There’s something so delightfully charming and thrilling about sleeping in funky, unexpected, and unusual accommodation. In the past, I’ve slept in seaside treehouses, French chateaus and island bungalows, but never a Hobbit hole…until Tubohotel, that is!
Who would have thought my first true Hobbiton experience would take place in a sleepy little Mexican village, of all places?!
Okay, so the residences at Tubohotel in Tepoztlan, Mexico aren’t exactly hobbit holes, but this little oasis of cement tube rooms is the closest thing to a real-life Hobbiton that I’ve ever seen!
…Perhaps a more modern and industrial take on the traditional Shire, but still, you won’t hear any complaints from me. I mean, just look at this place!
While the space is small, it’s surprisingly comfortable and cozy (just like a Hobbit hole should be!)
I loved spending the evenings in our little tube, freshly showered and curled up in bed reading, talking about the day’s many adventures, and catching glimpses of the moonlight and night sky above.
There were a handful of nights when it stormed violently outside, and being safely snuggled up in our miniature round home while the rain and wind came down around us was just the coziest feeling in the world.
Each tube room is made from a nine-foot long industrial cement tube, previously used as a rainwater drain pipe (yay for being eco-friendly!). The tubes have since been refurbished, and their interiors have been painted with bright, warm, homey colors.
There’s plenty of storage space on the floor under the queen-sized beds (behind the simple yet effective welcome rug) and every tube room comes equipped with a lamp, a shelf behind the bed, a fan, two outlets, two windows (with screens), and curtains for privacy.
The bad news? There’s no A/C or heating unit.
The good news? You really don’t need either of these to be comfortable!
We visited Tepoztlan during early July, and while it hovered around 80 degrees Fahrenheit (26 C) during the day, temperatures dropped to the low 60’s (around 15 C) at night, making for perfectly cool sleeping conditions. We also left our screened-in windows open at night to let some fresh air in, and kept the curtains closed in the mornings to keep the sunlight (and accompanying heat) out.
I can’t speak for winter temperatures in this region, but each room comes with a thick extra blanket in case you get cold during the night.
Depending on where your tube room is situated, you’ll either have a view of the surrounding mountains, the pool, or more of the property’s tubes.
While I’m sure the mountain views are particularly magical, the entire property is so lush and scenic that you really can’t go wrong.
However, the one bit of advice I will offer in terms of choosing a room is to “splurge” for one of the “Top of the Pyramid” tubes rather than a ground-level tube (it’s a difference of just 40 USD vs. 47 USD per night).
Practical Information
Tepoztlan (and Tubohotel) are located just 1.5 hours by bus from Mexico City.
- There are direct buses between the Mexico City Terminal Del Sur bus station and Tepoztlan
- Alternatively, you can take a bus from the Mexico City Airport to Cuernavaca, and connect there on a second bus to Tepoztlan
Tepoztlan in a popular weekend destination for Mexico City residents. We stayed at Tubohotel over the weekend and it was quite busy, but when Sunday night rolled around, we were the only guests left!
Bathrooms are located on-site, separate from the tube area. The showers are nice and hot!
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That looks amazing! One of the coolest places I stayed was in a former prison in New Zealand. I also went glamping on safari in the English countryside back home!
Ahh glamping in the English countryside sounds so magical!
I’ve been wanting to stay at this place! I’m definitely staying there when I head to Mexico.
You should definitely go for it!
This is the coolest place! I saw you photos on Insta and started looking all around at other photos of this place. This has to be one of the coolest accommodation types on the planet!
I know, I couldn’t believe how fun and different it was!
They look so cosy 😛 and nice that it’s relatively inexpensive 🙂
Not bad prices at all, right? Such a deal!
Whoever thought of that is a genius! This looks like so much fun! I like that there aren’t too many of them either; it’s like a little tubohotel village 🙂
Dominique recently posted…Rotterdam – Stairway to Heaven
I loved that part too!
What an extremely cool concept! I’ve only heard of one other place that’s like a real life Hobbiton (besides what you can find in New Zealand) and that’s Hobbitenango in Guatemala! May be worth checking out if you continue to explore Central America 🙂
Amanda | Lesson Plans & Layovers recently posted…Finding Platform 9 3/4 in London, England
Oooh, that place really IS like Hobbiton! It looks so cute.
definitely cool!:) #wanderful wednesday
Tanja (the Red phone box travels) recently posted…Beach snaps III
I’ve seen something similiar at Airbnb in Hamburg, right by the harbour! Obviously Mexico has better weather though and the pool looks just gorgeous! Would love love love to stay here!
Van @ Snow in Tromso recently posted…Little Storm on the Coast // Riddu Riddu 2016
I was really surprised how well the weather worked out for us! You’d think July in Mexico would be scorching, but I guess the elevation and dry climate really helps keep it cool. It was perfect!
This looks like such a fun and interesting experience! I have to admit that when I first thought of Mexico in the summer without any AC I was a little hesitant, but you can’t beat the temps that y’all were experiencing in July! It’s way cooler than it is in Texas!
Ashley @ The Wandering Weekenders recently posted…Would You Rather- Travel Edition
I was honestly so surprised by Central Mexico’s weather! In Mexico City, I don’t think it went above 85 the whole time we were there, and it was downright chilly at night in the high 50’s. And no humidity! I swear, Houston is just one of the hottest and muggiest places on earth.
Oh my goodness – this looks amazing. I have to go!! What is there to do in this area of Mexico?
It’s an amazing area of Mexico! Lots of hiking, great cheap food, shopping at markets…lots more details in this post!
I have heard about this place before but wasn’t sure were it was located. I would love to stay just for the experience. I am sure there is plenty to do around.
It’s a great town for spending a long weekend! I wrote about it in this post, if you’re interested. It’s a really unique place.
Such a cool experience! Very modern and practical!
Isabel recently posted…Summer Weekends in Slovenia
Yes, super practical! I love accommodation like that.
When I saw this on your Instagram I was instantly intrigued! This looks so fun and quirky! I love finding little gems like this when traveling as it really is such a unique experience! I’m a little bit claustrophobic, so I’m not sure I would want to stay here for a long time, but I’d definitely give it a try for a few nights!
Lauren on Location recently posted…Santiago Weekend Trips: Cajon del Maipo Part 1
Haha yes, I would say 3 nights max is definitely good! I enjoyed it and didn’t have any problems during the nights we spent here, but any longer and I’d probably have started going a bit stir-crazy.
Those are pretty cool. They weren’t claustrophobic??? I would be afraid I would be.
They honestly weren’t! I definitely have issues with small spaces, but really didn’t have any problems here. It was just fun! Any longer than a couple nights would be too much, though.
This is so crazy! HAHAH! But I love it!
Hahah it was definitely pretty unique!
These look so cool! I’ve actually seen photo of this place in some kind of ‘unusual accommodations’ round up. I’m always on the lookout for unique hotels and AirBnBs so this is one place I’ll have to keep in mind. Pinning for later!
This was definitely the most unusual place I’ve ever stayed in!
Looks so cool! I would love to do something like that :). Will bear it in mind, thanks for the tip.
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These look amazing, I’d love to stay in something like these!
They were really fun for a few nights!
Oh, this looks so great! I’m definitely going to add it to my list of places to go. I’m heading to Mexico in Feb. Finding this post came at the right time 🙂
Awesome!! Mexico is incredible, have fun!!