Moving Day – Our New Airbnb in Puebla (Mexico)
We were sad to leave Oaxaca after 1 month since we loved the day-to-day vibe there. But one of our slow-travel goals is to find new places that we might like to return to someday, and there are so many more to explore!
That said, Oaxaca certainly checks that box.
But it was time to move on to a new Mexico destination, the city of Puebla.
Why Puebla? And what is our new Airbnb in Puebla like?
Let us show you.
Why Go To Puebla, Mexico?
The fourth largest city in Mexico and only 130 kilometers southeast of Mexico City, Puebla is a little off the radar for most vacation travelers.
Found among the Sierra Norte del Puebla mountains and surrounded by several volcanoes, Puebla lacks the marketing flash of locations like Cancun, Mexico City, or Puerto Vallarta. Puebla isn’t one of the first places in Mexico a non-Latino thinks of when it comes to archaeological zones or history either, although it is a very important location.
Despite all of this, many expats and long-term travelers really like the place.
Why? Like Oaxaca, Puebla seems to be a blend of culture, architecture, food, nature, and cost of living that appeals to those who are more stationary. And at an elevation of 7,005 feet (2,135 meters), the local climate is mild too.
So you could say that the Puebla whole is greater than the sum of its parts for the right kind of people, particularly if you like city life.
For us, the fact that it isn’t a huge tourist destination is attractive. Prices are usually lower in these places and locals suffer less from tourist burnout, which is good for everyone. And interestingly, Puebla seems to compete with Oaxaca for the title of “cultural food capital of Mexico“, so we’ll have to investigate this rivalry! 🙂
How Did We Get From Oaxaca to our Airbnb in Puebla?
As normal for us in Mexico, we took a first-class ADO bus.
One-way tickets were $28.77 USD each, but we decided to use points from our Capital One Venture credit card (affiliate link) to reimburse ourselves. So they were effectively free.
The trip took five hours and we went through some lovely mountainous terrain.
We arrived at the Central de Autobuses CAPU in Puebla at around 4 pm no worse for the wear. We then grabbed a taxi ($140 MEX/$8.29 USD with tip) to take us to our Airbnb on the other side of the city.
Welcome To Our Airbnb in Puebla!
As usual, we found our long-stay Airbnb in Puebla using the detailed methods described in our post: A TTT Guide to Long-Term Airbnb Stays – How to Get a Cheap Apartment that Doesn’t Drive You Crazy.
Our Airbnb is in Azcarate barrio, a safe, working-class neighborhood on the “fringes” of many useful areas of Puebla.
It is just east of Centro Historico (a UNESCO World Heritage site), so all sorts of touristy things are within easy walking distance. It is also near some nice upper and middle-class zones. So depending on what direction you walk, you find well-manicured housing complexes and trendy shops, as well as more practical tiendas, grittier (but safe) neighborhoods, and street food.
We are also a stone’s throw from Parque Ecologico for easy exercise and Mercado Municipal La Acocota, a FANTASTIC local market complex.
A 25-minute walk away we have a full-sized Walmart, with a supermarket, so we can get any additional items there if we can’t find them locally.
The only bummer is that we don’t have good access to public transportation, which is lacking (surprisingly) in Puebla compared to the city of Merida. This doesn’t look like it will be a major problem though, since Uber and Didi both work here.
Our Airbnb is in a gated apartment complex.
Let us show you around!
Entering our front door you immediately see our dining room and living room arrangement, which is spacious and extremely practical.
Personally, I love dual love seat arrangements like this because we have lots of space to spread out and decompress. And the TV situation is nice because we can plug in our Chromecast and stream to our heart’s content.
Next to the dining room is the kitchen, with a near-full-sized refrigerator, a four-burner gas stove, microwave, and all the equipment we need. The only bummer is that the dish rack is small, so we may spring for a cheap, but more functional, replacement.
Across from the living room is our bathroom, which has all the basics. And the water pressure and hot water are both EXCELLENT compared to other Mexico Airbnbs we rented!
Next to the bathroom is our spare bedroom, with a small wardrobe, nightstand, and two single beds. We don’t sleep here, but we store our larger things to get them out of the way.
And finally, we have our master bedroom, with a full-sized bed, small wardrobe, nightstands, and various shelves to put our little things.
As a general observation, our Airbnb is really clean and unapologetically practical. We are surprised at how well-arranged (and appointed) the spaces are.
So for all of this, including utilities and 130 Mbps download speed internet, we are paying $22.66 USD/night (including a 40% long-stay discount that offsets the 19% Mexican government Airbnb tax add-on).
One of our best Airbnb bargains in Mexico so far! We think we’re going to like it here.
Until next time…
Thanks for reading!
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2 thoughts on “Moving Day – Our New Airbnb in Puebla (Mexico)”
Hola fellow travellers! You are visiting some of the same places I have been this winter. I am in Valladolid about to visit Ek Balam which is how I came across you. I stayed for a week in Puebla in November and just want to recommend the wonderful variety of street food at night on the other side of the ecological park from where you are. Head towards the military base from about the midpoint of the park and you will run into it just before the base. Also, I recommend a day trip to Cholula, a very charming town. Catch a local bus from downtown Puebla. And have you been to Tepotzlan? My favorite place this winter.
Thank you so much for the recommendations! We will absolutely check out your street food location since, as you probably know, we REALLY love that sort of thing. And it is SO close! We will be going to Cholula and Atlixco over the next week, but we’ll look into Tepotzlan too since it is only a couple of hours away. Thanks for putting it on our radar! Much appreciated!