This is a fabulous, old, historic, Mexican house. We had the great fortune of staying at Carlos's house for an extended stay with our two small kids. We truly fell in love with the house. It is a historic house with Mexican architectural charm -- old tiles and woods, ceramic adornments, lots of unique windows that open to let in the breeze, a fireplace in the bedroom, exposed wooden beams, outdoor courtyards, a date from 1821 inscribed on the doorway, a large sunroom, beautiful plants, and a big blooming jacaranda in the front. We spent countless hours in the courtyards, playing with our kids, enjoying the gorgeous Mexico City weather, having a cerveza, and listening to the tunes and sounds from the street. The beds are comfy and plentiful (we had up to 5 additional people staying in the house at one time) and there is a lot of hang out space. Although small by US standards, the kitchen is fully working and stocked, and the washer works great too.
Luis the manager is extremely prompt in responding, always helpful, and sweet as can be. (e.g., on one occasion I locked myself out with the kids and he was there before we got drenched in a thunder storm) Lola cleans the house and is one of the sweetest people we met in Mexico. She was so wonderful with the kids. Carlos the owner is a true character and extremely generous. All three made our stay so special and we felt very well taken care of.
The best thing about this house (third only to its historic charm and the wonderful people who run it) is its location. Coyoacan is like a pueblo inside the city of Mexico. It is walkable, charming, historic, beautiful, and full of interesting things to see and do and eat. The beautiful Mexican architecture of the houses and streets, plazas and parks, make this a unique place within the bustling city. (Google the Nytimes 36 hours in CDMX/Coyoacan!) From the house it's a short walk to the big plaza, tons of cafes, bars and restaurants, Frida Kahlo's house, the gorgeous marketplace where she shopped, the artesan market, Leon Trotsky's house. The house is half a block from the Frida Kahlo park and the church of the Purisima Concepcion (La Conchita), which is one of the loveliest plazas I've ever been in (go at dusk for dogs, musicians, people making out) The big plaza (Centenario, Hidalgo) has the best street life: food, vendors, magic and comedic performers, organ grinders, tons of people meeting, milling, paseando. Carnival atmosphere every weekend (and many weekday) nights.
The house is next door to an old-school Mexican restaurant called Hacienda Cortes where ladies like to lunch and people eat after baptisms. There is music there in the afternoons that filters over to the house -- so leave the windows open for some marimba, mariachi, or jazz. This is a good place to go with the kids because it has a large lawn where they can run while you have your margarita.
Our favorites:
*Portal de Sabor for icecream -- try the dark chocolate
*La Coyoacana Cantina for tequila & chicharon & mariachis (go early to get a patio table)
*Panaderia Publica for guayabana rolls
*Mercado de Comida de Coyoacan for quesadillas and huaraches
*Ecos for fresh juice and breakfast
*Cafe Alverre for lunch
*Danzantes for a fancy dinner and mezcal
*Casa de Tacos for ... tacos!
*nextdoor to Casa de Tacos, a great little artesania shop with beautiful things
*Cafe Avellaneda for coffee with the cool kids
*Cafe Fortunata or Cafe Negra to work -- also yummy treats and sandwiches
*the cafe on Plaza Conchita (blue walls) and icecream/crepe shop nextdoor for lime sorbet (nieve de limon)
It is a little farther from the house to the metros (Viveros and Coyoacan to the west; General Anaya to the east). Both lines run north-south and will take you to the tourist spots in the central city (Centro Historico, Condesa, Roma, Chapultepec) or south (Xochimilco). It was about 25 min walk either direction from the house to the metro. With our kids, we opted to use Uber almost exclusively, which was reliable, easy, and affordable (by US standards). You do need a Mex data plan for this. By myself I frequently walked to the metro and metro'd to other spots in the city. Metrobus, which runs north-south on Insurgentes, is also fast and cheap, and also about 25 min from the house on foot.
Hope you will stay here and enjoy it as much as we did. What a treasure of a house!