John
Hey Becca, I have been a friend of Byron's for years.
They call me Chicago because that is my home. I am certain
I will see him when I go to Angel this Saturday.
Email me @ GreggK@avenew.com if you want to contact him.
I do not believe he is into email. choi choi for now
Has anyone been to the turtle farm near Puerto Angel? I hear it is near or on Manzute Beach. How far is this from Hautulco? I am taking a group down, do you think it is too far to go?
Is their surfing in Puerto Angel? How about a place to rent a surfboard. I plan to be there in mid-March. What will the water temperature be like? Also, is their public access to the internet?
Many thanks
-Pete
Hello;
I saw your email response to Culprit. We will be in Puerta Angel April 2 through 5-6 I do think we should have reservations then, don't you? We would like to be flexible but so close to Easter??? What are your thoughts? Thanks for time in responding. Patti Bess
Pete:
There's no surfing right at Puerto Angel. The closest place would be Zipolite which is only about 4 miles away. The surfing at Zip. is not the best and is considered somewhat dangerous. For the best surfing in Mexico you would need to go to Puerto Escondito, which is only about an hour to the northwest of Puerto Angel and very accessable by public transportation. Surf boards are available for rent. I hope this information is of help to you.
Rich
Getting a reservation in Puerto Angel or Zipolite is somewhere between difficult and impossible. Don't sweat it - you might have to spend one night in a hamaca in Zipolite, but one of the hotels can take care of you the next day.
Hi Grant, You can take a bus from Huatulco to Mazunte,(the turtle museum is right there) I know it is 30 pesos & about an hour to pochutla, and another hour to(aprox) to mazunte. Or you could hire a taxi van expensive! Leave early in the morning. when are you going? Not to far at all a nice day trip.
In June I plan to take my two young sons (ages 5 and 9) to Huatulco and Puerto Angel. Any suggestions for a kid-friendly, safe, and reasonably priced place to stay in Huatulco? I've been to Puerto Angel many times, but it's been thirteen years since my last visit. I hope to visit friends there, and maybe stay in the Posada Canon de Vata. Does Mateo have an e-mail address now at the Posada? Also, does anyone know if Suzanne Lopez (Mateo's ex-wife) is in the area? I want to contact her. Finally, I'd like to contact Norton (Fernando Barrera). Does anyone know if he's there? Thanks for any and all information.
Actually, I was just out with Byron a few days ago; (Just back from 2 weeks in P.A.) I don't believe he has an e-mail yet but he does have a phone number. If you are really interested e-mail me and I'll get it for you.
Byron will take you out fishing and snorkeling quite reasonably. We caught 2 tuna and snorkeled two beautiful reefs in a 4 hr. trip just last week. You can tell Byron is popular, if you go down to Playa Panteon and ask for him many inferior guides will claim to be him to take you out. Byron's boat is the 'Adventuress' and has a rather faded red flag on a pole mounted on the bow.
Hello again, and thanks everyone for your advice on P. A. accomodations. Now another question: Has anyone stayed in the "Tourist Yu'u" (Inns) in the villages between Oaxaca and the coast? Such as San Sebastian de las Grutas, Santa Ana del Valles, Hierve el Agua, or any of the others. I found out about them on the Oaxaca Tourist Guide website. It sounds like a cool thing to do, and I wondered if there was anyone who had this experience?
Thanks!
Hi Julia.
I think that the last time I was in Pto Angel was around 1987, so that would be 14 years ,I think. I am now a single parent of an almost 9 year old daughter. It turns out that I will be finally returning to the Oaxaca state over spring break in March, sin mi hija. HOWEVER, I would like to return again with her. I am going to Huatulco and feel somewhat like I am bastardising things, because when I was last there I had a native fella take me when it was the tiny village of Sta Cruz, on it's last fishing legs before the development. I am going with a girlfriend and we hope to spend some time in Angel, where I really spent a lot of time.
Sometime ago I really think that I saw Suzanne's place advertised in a recent Mexico guide book, with fax, address and all. In fact I am trying to locate her myself and will try to write back. She has the- tree entwined place, right?
Buena Suerte with your sons and Mexico.
Life is a lot more like it is now then it was then, eh?
If I find Suzanne's I'll write. Will you if you do?
Jena
I can recommend the Puesta del Sol in San Jose del Pacifico, about half-way through the mountains on Hwy 175 between Oaxaca City and Pochutla.
In Bahias Huatulco, the best prices are going to be in La Crucecita; you might try Los Conejos, Posada del Parque, or Hotel Mision Los Arcos.
Hi,
I wanted to get in touch with him because I was thinking of going back to P.A. later this year, and thought it would be nice to have contact with someone who lives there. I really liked Byron, so I thought this person would be him... But know I`ve decided not to go back, well not for a long time anyway, so I don`t need it anymore... Perhaps you could just tell him hello...
hi there or should I say HOLA!...just read your e-mail...can't wait to go in May...two questions please....can you take a bus from Acapulco? how far is it?and how do I get in touch with Posada San Critobal in Zipolite? thanks so much ,rp
Round trip by first-class bus from Acapulco will set you back about $50USD each and be about ten hours. Comfotrtable seats, air conditioning, spanish-subtitled American movies, and at least one departure that will let you sleep overnight on the bus, saving one hotel night. Get off the bus in Pochutla and take a micro to Zipolite. Getting in touch with a Zipolite hotel is best done by walking up to the reception area!
Hi,
Haven't stayed at the Tourist Yu'us, but if you're looking for the best hotel in Oaxaca city, it's called Hotel Cazomalli. It's on the outskirts of the city at El Salto No.104 esquina Aldama, Barrio de Jalatlaco.
If you're looking to stay at Hierve el Agua, the Yu'u will be your only option. If not, at that point you're within an hour of the city.
Looking for great food, great price, great people and a great view? You'll have to climb the cliff between Playa Principal and Playa Panteon to "Restaurant Los Arrecifes". The steps begin just at the west end of Playa Principal- look up - look way up.
Say HI to Mari and her family.
Does anyone know a cheap way to fly from Toronto or thereabouts to Huatulco or thereabouts?? Destination Pto. Angel!!!
Our schedule is flexible! We are flexible! We are a couple travelling with a 15 month old child. Thanks
hi,
i've been to puerto angel last year, and it is very small...and cude...you can make "snorkeling", but there aren't water sports, it's very calm.But it's great if you don't want to do anything....There are no newspaper too...so imagine, but peaple are very nice, and you can make good friends.Go to the hotel Soraya, the woman there is sympathic and the hotel has fot good views.
bye.
The last two years Apple tours our of Detroit has had specials to Acapolco in April. This is their last "charter" of the season. I've paid around $100 to 125us for these specials. This year they have charters to Hautcol. I wouldn't be suprised to see a special going there this year. I am holding out for it. By the way. Puerto Escondito (just north of Puerto Angle) is about a 5 hour trip by bus from Acapolco--and the price is not bad...
I wish you luck and hope to see you there.
I believe Air Canada flies directly to HUX (Huatulco). Otherwise, Air Transat, a Canadian charter carrier often has air only to HUX. Probably around $700.00/adult, though. It's a short bus ride/taxi to Pochutla/Puerto Angel from there (about 40 km). Airport taxis are convenient but expensive ($40-S50 USD) from Huatulco airport. You can wait for a free taxi/public bus on the road outside the airport for a significantly better rate. Or you can go into the town of Huatulco (a shorter, cheaper taxi ride from the airport) and get a bus at the station. Obviously, sitting by the Hwy. in the heat may not be acceptable with a baby.
There was a message in October 2000 stating that The Posada was no longer accesible by e-mail, and that accomodation was available on a walk-in basis only.
We found them!!!!
we've been to huatulco twice and puerto angel once in the last three years, with our kids, aged 10 and 13. we just returned from our last trip last week. in huatulco, we stay at La Flamboyant, on the central square in La Crucecita. they are kid friendly, and they even have a nice pool if one desires that sort of water. In Puerto Angel, we stayed at La Buena Vista. they also tolerated our kids without complaint, although there's really nothing kid oriented there. both places seem very safe.
La Posada's Phone number is 011-52-958-4-31.37
I will post an annoucement.
GreggK
The Posada Canon Devata is in full operation.
I was there. The place is being run by Mateo and operated by
a caucasian named Steve. The place is clean, secure and quiet.
The meals are not macro biotic anymore(standard fair) and they
miss a meal at times. The Posada's phone # is 011.52.958.4.3137.
The rooms run from 150 to 400 pesos.
Mateo's wife(Chelli) has opened the "Galeria Cafe" below the
grade school by Mateo's house in town. The chef is a Swiss
gentleman by the name of Peter. The food is European, Seafood,
and vegetarian. The meals run from 20 to 60 pesos. I ate there
and the food was high grade but not spicey.
Royal Airlines has flights out of Toronto to Huatulco. Since we live in Ottawa we booked with Air Transat as they have a direct flight out of Montreal [closer for us] to Huatulco. Price quoted by travel agent initially was $829 but when we phoned to book it a few days later [18 days prior to departure] price had dropped to $698. It is our first visit to Mexico.
Knowing that the strength of the surf can vary dramatically - we're trying to get a fix on where best to locate in this area (Mazunte , Pto. Angel...) later this month so that an 11 yr. old - a good swimmer - can enjoy herself in the sea....us too !
In Jalisco we'd often go from Barra to Melaque...or Tenacatita so that the kids wouldn't get pounded by big surf. We'd enjoy visiting different spots...and like bus rides....but in order to avoid having to 'bus-to-swim' where would you recommend ?
Playa Panteon in town, or San Augustinillo if you can navigate the micros. The later has a rock barrier dividing the rough water from an easier swim. If you're in good shape, the walk to Estacahuite just outside of town would be very worthwhile. Enjoy!
I'll be visiting P. Angel at the end of next week. I've very much enjoyed reading everyones' posts. I have two questions...
a) are there any suggestions on catching a bus from Acapulco to P. Angel?
b) is there a public internet access site in P. Angel?
Thanks in Advance...
-Pete
Peter,
Have fun. a) yes, there is a internet place just off the pier
b) take a first class bus (Cristobol Colon) to
Pochutla(about 6 - 7 hours) then a cab.
c) the best long range swimming(by far) is in the
Bay of Puerto Angel(you will see).
d) do not miss a tour of La Posada Canon Devata
and the art work of Mateo Lopez
e) keep your passports, money, etc. in the safe
wherever you stay.
Sunscreen
Insect Repellent
Drink bottled(2 liter or less) water ONLY.
Tums.
I just returned from a wonderful one week stay at the Posada Canon Devata. Mateo and Steve sent along the following news for those interested in visiting the Canon Devata in Puerto Angel.
"La Posada Canon Devata would like to express its gratitude for so much concern from its loyal freinds and guests past and present. We apologize for any inconvenience at the time. Here is some new information and rates on the Inn. We serve good healthful food, vegetarian and traditional Oaxaquema meals: breakfast $4 and dinners $5-7 US. A double room is approximately $25US and the bungalows approximately $35-45 US. At this time reservations are only accepted one week in advance (011-52-958-4-3137). WE WILL REMAIN OPEN MAY and JUNE. The old family round house where the Lopez family once lived while building the posada now houses Mateo's studio and gallery where he displays many of his works. In the center of the pueblo his personal home is filled with more beautiful paintings. Mateo invits you to come and see and share his feelings on his works.There is a direct Mexicana Airlines flight from Mexico City to Puerto Escondido and the Bahias de Huatulco, either international airport being an hour north and the other an hour south of Puerto Angel by taxi. The Mexican subsidiary Aero Carribe flies the short distance over the mountain range that separates the capital city of Oaxaca from the coast. La Posada Canon Devata and Puerto Angel is a wonderful place to get away from the busy world and rest. We hope we can serve you and your friends sometime in the near future. Once again, Thank You. - Mateo and the management of Posada Canon Devata"
i heard that taipan got destroyed by the hurricane. does anyone know what happended to the proprietors?
Take your own mask, snorkel, and fins.
Take the walk from town to Estacahuite for a great snorkel.
Feel free to grab the micros to Zipolite, San Augustinillo (a great swimming spot),
Mazunte (see the turtle museum) and back.
Things do sometimes walk away on the beach. Don't carry anything with you that
you can't affoard to lose. Remember that by comparison, you ARE un rico
Americano. Make sure any cameras, boom boxes, etc. are covered by your
homeowners or renters policies!
Wanna fish? Take some tackle and negotiate with the locals for a boat ride.
When cash gets low at the end of the trip, don't forget Tio Chilos up past the post
office for bargain eats!
Please send info on property for sale. The cost, taxes,,,,, Thanks, M. Kelley
Please check out our new web site at www.puertoconnection.com and let us know if we can be of service to you in any way.
Hi - we're thinking of coming to Puerto Angel in late April. Will it be crowded then? Are advanced hotel reservations needed at that time of year?
Thanks,
Wes
As long as you show up after Easter, don't think twice, it's all right.
Am interested in your asking price for the 2500sq.m. property you mention in Puerto Angel.
Thank you,
David
Beware of persons seeking to sell land over the internet who refuse to provide important details, such as prices. If it's a legitimate deal then the seller should not be afraid to disclose the asking price. Buy nothing before you consult a Notario Publico. Translate all documents from Spanish into English before considering singing anything. Mexico isn't the U.S., or Canada, and the laws and protections for buyers are very different. If it looks too good to be true it's because it is.
I am an ESL teacher and would like to relocate to Perto Angel. Are there job possiblities in a school or locals? I am finding it difficult to locate information about teaching. Is it easier to come first? Any info is greatly appreciated.
cristin
A very long line of would-be teachers has come to Puerto Angel believing themselves to have jobs teaching at Universidad del Mar. The universal discovery is that they have understood platitudes and evasions to be job offers and that there is no work waiting for them at UMAR.
The public school system is such that the children are only able to attend half day sessions. Since Mexican public schools require parents to buy uniforms and books, and since the average income in Puerto Angel is LESS than the Mexican minimum wage of $5.00 usd per DAY, many families cannot send all of their children to school in spite of government mandates. I have one very dear friend in PA with 5 children; she sends them to school two at a time. I can garauntee none of them will ever graduate.
Much vocational instruction is done by the cooperatives. PA's fishing cooperatives tend to be a rather coarse environment.
Your skills as a teacher are needed. The money to pay you is not there. As I've said before, for every 1,000 gringos wanting to live on the Oaxacan Pacific, maybe one has made it. The other 999 of us are back in the US or Canada trying to establish a flow from the dollar economy to support us in the peso economy.
Good luck.
John
Hi fellow travelers! I plan on going to Mexico with a friend of mine and we would like to travel down to the state of Oaxaca. Our plan right now is to go in November and I was wondering about where good, safe, and as cheap as possible places to stay are all down the coast. We plan on getting a plane from Vancouver to Puerto Vallarta and then bus the rest of the way down the coast to wherever we end up. We would like to go for 1 to 2 months depending on how much money we make this summer and so this leads to my next question. How much money should I bring to pay for accomodations, food, transportation, and a few fun things on the side? Keep in mind we want to go as cheap as possible and don't really want to go to the touristy places. I am also willing and eager to here of any other information about going to mexico that would be valuable to our trip down there as we are inexperienced travellers and want to have a safe and fun trip to mexico! Thanx for any information!
along the pacific coast in Oaxaca, in little villages like puerto angel, zipolite, puerto escondido etc. you can spend the night in hammocks for 1 or 2 dollars per night. allmost every hotel or sort of a hotel has hammocks... you can eat in restaurants as cheap as 20 to 30 pesos. but need more if you want better food. don\\t take much cash, use travellers checks. you can change them in bigger towns like p.e or pochutla. the oaxacan pacific voast is very beautiful and great place, so you're heading the right direction... also you'll find fun stuff, for sure, what ever you mean. cheapest rooms and cabanas are, I guess, like 10 to 15 usd per night. enjoy your trip... I was also thinking of visiting zipolite etc. in september so I know then more of the situation...
Problem is, if this is your first trip to the Mexican Pacific, and you're starting off in Puerto Vallarta, you'll never get to the Oaxacan Coast. You may never get further than Tenacatita and La Manzanilla. Go to the Barra de Navidad threads and read some of that information. Having lived on both sections of coast, I prefer Oaxaca by far. But from Puerto Vallarta, it's a hell of a trip.
If you want to see Puerto Angel, Escondido, etc., you'd be better off flying to Huatulco, it's much closer to that part of the coast. If you can get an air-only ticket on a charter, better yet. If you have the flexibility to play the waiting game, charters get really cheap if they aren't filled within a week of departure. I've flown to Huatulco from Minnesota for as little as $153 usd, although with increased gas prices we'll probably never seen prices like those again.
Some of this info applies, but not all. From Vancouver, if you can get a charter to Huatulco, it will only be for a two week duration. Staying longer requires another return ticket. If you have two months, I recommend flying into Mexico City, and then bussing to Oaxaca. Several days in DF will be worthwhile, and 5 days in Oaxaca and the villages around it will be a better indoctrination to Mexico. From Oaxaca, you can bus to Huatulco, stop in at Angel and the other quiet spots between there and Puerto Escondido. Purto Vallarta should be the last place on your trip, if you get there from the coast of Oaxaca, if only because by that time you will be used to Mexican customs and probably not be in an all-inclusive state of mind. P.S. I am assuming that this is your first trip to Mexico. If you have been there before, never mind.
