The Bird House
The whimsical Bird House inspires your creative side. The kitchen, though, is no longer Pepto-Bismal pink. We got creative on the kitchen, too.
The Bird House is a charming townhouse in a great location on a quiet street in the historic Centro, with a flat walk to the main square. The Bird House was designed and renovated in 2021, using as much of the existing structure as possible and recycled or upcycled flooring and furniture. In 2025 we partnered with local artist Rafael Ontiveros to redo the kitchen, paint a mural on the terrace, fill the house with his delightful paintings (@rafaelontiveros_art on Instagram) and host an art opening. The Bird House has two spacious bedrooms (King and Queen), a study (with a daybed), living room with TV, dining room, terrace, 2 full baths — and a colorful kitchen to make you smile while you cook. Heating and A/C, reverse osmosis purified water! The living room doubles as a bedroom with a full bath with privacy curtains for extra guests or people with mobility issues who don’t want to use the stairs. The Bird House is next door to Casita Laurita, so two families or friends could stay next to each other.
Designed by artists, the Bird House appeals to flights of fancy
Houses include linens, towels, weekly housekeeping, soaps and detergents, purified water, well-equipped kitchen with staples, comfy beds, laundry machine and dryer (please use the line when the sun is shining), cable TV, dedicated office, fast Wifi, property manager available for any problems or advice. Mini splits provide heat and AC to the bedrooms (don’t try to use to heat or cool the whole house, please).
The front door
The front door opens into a whimsical world.
Entryway with a bird image by graffiti artist Rafael Ontiveros
Entryway
Decorative frame in the hallway
The kitchen is fully equipped with handcrafted tiles
Entryway
Before, the kitchen was pink. Now it's a calmer color, with handmade tiles from Erin Adams Designs
Kitchen with ceramics
kitchen
Kitchen and bar area
Kitchen has all the coffeemakers and appliances you need
Dining room with painting on the right by Edward Swift
A table for a dinner party! The dining room is separated by curtains from the kitchen (if you don't want to see the mess).
The kitchen has a bar with stools and a view through a hand-painted frame.
Entryway and cleaning closet
The livingroom has curtains for privacy if someone wants to sleep there
The livingroom has a big TV, a full bath, and curtains that close to make it another bedroom for anyone who doesn't like to use stairs.
There's a full bath off the livingroom. Who's the fairest of them all?
Downstairs full bath
First floor bathroom, with shower
Upstairs hallway with Persian-style art
Check out the bar stools for talking to the chef!
The living room is comfy and cozy with a sofa, 2 armchairs, and a big flat screen TV.
Stairs to the second floor
The Queen bedroom, with skylight (with curtain).
Upstairs queen bedroom with skylight. Light fills the room, when you want it.
Queen bedroom
The queen bedroom
The elephant in the (queen) bedroom.
The hallway has Persian-style paintings and decorated door frames
The fabulous hallway to the study and King bedroom.
Second floor bathroom. With shower.
Bathrooms are sparkling clean!
2nd floor bathroom. Soap, shampoo, towels provided.
The study has two desk chairs, A/C and heating, and a day bed for an extra visitor, plus a big painting!
Painting in the study by Rafael Ontiveros
Painting in the study by Rafael Ontiveros
King bedroom. Also has a large armoire for storage.
The main bedroom, with paintings by Rafael Ontiveros
Main bedroom (King) with painting by Rafael Ontiveros
I call this painting Mi Amor Espanol, by Rafael Ontiveros. He calls it "Gaucho"
Main bedroom table and chairs
Terrace upstairs (the seats also have cushions). There's an awning that covers the terrace for shade when it's sunny.
Detail of the mural on the terrace by Rafael Ontiveros
The terrace is a private space filled with cacti and succulents, as well as lounge chairs and a shed with a washer/dryer. There's an awning over the table on the other side of the atrium to provide shade.
Artist Edward Swift with a portrait of him by local photographer Russell Monk
Artist Rafael Ontiveros and owner Laura celebrating after an art gallery opening in the house
Here's what we started with.
Here's to imagination!
Amenities & details
Fast WiFi
Reverse osmosis purified water
Washer/dryer
Big flat-screen TV
Heating and A/C
Ergonomic task chairs in the dedicated office
Housekeeper 1x/week or 2x/week for $40/week more
Hair dryers, shampoo, conditioner, soap, fluffy towels
Filtered water in jugs in bedrooms and study
Coffeemaker, fully-equipped kitchen
Parking nearby
Private chef, massage therapist, or salsa dance teacher available
Sparkling clean
Ask us if there’s anything you need. We don’t have a local phone because everyone uses their cell phone – be sure to get international service before you leave. The water in the kitchen sink is purified so you can fill any water bottles or glasses from there.
A few rules: NO SMOKING TOBACCO. If it smells like cigarettes, we will charge you the full security deposit as a cleaning fee. Also, no extra guests. There’s room for 5 people in this house if someone sleeps on the day bed in the bedroom. That’s the limit. No throwing anything but TP down the toilets (Mexico has delicate plumbing). If you like to walk barefoot, beware of scorpions — they’re rare and not fatal, but they are around sometimes and hurt. Be kind to the neighbors and don’t make a lot of noise after 10 pm. We aren’t responsible for any noise in the street– this is Mexico, and sometimes fireworks go off and dogs bark.
We require a 50% deposit to hold the reservation. If you cancel before a month ahead of the reservation, we’ll refund your money. The remainder is due a month before the reservation, at which time we won’t refund your money. In case of some emergency, we may credit you with time to stay in the future, but that’s on a case-by-case basis. Thanks for understanding.
Meet the team.
Martha and Belem are the administrator and greeter for the house. Belem will help you get settled and answer any questions you may have. She speaks excellent English in case your Spanish is rusty. She can also help you out with transportation, where to park, a private chef, a massage, or whatever else you might like to do while you’re in town (there may be fees for extra services).
Martha and Belem are available to solve any problems that may occur during your stay. Along with them, Paula or another housekeeper visits to keep the place sparkling clean and tidy.