La Joya Hotel

Top choice in San Cristóbal de las Casas


This extraordinary boutique hotel is a visual feast in which every corner contains something interesting and beautiful. The five rooms have been ripped from a design magazine and have exquisite cabinetry, enormous bathrooms and antiques curated from the owners' world travels. Fireplace sitting areas and heaters grace each room, and rooftop terraces beckon with hill views.

But that's just the beginning of the equation. Delightful owners (Ann and John), wonderful staff, plus attentive service equals one of the very best boutique hotels you've ever stayed in. There are also snacks and late arrival or early departure treats. Needless to say, booking ahead is essential. Minimum two-night stay.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby San Cristóbal de las Casas attractions

1. Café Museo Café

0.19 MILES

This combined cafe and coffee museum is a venture of Coopcafé, a grouping of more than 17,000 small-scale, mainly indigenous, Chiapas coffee growers. The…

2. Hotel Santa Clara

0.24 MILES

The Hotel Santa Clara was built by Diego de Mazariegos, the Spanish conqueror of Chiapas. His coat of arms is engraved above the main portal. The house is…

3. Templo de San Francisco

0.26 MILES

Founded by the Franciscans in 1577, this fairly plain little church contains baroque altarpieces and pulpit.

4. Catedral

0.27 MILES

On the north side of the plaza, the candy-colored cathedral was begun in 1528 but wasn't completed until 1815 because of several natural disasters. Sure…

5. Plaza 31 de Marzo

0.32 MILES

The leafy main plaza is a fine place to take in San Cristóbal’s unhurried highland atmosphere. Shoe-shiners, newspaper sellers and ambulantes (mobile…

6. Centro Cultural El Carmen

0.34 MILES

This ex-convent, just east of the Arco del Carmen, is a wonderful colonial building, with a large, peaceful garden. It’s now the Centro Cultural El Carmen…

7. Arco del Carmen

0.36 MILES

The Arco del Carmen, at the southern end of the Andador Turístico on Hidalgo, dates from the late 17th century and was once the city’s gateway.

8. Templo de la Caridad

0.37 MILES

Built in 1712, the Templo (or Iglesia) de la Caridad has an imposing facade consisting of Tuscan columns and a central bell tower, decorated in the…