This is an interesting letter you wrote! There are always two sides to a story. Yes, we tried the internet to reach more people and ...for your information ... we DID GIVE the price to anyone who wrote back to ask for more info. We actually gave a whole lot of informations to everybody that wrote to us. We even went to Puerto Angel to meet with someone that was interested ... A person that never showed up. Thank you very much!
So it is a very nice gesture of you to want to protect future buyers but I would like to add that respect must come from both sides. The people who asked us info, after receiving it never even wrote back to let us know if they were still interested or not.
Anyone in Puerto Angel could tell you who we are and that we are never been or NEVER WILL BE people with bad intentions of selling something that is not fair and square. But that again is the american mentality... to think that mexicans are always out there to get you. It was, FOR ME, very deceiving to read your letter. I don't know you and frankly ... never want to.
I am Canadian and Gabriel is mexican. I personally bought a piece of land four years ago in Puerto Angel, on my own, without Gabriel and so I know the mexican laws and the risks better than you most probably. Who ever made you an expert on the subject ... would be very interesting to know!
Sincerely, to you and all other readers, Anne-Marie & Gabriel
Your continued refusal to provide details of the property for sale speaks for itself. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out. Why do you object to someone cautioning others on land purchases in Mexico? Guilty conscience? Tisk, tisk!
Looking for a onr - two bedroom condo/ aptment to rent for 1 month...2 women surfers coming to practice their spanish. Lookign for JuLY 8-Aug. 8th. Please help...looking for cheap and near the locals but also near the beach. Any info will be appreciated. Thanks !!
Erin
Beware of someone that only signs with his first name. : Bill.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
BILL Who? Noone knows. And by the way, this Bill uses someone else's internet address to write his vindictive little funny remarks! Kate Kelley, the person whose address Bill is using is not happy about Bill's little fraud! Caveat Emptor ... what the hell is that !
Whoever wrote to us at gabe_mar.com got the price. So stop bullshitting, ... Bill no last name! Everybody that wrote before you got the info that they asked for. As I recall you didn't answer the question about whoever made you an expert on buying land in Mexico?!
If you wish to extend on the subject of laws, which is an important issue here, PLEASE GO AHEAD and inform people. It will save me the time of explaining it to everybody that writes to us. MAKE YOURSELF USEFULL instead of nourishing more "chisme". And tell everybody where you get this valueable information from, how you became so knowlegeable on the subject. That is the key idea here!!! Impress us Bill !!! Go ahead!
We left our address for people to write to us and not to the whole world. The people that were really interested didn't publish their letter in this site either and that's what I respect. The internet is not in this case a sensational press as you seem to think Sir "Bill The Enquirering mind wants to know"! But obviously you don't GET IT ... and never will. So don't expect us to lose anymore time on this subject with you BILL without a last name. We will not give you the pleasure of posting the price on the net. The people who are interested can always write to us and we will tell them the price and all the info they ask for exactly as we did in the past. Don't humor us anymore. You will be losing you time and energy. But I think you like that, right?
For the rest of the readers: Letters about Puerto Angel and or the piece of land are always welcome, as before!
Anne-Marie Beauchamp & Gabriel Martinez Reyes.
Please check out our new web site at www.puertoconnection.com (with live
surf cam) and let us know if we can be of service to you.
Thanks,
David Crews
dave@puertoconnection.com
www.puertoconnection.com
Please check out our new web site at www.puertoconnection.com (with live
surf cam) and let us know if we can be of service to you.
Thanks,
David Crews
dave@puertoconnection.com
www.puertoconnection.com
Where there's smoke, there's fire. And, from the looks of things, there's a forest fire burning. I had/have no interest in using this message board to flame anyone or post deliberately inflammatory material. However, like any other poster to this site, I am entitled to express my opinions, even though not all may be in agreement with me. Attempts to bully posters into "backing off" should be rejected, and resisted.
In the original post, Ann-Marie posted an advertisement for the sale of a piece of land in PA. A number of people posted questions asking for further information, including the price. Ann-Marie chose not to respond to the posted questions, at least not on this message board. I offered the following as part of my comments, "Beware of persons seeking to sell land over the internet who refuse to provide important details, such as prices." (the balance of the comments are posted above for all to read). I also urged potential purchasers to have all documents translated from Spanish into English, prior to signing anything. Both pieces of advice are prudent and seem to only be common sense. Fraudulent sales of land and other merchandise in Mexico over the internet is not uncommon (nor is it in most other countries). I made no accusations against Ann-Marie in the comments. The term "Caveat Emptor" is well known and commonly used, the meaning ascribed to it today is "Buyer Beware."
I'd suggest that tranquilizers are the order of the day here. Ann-Marie posted, "BILL Who? Noone knows. And by the way, this Bill uses someone else's internet address to write his vindictive little funny remarks! Kate Kelley, the person whose address Bill is using is not happy about Bill's little fraud! Caveat Emptor ... what the hell is that !"
Whatever this girl is smoking, I want some! For, my e-mail address is correct (not that of someone else, it includes my last name, and is certainly not a "fraud") and she knows it, because she sent me the following e-mail (a copy of which also appears above, as a separate post):
_________________________________________________________________
"From: "Gabriel Martinez Reyes" gabe_mar@hotmail.com
To: wlmasterson@yahoo.com
Subject: selling property in Mexico !
Date: Thu, 12 Apr 2001 15:39:23 -0400
This is an interesting letter you wrote in the web site of Puerto Angel! There are always two sides to a story. Yes, we tried the internet to reach more people and ...for your information ... we DID GIVE the price to anyone who wrote back to ask for more info. We actually gave a whole lot of informations to everybody that wrote to us. We even went to Puerto Angel to meet with someone that was interested ... A person that never showed up. Thank you very much!
So it is a very nice gesture of you to want to protect future buyers but I would like to add that respect must come from both sides. The people who asked us info, after receiving it never even wrote back to let us know if they were still interested or not.
Anyone in Puerto Angel could tell you who we are and that we are never been or NEVER WILL BE people with bad intentions of selling something that is not fair and square. But that again is the american mentality... to think that mexicans are always out there to get you. It was, FOR ME, very deceiving to read your letter. I don't know you and frankly ... never want to.
I am Canadian and Gabriel is mexican. I personally bought a piece of land four years ago in Puerto Angel, on my own, without Gabriel and so I know the mexican laws and the risks better than you most probably. Who ever made you an expert on the subject ... would be very interesting to know!
Sincerely, to you and all other readers, Anne-Marie & Gabriel"
___________________________________________________________________
Persons seeking to use a site such as this to sell real estate should be forthcoming, and not play games by withholding price information (especially when repeated asked for it). What's the fear of letting people know the price, permitting them the opportunity to compare the price, and to independently verify the price of comparable property in PA? Secrecy is very often reason for concern. And, when the seller further states, "We will not give you the pleasure of posting the price on the net.", such a belligerent statement should cause alarm bells to ring in the heads of anyone even remotely interested in such a purchase.
Posters aren't required to post a resume or present qualifications before commenting on issues, but if it's important to Ann-Marie, my background in Mexico (in addition to considerable experience living and traveling in Mexico) is as a consultant to major Mexican accounting and law firms, large multi-national corporations, and agencies of the Mexican government. My background in the United States includes the purchase, sale, and development of real estate, and in the regulation of government oversight agencies. The value of this site is the free exchange of ideas without one person shouting down another with whom they disagree, be the contributor an street vendor or the C.E.O. of a corporation. My commenting further on the emotional attacks upon me will serve no constructive purpose, I trust the ability of people to "read between the lines."
In legitimate real estate transactions, it's in the seller's interest to be forthcoming with information, and it's in the interest of the prospective buyer to do his/her due diligence to investigate the transaction. It's the illegitimate transactions that can't survive the light of day. There may be nothing wrong with this transaction, but, based upon what I've read in this discussion thread, I would recommend people proceed with extreme caution. I think that there's more here than meets the eyes.
I apologize to the webmaster for the length of this post, but, in light of the emotional and personal attack upon me I think that I should have the opportunity to provide a response. Thanks.
Asunto: Re: Caveat Emptor [4:22:95]
Fecha: Fri, 13 Apr 2001 13:02:07 -0500
Why do I keep getting these e-mails about property in Puerto Angel? I did
not write any letter nor do I know what anyone is talking about. Thanks,
Kate Kelley
????????????????????????????????????????
Hi all:
I just decided to plan a trip down there and found this website. I don't know the questions to ask yet, but am enjoying reading all the posts. I lived in Cholula in the state of Puebla in 1972 and since then have travelled through Puebla, Oaxaca, Chiapas and the Yucatan Penninsula a bit.
For my next trip (it's been five years..sigh) I decided not to spend so much time on long distance buses and running here and there but just find an area and hang out there. This post and other things I've read make the Puerto Angel area sound like THE place. If anyone knows of good charters from the Bay Area or even Los Angeles, CA area, in August or September I'd love to know. I'll be coming for 3-4 weeks so I don't know if that is too long for charters.
Only question I can think of now is I read there was a hot springs nearby named San Jose Manialtepec I think..anyone know anything about it..how far, etc. I adore hot springs.
Thanks!
Zoe
Hi all:
I'm excitedly planning a trip to Puerto Angel in August or September. I lived in Cholula in the state of Puebla for a bit many, many years ago and coming back to Mexico is like coming home. This time, instead of taking buses all over creation I decided to come to one place and pretty much stay put. From all I'm reading Puerto Angel sounds ideal..beaches and slacker paradise, but also not over-touristy so the real Mexico is missing.
Two questions: anyone know of any good charters from the Bay Area or even Los Angeles, CA? And I read somewhere about some hot springs named San Jose Manialtepec. I'm a big hot springs fan and wondered if anyone knows more about those.
Thanks,
Zoe
Vista World Travel of San Antonio, Texas is offering LA to Huatulco for $499 plus $72 tax. They advertize on this website. Not cheap, but it gives a starting point...
Your trip to San Jose Manialtepec looks like a rather complicated proposition. Check this link:
http://sites.netscape.net/pheuts/puertotodo1
or perhaps this one:
http://www.oaxaca.gob.mx/sedetur/guia/lagunas/english-lagunas-manialtepec.html
If you want to do it without a guide, you'll take the Acapulco bus about 10 miles past Puerto Escondido to the turnoff for the village. Hop off the bus there. You should find a taxi sitio at the bus stop to run you on up to the village. From there , like they say, two miles by horse or by foot up the canyon...
Good luck.
Thanks, John! Sounds like a great little side trip for me to make while I'm there. I didn't have the internet yet when last I went to Mexico. It's wonderful to be able to see and hear of places to go ahead of time, kind of like a little mini-cyber vacation ahead of the real thing. Only thing is it makes it so hard to wait!!
Zoe
Do I ever know about that difficulty in waiting, Zoe. My heart breaks just a little every morning when I wake up and find that I'm no longer living on the Oaxacan coast. I just have to console myself with the knowledge that by delaying that little bit of gratification, when I DO move back down, I'll be able to do it the RIGHT way.
And whenever I am able to spend a couple of weeks down there, I act like a hyperactive hummingbird (quite a trick at 6'3" 275 lbs!) and end up going back to work to recuperate!
Anyhow, we'll be down July 21 for 10 days or so. Should our paths intersect, see you there!
Hi all:
I keep reading about "high and low seasons". Is August considered high season for Puerto Angel? Is there a significant difference between August and September in terms of price and in terms of crowdedness? (fore instance a lot of college students in August who then are gone in September)
Zoe
Hi everyone:
I am so fickle. I have been reading about Puerto Angel and falling in love and now I have read about Mazunte and think it sounds even more lovely!
Is Mazunte more unspoiled, less crowded and cheaper?
Anyone recommend anyplace to stay there?
I'm sure I could wait till I get there in August or September and find out for myself, or spend some time in each place, but it's almost as much fun hearing about these wonderful places as going!....well, almost!
Thanks so much for this wonderful website and all you wonderful people sharing your experiences and knowledge!
Zoe
Zoe
You will love Mazunte, but it is TINY! Don't even think about trying for reservations before you get there; you're going way off-season and will have no trouble finding a room. Mazunte is on the micro (small bus) route out of Pochutla and Puerto Angel, just past Zipolite and San Augustinillo.
High season is between the week before Christmas and Easter. August and September are equally off-season; September is also a LOT wetter than August, on average. In either month, you'll see few tourists. A few Euro-hippies on Zipolite and the ubiquitous Mazunte Italians. There will be no crowds. Service will be great as almost everywhere you go, you will be the only non-local customer.
Re: charters, often I've found that the longer you wait to book one, the lower the price. I've booked as little as 5 days before departure and gotten some great deals, like Minneapolis to Huatulco rt for $153 usd (3 years ago). 'Course, waiting is a gamble too because the flight you want might fill up while you're waiting for the price to drop. Hasn't happened to me yet, but it helps to have a flexible enough schedule to be able to take the chance; if I miss this week's flight, I can just try again next week.
Bus Across Mexico is an authoritative guide on touring Mexico using the country's extensive bus system. Come see why Bus Across Mexico is the guide that everyone should own.
Link is:
Mazunte is a very beautiful place, but very tiny as JMW wrote. the beach is great but I dont think swimming is better there than in p.angel, anyways these place are so near to each other that where ever you're staying its easy to visit these places. taxis and collective traffic is very inexpensive... have a great trip. Im also planning to go and maybe stay in zipolite in august and im also going to visit and perhaps staying in PA, PE...
Please check out our new web site at www.puertoconnection.com (with live
surf cam) and let us know if we can be of service to you.
Thanks,
David Crews
dave@puertoconnection.com
www.puertoconnection.com
Well Said Bill!
What is the Price Gabriel?
As far as I know, a foreigner may only purchase a lease on land in Mexico within a 20 kilometer distance of the coast. You then have rights to the land for the duration of the lease (I,ve heard of 99 years) unless the government decides to nationalize the economy, in which case any foriegn interest in Mexico becomes property of the State. As history recalls, this is not an infrequent occurrance in this or the many other developing nations of this world. If you can form a partnership with a Mexican, you can purchase whatever you so desire. This partner, however, can dissolve the partnership at will and you then face a long battle of recovering your interest.
Just a friendly warning to those entertaining the romantic notion that we have all enjoyed while captured by the magical sunsets, hypnotised by the relentless surf and pained by the memories upon our return to our homes. Of the thousands of visitors I,ve encountered over the years, VERY few have stayed and ever truly felt at home.
Good luck to all,
Karl.........you don't need my last name, but thanks for the interest.
To anyone interested in Gabriel's land and Bill: Of course, anyone buying land anywhere in the world should be careful. That's obvious! And yes, people have been swindled in land transactions in Puerto Angel. I was married for many years to someone from Puerto, have lived there off and on over the last 22 years, and have purchased land there. It's a small town and everyone who lives there knows everyone else and their reputations. I met Gabriel on my first visit to Puerto and have gotten to know him very well over the years. He has a very good reputation with just about everyone. I can assure you that he is one of the most honest, kind and intelligent people that I know. If you want to buy some land in Puerto Angel you couldn't find a better person to do business with. Not to mention the absolute-ly breathtakingly beautiful area that his land is located. It's situated on a hill above the ocean, between Puerto Angel and Zipolite. Any one would be lucky to be able to get their hands on a piece of property here in a time when good locations and prices are harder and harder to come by. I'm certainly no expert on the laws of any country, but I believe that the law changed not too many years ago and I think, foreigners can own land now. Congratulations to the lucky person who ends up with this land! Megan Cruz
Nice personal endorsement, and that is important for others to consider. But, you're their acquaintenance, and we don't know you or them. So, people still have to try to figure it out for themselves, because It's likely that most will not be as familiar with PA and sellers as you are. Your familiarity with the area, and your family ties to the community place you in a category that about 99.9% of the readers of this message board do not fall into. If it's such a great buy, why the repeated refusal for requests to publicly disclose the details for all to look at? I'm familiar with PA, and have enjoyed my visits there, and yes some of the views are truly spectacular. However, I think that persons considering a land purchase in Mexico (nor anywhere else for that matter) should not look upon an offer for sale of real estate that is shrouded in darkness as being legitimate. The seller can cure the situation by being forthcoming with the details.
To my knowledge, the laws on foreign ownership of land along the coast and borders of Mexico has not changed, foreigners are permitted to purchase land in these zones only so long as the transaction is placed in a fideicomiso at a local bank. Outright land purchases in the interior of the country are perfectly legal and commonly occur. If anyone has news to the contrary, I'd like to hear it.
I'm flying into Mexico City and would like to know the fastest way to get to Puerto Angel from there. I here there are daily flights to Puerto Escondido and Huatulco. Can you take a bus from either of those places to Puerto Angel, and which is most convenient? Also, do you need to buy a plane ticket in advance, or can you buy your ticket on the spot? I'm going in mid-May (soon!!!), and don't know how crowded it will be then. Thanks!
