The result is Casa Machaya Oaxaca Bed and Breakfast, an inviting, colorful B&B with spectacular views and gracious hosts who enjoy introducing guests to the many things to see and do in Oaxaca.
The guest suite includes a bedroom, a bathroom, a private patio and a large open-air kitchen; the kitchen also has a comfortable cot perfect for taking a mid-afternoon nap.
Innkeeper Alvin Starkman took some time to answer a few questions for us.
Please tell us a little about your inn's history and why you decided to become innkeepers.
Our inn has been open for about two and a half years. We had been vacationing exclusively in Oaxaca from our hometown, Toronto, since 1991. In about 1997, we decided to build our own home here, a dream house if you will, in the mountains, to be used while vacationing. We then decided to take early retirement rather than wait. Each in our 50s, in 2004 I retired from the practice of law and my wife from being a psychotherapist, and moved into our home, which took four years to build.
We built it with a guest level for friends and family, but quickly realized it would remain vacant most of the time, so we decided to offer the guest level as a B&B. Our personal guests now use our daughter's private wing of the home, since our daughter lives in Toronto and only visits a couple of times a year.
We decided to become innkeepers not to make a living, but rather because we are passionate about Oaxaca and what it has to offer tourists, and want to share our passion with travelers.
What are some of your inn's unique features?
Guests rent an entire self-contained, spacious level of the home with all amenities, fully equipped with all modern appliances and perks. The private patio has the same spectacular view of the valley and mountains as the rest of the house. It also has a private entrance, small library, cable television, DVD player, DVDs to watch, a radio and cassette recorder, etc. The guest kitchen has a microwave, electric juicer, blender, coffeemaker, etc.
We're only a ten-minute drive from the hear of downtown, yet we're in a quaint rural setting with only Mexican neighbors. You wake up to the sounds not of traffic, but rather of rooster calls and traditional Mexican music echoing across the valley.
What are some of the attractions in your area that guests seem to enjoy the most?
I take guests on tours of the nearby craft villages, pre-Hispanic ruins, towns on their market days, Mezcal tours and tastings, 16th century churches, and even high into the mountains to experience bubbling springs which pool in two large craters, six feet deep, suitable for safe swimming in a great panoramic setting. The craft villages include black pottery, cotton textiles, rugs, hand-forged knives, etc. In the city, I arrange tours of art galleries and museums. I limit my tours to groups of no more than four people so our clients are not stuck in a large tour bus where they have little say in where they go and for how long.
Our cooking lessons are extremely enjoyable. Our chef is a nationally renowned native Oaxacan who has been honored by former President Fox. She has been competing and representing the state of Oaxaca for 30 years, and now in retirement works only for us teaching Oaxacan cookery in our large traditional Mexican kitchen.
How do you make a stay at Casa Machaya Oaxaca special?
By providing personal service 24 hours a day, as much or as little privacy as our guests want, and one-stop shopping in terms of the cooking lessons, tour-guiding, etc.
Also, the rural setting. Free airport pickup. Free weekday morning drive to the downtown location of your choice. Complimentary traditional Oaxacan snacks and soft and alcoholic beverages upon arrival. We even provide a complimentary bottle of Mezcal (a Mexican alcoholic beverage) for our guests.
What might a guest expect to have at a "typical" breakfast at Casa Machaya Oaxaca?
Eggs, cereal, toast with jam, fresh whole wheat rolls, pastries, fresh fruit, tea and coffee.
What do you remember most about your first month as innkeepers?
How much our guests loved what we were providing, and how great we actually got along with complete strangers. What we offer, we have learned, tends to attract people like us.
What's the strangest thing that has happened to you as innkeepers?
The guest who happened to be from our hometown of Toronto and felt compelled to bring us foods she thought we had missed as a result of no longer living in a Canadian city with a considerable Jewish population: a large salami, two loaves of rye bread, a dozen bagels and a pound of smoked salmon. A bit much to receive from a total stranger.
What advice would you give to aspiring innkeepers?
If you're a people person, you'll love it. Screen your guests, so when you get to know what type of guests will likely be high maintenance, such as those traveling alone, you'll have the option of rejecting them, unless of course you don't mind the extra work.
