Trip Report - Agua Azul

I have two separate experiences with the Aqua Azul, and I doubt that any other guest knows this villa better than I know it, nor is it likely that the innkeepers, Brooke & Rick Gazer, know any of their guests better than they came to know us. I was married in the sala of this wonderful home on a rainy Thursday, the 8th of August, 2002. Also, we were guests at the villa in late Spring 2002, while we were in town putting the final touches on our wedding plans.
The inn itself is beautiful, has a fabulous view, and gives one the feeling of being in the tropics the moment they step inside it's doors. One gets their first hint of the attention to detail that Rick & Brooke put into the design and building of their home as they walk across the pond over stones to the front door. Brooke is an apt story teller and artist: ask her about her experiences having a potter custom make the lamp covers, or about her trips to Central America to have the bedspreads and upholstery fabric woven to order.

Agua Azul

Fabulous breakfasts of luscious fruit are served each morning (along with breads, yogurt, and the unspeakably delicious Oaxacan coffee) in the palapa sala, with the wooden and glass folding walls pulled back so that the space is open to the gardens and the bay below. Exotic birds and an iguana frequent the trees bordering the garden, and little crabs scurry across the walk into the colorful flowering shrubbery, clearing the path to the pool for the night swimmer. Fireflies create an almost fairytale like feeling in the evenings, and, if you are lucky, electrical storms in clouds over distant mountains will entertain you on a romantic evening.
The rooms are well appointed, each a little different, but all with a tropical feel. I found the Agua Azul on the internet, and I must say that photos do not do justice to the interiors. One of the reasons for this, is that the rooms are a little dark (a blessing in the tropical climate) and the ceilings are high in several, making them a challenge to photograph. I took many pictures myself, but I couldn't get one to really show off the fabulous feel of the rooms. Outside each room is a small palapa covered porch with a hammock hanging, handy for an afternoon nap.
The villa is situated on a hill above a small private beach in a residential neighborhood filled with lovely vacation homes owned mostly by foreigners. Huatulco itself is an affluent area, but the community of Resedential Conejos is the crème de la crème. The entire area is spotlessly clean, and fastidiously cared for. The drive from the airport to the bays takes you through a National Park and Ecological Reserve that surrounds the Bay of Conejos on the north side. Looking westward one sees the bay of Tangolunda with it's resort hotels, and eastward, the deliciously deserted Conejos Bay and beach, where you must go for an afternoon snack of iced cold beer, and shrimp "mojo de ajo" under the palapa at the end of the beach. Go at sunset. In fact, get Carlos Ramos (aka Charlie diver) to take you snorkeling at "his ranch" and he'll show you his "three [sea] horses." (Tell him you heard he's a rancher.) Then ask him to take you to Conejos Bay afterwards, for sunset, and buy him and "el aguila" (the eagle) a couple of beers and some shrimp (it's cheap). He'll drop you back at the little beach in front of the Villa Agua Azul when you're done. The residential neighborhood known as "Conejos Resedencial" is situated on the small peninsula that separates these two bays from each other. It is on this western side of the peninsula that the Villa Agua Azul sits.
The villa's large palapa sala is just off the entryway and on ground level as you enter the house through the front door at the top of the hill. The rooms meander down the side of the hill, and the unique design allows each room good privacy, great views, and most have their own little garden areas as well. The entire house is very tastefully tiled in a mixture of dark terracotta and hand painted traditional Mexican tiles with an emphasis on dark blue. This dark blue is carried into the fabrics on the beds, furniture and windows as well. It give the place a simple, clean, yet rich feel that is very comfortable and relaxing. It has far more character than the posh, overly decorated luxury hotels in the next bay, and a far better view, as well as access to a less crowded, and far more charming beach than those of the hotels.
My dad and step mom, my brother, my mom, and three sets of close friends stayed at the Villa Agua Azul for the week of my wedding, while the rest of our group occupied two other villas in the small, exclusive neighborhood. Brooke and Rick cared for my guests like they were family, and they will have repeat business from many of them. We were all in walking distance of each other, as well as the terrific little private beach, Playa Tejoncito, that you see featured in photos on the Agua Azul websites.
This beach is a great place for a night swim, or a day of sun and soaking, along with a picnic, or even a barbeque (use the pit) right on this quiet little beach. It was on this beach that I had planned to get married, and indeed began a beautiful wedding ceremony under the trees in the sand with a light tropical rain beginning. Ask Brooke to tell you the story of how we all grabbed our things and ran to the sala of her villa when the deluge began. It was also in Rick and Brooke's sala that I had a beautiful candlelit rehearsal dinner the night before. Brooke has a gentle, elegant touch when it comes to very tastefully setting her tables, and entertaining. She and Rick were indispensable in the planning and execution of my wedding and the week-long extended family vacation that preceded it.
In late Spring of 2002 my fiancé and I made a trip to Huatulco to check on our wedding plans, which, up until that time, had all been made over the internet and telephone. Mike and I stayed at the Agua Azul, in the Pelicano room for three days, and thoroughly enjoyed our stay. The Pelicano has the best view as it sits higher on the hill than even the sala, and had the effect of making feel like a kid again, due to the little flight of stairs that lead up through a little door to get to the room. In fact, my 10 year old son, when he first saw the villa on the night of the rehearsal dinner, loved the place as much as I did, and for the same reason: there are stairs that go everywhere giving it an almost mysterious feel, like you might discover a secret room if you explore all the stairways. During that stay, there was one other couple who arrived the same day we did, and another couple who arrived as we were leaving.
Brooke & Rick are gracious and attentive hosts, making the Agua Azul an especially excellent place for first time travelers to Oaxaca, or travelers that don't speak Spanish. If you are reading this, and are considering staying in one of the hotels in Tangolunda Bay, or in town (Santa Cruz, or La Crucecita), don't do it! Especially not Tangolunda. Stay in Conejos instead. It is a quick, cheap taxi ride (5 minutes) down a pristine highway to get into town for shopping or nightlife, and the taxi's are very clean, and extremely prompt when called. All of the activities that are to be had through the big hotels can also be found on your own, or with assistance from your hosts if you wish. Rick & Brooke make a small fee, in the form of a mark-up, for the services they book for you, but they often negotiate a better rate than you would have gotten on your own, so it usually evens out. Huatulco is broader geographically than it is socially, truly a small town where everybody knows everyone else. With very few exceptions, everyone who volunteers to introduce you to someone who might provide you a service is making a small cut for his or her efforts. This is true of many innkeepers as well. However, the convenience of this service, and the confidence that it provides is perfect for many travelers who are not experienced traveling in Mexico, or don't speak Spanish.
The Villa Agua Azul is a B&B, and Rick and Brooke created it from the beginning to be just that. It is there home, and they are conscientious hosts, who will do all they can to make you feel at home as well. It is a perfect place for a honeymoon, or second honeymoon, as well as just a fabulous place for a relaxing tropical vacation.