Dear Kathy -
The Huatulco airport is actually about halfway between the Bahias Huatulco resort and Pochutla/Puerto Angel. The taxi drivers have to pay a small fortune to get a license to pick up passengers at the airport. The price of the license and associated bribes is passed on to the passenger. However, the road from the airport terminal to the highway is only a half a km - quarter of a mile. Travel light, walk to the highway, turn right, and wait for the first bus. It'll get you into Pochutla for less than a couple of dollars. In Pochutla, you'll take the "micro" (small bus) into Puerto Angel for about a buck. If you take a taxi from the airport terminal to Puerto Angel, you may well spend $35.00 one way! This quarter mile walk is the easiest way to introduce you to the First Law of Mexican Travel - always take half the clothes and twice the money that you think you'll need!
Between now and December, it is the deadest part of the low season. You need no reservations. You need make no advanced purchases. Do NOT send anybody a deposit. But it's a great time to be there - you may not find many English speaking people this time of year, but as that rare bird - off-season travelor - you will get the highest possible level of service!
Tell everybody about it when you get home. And eat at least one lunch at Luncheria Tio Chilo, telling them John sent you!
One more thing, Kathy - you'd save gobs of money by taking the Primera Clase autobus Cristobol Colon from Mexico City to Pochutla. ADO also has the route. It's an overnight on a VERY comfortable motorcoach...
Thanks for all the information John. I initially thought about taking the bus, but then started to worry about my safety, especially on an overnight through the mountains of Oaxaca. I'm a female traveling alone. Also, driving in a bus on those windey mountain roads makes me a little nervous, and there have been reports of bandits. Am I right to think twice about taking the bus?
Kathy
Hi Kathy:
I've travelled alone on buses throughout Mexico without problems other than typical macho come-ons that were easy enough to fend off. But I think the key factor is your comfort level and if you will be anxious or uncomfortable and can afford to fly...why not?
One thing I experienced on my last trip to Mexico is that, as a woman travelling alone it was fun to hook up with others..Mexican, american and European tourists to have company. There are always people to do this with if you either feel uncomfortable alone or just want/like company.
I'm coming to Puerto Angel in August and I plan to fly straight to Huatulco(from San Francisco) simply because I feel lazy and want comfort
zoe
Hi all:
I'm planning my first trip down there in August. (it's been five years since my last trip to Mexico..last trip was Mexico City south to Chiapas and Yucatan). Now that I've planned to go, I CAN'T WAIT!!! (Sorry, didn't mean to get loud on you!).
I peep into this site regularly to see if there are any new posts and they are few and far between. If anyone went down to Puerto Angel over Easter or goes in the coming weeks, it would be great if they could post a traveler's tale for us to lust over!
And anyone going to be there between August 12th and September 7th I'd love to chat via e-mail ahead of time and maybe have people to meet when I go.
Zoe
Hi all:
I have a question. I'm coming to Puerto Angel in August for four weeks. I'm a compulsive reader, especially when I'm on vacation and away from TV and computer! I'm kind of loathe to carry enough books to keep myself happy for four weeks. Is there anywhere I can buy books in English? Perhaps Pochutla? I'll probably have to go their for an atm periodically. If not, I guess I can always beg passing English speakers to exchange old books. I did that once in Mexico and it worked ok.
Zoe
There used to be a telephone caseta on the hill going up to the Hotel Soraya driveway with some second-hand paperbacks for sale. Villa Florencia also has a pretty good collection and will do some swapping. When I was down for two straight years without returning to the states, I got so desparate for something to read that I even caught myself reading Romances! As eclectic as my literary tastes run, that's still pretty hard-up!
You can usually find someone on Zipolite with some books, too. Just let some folks know that you're looking, and they will come your way.
Take a few with you, and you will find no trouble swapping. There is a book-swap in Zipolite, but they'll give you one in return for two, and you'll be lucky to find one worth reading. You'll meet plenty of people who are interested in reading your books. However, I highly doubt you will find English books in Pochutla. When I lived in Zipolite it was a lucky journey to find an English newspaper there. It is an interesting city to experience, but it does not cater to the tourists in the least (except, perhaps, the bus stations). But eat the B.B.Q. chicken on the street. It's delicious! Visit on market day and try a tamale made with iguana. Can't get that back home, I bet. Go into the market and have a soup offerred at the many stalls. Made with love! Buy a few mangoes and a bag of limes, and soon after ( if ) you do these things I've suggested, I think you'll find it's time to head back to the beach.
Sorry if I strayed from your topic......I was tasting that chicken.
Take a few with you, and you will find no trouble swapping. There is a book-swap in Zipolite, but they'll give you one in return for two, and you'll be lucky to find one worth reading. You'll meet plenty of people who are interested in reading your books. However, I highly doubt you will find English books in Pochutla. When I lived in Zipolite it was a lucky journey to find an English newspaper there. It is an interesting city to experience, but it does not cater to the tourists in the least (except, perhaps, the bus stations). But eat the B.B.Q. chicken on the street. It's delicious! Visit on market day and try a tamale made with iguana. Can't get that back home, I bet. Go into the market and have a soup offerred at the many stalls. Made with love! Buy a few mangoes and a bag of limes, and soon after ( if ) you do these things I've suggested, I think you'll find it's time to head back to the beach.
Sorry if I strayed from your topic......I was tasting that chicken.
It'll be difficult to find recently published books in English, especially in PA, Pochutla, etc. English language books in Mexico, when you find them in the larger cities, are expensive...typically 30 - 50% higher than in the U.S. As an example, I can purchase a 300 page John Grisham paperback in Chicago for US$6, while in Mexico City or Veracruz the exact same title costs me US$11. It's not easy to find others who have the same reading "taste" as you do, so if you do find a swap situation it's likely to be for books that may not interest you. When in a situation like you are plannning, I always bring the books with me...and then give them to someone along the way, oftentimes the local school.
Assuming that the telephone caseta in Puerto Angel has NOTHING you're willing to read; and the people at Villa Florencia just WON'T let you browse through the bookshelves that surround the main dining room; and NO ONE on Zipolite is literate; and you just DIDN'T get the message out amongst the locals that you're looking for English language books - it's pretty far-fetched for all of those contingencies to occur - but JUST IN CASE THEY DO...you really need to make at least one trip into Nahias Huatulco, no matter how constitutionally opposed you are to a city built for the sole purpose of becomming a resort. You really want to splurge on evening with a meal at Sabor de Oaxaca in La Crucecita. Ya gotta. That'll put you on the Zocalo. At the west end of the South side of the Zocalo in the little shopping center is a newstand. International issues of all the major magazines from Time to Cosmo to Playboy, and in English. Two big stand-up rotating racks of paperbacks. Overpriced, but what the heck, this was your night to splurge, right?
When your done, walk East past the other shops, the Plaza del Parque hotel, the Maria Sabina restaurant and at the end you'll find a paleta shop. Skip that one. Cross the street. Turn left and cross the street again. You will find yourself next to an exQUISit Mexican bakery. If you're ther at the right time, they'll have a row of homemade ice creams in the bucket. Ask for the Mamey. Trust me.
And as long as you're there, hang around 'til the action gets good at Bar La Crema. Meet the local folk and dance a little to that reggae beat.
I'll be there in July. Shall I tell Lalo to expect you?
John..thanks for all your suggestions. I so enjoy reading all your posts. Your love for Puerto Angel comes shining through so strong in all you write. I wish you were still going to be there when I arrive on 8/12. I'd love to share some of that enthusiasm through your eyes. Though there is NO doubt in my mind that I will come up with a high degree of enthusiasm all my own. When I first lived in Mexico in 1972...nearly 30 years ago...damn I'm old!...I felt more at home there than I ever felt here. A significant part of me is always left behind.One day, I'll figure out how to stay.
Huatulco doesn't sound like my kind of place at all. Everytime I return to Mexico I have to look a little bit harder to find Mexico. I resent the heck out of tourists and their disregard for the culture and the land. There have times I've been so ashamed of my country. I know that's unfair. I know there are others who travel with respect, and still...I wish we could travel without destroying the very things we go to see!
But I'm flying into and out of Huatulco and will also pass that way on a side trip I plan to see my sponsor child in Guatamala, so I will certainly make the little suggested tour. I love to dance, and I love raggae. Is Lalo the owner of the bar? Yes, tell him a middle aged gringa with bleached spiky hair will be there in August!!
Zoe
Heck, Zoe, a gringa with spliked blonde hair old enough to have lived in Mexico thirty years ago - I'm sorry I won't be there in mid-August, too! You sound so interesting my wife would probably spend half her vacation dumping buckets of ice-water over my head just to keep us from getting too friendly!
(You do have a sense of humor, I hope - aw, ya gotta if you lived in Mexico in the '70's and have a daughter in Guatamala!)
When in Huatulco, stay out of Tangolunda - unless you just have to have an Argentine-style steak, in which case a trip to La Pampa Argentina would be acceptable. As long as you keep clear of the golden tourist cages on Tangolunda, I think you'll find the rest of Huatulco to be a pleasant surprise. Even Santa Cruz is usually a pretty cool place to be, outside of high season. Most of the really obnoxious tourists go to Tangolunda, stay All-Inclusive and stay drunk, and rarely get out and in the way. La Crucecita is mostly infrastructure for Tangolunda with a few little hotels catering more to travelors than to tourists. I think you'll be very pleasantly surprised. Especially in the off-season!
And going the other way up the coast, make sure you hit a Sunday by the river in Tonemeca. It's a great weekly fiesta!
I will add one other thing for the benefit of other women traveling alone in Mexico. I know that you don't need this advice, Zoe, since you've lived there. But the indigenous American proves his relation to Asian peoples in his lack of the gene to properly metabolize alcohol. Like the Japanese, Mexican men - especially those with predominantly Indian heritage - tend to be rather ugly drunks. A table of men with a mostly empty bottle of El Presidente is probably in a room you want to exit soon. I hope that I phrased that in a mostly inoffensive manner, but girls - Zoe can vouch for the truth in what I've said, right?
John
LOL, John. Yes, I have a sense of humor..if a bit of an odd one..and no matter how hot the weather, I definitely wouldn't want to be responsible for you getting ice water over your head! I'm sure I'd enjoy a beer with you both if we were there at the same time. Seriously, though, I think it's quite cool to have a partner who shares your love for Mexico and your dream of living there. I'd love to meet a guy who would share that as well. I'm a pretty good describer, but it's hard to share something so experential as living in another country..another culture. It's a show thing not a tell thing, I'll just have to take the right person on a trip and let Mexico get in his pores like it's in mine.
To be real honest, Huatulco doesn't sound like my thing all that much, but maybe someone else will benefit from the suggestions. I'll check out Tonemeca, and still plan on searching out the hot springs west of Puerto Escondido.
I absolutely second John's cautions about drinking and bars. Things can get quite out of hand pretty quickly, and can combine with stereotypes about American women to create a pretty sticky situation. Actually this can happen to women there with a partner as well, because the men will start showing off for the woman's benefit and try and out-macho her partner. When I lived there my boyfriend got into a drinking contest with some guys and they ended up pulling a knife when he told them he didn't like how they were speaking to me.
Oh, I don't have a daughter in guatamala..just a sponsor child with Childreach.
Zoe,
Don't sweat going alone. I'm in your demographic and go by myself all the time. You'll meet tons of people. Just smile and say hi, and before you know it you'll be sharing adventures with other interesting travelers.
There are often orphan books at hotel/restaurants. Try the restaurant at San Cristobal on Zipolite for books; not many quality ones, but I did find something readable. Canon De Vata in Puerto Angel sometimes has really good books too. Eat at Dona Sol in San Augustinillo; have a delicious meal and ask Ana, the owner, where to find books...she knows everything!
Have fun.
Joan
Thanks, Joan. I'm not at all concerned about going alone, as I've been travelling in Mexico alone for years., and yes, always end up meeting people to hang out with. Last visit I planned on just going to Oaxaca City and then down to Chiapas (my favorite state so far) and ended up meeting some people with whom I travelled all over Yucatan with.
Actually a girlfriend of mine has decided to go with me for two out of my four weeks, and I'm having pangs of "oh no!".
Thanks for your suggestions about books and restaurants. I'm writing all this stuff down..only three months to wait..sigh
Zoe
I've really enjoyed reading some of the exchanges on this website, and it's really stoking the excitement for my own trip in a couple of days. I've decided to take an overnight bus from Mexico City to Pochutla (with the ultimate destination of Puerto Angel). John Williams said that both Cristobal Colon and Ado do that route, but searching the schedules on their websites has left me confused. C.C. has a trip down scheduled, but oddly no trip back from P.A. to Mex. City. Ado doesn't post that route at all! Only a daytime trip to Puerto Escondido I think. My guide book says Estrella is the only bus line that goes to Pochutla from Mex. City. What's the real deal? Has anyone taken a bus lately to P.A. from Mex. City and back? Thanks for any help.
Cristobol Colon does a Mexico - Oaxaca - Salina Cruz - Pochutla (via Huatulco) while there are also routes available that go Mexico - Oaxaca - Pochutla from ADO and others. Try this link and the links listed here:http://www.mexicoexplorer.net/autobuses.htm
Oh, yeah, the least motion-sickness-producing and very possibly the quickest is to take an Ejecutivo bus from D.F. to Acapulco, then the Flecha from Acapulco through Puerto Escondido to Pochutla. Unfortunately, the busline from Acapulco eastward along the coast is one of the few not giving route information on-line. I can assure you that it does exist.
Hi -
We're taking a trip starting this Friday (CAN'T WAIT) to Oaxaca and then the coast -- can anyone please tell us about buses... i.e., where to get one to P.Angel, how much it costs, and how long it takes. Thanks!
Tamar
Ride only Primera Classe, if you are not a long-time Mexico bus afficionado.
In Oaxaca, ask for El Terminal del autobuses del Sur.
Cristobol Colon goes through Salina Cruz and is easier on the motion sickness front.
ADO goes through San Jose del Pacifico to Pochutla. More scenic. Can be scarier.
From Pochutla you'll be on a micro - small bus. Ask anyone A Puerto Angel? and they'll point out the bus stop. Should you be offered a taxi ride, ask Collectivo? They'll stuff up to four other people in with you, but it'll only run a buck.
Oaxaca to Pochutla should only run you about $20.
Should you take the Oaxaca-Salina Cruz-Huatulco-Pochutla routing, spend a night in one of the cheap hotels around the zocalo in La Crucecita and at leasr take a look at the Huatulco development.
Take a day off a some point to see Santa Maria Huatulco.
Enjoy Zipolite.
Or you might skip that altogether and head straight for P. Angel. If you have a pre-notion as to what P. Angel has to offer, then you'll only be disappointed by the Huatulco area. This is my opinion and you must form your own. Once you get here, I believe, you'll feel that time spent in Huatulco was a waste. From here, take day trips to the local jewels like Zipolite, San Augustanillo and Mazunte. In the Huatulco area your options range from the Sheraton, the Hyatt, Club Med and the surrounding towns formed to cater to the pampered tourists. Has anyone been to the local markets down there? Very strange set up! It's more like the twilight zone than my Mexico.
It's funny, Carlos, that's what my heart tells me from the get-go. One thing I like about sites like this one, with both pictures and impromptu sharing by people who've been, is that the feeling of a place is conveyed. When I first started to look into visiting this area a few weeks ago I had heard about Puerto Angel and Puerto Escondido, but didn't know what if any difference there was between the two. I had never heard of Huatulco at all. Within a short time I knew Puerto Escondido was nice but not quite "it", Huatulco did nothing for me but make me shudder, Zipolite was thirty years too late, and Puerto Angel and Mazunte called me by the heart.
Not to put down anyone who wants to go to these or any other places in Mexico, but I've always been a bit puzzled by people who travel to Mexico and then hide out in American tourist enclaves. When I lived in Cholula in 1972, while my boyfriend went to school at Universidad de las Americas, I noticed students there who never left the campus. The got some feeling of Mexico as do the tourists...but..ah well, we all have different needs and interest.
I just know what when my heart is called, I respond.
Zoe
Dumb question. I'm in California, Pacific Time Zone. I thought Mexico was two hours ahead of me. Why when I posted something at 5PM (17:00) did it list the time here as 20:00?
Zoe
Thank you, Carlos! Nothing like a difference of opinion to get the juices flowing and a little more interest built on the threads!
I once felt the same as you about the relative merits of Huatulco vs Puerto Angel. After all, I first saw Puerto Angel in the early '70's, when the difference between PA and paradise were too few to mention. I saw Santa Cruz Huatulco in the late '70's, before the first bulldozer blade was applied to the earth. So I do have a long background of loving Puerto Angel.
Now, my old partner in PA was a native of Santa Maria Huatulco. And you've gotta admit, Carlos, that if it weren't so far from the beach, Santa Maria has it over Puerto Angel about nine ways from Sunday. A larger, more complete market. A much lovlier 17th century church. A zocalo with beautiful fountains. And so clean!
Then we have La Crucecita. This was built to be the infrastructure for the resort. This is where the people who service the tourists live. And until you've spent some time there, you really can't understand what flavor it has picked up. This is not the Huatulco of the mega-resorts. There are some hotels around the Zocalo. And you can walk home from Bar La Crema at 4:00 am and not have to worry about getting confronted by someone with larceny in their hearts. Can you say that about the discos in Zipolite? And if you need something from Mercado Tanguis, it shows up on Sundays - and is a lot more pleasant an experience than the day it hits Pochutla, I assure you! (Of course, it by-passes Puerto Angel-Zipolite-Mazunte entirely as it rotates from town to town.)
