Republished from Holstee.com
We had the chance to spend most of February in Oaxaca, Mexico. It was an incredible time and something every company should consider doing (here are the reasons why).
But we also were very fortunate in our choice of location. I personally could not imagine a better work environment that was both relaxed and productive, challenging and beautiful. Every Mexican’s eyes seem to light up when they heard the name “Oaxaca.” Here are some reasons why you should consider Oaxaca for your next retreat:
A place to be productive.
We looked into several different places with warm climates. In most of these places, however, the whole team would have had to work from home or in cafés. But not in Oaxaca. The Hub Oaxaca is part of a worldwide network of co-working spaces and provides an amazing oasis of creativity and collaboration in the midst of Oaxaca’s old city. We rented a dedicated office space, but also really enjoyed working from the many spacious common areas (both inside and outdoors).
We were worried about internet speeds. Holstee can’t do much without fast, reliable wifi. And despite warning stories that we would regularly face 56kbit/s modems in Mexico, we often found very fast connections within the Hub and our temporary home.
There are also lots of beautiful cafés to work from in Oaxaca if you want a change of scenery. We were surprised by how many of them offered fast wifi options as well. Our favorite café to work from was clearly Cafe Brujula, with its beautiful courtyard and fantastic cappuccinos.
A place to be inspired and learn from others.
There is an extremely entrepreneurial community in Oaxaca and the Hub Oaxaca is at the very heart of it. Through the guidance of Mark Beam, founder of the Hub, we learned that Oaxaca was not just a beautiful colonial city, but also home to many amazing social entrepreneurs. Meeting folks like the founders of Colectivo 1050, the organizers of the Catapulta Innovation Festival and some of the other amazing artisans and manufacturers in the area, opened our eyes to totally new ways of doing things in the startup space.
Mexico, as said in this New York Times article, is so much more than a fast developing country: it just might become one of the strongest economic forces worldwide within the coming decade. And in Oaxaca you can be sure to meet some of the people who will make that happen.
An amazing place to visit.
Contrary to most foreigners’ assumptions, Mexico is not a war zone area dominated by drug gangs, fighting and other danger. Actually, quite the opposite is true for the Oaxaca region. It is a very safe area, and walking around late at night I felt safer than I would in NYC.
Oaxaca is a great size; it’s small enough to feel cozy, but still big enough to have a lot to offer: the food options are incredible and many of the restaurants serve delicious, local, fresh food. From Biznaga to Los Danzantes, the range goes from local stand to five-star fancy.
An accessible and affordable place.
Even though Oaxaca sounds like it’s far away, the flight is just a couple of hours from most US cities. The city even has its own small airport with direct to both Mexico City and Houston.
It also doesn’t hurt that, compared to places in the US or Europe, spending a whole month in Oaxaca is very affordable.
How did we do it?
- Accommodation: we rented this beautiful big house on AirBnB and this amazing beach house just outside Puerto Escondido.
- Office: we worked from the Hub Oaxaca and rented a dedicated office within this space. They have fast, reliable internet, meeting space, a kitchen, printers, anything you might need.
- Flights: we flew with United Airlines to Houston with a direct connection into Oaxaca’s airport, just a 20 minute taxi ride outside of town.
- Transportation: there was no need to rent a car; we just grabbed taxis or busses as needed, which worked out great.
- Communication: there are plenty of places with fast and reliable internet. We also brought an old phone and got a local sim card, which was handy to call taxis and communicate.
If you want help with planning send an email to the folks at Catapulta: info@catapultafest.com