Oaxaca was ranked the No. 1 city in Travel + Leisure's World's Best Awards 2020 readers' survey and as I came to find out for myself, deservedly so.
Having just returned from the destination, it's clear why the city is so popular with the magazine's readers.
Oaxaca, which is the capital and largest city in the state of Oaxaca, checks off all the boxes when it comes to what many of today's travelers are looking for in their vacations: authentic, immersive experiences in a vibrant, artistic setting.
But maybe most important of all - at least in the age of the pandemic - is that I felt completely safe in the city. Everyone is required to wear masks both inside and outside, even when social distancing, and hotels and restaurants and other places of business routinely take patrons' temperatures before they are permitted to enter the premises.
My Oct. 24-28 visit coincided with the city's preparation for the Day of the Dead celebration, which took place in early November.
The streets were filled with Catrinas, brightly dressed skeletons of all shapes and sizes. According to legend, they protect the living while honoring the dead.
Ribbons of marigolds were strung from buildings, soaring to the sky.
Beyond Oaxaca's breathtaking setting, the city offers visitors innumerable activities that put the spotlight on its one-of-a-kind culture. Its boldly colored buildings are reminiscent of those in New Orleans, but with, of course, a decided Mexican twist.
Suffice it say that you could weeks in the city and surrounding are and just have touched the surface of things to see and do.
For starters, the city is a foodie paradise, renowned for its exquisite cuisine, including mole dishes; mezcal; coffee; and chocolate.
My list of restaurant recommendations, in no particular order, include recommendations La Catedral, Los Pacos, La Palapa de Raul and El Asador Vasco.
Oaxaca produces the lion's share of mezcal in Mexico, and travelers can visit distilleries to learn about the production process. A case in point is the family-run Mezcal Don Agave, which also offers horseback-riding excursions and is about 15 to 20 minutes from the city center.
For chocolate lovers, would be well served to take a chocolate-making class offered by Olga Cabrera Oropeza, the talented chef at Tierra del Sol Casa Restaurante.
Oaxaca is also home to some of Mexico's most venerable archeological sites, including the ancient Zapotec sites of Monte Alban, located about 20 minutes from the city; and Mitla, which is approximately an hour's drive away. Both are well worth the visit.
For those interested in jewelry, Oro de Monte Alban in downtown Oaxaca creates reproductions of jewelry found in Monte Alban's Tomb 7 and provides demonstrations of the jewelry marketing process.
From Mitla, travelers can drive 25 minutes to visit family-owned Casa Vasquez, to learn about the art of weaving and how natural dyes are used on wool to create one-of-kind textiles. The textiles Casa Vasquez produces are exquisite but justifiably pricy because of the tremendous amount of skill and work that goes into creating each piece.
In the community of San Martin Tilcajete, about an hour's drive from the city center, the travelers can watch how alebrijes, vividly colored Mexican folk-art sculptures are made.
On the accommodations' front, Oaxaca run the gamut from historic, boutique and family-run properties.
I stayed at the new 141-room the Grand Fiesta Americana Oaxaca in the La Coleccion by Fiesta Americana portfolio whose design and ambiance reflected the city itself with a contemporary flare. The property seamlessly blurs the lines between the indoors and outdoors, and features gorgeously appointed guestrooms and suites, an excellent restaurant, a mezcaleria, a pool and terrace, a spa, a generous amount of meeting space and more.
The service was as good as it gets, which in my view is a reflection of the Oaxacan people. Beyond feeling safe from a health standpoint, I felt same way about my personal safety. The people that I encountered were kind, considerate and helpful.
In the final analysis, it is Oaxaca's authenticity and artistic flare that make it shine. But buyer beware. As the destination becoming increasingly popular, I'd advise visiting sooner rather later.
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