If you want a disappointing experience by a sexist white man exploiting Mexicans, be sure to book…read moreTone for your next experience. Charging $150 USD per person for a twelve person dinner, I watched as a mother & daughter cooked our meal as Tone peeled & chopped vegetables occasionally while barking orders at both them & his guests. Upon arrival, he proceeded to demand the kitchen be cleaned as it was not part of his services. Our group underwent a cat 4 hurricane that went well thru 7am and got a pretty late start to the morning. I totally understand needing space to prep, but there's a way to ask someone like " hey guys, as soon as the kitchens clean I can get started". When it was time for dinner which had a majority vegans & vegetarians, he served salsas & sauces containing fish & bugs which are not appropriate for either, claiming I didn't send him the proper information in front of my guests. I sent a spreadsheet over a week before which he complimented on thoroughness but clearly didn't read or allocate quantities for those with restrictions properly. On top of this, he claimed a sauce put over fish was still vegan/vegetarian. I'm someone who will eat anything, but I'm paying a crazy amount of money per person to ensure there's enough food, especially for those with dietary restrictions. As the evening came to an end, he explained he'd be taking the leftovers from our meal, rather than boxing them up for us. Again, I've paid $150 USD per person---how does anyone professional or hospitality oriented think this is appropriate? So in conclusion, if you want to support modern colonialism & exploitation be sure to book Tone. You'll be sure to be disappointed.

This was an amazing experience. Tony is genuine and very knowledgeable. He explained many things…read moreand my family and I learned quite a lot. The food he taught us how to make was absolutely amazing. I am so glad that we did this. We learned about the market and where to look for the best quality products. It was an amazing day. Anyone who is thinking about doing this definitely should.

Great live music venue! The band was too good!!!, and the bartenders are there to do their job in a…read moreproper manner. I like the style of this place: you arrive, you go order and pay as you go and then you grab a seat and repeat; nice and simple!! Lemonade are made in house! And they have a sweet deal of beer and mezcal for only 100 pesos! Fantastic!!!

STRONGLY NOT RECOMMENDED. Over the top rude service from owners. Over priced. Would not recommend…read more There are rules that no one knows until they are yelled at you. They run the place like their own tyrannical kingdom. Those who submit might be rewarded. Very bad service strongly not recommended.

We loved everything about our free tour through Jacobo and María Ángeles' workshop! Our guide…read morewalked us through each step of the process, from carving the copal wood, to mixing colors from natural elements, to the intricate, detailed painting of each piece. It was absolutely fascinating, and I highly recommend it. To make the visit even more special, we had the pleasure of meeting Jacobo and María themselves, who shared their inspiring reforestation project. Their passion for their art, their people, the environment, and their community truly shines through. Their motto says it all: "to teach, to share, to contribute." If you have the opportunity to visit, don't miss it!

Wonderful workshop. I saw many alebrijes throughout Oaxaca and the quality here is superior. The…read moreprices are also much higher. I came here as part of a tour (Ruta de las artesanías, booked via https://oaxacatours.mx). The tour included this town (San Martin Tilcajete) as well as San Antonino, Santo Tomás Jalieza, Ocotlán and Santa Catarina Minas. The alebrijes tour was one of the highlights. They took us through the different steps: cutting the wood, dyeing it, and painting it. They let us smell the pieces of wood (and the incense produced from it), showed us how the natural dyes are mixed, walked us past artisans cutting and painting the pieces. Our guide was excellent and we were offered fresh juice and tamarind ice cream along the way. The galleries had some stunning works on display. Incredible creativity and gorgeous execution. The final gift shop had some wonderful pieces (a lot of variety) and I purchased a lovely cat that I'm very happy with. I saw imitations at other locations thereafter but they weren't even close in quality (the lines were crooked, the eyes too far apart, less detail, etc.) I'm very happy that I bought my alebrije here. That being said, I wanted a larger piece to commemorate my visit and quality was important to me. I do encourage you to purchase smaller souvenirs elsewhere and support other artisans as there are a lot of shops selling these toys in the town (and for less). Don't be afraid to ask your tour guide/driver to stop at other shops to pick up cheaper souvenirs (which is what we did). Obviously you can come here without being part of a tour. I do recommend the artisan tour however as it was really affordable (450 MXN for adults or about 22 USD). The bus was extremely comfortable and private for our group of 3 adults and 2 kids. They picked us up and dropped us off at our AirBnB. The guide was really knowledgeable and spoke great English. The other stops included a market with fabric weaving, an embroidery shop, a busy market in Ocotlán (as well as a stunning church), a stop for lunch, and ancestral mezcal tasting in Santa Catarina Minas (this was the other highlight).

We visited here twice on our trip to Huatulco. Unfortunately the owner is not trustworthy. I…read morerecommend checking *every price* when you check out. Ask for an itemized receipt. (They cut off the price tags when you buy.) Make sure everything adds up. We got overcharged $1400 pesos. Here's our story: We were told that because it was the 'slow season', that we would pay only 1/3rd of the marked price on any items. (The sticker prices are ridiculously high, so they can give big discounts.) The first time we bought three items, and the owner honored the discounted prices. The second time we returned, after confirming that everything was still 1/3rd of the marked price, we chose another five items. After the owner gave us a shot of mezcal, when everything was done, the prices mysteriously jumped at checkout. The owner tapped on his calculator, and flashed some numbers at me. Expecting that everything would just be 1/3rd as promised, and (foolishly) trusting him, I didn't double-check until we got back to the hotel. The owner had added almost $1400 pesos to the total! I went back and confronted him, and he pulled out every excuse in the book. Eventually he agreed to square us up, but even then he refunded in USD and the refund didn't quite match, and he still over-charged on other items. Overall, happy with the product, but super-disappointed with the unethical salesmanship.