Now, I love dearly sleeping in a hammock under a palapa with a gentle sea breeze drying the sweat off my body. But MY significant other MUST have air-conditioning, especially in the more humid summer time. The air conditioners in the hotels around the zocalo in La Crucecita work far better than those few air conditioned rooms at Hotel Soraya! Not to mention cheaper...
OK, Tangolunda is abhorent. But it furnishes a place to keep tourists away from the travelors! And current density can be handled with minimal destruction - except that DAMNED cruise ship pier, destroying one of the best stands of coral in the Mexican Pacific!
But Carlos - the nine bays really need to be seen. Cacaluta and San Augustin ARE better snorkeling than Estachuite. And by spending one night in La Crucecita, it's possible to catch one of the early boats from the marina in Santa Cruz and be back in time to go back to PA for the next night, if that is your desire.
And it smells better.
Contrary opinions? Get on with it! And in detail!
Admittedly, I don't know the Huatulco you speak of. My experiences there are limitted to a couple of money runs, immigration ( and not since you can re-new at the airport), and one memorable visit to the Club Med in 1996. I had spent 6 weeks in the area with the usual trips to Oaxaca, San Jose del Pacifico, etc. Family friends were at the Club Med and I was invited to spend a couple of nights with them. Strictly duty. It was like a circus of the absurd compared to my recent accomodations--- mostly hammocks on the beach. The buffets were unbelievable!!
They were offerring KRAFT DINNER to the youngsters at lunch. From the box. I approached that with respect, not scorn. How else can young parents enjoy the sun unless it offers the necessary accoutrements that their kids are accustomed to? The activities were second to none. As an adult, I don't require the entertainment I once needed. Sun, beach, books, hammock, good food and drinks, and an occassional smoke. That's enough for me.
The Huatulco you speak of, admittedly sounds much more interesting than my experiences. The safety factor is an important one. When I had a bar on the beach in Zipolite a couple of years back, we would arrange to have every guest (when at all possible) escorted home along the beach. Not just women. Walking home alone was an invitation to be robbed. If I was the one to close the bar at night, it wasn't always possible to walk home with another. I would have to send my $, my i.d., my C.D.'s, and anything else of value ahead with others, knowing that I was a target for theft. People were robbed on a nightly basis. Be fore-warned, Zoe. That beach is NOT safe at night.
And now I, too, have a wife who requires comforts beyond the hammock culture.
P. Angel, Mazunte and even P. Escondido have become our places of compromise. I can still evacuate my worries and cozy up to my hammock for lengthy periods and she can evacuate her's on a toilet with a seat.
I enjoy these discussions.
Carlos, every time I have the good fortune to pull off a road trip. I try to take along several toilet seats as gifts of good will, especially places where I may have to spend a little sitting time in the future! Of course, now I know that they are available at the hardware stores in La Crucecita and Pochutla...
Now, I have very dear friends - family, almost - in Puerto Angel. I will be spending time there, and Mazunte, during any visit. But I do recommend that you try Santa Maria sometime, and just a little tasste of La Crucecita. Even if you're just picking up supplies for a friend, it is a more pleasant experience than Pochutla.
Or maybe I'm a little hard on Pochutla. After all, the luncharias in the market are quite good. And the street food near the bus stations is among the best in Mexico. But if you can get a really good feeling about being in Pochutla, you may have me beat. One of the worst towns to drive through on the Pacific coast - maybe that's the source of the bad vibes, I don't know.
Hey, if economics hadn't forced me to move my dive operation from Puerto Angel to Huatulco, I'd probably still have the same feelings about the place that you do. (The move prolonged, but did not salvage my business. If I'd started in Huatulco when I still had all my start-up bucks and equipment, I might be living there still.) And I never will love Tangolunda (I'm sorry, Raffa and Suzanne!). But Tangolunda is the symbiotic growth that supports La Crucecita, and that IS a good thing!
I keep seeing pics and descriptions of this point of land in Mazunte where it is referred to as a "natural jazuzzi". It isn't hot water is it? What exactly is it? The water seems to flow into a semi-enclosed space? how deep is it? Is it very hard to climb down to? (up from). And most importantly, can you swim nude in it??? Inquiring-lusting-after-this-beautiful-area-and-hardly-able-to-wait minds want to know!!
Zoe-
Water comes rushing in through an opening in the rocks, whirls around and then sucks out again. It's the same temperature as the sea. It's a rather dangerous climb down and up. I was almost sucked out to sea when I got too close to the opening; I also got some kind of spines in my hand when I tried to grab the rocks to keep myself from being swept away. There's no one there to tell you keep you clothes on, but please avoid offending local people by making sure you're alone or with other gringos. The mostly Zapotec people are trying to keep their culture intact in the presence of nearby Zipolite where anything goes.
Hi all: Nobody has posted to this site in awhile so I thought I'd just chime in to say: I'M GOING...I'M REALLY GOING!!! I got my ticket in my hot little hands yesterday (had to have my co-worker and fellow traveller charge it online as it was much cheaper, then FedEx it to our office). Today I'm headed out to apply for my very first passport! I've gotten away with not having one till now because I never went anywhere but Mexico and Canada and am now going to Guatamala. I heard a rumor, btw, that Mexico will be requiring them soon.
I was having a conversation with my friend about travelling in Mexico. We were talking about how third world travel works best when you can let go and surrender to the fact that there are no rules, and things change from one minute to the next. (Is Mexico technically considered Third World?). I thought about it and decided that in some ways it's more than lack of consistency..it's that the U.S. is very unbalanced in favor of the left brain, and Mexico is more right brain. I like having that right brain side of me(heart rather than head, fluid, intuitive, etc) invoked!
Forgive my philosophical ramblings..it's a beautiful spring/summer day in Northern California (though fire season has started way too early), and....I'M GOING, I'M REALLY GOING...lol.
Zoe
Zoe, it's been so long since I started giving you free advice (worth every penny that you pay for it) that I'm going to repeat myself just a little. When you first get to Puerto Angel, I would recommend you get a room at the lovely Posada El Almendro next to Villa Florencia (the latter being a primary hangout for the transient
By definition, Mexico is third world. Presidente Fox is trying to change that, but it's a long leap into the first world.
And the rumor of passports for Mexico has been around a long time. I don't see it happening, but I've been wrong before.
Email me directly at sharkbait69@yahoo.com. There are some other cautions I wish to pass along in a less public forum.
John
I live in Puerto Angel and just yesterday got on the Internet and was surfing around and came accross you note. I'll have to see if I agree.
Thanks for the information
Dick H.
I had a dear friend in Estacahuite, named Yolanda. Her husband worked for Universidad del Mar and her kids were quite facile academically. Yolanda was a nurse, with intentions of becomming a midwife. I have not heard fro the family in quite some time. Do any of the regular readers, especailly those who live in Puerto Angel, have any word of Yolanda and her family? I would be very surprised if her eldest child hadn't talked SOMEbody into an email account; a chance to communicate directly would be a welcome challenge to my Spanish abilities...
I am looking for a 1 bedroom bungalow or cabana near the beach from mid July though August.
Hi everyone, sorry for being delinquent in writing about my trip to Puerto Angel. I was there for 4 days in mid-May, by myself. I had had my worries about the overnight bus ride through Oaxaca from Mexico City, but it was fine, despite being long (13 hours). The best part was waking up around dawn high in the Sierra Madre del Sur, surrounded by misty blue peaks and steep valleys, feeling the cool mountain air and watching the villagers start their day. What a contrast to the descent into Pochutla, which was very hot and unattractive (but has the ATMs thank goodness). Being the end of the dry season, the heat was pretty intense at the coast. It started to rain the last day I was there. In Pochutla, being a novice to the "collectivo" taxi system, I naively paid a taxi driver 30 pesos - after bargaining - for a ride down to Puerto Angel. If I had walked several blocks away from the bus station on the main street, I would have seen the lineup for the collectivos (5 pesos per person). But with a backpack, it's probably just as well to get a private taxi.
I stayed at the Posada Cañon DeVata. I was the only guest there besides a couple from San Francisco. Low season - very low. My cheap room at the bottom of the canyon was hot, but it was possible to go up to "El Cielo" at the top and catch a nice breeze and get a view. Mateo was very welcoming and generous, showing me his painting studio and his medicinal plant collection. Steve, the caretaker and cook, was also very friendly and helpful. I think Steve will be leaving though, due to the death of his mother, which he heard about the last day I was there.
Tourists were few and far between, except for the crazy busloads of Mexican tourists who got dropped off at Cordelia's restaurant to eat lunch and spend the afternoon at the beach. Most long-term tourists seemed to be in couples, much to my chagrin. I have to say I was pretty lonely there most of the time. I wish I had brought a thicker novel. It seems like more social action might have been had at Zipolite. I met a group of Polish and other European young people who were staying at Shambhala. I did take a boat ride from P.A. with a couple from Texas and a single guy from England. We fished and snorkeled two other beaches (La Boquilla and La Mina). The guys caught lots of bonito. The snorkeling was pretty nice, actually. The water seemed very clear, if a bit choppy at times, and it was warm enough. The snorkeling around the rocks at Playa Panteon was good too. Fish, manta rays, starfish, octopus, etc.
I also went to the Sea Turtle museum in Mazunte, which is very interesting - you see a lot of turtles swimming around in tanks - but the tour guide spoke only Spanish. My Spanish comprehension is about 50%, so I'm sure I missed a lot of interesting information. For Zoe's benefit, my impression of the beach scene at Mazunte is very 20-something, maybe due to the youth hostel there. It's a pretty beach, with large, crashing waves. P.A. must be the best swimming beach. I don't know about the nightlife there though. There didn't seem to be much to do, except have dinner at my hotel. There is a pretty good restaurant in Zipolite, below Lo Cósmico, right on the beach, with an eclectic mix of people hanging out there. However, the beach and the town struck me as being quite dirty, with bad odors wafting from the beachside cabanas. P.A., in comparison, seems very clean and orderly - a quiet retreat for couples and families. My final impression of P.A. is of a beautiful place, but I would not go there again alone. People were friendly enough, but there were few other singles or groups to join. I realize my view might be warped by having gone there in the low tourist season when it was very quiet. Somebody please tell me if that is the case.
Thanks so much for your lovely trip report, Kathy. I found it this morning when I got up and read each word twice! Your points about travelling alone during low season are probably very useful for single people. I'm kind of used to travelling without much socializing, though my last trip to Mexico I ended up spending a week or two travelling with three other women I met, two European, one Mexican. In general, at home or elsewhere I like a lot of time to myself. I'm only going to be there for a week and a half alone before a friend is coming down to join me. For me, if I get to talk to some local people as I wander about town I will be happy.
How were the rooms at the Posada Canon Devata? How much did they cost? Where did you eat that you liked? And, most important question, do you have pictures? It sounds like you got around a did a lot in a short time. I'm sorry you felt lonely, but sounds like you made the best of it and enjoyed your trip anyway. Thanks so much for sharing.
Zoe
What a wonderful trip report! If you ever go down again, locals will start recognizing you and assume you're a "regular", which will increase the social contact. Meeting other singles. Hmmm. The disco at Roca Blanca in Zipolite. A quick trip to La Crucecita for an evening at Bar La Crema. I don't know. There's so many folks who're like family that interaction with fellow travelors has never seemd necessary...
Question: Since this is my primary mode of communication (not that it would kill me to be OUT of touch for a month): I read somewhere that you can't use regular ISPs (like aol) in Puerto Angel at the cybercafe, that you need to get a yahoo or hotmail account. Is this so? (There is also something called, I think "molly" that forwards mail that I would check out)
Hey, John..you hinted at writing to me with "some other cautions" then left it hanging..trying to reactivate my 60s paranoia?? Lol
zoe
Many of the cybercafes use Hotmail, which is a free e-mail program available to all. If you don't currently have a Hotmail account, all you need to do is set one up (i.e., assign yourself a user name and password and register as a Hotmail user -- costs nothing and it's easy to do) at your first session at the Cybercafe. Then you're good to go, using that same account for subsequent sessions from anywhere in the world.
The only problem, and it's minor, is that it's hard to import your current e-mail address book into another e-mail system. So you have to type anew the address of anyone you send to. There certainly are ways to make address books "portable," but it's beyond my limited tech abilities with computers. You can however establish an address book with your Hotmail account. So you'd only have to type in your addresses once.
To my knowledge, most of the other free e-mail services (e.g. Juno, Yahoo) work pretty much the same way. You can access them from any computer that has a modem.
No, Zoe, I am not trying to reactivate any old paranoias. I do wish to give you some specific names of people you SHOULD look up, and people to carefully detach yourself from if encountered. I do not give names like that over the open forum for reasons that should be obvious, n'cest pas? Not that I doubt your ability to promptly read the characters of those you encounter, but just offering some short-cuts.
And speaking of short-cuts, go ahead and get a Yahoo or Hotmail account now, before you go, so that you can import that address book and possibly even forward your aohell mail to the new email address. You don't want to burn any expensive cybercafe time doing basic set-up!
John
I was just teasing, John. I will very much appreciate anything you share, and will promise to leave a good reputation behind me!
Yes, I also thought to get that hotmail account ahead of time (yahoo is on my @!#$ list)..I do have two months to obssess on this trip after all! And when I find out about that mail forwarding thing from my friends who used it in Bali I'll post it here.
Zoe
Zoe, having the passport will make your trip more hassle-free in my opinion. Like John said above, there's been talk in various media outlets about Mexico going to a "passport required" system, but I don't think that it will happen for a long time, if ever. Mexico is, however, urging travelers to obtain a passport, and has installed scanning machines (like INS uses) at certain ports of entry. Depending upon how you'll be traveling around and to just what parts of the country you'll be visiting, you're likely to encounter military or Federal Preventive Police checkpoints where identification is required to be produced; having a passport makes this identification-check process move more quickly, I've experienced. Also, many banks in Mexico are now requiring the production of a passport before they will exchange Dollars, or travelers checks, for Pesos. All around, I find it a lot easier to travel on my passport than on a tourist card (FMT).
As for your "third world" comment/question, I think that it's almost universally agreed by the organizations that assign such designations/classifications that Mexico is considered a "developing nation" rather than "third world country." While things don't always go as planned, " I think that your statement "...surrender to the fact that there are no rules, and things change from one minute to the next" might not be a completely accurate portrayal of what you'll encounter. Yes, be flexible and "go with the flow", but there is more order to things than you might suspect. It's good to see that you're trying to prepare yourself well in advance of the trip, something that so many travelers fail to do.
John M
just saw this letter and you mentioned augostinillo. I ahave a friend living with a young indian girl in that hotel that is an
odd shaped in the form
of a moon crest. His name is jonathon. He lives there and is from zipolita. He's a boston blue blood hideing out. He drives a green pick up with gold leaf sailfish on the side advertising a fishng business. His family makes the paper of most countries currency. Have you seen him?
Carlos, I'll keep my eye open for him when I'm down next month - but you're not talking about "Spooky" Rapaport, are you?
Bill et all
I have already applied for my passport as I'm taking a sidetrip down to Guatemala and it is required to cross the border. I've existed without one in Mexico previously, but it does sound like it is becoming more commonly expected, so it will probably be good to have one this time. This from someone who doesn't own a credit card, and absolutely will NOT wear an ID badge in the county offices she works in..lol.
I think maybe my feelings about the "rules being ever changing" might be part cultural differences and part my limited Spanish. But actually it's not a negative to me, I consider it all an adventure and rather freeing to have things more fluid and spontaneous.
Today we had a Juneteenth celebration at work (the BEST soul food!), I wore a sarong a friend brought me from Bali to wear to Puerto Angel, and practiced my Spanish with coworkers..not THAT is cultural diversity at its best!
Zoe
My room at Posada Canon Devata was clean and adequate, nicely decorated with Mateo's paintings, but kind of dark and hot. It cost 35 pesos a night in the low season. The only other rooms I saw there were at the very top of the canyon, just below the hammock palapa. They're probably the best and most airy, but cost more. By the way, Lulu's at Zipolite looked VERY nice (I met some people staying there), with rooms right on the beach overlooking the fabulous surf. It seemed clean too. Breakfast and dinner at the hotel were pretty good - breakfast the best with delicious fresh fruit. The menu at Gundi y Thomas looked good, though I never actually ate there. In truth, I didn't try too many different restaurants, and the ones I tried on the beach at Playa Panteon were not spectacular. I have some pictures, but no way of posting them on the web.
Whoops! It would have been a really good deal if my room had cost 35 pesos a night! But in reality, it cost 150.
Hey, Kathy -
E-mail me at sharkbait69@yahoo.com. I'll give you my snailmail address. You send me your prints, I'll crack the whip near the ear of the 15 year old and make him scan them, I'll put 'em on a CD and scoot 'em back to you by snail mail, and you can put them on webshots or in a Yahoo briefcase or on your local server. I'll only send 'em to Tom to pick over for the website if you tell me it's OK!
And as far as the 20's set at Mazunte - you must've missed Hubert's stretch of beach!
