Full transparency: Co404 was kind enough to give me a free stay in exchange for content. I’d never recommend a place I didn’t genuinely love — as always, the experiences and opinions here are 100% my own.
The short version: I really enjoyed my stay at Co404 in San Cristóbal de las Casas, Mexico and definitely recommend it! Tell Laurens I sent you – & you can get 5% off your booking at any of their locations (Oaxaca or San Cris in Mexico and Medellín in Colombia) using the coupon code “Duracatravels5”. I only recommend places I’ve personally vetted and absolutely adore – you can read more about what I look for in a coliving space here & find my full list of recommendations (and discounts!) here.
I stayed at Co404’s Oaxaca location in 2023 for Dia de los Muertos, and I highly recommend it – here’s my full review.
San Cristóbal de las Casas is in Chiapas, Mexico. You can fly into Tuxtla Gutiérrez International Airport / Ángel Albino Corzo International Airport (TGZ). This airport was actually super cool – I loved the experience from de-planing, and the colectivo (shared taxi/mini-bus) to get to San Cristóbal de las Casas was very well-run and nice; it takes about an hour to 1.5 hours. Instead of flying, you can also take the bus.
There is soooo much to do in Chiapas, and I immediately regretted only booking for a week. San Cristóbal de las Casas is a highland town (don’t underestimate the altitude – 2200 meters). It’s one of Mexico’s 177 designated Pueblos Mágicos – or magic towns. It’s super cute, and has everything you need – adorable cafes, yoga, gyms, etc.
When I was there in December 2025, it was quite chilly at night but pretty nice and sunny during the day. But you’re going to want to do lots of day and weekend trips around Chiapas – and a lot of those will be quite warm and tropical – and a long drive from San Cris! By the time I left a week later, I felt like it was an okkk amount of time. It’s a pretty small town, so I couldn’t necessarily see myself there long-term, but a few more weeks would have been really nice, especially to take weekend trips and explore Chiapas – there’s a lot to do! I will have to come back.
San Cristóbal de las Casas also has a lot of really interesting history – including being the epicenter of the Zapatista rebellion in 1994. In response to NAFTA (the North American Free Trade Agreement), the EZLN (Zapatista National Liberation Front) guerrilla forces, together with indigenous peoples, sought to disrupt the state and democratize the region.
Ok let’s get into the coliving experience.
Price. The price of my room was USD $229.95 for 6 nights = $38.34/night. I stayed in a private room with an ensuite bathroom, but there are a lot of room types and price points at this property – including dorm rooms. One thing I love about Co404 is their commitment to lower prices (including dorm rooms), which leads to a more socioeconomically diverse group with more nationalities and a bigger age range than at most colives (and yes, slightly hostel-y-er vibes).
View this post on Instagram
Value. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(5/5)
Bedroom. I got a private room with a private bathroom (they also have dorm rooms & shared bathrooms). My room was super cute – I love the vibe and decor at Co404 properties. It had plenty of space – though I could have used more closet space. It was quite chilly at night when I was there in December. It was good at night for sleeping, but not the mosttt cozy to hang out. The bed and pillows were also not the comfiest. My room was right next to the kitchen and colive, and even though there were doors, the room is not very insulated or very soundproof. I found myself getting woken up most mornings. I had a desk in my room, which is usually essential for me with calls; but I actually love the Co404 coworking spaces, call booths, and there are lots of spaces around the property to work, so I didn’t work from my room at all. There is a back section of the colive which is a separate building – I think that would probably be a quieter place to stay. And there’s also a front section that’s inside – that’s probably warmer (but louder).
Work spaces. Love the coworking spaces at Co404. The San Cris cowork was a little busy – there were only 3 really good desks, but plenty more spots, and I think 4 call booths. Also plenty of plants, and it’s such a beautiful and scenic place to work! There are even a few ergonomic chairs. The property has lots of coworking spaces, including outdoor space, and some folks worked from the kitchen/living room too.
