Hotel Na Bolom

Cordial staff, good and adequate food, the Museum very interesting, refecting the work of the founders Frans and Trudy Bloom. The historic grounds are cozy.

The hotel has a lovely ambiance, however it is not a traditional hotel. We arrived with a group of 8 people at 10 pm and there was only one person in the office, so check-in took a long time. The staff member had to check each of us in and then show us to our rooms. The rooms are lovely, with a fireplace in every room. We were in an upstairs room and had to navigate a narrow, steep, winding set of stairs to get to our room. The bathroom had a large tub that was difficult to climb into. Some rooms are a short walk through the gardens. While the hotel and its surroundings are beautiful, it is not designed for easy access for those with mobility challenges. The staff, when they arrived the next morning, were pleasant and professional and the breakfast offered a variety of options. The hotel is about a 10 minute walk to town, the textile museum and the markets.

We visited Na Bolom 39 years ago and I promised myself that if I made it back to San Cristobal, I would stay there. We did and We were so pleased with the experience. The historic ambiance of the location, house, grounds and museum are the draw and if you appreciate that kind of stuff, you’ll love being able to lounge around in the courtyards and library and wander through the museum exhibits to notice something different each time. The surprise was how friendly the staff was, how good the food was and how comfortable the room was. We especially loved the in-room fireplace that they prepared for lighting each evening. On top of everything else, staying there helps support the Na Bolom Foundation that does great work in the region.

In the Colonial Mexican town of San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, you won’t find a more interesting place to stay than Na Bolom, “The House of the Jaguar,” a research center turned hotel/guest house tucked into a forest of tall trees. Seven decades ago, Swiss photographer Gertrude Duby Blom and Danish archaeologist Frans Blom turned this 1891 stone and stucco complex into a museum, cultural center, guest house, and garden focused on the people, history, and environment of the Maya region of Mexico. Na Bolom’s guestrooms hide behind arches lining stone patios graced with trees and flowering vines. Inside your room, high ceilings and wooden roof beams show off Maya textiles and artifacts decorating white stucco walls. You can warm your feet in front of your room’s brick fireplace or grab a book off the shelf and read in a cozy wooden chair. Out your back window, morning light reveals shaded pathways winding through the garden’s trees and native plants. Na Bolom’s library and exhibits pull in overnight guests and scholars alike, so don’t be surprised if you meet a film maker, botanist, pianist, or playwright from Mexico or a half-dozen other countries, or a Lacandón Maya couple in town with their young children. Dinner at the long dining room table--or outside on the flagstone patio—brings you traditional Mexican dishes that range from chicken a la orange to quesadillas and enchiladas, and the promise of a classical Mexican breakfast the following morning will make you want to wake up early. Try the huevos rancheros, locally-harvested coffee, and fresh orange juice before you tour the in-house museum and the exhibits of Gertrude Blom’s photographs that line the courtyard walls. And when you’re ready, simply walk outside through Na Bolom’s huge wooden doors to explore the streets of San Cristóbal de las Casas and the Indigenous past and present that awaits you.

Hotel Na Bolem is 50% hotel/restaurant snd 50% research library. The rooms are clean, comfortable and simple. Rooms have fireplaces for warmth, although an electric space heater is available on request. Bathrooms are simple but clean and functional. If you need luxury this is not for you. The staff could not be nicer or more helpful (even though I really don’t speak spanish at all). Raul at the entrance gate and Angel and Pedro in the restaurant were absolutely great and made our stay thoroughly enjoyable.

My friends and I stayed for two weeks, and I must say we enjoyed the breakfast served with a wonderful smile and great service everyday of our stay. We even had the opportunity of having a buffet breakfast one morning due to large groups meeting there. They had a fabulous array of delicious Mexican dishes, including Chiapas tamales, eggs, chilaquiles, beans and much more. They also have many rooms and suites, as well as a backyard with cabins. Across the street, they have a garden with displays of a Mayan house and a huge canoe. A restaurant that specializes in waffles, including chicken and waffles, etc. They have a store where they sell authentic crafts from the area. You can also watch a video about how Nabolom was founded by a great European couple, it is in English and Spanish. And then u can go back to the hotel and visit the library and other rooms that display how the Blom’s lived, their office, bedrooms, wardrobe and more. We had a problem where a not so friendly front desk clerk, wanted us to pay the first day, which I have never been asked to pay before I leave. The lady I am talking about, was not the person I would have as my front desk person. And then, there was Cristina, whose friendly disposition and smile, made us forget a few hiccups. All and all, there were a few details in the rooms, that could have been better, no soap dish, missing handle in the little closet in the bathroom, no bottled water ( I only use it when traveling ), lampshades crooked, etc Having a general manager on site and seeing him/ her around, to tell u more about the place and take care of those little details.