John
Hi all:
I am happily looking forward to my first trip to Puerto Angel in August, but my love affair with Mexico began nearly 30 years ago. If you, like me, can't get enough of Mexico when you're "languishing at home" here is another resource for Mexico..talk and chat. The discussion simply titled " Mexico" (original post 12/22) at the very end of the board on page 17 with 347 posts is especially of interest to those who are as much into talking about the culture and mood as specific places to travel and things to do.
I can't seem to post the link. Just look up lonelyplanet and then click on thorntree on the left margin and go to Mexico.
Zoe
You're right, Mazunte is not limited to 20 somethings...as a late 30's I had a great time, with young and old, it is after all a state of mind. Hubert is no longer on his "pad" he is actually the adopted father of a young girl...must dash, fill you in later.
I've been reading this forum regularly for a while as we prepare for our trip. This is a great resource and I thank all who contribute!
I've learned a lot, but there are a few things I'm unclear about.
We plan to take the bus from Oaxaca to Pochutla. There are 2 routes. Rte 175 is faster, more scenic, hilly and curvy.
Question 1: What is the time difference between Rte 175 and Rte 200? How bad is Rte 175 for a child prone to motion sickness?
Question 2: The safest (calmest) beaches for swimming are Playa Panteón and Playa Estacahuite in Puerto Angel and the northwest end of Mazunte?
Question 3: Is August low season? Should we expect Puerto Angel and Mazunte to have very few travelers?
Question 4: Is Mazunte generally quieter than Puerto Angel?
Thanks in advance.
1) As for 175, it is 230 miles that takes about 7 hours with no stops. This should tell you that it is a countryside that stands mostly on edge. If the child is prone to motion sickness, the child will spend over half the trip with his/her head burried in a paper bag. Go through Salina Cruz instead. Not as pretty, but easier on the kid. Takes about the same amount of time, more or less.
2)You've got the best spots, but one left out. In San Augustinillo, there is an intrusion of rock out into the bay. It creates an area of calm water in one corner. This gives the weak swimmer some place to hang out while the strong swimmers are geting pounded in the other part! Estacahuite will end up being your favorite, especially if you bring decent snorkeling gear with you. And no, there is no acceptable rental gear (assuming such a thing existed) available in the area.
3) Don't expect to hear much English spoken. Don't bother making any reservations. It is dead, tourism-wise.
4)Hmmmmm. Interesting question. It depends on how close to Mazunte's Italian disco you happen to be staying!
Thanks so much, John, for your answers and extra insights.
Will there be kids around in August - Mexican tourists or local children? I believe it is school vacation?
Are we crazy to go that time of year. Is it miserably hot, terribly buggy? It doesn't rain all the time, does it?
Is there no USEABLE snorkeling gear available? We're complete novices with low standards. We'll be 2 adults and 2 10 year olds. We weren't planning on buying or packing gear. I don't suppose we can rent gear in Oaxaca where we'll be beforehand?
Thanks again,
Jenny
we are coming after xmas, interested in staying in Puerto Angel, 2 kids, age 18 and nine. Trying to figure where to stay and figure reservations might be a good idea. Suggestions anyone? Also, likely to come overland, which is better: via Acapulco and down the coast, or via Oaxaca and over the mountains. We're not sure if we will be on the bus or rent a car.
This may be like looking for a needle in a hay stack, but what the heck. I wintered in the Oaxacan coast for 5 years, and then was unable to return last year. I was in Central Surf in P. Escondido, and a met a woman there who continues to cross my mind. She was maybe a couple years older than I (44), and said she lived in Puerto Angel. I know this may seem a bit of an idealistic dreamers romantic dreams....that's because it is! She was, like I said, mid to late forties, short gray hair (not stylish, more beach bum), tall (5-8?), very lean (maybe skinny to some), small breasted (not meant to offend anyone), very feminine with no makeup. We kind of "sparkled", if you know what I mean. Anyways, I was recovering from the end of a long term relationship, and kind of politely let myself "escape" without really gathering much other than she lived in P.A. I am not sure if she owns, is an expat, or if she is from the US or Canada (so many in the area). In the past year and a half, my thoughts have frequently returned towards this simple meeting, and I am intrigued.
Anyone want to help me on this "quest"?
I love Winters in the area. I like to go for a couple months, and explore the area using El Punta, Puerto Escondido as my base. It never rains, and has perfect beach weather everyday. Travelling to Mexico (drove from MA) everyone I met had Mexican horror stories. Well, having spent a year of Winters, ad travelling extensively, I have never had a negative experience. The people are wonderful!
It is possible to make advanced reservations in probably less than 5% of the accomodations in Puerto Angel. Very few people on the web. Damned few telephones. This is a destination that will require a leap of faith. Unless you are coming in the week between Christmas and New Years, there WILL be somplace in the area to stay. It may mean a night or two in a palapa, but probably not.
Go over the mountains for the view...or along the coast if anyone tends towards car sickness.
Jenny, there are always local kids. Even when school is in, the young ones only go half a day. And then only the ones with parents who can affoard books and clothes for all the kids. It's really tragic - some families with lots of kids alternate semesters on who gets to go to school!
After a rain in August you might find some of the coolest weather of the year. And living there, I never found it to be as oppresssively muggy as, say, Barra de Navidad in Jalisco - or for that matter, Houston, Texas!
August averages 7-10 rainy days. Even then, it doesn't rain all day, usually just a late afternoon drenching, then clearing later. You will still see a lot more storms forming over the mountains than will ever reach the beach.
Rental masks are almost always deformed by odd-shaped faces and by the untrained who think that the mask will leak less if you pull the straps tighter, further deforming the skirt. Cheap sunscreen tends to make the silicone rubber deteriorate. You might can make do with rental fins - until you get into the really high-end, there's not much difference in fins. But take my advice. Splurge a little and get decent masks before you leave. Go someplace where they know how to fit you. Then if the masks that fit are totally out of your price range, make note of the brand and model, go to leisurepro.com, and buy them at half price. (Sorry diveshop owners. This gal has kids and a budget. Let her mailorder!) And no, there will be no rentals in Oaxaca City, and rental gear sucks wherever you get it!
I'm pretty sure you can reserve at Canon de Vata and Buena Vista, both nice places to stay. Buena Vista even has a web site.
I will be traveling to the Puerto Angel area from Oaxaca for about a week in either late-August or September and was curious about just how much rain I should expect. I read somewhere that September is one of the rainiest months. I am wondering if the weather will be bad enough that I won't be able to enjoy the beach.
September is THE rainiest month, but barring another Pauline, you should get the majority of the week in on the beach.
hola hello
maybe you are already back from puerto angel , and you know more than me about my paradise
however if you haven't been I can help you.
almost all the places in pto Angel are kids friendly
wherever you go they are always wellcome.
places to stay lots of them such as Buena Vista. rincon sabroso, canon de Vata, or you even can rent a house in estacahuite beach 15 minutes wallk east from puerto angel .
if you need more imformation please reply
to my addres
We won't be much help as we too are longing for the answer for lodging. Take the leap and let us know how it went as faith will pull you through.
hey. need tons of help. i'm headed to oaxaca on the 12th of july. trying to figure out whether i should take a bus to puerto angel or puerto escondido? and i need info on which trip might be less of a hassel as i'm traveling with my mom.
looking for less of a touristy experience. also not quite sure what to do about reservations. i'm assuming that on the weekend it will be booked. i am willing to call but even then how should i pick where to stay really? the descriptions all sound good to me.
saw a picture of puerto angelito and it looked beautiful...
Either one meets the criteria of less touristy, with Puerto Angel more so (even less touristy, that is). If you go to PE there are many nice hotels to pick from in all price ranges (well, not so many at the top prices), and this is low season so you won't need reservations. Look at the hotel guide for PE on this web site for good info, you can trust what is said about them.
Can't speak as much for PA, as I've been all around it but not actually at it, and can't say for sure what the lodging picture would be. But I'm sure you'd easily find lodging there too. They're so close together that you could easily spend time at both places!
Michaela -Como es! Luego luego presenti que eras tu. Soy yo, Marina, Is it true? Demasiado anos. When are you going and I will try to be there also. Naji, Blas, Balta and I were talking about end of Nov but I would change dates to be with you and your family.Chencho & Colombina may go also w/ their girls. Do you want to stay in Puerto? What are you looking for in way of accomadations? Yes, we are all 25 years older . Juanito has a phone in Zipolite and Tete' has a phone in Puerto they could both secure a place for you if thats what you are looking for. If you want to rough it we will be under the palapa up on the hill and lots of tent space at Juanito's on the beach. We can cook y todo. Hay banos y regaderas en la ramada. I can't believe this - It must be more than 22 years. Oye - porque no entre todos rentamos una casa privada en Tango. You'll be ill to see what has happened to it. E mail me- I never know if we will drive or fly. maybe we could join up. Como siempre - Marina
Hi all. Simple question. I want to know which syllable the accent falls on in the Angel of Puerto Angel. I understand the grammer rule is that if a word ends in a consonant the accent is on the last syllable, but I just saw the word "angel" with the accent over the "a". So is the accent in Angel on the first or second syllable?Thanks in advance. (always good to know the correct way to pronounce where you're going!)
Zoe
PWER tow ANG hell. The "ANG" sorta rhymes with the "Mong" in "Mong the Merciless" (And don't pretend you're not old enough to remember Buck Rogers, Zoe!)
Sounds like a guy thing, John. I was more likely to be found sitting in a tree reading Bradbury or Heinlein.
Thanks for the pronounciation. Now I can drive my coworkers even more crazy than I already am walking around muttering "PWER tow ANG hell" over and over!
Zoe
Get real nasal with the "ang", guerra!
Wow! Chencho & Colombina are names I haven't heard in a long time! And I thought it was just a Zipolite beach thing; now there are 2 kids! But who am I to talk when I've got 4 half Puerto kids myself!
Hi, I've also been reading and learning, and especially appreciate the insights offered to Jenny by John Williams. We visited Puerto Angel in 1985, and plan to return in August with our three children, ages 2, 8 and (almost) 10. We've been to the Barra area (1995), and to Chiapas(1996) and everyone did really well. The one thing I would like to improve on is to give the children more oportunity to interact with local children. Any ideas?
Thanks for the great advise re snorkeling gear. That was very helpful!
When we were in Puerto Angel before, there was a family just starting out with a guest house. The father had landscaped the grounds so beautifully, and the atmoshere was wonderful. John, do you know this place?
Jean -
In a word, basketball (basketbol). The court is right by the pier. I would use a second word, soccer (futbol), but unless your older kids are really, really good the locals will blow them away and damage their fragile little egos. All the world over, the universal destroyer of language and cultural barriers is sports. There's also an all-hours game of dodge-car-kick-ball on the first hairpin beyond the pier, but that's another game probably best left to the very agile and experienced locals. Walk along the seawall at about 11pm one night and watch it, though. The taxi drivers coming fast around the bend deffinitely make themselves a part of the game!
I am sorry, but I don't know the name of the Casa de Huespedes about which you inquire.
Oh, and one other child-interaction ploy you might try: Take a bag full of cheap super-soaker-type knock-off water pistols. The small size is best; that way you can fit more in a bag. Go to the beach, find a group of appropriately-aged kids, and pass out the water pistols. There should be some bonds of friendship forged, fer shur!
John
Now you can stay on top of Puerto Escondido's news, current events and calendar of upcoming events online. Click on the "El Sol de la Costa" button at www.puertoconnection.com and find out what will be going on during your visit. You can also view the beach and weather conditions through our live beach cam daily.
www.puertoconnection.com
Jean,
the place you remember is still there.
It is called the Posada Canon Devata. Mateo,the father who
built the place, is an artist. And as you should remember,
there is all kinds of wildlife and art work everywhere.
It is very kid friendly and is like living in an organic work
of art. The place is clean, secure and quiet. I have purchased a
fair number of paintings.
The Posada's phone # is 011.52.958.4.3137 call @ 10am or 7pm CDT.
The rooms run from 150 to 400 pesos. I probably met you back
in 1985. If you want more info email me and we can exchange
phone #'s. What a long wierd trip it's been. Gregg
P. S. I live in Oak Park
Small World Huh!
Hey John,
Maybe your not as old as you say. Could it be that it's not Mong but Ming the Merciless?
Ken
Hey, Ken - old enough to have lost THAT cluster of braincells in the '60's. Or '70's. Or '80's. But at least I'll be in Puerto Angel by the end of the weekend!
So you will, John. Don't know if you'll be online while you're there or when you get back, but have a WONDERFUL time, my friend. You deserve it for all the help you have given myself and others on this list!
Zoe
Hi,
I was wondering if you could recommend the name of a few hotels in Puerto Angel . The other thing I wanted to know was if there are reefs very close to the beach where one can snorkel without having to go on a tour or rent a boat. Your response will be very much appreciated.
Thanks,
Myra Clark
Hi,
I was wondering if you could recommend the name of a few hotels in Puerto Angel . The other thing I wanted to know was if there are reefs very close to the beach where one can snorkel without having to go on a tour or rent a boat. Your response will be very much appreciated.
Thanks,
Myra Clark
Buena Vista and Canon de Vata are good places to stay in Puerto Angel. You can snorkle off Playa del Panteon.
I long to install myself somewhere low-key for about a month, and do nothing more than read, stare at the water, and preferably spend little time worrying about personal safety (woman alone and all). Do you suppose Puerto Angel is the place? What types of travelers does one encounter there? Lots of Americans? Europeans? Do tourists outnumber locals? What's the spirit of the place like?
Two rooms availables on the main street of Barra de Navidad, just 30 feet from the beach, Restaurants just across you door.
The cealing is Palapa (palm tree leaf)
Bathrooms out of the room
Fan, Color TV, TVcable,
Internet Access.
visit:
www.geocities.com/barradnavidad
or just type:
go.to/barradenavidad
I know Jonathan and his wife, nice couple. What would you like to know about him?
I read your reply to someone regarding lodging in Puerto Angel. You sound as if you know the area quite well. I'd like to ask you for information. We are planning a trip to Mexico in December and we want to possibly rent a house or some inexpensive rooms for 2 to 3 weeks. We are two parents, two small children, and two grandparents. Do you know of a place to recommend, or can you suggest a way for me to research it further? Also, My daughter is a little concerned for the safety of the children, as she has heard about crime in the area. What is your opinion about that? If you have traveled considerably in Mexico, maybe you can suggest another area. We are looking for a place to relax, meet local people, learn about the culture, and play on the beach. I'd appreciate any comments you might have. Thanks.
Sharon
Hi,
This is John and Barbara. We plan on being in Puerto Angel in Feb. 2002. Does anyone know anything about Hotel Angel del Mar and if so, what was your experience like.
Thanks for sharing!
John
hey man for swimming estacahuite is the perfect place you can swim from estahuite to la mina half a mile away or to puerto angel about 3/4 of a mile or just enjoy snorkling in front of my house estacahuite come on have a go.
A new all inclusive sport fishing retreat is opening in Puerto.
www.puertoconnection.com
Hey there. I know you're recovering from a cold and frantically writing about Huatulco, but as I'm leaving Sunday my question is: did you get to Puerto Angel/Mazunte and if so anything new (or old) and interesting to say about that area?
Thanks in advance..and what I also want to know was: did you have an absolutely wonderful blissed-out trip?
Zoe
Good evening, Zoe. I had an absolutely marvelous trip, spent a little time in Puerto Angel and Zipolite, but like the Puerto Escondido fishing-spammer, I'm going to send you a direct e-mail with a few suggestions.
Hey, John. Your e-mail and suggestions I'll actually appreciate and enjoy!
Glad you had such a good time. I can't believe I'm actually leaving Sunday after all these months of talking about it!
I'll be hitting the internet cafe daily so I might jump on and say hi to you all once or twice and I'm sure I'll take awhile to to produce "reports" when I return but they'll get here.
Spent a month in the Puerto Angel/Zipolite area during last winter, fell in love. Myself and up to 6 people want to spend 2-3 months down there this winter, probably Jan. 2002 through March. Looking for a place to rent or ideas, and any or all info you have on the beautiful area. Thanks
This so-called AI Fishing operation is the worst in all of Pacific Mexico.
Dave is an old Coke dealer down to his last 5G's and is desperate to clip someone with his bullshit ideas about ancient Pangas and Tackle that was old when the Republic was born-avaoid at all costs!!!
To all readers,
Since I have now been accused of being a criminal and criminal activities, I feel I must respond even though I try to use these message
boards only to post messages that relate to Puerto Escondido and surrounding areas and not use them as chat rooms as many do. I invite
any reader to contact anyone in Puerto Escondido and ask them anything about Dave at the Puerto Connection. I am confident that the truth
will then be made known that I am neither a criminal nor involved in any criminal activity. I have a legally registered Mexican Corporation that
pays taxes and does all business according to Mexican law. Additionally, I do not own or operate ANY business or property listed on the
Puerto Connection (www.puertoconnection.com). I only serve as a leasing / rental / reservation or advertising agent for local businesses and
owners. I charge nothing for ads and listings that go on our site and only collect a commission if I bring money to the advertiser. Local
businesses are free and I collect nothing from them every. I, as tomzap is, only want to promote Puerto Escondido and bring new and repeat
tourism here (since I live here year round) while giving the tourist the info they want to make an informed decision when coming.
