Just back from a week in Puebla where I went with my mother for a cooking class.
Highly recommended, it's an interesting town, not too touristy but lots to see.

We spent the first three nights at Meson Sacristia de Capuchinas, where we had the cooking class and then moved to its sister hotel theMeson Sacristia de la Compania. Both hotels are historic building, the Capuchinas is a more intimate property with a more modern feel (still lots of religious art) while Compania has a larger busier restaurant, bright pink decor and a more historical feel. We preferred the location because it's closer to the Zocalo. There's a club across the street and it is noisy on the weekends but it wasn't too bad during the week.

The service at both hotels was excellent, everyone was very friendly and the 5 morning cooking class is highly recommended. It's a fairly serious class, real choppping and cooking, not just a demonstration but I greatly enjoyed the other people the chef and the translator. We made one visit to the market and ate lunch every day at Capuchinas after the class.

I highly recommend the guide Carlos Rivera who took us to Txcala and Cholula. Overall there was lots to see in Puebla, we were very impressed with the churches and all the interesting shops religious shops. We went to Mass at the catherdral and found the devotion at the churches and shrines extraordinary, particularly at the Santa Monica Chapel.

Puebla is a great destination for those who have seen other parts of Mexico and are not looking for a beach or resort. It's very easy to get to by a first class bus which goes directly from Mexico City Airport.

Highly recommended!

We were in Puebla about 15 years for a few days as a side trip from Cuernavaca where we were attehding language school. We really liked it; one of the few places we visited where we were not bugged by street vendors. The town is lovely with some beautiful churches. You can really feel the French influence. I remember seeing cornerstones on buildings with French architects' names. Enjoyed reading your report. Thanks.

Also liked Puebla a lot when we visited there a few years ago. I remember really good (and fattening) sandwiches, also tacos arabe which were delicious.

Glad you enjoyed it!

By the way, we had some wonderful moles in Puebla. (Sorry, I can't add the accent to mole.) Since you attended cooking classes there, where I believe moles originated, did you get to make any? I particularly enjoyed the ones made with pumpkin seeds.

Yes, we did get to make several moles and a pipian with pumpkin seeds. Mole really was quite a lot of work to make but apparently it's often made and reduced to a paste which you can keep in the fridge for one year.

I was interested to find out that to qualify as a mole a sauce apparently has to be made using the three techniques of Mexican cooking; roasting, frying and boiling. So much of the food was roasted which surprised me.

The moles are delicious. I'm often surprised how little we see them served in restaurants here in Southern California. I did not know that roasting, frying and boiling were part of the process. Maybe it is just too labor intensive.Interesting. Thanks for sharing.

Could you tell us who offers the language classes? Its a great way to learn and practice Spanish.