I stayed at Posada Don Mario as a fallback option, but ended up loving the place and staff. The posada has a small courtyard as its main public space and where the complementary breakfast is served. There are wonderful balconies on the second and third floors. The WiFi worked only on the first and second floors, but the view of the old part of the city from the third floor balcony was amazing. See photo. The rooms were well kept and very clean. Also, the staff were very helpful and arranged a guided trip to Monte Alban and a cooking class in the afternoon. The main downside is that the posada was a little far from the Zocalo, but it was just a 20 minute walk. The best part is that the Mercado Sanchez Pasculas was right around the corner where I are breakfast and grabbed tamals for snacking later in the day.

Very cute, lots of character, nice courtyard area, pretty views from the terrace.
Unfortunately, despite emailing back and forth with the owner about questions, when I arrived they didn’t seem to have enough information. They couldn’t find my reservation at first (a panicked moment for me during high season) and then said they couldn’t do laundry (despite the fact that I had emailed with them about it earlier in the week). They sent me to a place that was closed on Sundays, and with the help of the locals, I found another place where I could do it myself.

My boyfriend and I told them we were leaving early and asked where should we leave the key. They told us the room. When we got up early, we discovered NONE of the water was on. So much for a morning shower. The toilets were gross when not flushed). Also, when leaving, they neglected to mention we’d need our key to unlock the gate to leave.

The beginning and the end were not happy elements. I would not stay here again due to those frustrations.

i was in posada don mario in august and, although i understand it costs less than most hotels in the area, i wouldn't recommend it. most rooms are stuffy because they don't have real windows - they open to the hallway.
the fans are not very efficient, so it is very hot in the summer. it was clean, but be prepared for old sheets and old towels. again, this might not be a problem considering the good price and the good location, but had I been aware of the quality of the service, i'd have chosen something else. the owner was extremely rude to my mexican friends and their children, so i would think twice about chosing posada don mario for a family trip.

We were in Oxaca in August for three days and I can say that we were pleasingly surprised by the hepfulness and kidness of the girls running this Posada, who were always ready to give us all information we needed. Rooms were cleaned and neat (and this is very important for me!!), colourful and very nice. The common area is a nice courtyard with plants, tables, a little and useful library and a computer with internet (wi-fi was also available). Breakfast was included in our room fare and was very good. We definetely recommend this posada to all travelers. It is my first raccomendation on trip advisor and I am glad I can do this for this posada in particular!!