Since I have appearantly angered a few, I apologise to the rest of you. To those who I have angered, I am sure you would like to supply the
information to the boards that prove my criminal status in the world and the criminal activities I am now engaged in. Please feel free to
contact all businesses and names listed on the tomzap page and ask each one of those about me and my activities.
Thanks,
Dave
He's still around, I was in puerto Angel until mid Feb 2001 and he was there. He took us on an ocean excursion and I snapped a few photo's of him. Nora
Oh Zoooooeeeeeeee. Hello? Are you there? I can't hear you! Surely you're not having trouble finding an Internet Cafe?
Hola,
My husband and I are traveling to the state of Oaxaca Dec. 20 through Jan. 19. Staying in Pte. Angel for 2 weeks. January 3rd or 4th.
We are interested in staying in a place with or without a kitchen and close to the center of both towns. We would also enjoy staying with a family.
I am hoping you can help us with our needs.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. We are a quiet and friendly retired couple. I have a small Espanol working vocabulary. I may also be interested in a language school for a week.
I have traveled to Oaxaca years ago and really loved it and am excited to return with my new husband.
Gracias, Rauny Thompson
Hello I have been trying to help my dad find a nice little place to live in the .PtAngel
or Huatulco area. He is not very internet savy so I try the best I can to research for him. He is retired from the navy and is looking to go to mexico to relax. I noticed a post about a piece of land for sale but I never got any response. I also noticed that there seems to be a few people on this board who could help me with they're experience in the area. I realize you can't really own the land outright when it's near the coast but 99 year lease is fine with him.
If anyone could give me some pointers on where to look and maybe tell me how hard it is to find a decent priced piece of land OR a decent priced year round rental I would GREATLY appreciate it.
Thank you and I hope to hear from someone soon!!
In my opinion, the best way to find a parcel of land to buy or apartment to rent is to be "on the ground" in either Huatulco or Puerto Angel. Trying to do something like this "long distance" isn't easy, and the potential for fraud shouldn't be overlooked. Don't expect Mexico to be as "internet savvy" as the U.S. or some other better developed countries and, therefore, it will be difficult to obtain much useful or reliable information using the web. Proceed cautiously when buying land in the area, and finding a local "Notario Publico" to handle the sale/purchase paperwork is a must. I also suggest that you have all contracts translated into English, before signing anything (especially important if you are not fluent in Spanish), so that you understanding just what you've obligated yourself for.
As for apartment/house rentals, they're all over the place and it will not be to find something, but, you'll first need to define what it is that you're looking for. There will be some really economical (relative to costs north of the border) rentals available (2BR for US$150/200 per month), but what you get for the money may likely be far less than what you're accustomed to back home. Then again, there will be some US$500/mo. places that are absolutely spectacular, and something like it would probably cost you US$1,500/mo., or more, back home. The more you can live like a local the less expensive everything will be. If you want to live like a gringo lives back home with all of the "creature comforts," then the opposite will be true, things can get expensive, and maybe that's ok for your needs. The best "deals" are rarely advertised, but are usually passed around by "word of mouth," and that's why I suggest that the best way to find what you want is to be there talking to people. We all have distinct likes/dislikes and our financial situations differ too, so it's difficult for one of us to say with any degree of certainty what's "best."
I'd suggest that you visit the area on a "familiarization" trip, during which you can visit the two areas (and, possibly, additional ones) to see what kind of land is on the market and at what price, and to ask around for information apartment rentals and to visit some. What one sees and hears online is often different than you find when you're there and looking at something that's right in front of you. And, before "moving" into an apartment in a particular town, or buying something, it might be wise to stay in a local hotel for a month or so (or longer) in order to get a "feel" for the area. If one area isn't right, then it's easy to just move on to another. I personally wouldn't buy a piece of land in an area I was unfamiliar with, because what would I do if 6 months later I found out that I really didn't like living there?
You didn't say anything about it, but if your father isn't fluent in Spanish, he'll want to take a few language study classes at home, or in one of the programs taught in either San Miguel de Allende or Cuernavaca (immersion courses). Living in "foreign" environment can be very stressful when one doesn't really know what's going around him, and can make the entire experience distasteful. While it's possible to live in either of these communities without speaking Spanish, it will not be an easy thing to do...long term. So, the language issue may be a determining factor as to in just which community he will feel more comfortable.
If you and he haven't already done so, I suggest that you get and read a copy of the excellent guidebook to living in Mexico, "The People's Guide to Mexico." The book is available from many travel bookstores, and online from Amazon.com. This is not your typical guidebook to Mexico that talks about hotels/restaurants/tours, but rather is a compliation of stories/advice reflecting more than 25 years living experience in Mexico by the books authors, Lorena Havens and Carl Franz. The book will provide you with an excellent foundaton from which to understand living in Mexico, and I recommend it highly.
Good luck with your research, and with the ultimate decision.
Bill's advice is excellent. One thing to consider: you'll find real estate brokers in Huatulco, but not in Puerto Angel. I recently bought a piece of land near P.A., and I found it by walking around the area I was interested in and asking the local people if they knew of anything. It turned out everyone had a "cousin" or an "uncle" who had a piece of land they wanted to sell. I wouldn't have beeen able to buy in this area if I didn't speak a little Spanish and if I hadn't spent a lot of time in the area.
Another consideration is finding a Mexican partner in whose name you will be buying the land. Trust is an important part of the transaction. My experience was excellent, but I know of others who have had nightmares.
When purchasing coastal or international border property in Mexico, a foreigner can have all rights or ownership by setting up a real estate trust (fideocomiso). This is also totally transferable and just has to be renewed each year. The disadvantage is that a fee has to be paid to the bank each year. It is not a lease. The rules for ejido land are totally different however. I'm not up to speed on ejido land laws, maybe someone else can comment. It is extemely important to have a qualified attorney do a title search of the property. A good friend of mine is an attorney in Mexico you specializes in helping foreign companies and individuals do business in and make real estate transactons in Mexico. He tells me that foreigners often get ripped off because a titile search was not undertaken. BTW, I would not put the land in someone else's name in Mexico unless it is a family member or someone I REALLY trust. Even then, I might not do it. You never know how people might act in the future when the real estate is worth a lot more! Also, from what I have seen, it appears that land is much cheaper in the Puerto Angel area than Huatulco.
Hello again,
I wanted to thank you all for your great advice. I learned more from this post in 10 minutes than I learned in 3 days searching the net.
I did have a question about ejido land. What is it? And how does it differ from non- ejido? And which is more prevelant in the area?
I had read somewhere that only mexicans can own ejido land.
Also maybe someone could tell me how safe is it in reality?
From what I've read it's no different than anywhere else.
I guess I need to go out and buy a good spanish course to get up to speed on.
In the area, where is the most english spoken? That would probably be a good place to start at. I appreciate all of your help and advice and trust me it will not be forgotten!
Mark
The social and life action arrangements in this area are different from other places. I would recommend attempting
to visit for a time before making a commitment.
Not many "gringo's" make it. The diet and health
environment is really different.
Good Luck
I will back what Bill told you "to the hilt." He's been there and done that. So have I, but I've been too undercapitalized to stay more than a couple of years at a time so far. No disrespect to Joan, but the "presta nombre" idea of buying the land in a local partner's name is a REALLY bad idea. Not to rain on anyone's parade, but I've never ever known of a "presta nombre" arrangement that didn't eventually come apart, always to the disadvantage of the gringo(a). And I've known more than a few!
The fideocomiso is the only way to go.
Ejido land is land owned communally by an indigenous group. While some in the Barra de Navidad area has been "legitimized" for sale, I wouldn't trust that to EVER happen in Oaxaca. If you find ejido land you really want to live on, rent it, Don't fool yourself into thinking you can get a clear title.
You will find more English speakers in Huatulco than in Puerto Angel. Obviously. It's a tourist area and has a considerable (and growing) ex-pat contigent. It'll cost more to live there, but will also be much more "first world",
Go. Stay a few months. Then decide.
John
Hello Mark!
I agree with everything that habe been said above. It is so much cheeper to rent a place and you don't have the ultimate responsability of the place lying on you shoulders. I personnally adore the town of Puerto Angel but I can only say this because I have been going there for such a long time now and also because I traveled thoughout Mexico about 4 times and been to Puerto Angel about 30 times.
Mexico is a wonderful country and offers so many different things to discover. I find that altough is feels more confortable to always stay around the same area, it is an advantage to rent a place in let's say Puerto Angel for a while and then having no strings attached if ever you or you dad in this case, decide that you want to experience something new in the future. As it has been said, it is very important to get to know the area before bying anything and REALLY know how people live there, what you would have to get used to if you had to live there for a long time and how things are done.
I bought a piece of land in Puerto Angel more than 3 years ago and I was one of the lucky ones that are fluent in Spanish and I already had a lot of good local friends to help me out. Being a foreigner is not easy, but being a female buyer under the age of 25 was an even bigger challenge. I learned the way by walking through it. I bough the land with a presta nombre. I agree that it is far from being a secure thing but so far it's been a good thing. But as it has been said, it involves big risks and beleive you me, doing businness on the internet is THE WORST IDEA one could ever get. I gave it a try and it soon became a nightmare! You just never know who you are dealing with.
The add you saw about a piece of land for sale was my husband's. We never saw your inquiry simply because we soon realized that it was a big mistake trying to sell something on line and we decided never to go check that thing again. It was simply self destructive. We don't want to sell it anymore because we realized the value it had and because it is not the way we wanted it done. Things became way to ugly. Anyway, I think it served its purpose, it only made people more aware of what can happen when good things go wrong. Nothing happens without a reason in this life. Let this be a lesson to everyone!
Good luck with you inquireries. Go there first before doing anything. Ask around, get to know people ... it definately is the best way to go! It is a wonderful area to discover!!!
Anne-Marie !
ZOE
please let us know how the rebuilding process is going in zipolite after the fire.
has daniel of brisa marina managed to get a structure up, as he pledged to do by the end of august? if so,what's it like?
have fun
Anne-Marie, could you provide some more specifics about what made the attempt to do business on the internet such a bad experience? It could be instructive to others who might be thinking of trying something similar (and, no doubt, make some interesting reading!) Thanks!
Well, frankly I don't know what made me attempt to do business on the internet. At the time my husband really wanted to sell one of his pieces of land in Puerto Angel (he is from there) and seriously asked for my help. He suggested we try the internet to reach more people but I really didn't think it would work. He insisted and ... bottom line is ... I kept an open mind and we did try.
First, people would write to us to know how does it work to buy a piece of land there. I told them how I had bought mine. I didn't know all the possibilities then but since I knew some other foreigners who have bought land there and later built on it, I told them what I knew. In February there was someone who seemed very interested so we managed to get time off to make the trip to go there and show him the piece of land. The sad thing was that the person never showed up and we went to Puerto Angel for nothing. Well, we visited family and made good use of our time there but the truth is, we wouldn't have killed ourselves to "invent" the time to go there and paid the trip if we had known that the person would not even show up or even write to us after to tell us why he didn't go. I never thought that we would sell it right there that week ... but at least we respected our part of the deal by showing up. That was the first disapointement. ... that is an understatement !!!
The second disapointement is not a secret. Because we didn't beleive in posting the price on line (we would give it only if people would write to us at our e-mail address) that really bothered some people and because of that some people wrote that it was a scam, that everybody should beware of us, that they should be very very careful if they decided to do business with us, that the whole thing smelled fishy ... that sort of comments. Well o.k, I agree one should always be careful but somehow it felt awful to be judged by someone who didn't even know us. Being insulted on a site of a place that you adore is not the greatest experience ever. But then again I guess I was very naive. Or maybe we didn't fall on the right people. The internet is similar to playing russian roulette I have come to beleive! It is sad but realistic.
We discussed our internet experience with people from Puerto because it really affected me, with close friends of ours, Mateo from Cañon DeVata and other people and they gave us good advice as to forget about the internet, that land was a precious thing to own (that is so true!) and to re think if we really really wanted to sell it because of it's good location a great view and other very sensible reasons. Well ... we don't want to sell it anymore. At least not like this, not if the buyer doesn't know us for who we are and without real trust. It might be silly but for us it is important. So we don't want to sell anymore.
I have learned many things throughout this ordeal but if I had known what it would do to me I would of never gave it a try. As long as one learns for his experiences I guess in a sense they are valueable. I hope this one was. For me and for other people. I don't know if this was as interesting as you thought it would be but I now know that this site is a great way to exchange information but a very bad way to initiate business. Getting to know people before you do business or before you start judging them is definately a key element that one should not overlook. It is also very important to know the area, to know how things work there, to know how people think and to learn to respect it. I love Puerto Angel, it is my haven and I encourage anyone who is interested to go and discover it. I have learned more from life in Mexico that I ever will in my own country. In that sense, to me Puerto Angel is a jewel !!!
Conclusion : Buying land was for me a much nicer experience (although very stressful) than trying to sell land. (Good luck if you decide to try it but I definately DON'T recommend it) My next challenge will be to build on my own piece of land. I'm not sure I'm quite ready for this one yet !!! I might need some coatching on this one myself when the time comes !!!
till' next time, à bientôt, adios, tschuss,
Anne-Marie :)
Susan-
Quick as Tom gets around to posting my restaurant reviews, I'll get some pix of the Roca Blanca area on line. I was there 30 days ago. If you didn't know there'd been a fire, you wouldn't see any evidence.
John
Have just finished reading these messages from John Williams and Willi. Do you know Hubert? I am a very good friend of Hubert's . He is now residing in Ricon Alegre with his adopted "daughter" Marlene. Would be interested in hearing from you with any news on Mazunte & San Augustinino. Have just finished the construction of the new bar/restaurant in S.A. called " Patrick's Well". Tom, "Chicago Tom", owner, and Juan Carlos, mgr. If you get a chance, stop in and tell them Jim from Buffalo, NY said to say hi. Another great place to eat in S.A. is Anna's and Shandor's. Great people, and wonderful food.
Thanks and keep in touch,
Jim
i have heard rumors third hand..from a friend i met in mazunte who is now home..that people on this board..or at least john were worried about me..awwwww..how nice to be worried over.
actually i{m more than fine..just happy and blissed out down here in the tropics..and when i do come to the internet cafes i mainly spend my time reading and answering letters from my boyfriend in Colorado...the love thang..you all know how that is!
i absolutely love it here, guys..it meets and exceeds all my expectations! i{ve spent my time almost entirely in mazunte..which is where i thought from this board i{d most like to be..with forays to zipolite for internet and to pochutla for money to keep it all going. the weather has varied from intense hot and humid to lovely..at least to me..tropical storm and wind mode. things are more expensive than i expected but otherwise it{s completely idyllic, relaxing, magical and the people are warm and welcoming. i will of course write a full report on my return. john, i haven{t forgotten your request and hope to get to puerto angel during the upcoming week..tropical daze is an easy thing to fall into and do nothing but stare out to sea!
more next week after i return..my best to all
Zoe
Anybody know Hotel La Buena Vista's phone number? Both my guide book and their website say (958) 43101 but the recorded operator says, "You have reached a number that has been disconnected."
Thought perhaps someone who's been there recently would have some insight about whether they're still in business and how to reach them.
Gracias,
Pat
John - we are dying for those photos.
and assuming it will be a while still...........
just tell us - if you recall - did the rebuilt structures maintain the simplicity of the beach or did they go as high as that concrete 2-3 story joint (is that the roca blanca?) next to the olde brisa marina?
thx, susan
Everything was rebuilt as before, including that five story monstrosity. Can you imagine ANYONE silly enough to stay in such a place built on a sand beach in an area which is A) Tectonically very active. I've been in a 7.3 and several 6+ temblors!; B) In a place shown last winter to be at least two hours from the nearest firetruck; and C) In a place on the edge of the Gulf of Tehuantepec, birthplace of all Eastern Pacific tropical storms? I've been pumped full of a lot of psycho-active substances in my lifetime, but I ain't NEVER been high enough to be that stupid!
The number is 43104, you're 3 digits off the last number.
Tom
too bad.......... zip WAS simplicity. yr right, hard to comprehend why anyone wld stay in those structures.
what i never figured out: where was the pochtula fire brigade?....that town has a population of what, 85 to 100,000 people?
not to change the subject, but......some contributors to these sites seem to relish travelling the wide open spaces soto speak....and reading over yr response, the word tehuantepec gave me a big urge for another mexican road trip. i can recommend spectacular scenery driving from tulum on the caribbean coast to puerto angel ---with a one night stop each in palenque and san cristobal - then across the istmo de tehuantepec to salina cruz and on to p.angel. (2-days) .
take it easy along the coast ....then north to oaxaca for
another rest, before heading north on rte 175 when you cross the continental divide and go through stunning vistas including cloud forests. possible stops along the 3-day route back to tulum: san andreas tuxtla, or coatzacoalcos on the gulf coast, city of campeche, merida and isla mujeres.
best part of this adventure : the mexican people and the sierra madras and sierra madre del sur.
Is that an invitation, Susan? When do we leave? I'll bring the dive gear...
