving modern Mexican cuisine is planned for the adjoining building. Weekly rates are available.

Just a block from the Santo Domingo church [5], La Casa Rosada (Dr. Navarro 4, tel. 967/683-8659, lcasarosada [at] gmail [dot] com, US$60–80/day, US$300–370/wk, US$780–900/mo) has two large colonial style 1-bedroom/1-bath apartments, each with high ceilings, stone floors, fireplace, and a fully furnished kitchen. The rear unit has a private entrance, larger bathroom (including a grand old-fashioned tub), and best of all, a private patio and sunny, flower-filled garden. Its indoor space is smaller than the front unit’s, but warmer and cozier for it—the thick walls keep both units cool, even chilly. Gas, electricity, drinking water, wireless Internet, and once-weekly maid service are all included for both apartments; kids and dogs are welcome. The monthly rate is a bit steep, and the units are showing their age, but it’s an agreeable option nonetheless.

Posada Moguel (Calle Comitán 41 btwn. Av. Diego Dugelay and Calle Huixtla, tel. 967/116-0957, posadamoguel [at] hotmail [dot] com, US$350 per week) is an appealing option for writers, researchers, or anyone looking for a home base, not just a hotel. Seven modern apartments surround a stone-paved courtyard with shaded tables and chairs; all have furnished kitchens, living rooms with fireplace and TV, and bedrooms with two full beds. Decor is tasteful, if a bit plain, and some of the rules are a bit annoying, like charging for extra firewood and toilet paper. The owners live on-site, but are hands-off, even somewhat reclusive—this place is best for those who prefer seclusion and privacy to a B&B-type experience. Same goes for the location—a quiet residential street a moderate walk from the center. There’s free Internet access; a one-week minimum stay is required and payment is in cash only.

Other recommended establishments include the colonial-style Kuku Rutz (Real de Mexicanos 21/25, tel. 967/631-5532, www.kukurutz.com [6], US$67 1 br), and Bungalows del Sol (Periférico Oriente 100, Fracc. Real del Monte, tel. 967/678-2294, www.bungalowsdelsol.com [7], US$112.50 2 br), which is located on the outskirts of town.