Common areas. So many! In the main building is the shared kitchen with a big dining room table, couch and TV. Then there’s the main coworking space. Then there’s lots of outdoor space and nooks and crannies, including a fire pit and a separate covered rooftop hangout space – I liked to do calls out there when it was nice out. There are games, too!
View this post on Instagram
Coffee/kitchen. There’s free coffee in the kitchen, which is actually good (Chiapas is known for their coffee!). You’ll get a bin in the fridge to store your groceries, and the kitchen has everything you need for cooking. The kitchen could be a little better maintained. I felt like we could have used more silverware, and it felt like the kitchen towels were usually dirty – this is really important in a place where you do not want to drink the tap water – you want to make sure your dishes are dry before you use them. Some of my food got attacked by ants. I also felt like some of the guests were not good about washing their dishes (my biggest-ever pet peeve in a colive 🙄) – unfortunately, this usually requires staff regularly shaming/reminding guests to wash their dishes 🙃. Please be a considerate colive guest and clean up after yourself in common spaces!
Amenities. Free coffee in the morning, free potable water, coworking space included, games, common TV, fully furnished kitchen, community activities & events for a fee.
Location. Good location – about a 20-minute walk to the center of town. Slightly closer would have been nice, but it was a good way to get exercise and see the town. There’s a grocery store a 10-minute walk away. Most of the restaurants/coffee shops I wanted to go to were in the center of town.
View this post on Instagram
Cleanliness & room cleaning. The cleaners are lovely, and they clean the common areas every day. I felt like the kitchen could have been a bit cleaner, but that was mostly the guests not cleaning up after themselves. They say to turn your room sign around when you want the trash in your room emptied…it took a couple of days and a couple of requests to get that done.
Staff & Volunteers. Wonderful! Co404 has several volunteers who manage the community in exchange for lodging. They’re fun & lovely and come up with awesome community activities. Occasionally, payment & things are a bit disorganized and haphazard, but it’s well worth it for the delightful community feel. The cleaning staff are lovely as well.
Community management. There is a community dinner on Wednesday, and activities you could opt into – we went to the Festival del Virgen de Guadalupe together and did a day trip to Sumidero Canyon together.
View this post on Instagram
Members. Lovely! I was only there for a week, so I didn’t get to know anyone super well, but most of the people I met were awesome, lovely, warm, and welcoming. Co404 has a loyal fan club and a lot of returning members. I happened to arrive at a time when a lot of people had been there for a while/already knew each other and were leaving soon for the holidays. And I also came with friends rather than solo. But I met some really cool people I’m excited to stay in touch with!
Community. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5)
Overall feel. Fun, carefree, hippie vibes. Because Co404 has dorms and private rooms, volunteers, and it’s bigger than many colivings, you get a lot more people and more kinds of people, which is really nice. So it’s a cool blend between a hostel and a coliving – still work hard play hard, but sometimes it leans more play hard. Totally manageable though and a lot of fun!
View this post on Instagram
This is definitely a great colive – and I’ll definitely be back. I think 3-4 weeks would be a good amount of time for me here.
You can get 5% off your Co404 booking (in any of their locations – San Cris, Oaxaca, or Medellín) using the coupon code “Duracatravels5”.
I stayed at Co404’s Oaxaca location in 2023 for Día de los Muertos, Day of the Dead, to honor my late father, and I’m so glad I did. It was a powerful experience, and I loved the Oaxacan view of death. The Oaxaca Co404 is amazing – you can find my full review here. I haven’t been to their Medellín location yet, but I’m excited to try it!
Have you been to San Cris or stayed at Co404? What did you think? Tell me your thoughts on Instagram @t.prad!
Disclaimer: You’ll find some affiliate links throughout the site – along with real talk about what I do/don’t like about the product/service. I don’t recommend things I don’t like. If you decided to act on my (free!) advice (you’re welcome 💁🏽♀️), this means I’ll get back some coffee money on my efforts – so it’s a great way to show your support for this multicultural creator 🙂