Oh John!..........
if yr suggesting that i'm being suggestive...non, just another snowbird addicted to the oaxacan coast and carib. from tulum to punta allen.
hello. i own the most beautiful house in puerto angel. 5 bedrooms with pool. it is on the hill next to the faro. i can rent by room. it is the paradise..... francoise
i own the most beautiful house in puerto angel on the hill next to the faro 5 bedroms with pool. francoise
HELLO. i own the most beautiful house in puerto angel, on the hill next to the faro, i have a swimming pool. i can rent by room. email me soon. francoise
I will give you some information that may be helpful.I live in Puerto Angel since May 1987, I own a property on Panteon beach, I have not met anyone with your description, over all this past winter months.
Maybe she worked at the university del Mar, they employ foreign teachers there...
Sorry I could not give you more info but maybe others like me will write and the scenario will complete itself.
Choa Paola
A report on the Tanus family.
While in the Costa Esmeralda, I talked for a while to Ricardo Tanus and he reports the following:
Don Jose's health continues to deteriorate. He is now on Oxygen. Sad.
Hortensia, his wife, is pretty well running the hotel on her own. As you know, she is a very gracious, capable lady and has had primary responsibility there for a long time.
To the great disapointment of the local lads, who used to follow her about like love-sick puppies, Soraya, the daughter, is now living in Oaxaca City. Puerto Angel just proved to be a bit small of a pond!
Leaving Ricardo. He has an auto parts store in La Crucecita, just down from the main Budget Rent-a-Car office. Should any of you ever find yourself in need of auto parts or service, you could do a lot worse than contacting Ricardo. He has always been a young man of intelligence and integrity; I'm sure you would do well to accept his recommendations regarding mechanics.
As have several of you out there, I've known both Soraya and Ricardo from the time when they were young children playing around the (then new) Hotel Soraya. It's good to know that they have grown into happy adulthood.
So help repair the transportation system. Grab a flight to Huatulco and spend a few nights at the Hotel Soraya. It'll seem like old home week!
John
How do you get in touch with the Hotel Camomalli? We're looking for someplace nice that wouldn't already be booked around Xmas. Thanks. Joyce
What is the Posada Canon Devta like? We're thinking of going down in December. Is it possible to contact them by email? Which airport is it best to fly into? Thanks. Joyce
What is the Posada Canon Devta like? We're thinking of going down in December. Is it possible to contact them by email? Which airport is it best to fly into? Thanks. Joyce
Did you go? We're planning on going in December (also to Oaxaca) with our 9 year old? Probably staying at La aPosada Canoon Devata. Did you go there/ Thanks Joyce
Hi all of you :)
I'm coming on second week of February to Puerto Angel with my girlfriend. I just wanna know do we need a hotel reservation at that time of year or can we just come and get a room(example puesta del sol)? It's so long journey from Finland to PA :) that it's hard to know the exact arriving day.
Thanks for the informations
Ricu
Just show up. There'll be rooms.
Hi Ricu
2nd week in February. Hey maybe I'll see you there! Good chance I'll be staying at the Puesta Del Sol, along with 4 others around that time....Feb 15th. As well, I'm heading there on the first week of December. I did book the Puesta del Sol for the Dec time and made a down payment on the room. As John stated, probably was not necessary but, it wasn't a significant amount.
Anyone else on this board heading to PA in around Dec 4th? I am flying into DF on Nov 30th - heading to Oaxaca the next for a 3 day stay and then moving on to PA for a few days of r&r. 3 week, 3 days but, who's counting?
Thanks for your answers.
To MTPockets, it would be nice if you can write about your experiences after the trip in December. I would like to know what do you think about Puerto Angel and Puesta Del Sol. And how terrible is the bus ride from Oaxaca to Puerto Angel :).
But thanks anyway. And I think we can see there in February (unless we find some even better beach in Mexico. But if everything is as great as people have written here, I think it is impossible.)
Hi,
I have a question similar to the last one posted, and additional questions...
Do I need to make reservations for in/around Puerto Angel for the second or third week of January? For example Buena Vista, or Puesta del Sol?
Also, we want great bungalow on the beach for a week, with great food nearby. Price isn't too much of a concern, but we want to get away from the luxury resorts of Huatulco. Clean, Safe, Private, On the beach, Idyllic. Any specific favorite places?
Finally, I really want to do the drive from Oaxaca City, because from descriptions it sounds very beautiful. There seems to be so many people saying its a bit crazy, but cmon, it can't be that bad, can it?
Thanks, this site and the helpful information folks give is great : )
- Gerg
Gerg, The drive IS a bit crazy from Oaxaca to Pto., but absolutely gorgeous! It's probably the longest curviest road I've ever been on, but I've made the trip a few times and it's well worth it. I like it because it's so different from the city of Oaxaca and Puerto Angel, and it really gives you a sense of where you are and just how far away it is. Everyone who spends time down there should make the trip at least once, if they have the time. Be suer to eat in San Jose del Pacifico. I think the altitude and the good food make everything taste especially delicious, even if you're car-sick from the curvy roads. Megan
Is Penelope's still in business on the top of the hill as you leave PA for Zipo? Do any of you folks have any info on Patricia and her guest house? thanks, JB
http://www.puertoconnection.com/elsol_2001-11.html
I was in PA in Feb of this year and had no problems finding rooms when I got in to town.
Hola amigos,
Hey, Save a room for me.! My husband and I will be there sometime in Feb.,
We met Ferdinando , his cousin Poncho, and Mama in Zihuatenjo several years ago and They told us the beaches etc. were more beautiful there and we should come on down. Anyone know Ferdinando or Poncho??? They won the international fishing tournament about 5 years ago and Poncho won a trip to Australia from it. They live in either Puerto Escondido or PA.
Has anyone here rented an apartment by the week in the Angel area? If so how was it & who did you rent from?
Thanks
Kevin
re: rain and tourists.
i'm well traveled, i speak spanish fluently, and i think we've decided to get married in july or august somewhere in the bahias de huatulco.
how much rain is there around the 2nd week of aug (i'm having visions of the columbian amazon in june)
i'm trying to balance the weather w/ the crowds. i want to get married on a green hill or cliff in view of the water. there will be 30 or so family and friends in tow, and then we're off for a honeymoon.
i hate tourists, golfers, and all club meds.
i love hot springs, the ocean, museums, and good food.
any suggestions?
this is a great idea, and i fully agree. busing out of mexico city is far better than puerto vallarta. although i've never been to oaxaca, i'm a mexico veteran, and puerto vallarta doesn't have much intrigue. mexico city is an adventure, and if you've not done mexico, one doesn't understand it completely until they've seen mexico city.
Yes, Anne-Marie is right. And Bill is right too. I live down there part-time and have a place, (more or less!).
Buying land is easy enough. Being certain about anything there is IMPOSSIBLE. Everything is subject to interpretation over time. Taxes are variable and undefined. The local government (in Tonameca) is very corrupt and sees gringos as an unlimited source of income. Locals resent those with money who buy up their land (naturally) although they will sell, (whether they own it or not). The place is constantly changing, mostly for the worse (sorry to burst your bubbles).
I have some friends in Mazunte who paid to lease a trailer spot for two or three years at a fixed rate. They enjoyed it, and when the population (tourist) explosion hit their piece of paradise, they just moved to a better spot. No worries, no fuss, no muss.
This is the way to go. Rent or lease a spot or a house. You will pay far less in the long run than buying. Improve it if it suits you for the time. It's still cheaper.
Buying, you pay too much (as a gringo) for the property (you sort-of own), you pay too much and have a lot of hassle to build, you pay too much tax, you are locked in to one spot, which may not be what at all what you envisioned in five or ten years....
You don't need to own to live there. People respect your presence and longevity whether you own or rent and treat you as a semi-local if you are around for two months or more. It's a different game there than here.
Steve
Thanks Megan for your reply.
Your comments make me think that it would be fun to do, so we may drive to the Pacific Coast from Oaxaca City instead of flying, it sounds great! A few years back I rode my mountain bike from Cancun to Honduras, so I am not too afraid of crazy roads or crazy adventures.
Thanks again!
- Greg
p.s., the name gerg from my first posting was an error : )
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Grettings Francoise, myself and a friend are coming to Puerto Angel tomorrow or Thursday. Your house sounds beautiful and you say you rent by the room. We ware looking for one room with two single beds or two rooms at much the same prices. What are your rates and can you accomodate us in this way? We will possibly stay for two or three night and then move on to another beach. We are friends, Katrina from New Zealand and Dermot Wilson from Ireland.
thankyou in anticipation of your reply. K
Does anyone know anything about Posada Rancho Cerro Largo? How far is it from the beach?
I spent a week there last Feb. and found it to be a tropical paradise.
They have these great little open air cabanas up on the steep jungle hill directly above the beach with views out over the Pacfic. You fall asleep to the sound of breakers, very quiet, peacefull and secluded compared to anything in Puerta Angel.
Two words of caution about the beach, be VERY carefull swimming when it looks like the surf is high, there are dangerous undertows. Also NEVER bring a backpack or anything that looks even remotely valuable down to the beach, it attracts the attention of the local kids who I encountered one afternoon as I tried to bring some painting gear ( I'm an artist) into a most amazingly beautifull cove for art and or snorkling a short hike down the beach and a quick scramble over the rocks toward Zipolete.
Mario Corellla runs the place with a sure hand, they serve a great breakfast and dinner with a light lunch available for a little extra. To make a long story short do not miss a chance to stay there, it is a truly wonderful place, luxuriously rustic, surrounded by nature and the sea.
Please let me know if you go there, it would be great to hear about your expierence.
I'm planning a trip to Puerto Angel in Feb. Planning to fly into Huatulco , rent a car and drive to PA. Looking for a reasonably priced simple room with a balcony (with a view to drink my morning coffee.) Is the Posada Rancho Cerro Largo on the ocean? I just want to swim in warm water, snorkel, eat the great food, kayak and go 4 wheeling. I, like Eliot, am an artist and love to do watercolors...but never bring paints along, seem to play and relax instead. Anyone have tips on Puerto Angel since I have never been there?
Planning a trip to Puerto Angel this Feb. What are these cautions you mentioned? I know I'm butting in...but have traveled by bus from Zihautenjo to Lake Chapala...interesting..... and would like a peaceful vacation with no surprises.
JoAnn
Hola ,
How much for a room...quanto questa? Coming down in Feb. Two adults. Is your house in town?
JoAnn
JoAnn, a peaceful vacation with no surprises would be going to Mickey World in Orlando and staying on-property. Or staying in a five-star in Huatulco. Mexico is meant for surprises - there's always a little surfing with chaos to be done.
Greetings John.
You are absolutely right and that's what I love about Mexico. The people, the sun, the warm water and margaritas. We'll be down in Feb. I only asked because I've been to 'Belize City'! Another question; Does anyone in PA know Ferdinando and his cousin Poncho? We met them in Zihautanejo a few years back. They were there for the fishing tournament and told us to come down to either Puerto Escondido or P Angel, where they lived, because it was more beautiful.
Hi again
I like to confirm that I have understood few things right.
First: How much longer takes the bus ride from Oaxaca to Pochutla via Salina Cruz than direct over mountains ?
Second: Is the bus ride over mountains really so bad that I have heard ? I mean do U really feel sick all the way if U are having motion sickness. Does anyone have experiences of medicines for a motion sickness. Do they help? And how long is "the rollercoaster part" of the trip ?
As I have told I'm coming with my girlfriend in February. And she feels bad in a "wild" bus ride. And we are thinking that do we have to fly from Oaxaca to Huatulco or what we can do ?
Thanks a lot again. This site is awesome! :)
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2002 to all of You! :)
And a happy holidays to you, too, Ricu!
I recently had the unsettling experience of being served up divorce papers as a Christmas present. One of the primary reasons given was my love of "that hell-hole Mexico" and dreams of eventual retirement there. High on her list of outrages about Mexico was a bus trip this past summer from Mexico City - and I didn't even TRY to take her down 175. Do yourself a huge favor if you love this girl, Ricu. Pop down the extra bucks for the plane ticket from Mexico City to Huatulco. If you want to test the relationship with a bus ride, go via Salina Cruz. It's no more than a couple of hours longer. The ride accross the mountains on 175 takes seven or more hours - and only covers a couple of hundred miles. This is a great adventure. For you. Not for you and a motion-sickness-prone significant companion. Trust me on this one.
John
Wow. Angel del Mar. That was a hell of a property a few decades ago. Parts of it have been kept up well, but I wouldn't recommend it unless A) you rent a car from Budget at the airport on arrival or B) you are accustomed to walking in the mountains. It is a daunting walk back from town. And check your room out carefully before any money changes hands. Some of the rooms are inferior. Francoise's place would be a better choice.
Ok, John, I had sympathy about your divorce until I heard the "hell hole Mexico" part! Your love and enthusiasm for Mexico is such an integral part of you that all of us here on this board enjoy!
As for winding mountainous roads, other than time constraints some of us love such things. I think my next trip to Mexico has to include more mountains as they are so beautiful. When I first lived in Mexico it was at 7800 feet, but I haven't explored that much.
That's the trouble with this board, it makes it really hard to endure those times in between trips!
Zoe
Zoe, did you misunderstand my post? I certainly don't consider Mexico to be a hell-hole, that was a quote! And I think the trip down 175 is a MUST for the adventurous and non-motion-sickness prone. In fact, it's better by second class bus so you can do a stop-over in San Jose del Pacifico. It's just that the original poster already had misgivings about motion-sickness, so I urge discretion on HIS part as being the better part of valor...
John
It wasn't you I lost sympathy for, John. I know you don't consider Mexico a hell hole or winding roads through Mexican mountain villages anything but scrumptious..it was your soon-to-be-ex I was befuddled by..I would have thought she would have caught your love of the country!
Zoe
Is it just me, or does anyone else think that Zoe and John should meet some day; maybe in Pto.?!?
Hey, we are both bureaucrats of a "certain age"...
Hey, John and I have been "just missing each other" for like 30 years now...all over Mexico and by, what, John about 10 days in Puerto Angel this past August? Maybe it's time indeed! Though with that hideous pic of myself in Guatemala he got me to send him...lol.
Speaking of running off to the Pacific Coast..I was just Christmas shopping at Cost Plus and found myself drifting over to the sarong display..I had to right myself and point me at the Christmas presents instead. My next trip in a couple weeks is only as far as the Sierras to get my fill of snow..yep, living in the Bay Area I actually travel to see snow..I know the rest of you must think that's nuts!! Going to the beach in winter might make sense when you live where it's 10 degrees but I think I'd get totally disoriented if I mixed up my seasons like that..it doesn't take much! I guess I'm just in a "running off to anywhere mood" right now so it's too bad I don't have any vacation time left so will have to settle for weekends away for a bit!
Zoe
What a bummer Christmas present...............sorry.
I'd like to know a little about Puerto Angel. About how many people live there?
Are the streets still sand and is there a market with local food stalls? Good snorkeling? A travel book talks about ATV trails through the sand dunes nearby, anyone know where this is? Can I rent a kayak in PA? I'd appreciate any information and love to hear about others experiences. Coming down from frigid Wisconsin (no snow yet though) in Feb.
JoAnn
Hi Ricu
I just came back from Puerto Angel last week, actually it was last Monday - sigh. I came by bus from Mexico city, had a 3 day stay in Oaxaca and then took the via Salina Cruz route to PA.
On the way back I wanted to save time and see the 175 route so I used the van service from Pochutla. Now, I was warned by some about the roller coaster effect, so to be safe I took a motion sickness pill. I am not prone to motion sickness but, it is a preventive medication. They loaded the van up with 16 adults and 2 kids, and within half an hour, 2 adults and one kids had got sick. I am not kidding. I was passing out medication after that. I was told only tourists got sick but these were all local folks. I don't know if I would have been one of them without medication.The drive can be quite scary and although the drivers are very experienced, it can be nerve racking. I am not a religious person but, I did talk to god a lot during the 3 or so hours in the mountains. I am on my best behaviour as promised.
So, take that information and make your decision. I would fly to Hautulco if your better half has a weak stomach. Even the long route has its 'moments'.
I am returning to that area again in February, with my wife and three friends. We plan on renting a vehicle and making the trip through the mountains - and a lot slower. Any advise on renting in Mexico is appreciated. ps for anyone looking for detailed information on the state of Oaxaca - get the book OAXACA - Mountain craft regions, archaelogical sites and coastal resorts - by Ray Whipperman.
cheers
Hi JoAnn
Puerto Angel is a small place. I would be guessing if I said 2000 people. The main street is paved and the street from it to Playa Panteon is concrete. Everything is within walking distance, even Zipolite. The rest of the roads are dirt. I did not see any kayaks. Snorkling is fun but not great. I didn't see any ATVs. I would be surprised if there was atvs - maybe Huatulco?
Sounds like several folks are familiar with the area. I found
Puesta del sol and Casa del Kali (an apartment) on the web and
they look good on silicon. Any of you regulars stay at them?
We like places that are nice, welcoming and well run. And allow us to get far away from destination resorts and anything that resembles them. Pto Angel seems to fit the bill.
It SEEMS like it would only have about 2000 people, but the population sign says more like 13,000. Even considering the outlying areas, I've never figured where they're hiding!
The market is right accross from the Sector Naval base, just up the side street accross from the headquarters. It usually has vegetables unusual for Southern Mexico, like broccoli and/or cauliflower. The meat market adjoining it even refrigerates the meat, will cut to order. There is usually a single luncheria in operation in the market.
The best of the area snorkeling is probably Ixtacahuite, about a klick out of town on a rather hilly trail-that-was-once-a-road-and-may-become-one-again-someday!
If you are pampered and/or squeemish, Puerto Angel may not be the ideal destination for you. This is a genuine fishing village; dusty, a little shabby, lots of economically disadvantaged. But the people are among the very best in the world. If you can look at the complete picture with unjaded, non-judgemental eyes, the place will grow on you big-time. I've loved it over 30 years. But if you're not certain about your reaction to a frank look at the third world, remember that the resorts of Huatulco are just a few miles down the road...
MTP-
Budget usually has the best rental deals among the majors, and you can make arrangements on-line. With that large of a group, you might look into a Suburban or maybe a VW van.
Zoe, I was just in Cost Plus drifting towards those sarongs, thinking about my possible January trip to Pto. I'd much prefer to be on those beaches than these Bay Area ones, snow or not!
Two years ago when I was in Puerto Angel, I met a lady working at the telephone/ice cream exchange. I think her name is Paulina, she was giving spanish language classes. She and her husband were starting a restuarant somewhere above town. I'm trying to locate her or someone willing to help me with my spanish a couple hours a day in Febuary. Gracias.
Two years ago when I was in Puerto Angel, I met a lady working at the telephone/ice cream exchange. I think her name is Paulina, she was giving spanish language classes. She and her husband were starting a restuarant somewhere above town. I'm trying to locate her or someone willing to help me with my spanish a couple hours a day in Febuary. Gracias.
I definitely don't disagree with you Megan, just finding ways to comfort myself for the fact that I have no plans or hope of plans in the near future to head on down there. Go for it in January!
Zoe
Bill, when I tell people that the quality of an accomodation can vary greatly within just a few months - better OR worse - I'm not exagerating. I stand by my standard advice: get down there; rent a room for a night or two; THEN decide where headquarters will be. Many people LOVE Can~on de Vata; others find it a bit too "new-agey". I like Posada Los Alamendres, right by Villa Florencia. But I haven't slept there in a while and can't garauntee it matches my memories. We've always received special treatment from Hortensia at hotel Soraya; other recent postings have indicated negative experiences. If you MUST have an air-conditioner, the Soraya may be your only option. (Not available in all rooms) Just go. Grab a room. Look over the possibilities - and don't overlook San Augustinillo/Mazunte as a possible alternative. Make sure you visit the discos on Zipolite one late night. And if you find yourself in a conversation with any attractive over-30 local woman, tell her the fat gringo sends his love.
John
I could easily tolerate showing up without a reservation, but
my girlfriend would probably not tolerate it. The Puesta del Sol
bungalow looks like a huge place for not a lot of money. We travel light. I suppose there could be a security problem, but the pictures of the place look wonderful and we love to lie in the sun and read.
And can the locals differentiate the fat gringos? I'm afraid I might fall into that category myself!
Gracias Amigos for the information. Friendly people says it all. Just looking for a warm location where I can get to know the people and they don't mind putting up with tourists for a week or so . Puerto Angel sounds like a great village, just the right size and not so many tourists. I'm not interested in a fancy hotel and pampering where they try to lock you up on their grounds. Although, hot water is nice.
We will be down in Feb.
Oh, by the way, John Williams, my husband says you are a great writer.
Thank your husband for me, JoAnn. If you will write me directly at sharkbait69@yahoo.com, I will give you some names of people well worth meeting while you are down there. Do you or your husband speak any Spanish?
JoAnn
PA is a really nice community. I was impressed. The people are very friendly. The prices are right. You feel quite safe. Most of the fellows extranjeros you meet are there for the same reason, they want to get away from the gringo traps and enjoy the an environment where you are not hassled by vendors and such. I talked with travellers that planned on staying for a few days and were still there after two weeks. Obviously there is something special going on there.
We may see you and your husband in February. We are arriving in Mexico city on the 11th of Feb and are working our way to the coast. If you see five laid back Canadians enjoying the beach, cervezas, and the sun, drop by and say hi......cheers
Will be heading down to Puerto Angel in mid-January as part of a 50th birthday trip. Has anyone stayed at or been by the Posada Canon Devata this winter season? Are they open for business? What's the going rate? Since we can afford better than basic accomodations, is the Posada the most desireable place to stay in Puerto Angel (desireable = friendly people, good atmoshpere, clean rooms, good food etc.?)
Also, I'm a bit confused by all the earlier talk about the bus along 175 from Oaxaca. I was under the impression that there is now a quick (5 1/2 hour )mini-van that goes from Oaxaca to Puerto Angel (or does it just go to Pochutla and you have to transfer)? I travelled through the Andes like this from Argentina to Chile last winter and it was a blast! By the way, I love bus rides and have no problems with motion sickness. Many thanks for the advice.
Dear Half Way There(50),
The place you remember is still there.
It is called the Posada Canon Devata. Mateo,the father who
built the place, is an artist. And as you should remember,
there is all kinds of wildlife and art work everywhere.
It is like living in an organic workof art. The place is clean,
secure and quiet. I have purchased a fair number of paintings.
The Posada's phone # is 011.52.958.4.3137 call
@ 10am or 7pm CDT.
The rooms or bungalows run from 150 to 350 pesos.
The mini van stops in pochutla and runs 4 times a day.
If you want more info email me and we can exchange
phone #'s. What a long wierd trip it's been.
Gregg Kuenster GreggK@Avenew.com
My wife Jane & I are planning to fly down to Huatulco in Feb. from Toronto. We've read all of the great descriptions of the bus ride over the mountains to Oaxaca. What we would really like to know is, what time the xpress leaves Pochutla. In the books we've got they only mention 11:00PM departures! We're hoping that there are more available times, as we would really like to see the scenery going thru the mountains, on the trip to Oaxaca as well as the trip back to PA.
Can anyone clue us in?
Thanx
Dave and Jane
A fellow canuck back to you. Are you asking about the van service? If yes, I think there were at least four runs daily. I was a recent visitor to that area I took a 4:00 pm bus. There was a morning and mid day run as well. I can't remember the exact times but, you do have a good selection. You should have no problem getting exact times once you get to PA. It was posted at my hotel.
The van holds 16 adults. It is a large new van and the a/c works. The seats are reserved and you can buy your tickets ahead - that might be a good idea if you want to sit together. The trip I took was full. So, the comfort level is not great and they are bench seats as well, no arms to hang on to as you do the roller coaster corners. In Oaxaca, it drops you off at their own terminal which is about six blocks south of the zocalo. At 120 pesos for a ticket - it is a great deal.
I am returning in Feb and we plan on renting a van in Oaxaca and taking 175 to the coast. I look forward to taking that trip again - but at my pace.
cheers
Hi Gary,
Paulina is still giving spanish lessons. She lives with her husband Pedro in the 'Casa el Faro' in the area of the lighthouse close to the university.
I'll send you a small map by email.
Her email address is casaelfaro78@hotmail.com
I hope I could help you
Harald
Hi Gary,
I've tried to send you the map by email to the Link above but I received an error message.
Thanks Harald for the info. I know my way around Puerto Angel so will look her up when I get there. Gracias, gary
Hola, check out www.magic-bus.com for bus info. I have taken the bus from Pochutla to Oaxaca and there were many buses available. good luck. gary
Intimidated by tales of motion sickness, we took the bus through Salinas Cruz last August. We were 2 adults/2 children. My husband doesn't get motion sick, but one of the kids and I do easily. We took the 11 PM bus and the kids and I us took motion sickness medication immediately upon boarding so that by the time the rolling started we were medicated and asleep. One of the kids got sick at the very end, after being woken up at the Huatulco stop. The trip took 8 hours and 50 minutes. The 3 of us developed stomach problems in PA, so we decided not to brave the bus and flew back from Huatulco, which was painfully extravagant by our standards. It was good that we did, since we were violently ill for a day after returning.
Our Oaxacan host, whose travel suggestions are always reliable, had tried to talk us into renting a car and doing 175 at our own pace. He's done it many times and loves it. Maybe we'll try that next time. Though the driver on our bus was so skilled, it was clear, watching him maneuver, that the trip could've been far worse. He even told us to let him know if we needed him to slow down.
We spent 5 days there this past August - 2 adults/2 kids and we all loved it. At that time the plan was to be open year round. Mateo has a keen sense of ecology and conservation and has turned his place into a beautiful and lush paradise, teeming with birds, butterflies, and lizards that keep the mosquito population down. We even had a stick insect visit us at dinner one night. The decor is simple, comfortable, and attractive. There are great views of the water. The food is good, guests pleasant, and staff very friendly and helpful. It's a short walk to the beach. I'd love to go back someday, without children, for a romantic moment.
Reading all of these posts is a riot. Not that I want to make fun of your "challenges", Mr. John Williams, but you certainly seem humored by them. My wife and I finally figured out what we are doing with our vacation time in two weeks (for the last month we have been holding round trip tickets to Mexico City and vaguely scratching our heads about where to go...): we are going to the Oaxaca coast (PA, PE, Huatulco?). My wife flew to Huatulco once, and I have never been. I am now eagerly searching for Whipperman's Oaxaca guide in the local bookstores. I have one question for all: my wife and I are travelling by car (doing our own driving) from DF to Oaxaca coast with two toddlers and a "nanny" (my wife's cousin) along for the ride. Driving from DF to Oaxaca city is a no-brainer. But, has anyone driven with children from Oaxaca city to the coast? What route do you recommend? What is the fastest, safest route? Is it really faster and safer to drive via Salina Cruz and then cut west? what sort of disaster could I be setting myself up for by driving over the mountains with two little kids in mid-January? Thanks for your help.
So when is the "high" season exactly? I am going the last week of Jan, and I have the same concern as Ricu, since I will be meandering there by car with a "get there when I get there" attitude... last thing I need is to roll into town and discover every hotel room for miles around either costs more than my car, or is stuffed with pasty group package tourists from some nasty and cold part of the planet. Any danger of that in Jan?
Hey, Zack, laughing beats the hell out of crying - and as neither has any real effect, I'll always try for the less painful. As Samuel Clements once said, God (be there one) must be either a sadist or a humorist, and the later certainly would be preferable!
As for the challenges of 175 with children: Are they subject to motion sickness? If not, everyone will enjoy the adventure. It is as pretty a drive as any you'll make. Whatever you do, don't choose a route based on which is quicker. There's only a couple of hours' difference either way. If you're in a car, take LOTS of time to enjoy the trip. Stop in San Bartolo Coyotepec and pick up some black pottery. Visit the market in Tula. Stay overnight in San Jose del Pacifico. If you see a sign that says "Salto", that means "waterfall", so go ahead and turn off to enjoy it.
The trip could wind up being the best part of your vacation.
John
The high season is Christmas to Easter. But full occupancy only happens from a week before Christmas to New Years and then starting two weeks before Easter. But even then, there's always someplace to stay.
Thanks for the advice, John. I am familiar with cold wintertime weather up on the central plateau (Mexico City, Toluca, etc) so I question whether waterfalls in January would be that pleasant. Doesnt the 175 get cold in January?
Evenings DO get chilly at high altitudes; Posada del Sol in San Jose del Pacifico does have fireplaces in the rooms, and you DO use them at the 8300 ft altitude. You can get GREAT woven goods in the mountains, by the way. But that's the max altitude. Some of the waterfalls are closer to sea level, in the hotlands - such as one I know well near Chacalapa. But even if the waterfall is at altitude and too cold to play in, the view may well be worth the side-trip. I also recommend a stop at roadside produce stands at various altitudes just to see some of the unique fruits and veggies. Buy a huge chilicoyote squash in the highlands and see what the cook at your hotel can do with it! (It makes a great beverage, among other things) Pick up a small bunch of red fingerling bananas and then share them with the kids downhill. The possibilities are endless!
John
Am due to spend four days there this February (travelling down from Oaxaca) and wondered if anyone can tell me if it is better to ask for a room or bungalow? Am already excited by the prospect of a decent vegetarian meal. Also where are the best (isolated) swimming beaches.
Hi Zachary
Whipperman's Oaxaca guide.
If you can't locate it in a book store, it can be bought online, (chapters.indigo.ca has it). It costs $27.50 cdn or about $2:50US : > )
Hi John
I hope some day to be able to say I have made as many trips as you have to the state of Qaxaca. Until that time I need to tap into your experience in that part of the world.
I am returning to Mexico in February and again arriving at D.F circa 12:30 pm. From there it will be ground transportation to PA, via Oaxaca. I will be accompanied by four others. We are going to rent a van but, can't decide where to do that from. My feeling is that, after busing and cabbing in D.F., it might be better to take the bus to Oaxaca and rent when we leave there? Was the traffic as bad as it looked in DF? I have driven in large cities in the US and Europe but, stop signs and traffic lights were not a just a suggestion, if you know what I mean.
Along the same thought, as buses depart direcly from the airport to Puebla hourly, is that a better option? In other words, take the bus directly to Puebla, spend the night and head out to Oaxaca the next day.
MTPOCKETS,
I don't have the depth of experience John offers, but I have experience driving in DF and renting cars in DF. Here is what I have found: renting a car is a lousy option. Rates are at least double what you would pay for a similar car in this country, after mileage charges are added. In fact, I rented a Nissan Tsuru in Mexico City to do some day tripping in the Puebla countryside, it ended up costing me about $60/day after they charged me for all of the mileage I racked up. If you are thinking about taking a rental car all the way from DF to Oaxaca I am pretty sure you are going to put some hefty mileage on the car, something which will not be cheap. If money is no object, maybe the freedom of having your own wheels all the way to Oaxaca is the way to go, but if you plan on putting more than, say, 100 km a day on the car, a bus is much cheaper.
As for driving in DF, it all depends on your chutzpah, good-humoredness and sense of geography. I learned to navigate DF by learning a few big main avenues at first and then learning the rest of the avenues over time. A few trips crisscrossing the city by "pesero" will help you a great deal in learning the layout of the streets.
As for the myth that people in DF drive like maniacs, I think it is a myth (the ones you need to look out for are the bus drivers - who may not even have a license or even own a car - and the ones with out of state plates, who may not know where they are going). Anywhere you have more cars than space on the road - whether it is DF or southern california or midtown manhattan - driving is tough. I recommend that you do not run red lights or stop signs in DF unless you feel like your personal safety might be in danger... DF locals know which neighborhoods are hotspots for carjackings and which are safe (my advice, keep your doors locked, stay on lit avenues, and don't look for shortcuts and you will not need to run stopsigns). DF drivers are no more interested in having accidents than you are; but they do have places to go and things to do and getting stuck in traffic is not one of them... so they will take advantage of every opportunity to move forward, including cutting you off if necessary; it is nothing against you, per se, and so you shouldn't get upset, because Mexicans wont. I dont think drivers in LA are any better or nicer. As hurried, pushy, and impatient as Mexico city drivers might seem, I have not witnessed many cases of road-rage bravado... not like the kind I see weekly here in southern california, at least. Just keep your eyes peeled and use common sense and you'll do fine.
Then again, maybe you wont need my DF driving advice because maybe the money you save on mileage on your car rental will make renting the van in Oaxaca a cheaper deal. Anyone know how much more car rentals are in Oaxaca than in DF?
Decide between room and bungalow after you get there. Both have advantages.
Playa Los Amores between Puerto Angel and Zipolite is often private or at least fairly so; La Ventanilla, beyond Mazunte, will ALWAYS have private areas; if you have transportation, La Tijera, going the other direction, is usually private.
Enjoy!
Try this link:
http://www.budgetrentacar.com/locations/FindStore.jsp?reg=Mexico®id=10
You can try rates at different locations, ie DF, Puebla, Oaxaca; and for different vehicles. Budget offers unlimited milage if you rent on-line before you go.
There is one aspect of driving in DF that is an intensification over LA or NYC or Houston: machisimo. Not to argue with you, Zack, but Mexican drivers - of BOTH sexes - tend to be, on the average, a bit more agressive than their US counterparts.
I think the difference between Southern Cal drivers and DF drivers is not that those in DF are macho and those in LA are not, but how each group manifests its bravado (or Machismo, as you say)... in DF everyone cuts everyone off, but other than an insulting horn honk, no one seems to take it personally,... I find that in places like Southern California, if you cut off the wrong person, some drivers act like their honor has been taken from them,... they will proceed to persecute you by every means possible (one common tecnique is to pull around you on the freeway, pull in front of you, and proceed to slam on their brakes at high speeds in an effort to cause you to rear-end them) until you distance yourself from them "like a coward" or you get sucked into their macho games until you get to your off-ramp or one of you gets hurt. In DF I think drivers are aggressive in that they are in a hurry to get where they are going, but I dont think there is this "cult of honor" which seems to compel some California locals to actually try to engage each other in high speed car fights.
By the way, interesting link, even for comparing Mexican car rentals to rates in other Latin American countries... Thanks
I am trying to get an idea what hotel options are available in PE, PA, Huatulco, or anywhere along that stretch of Highway 200 for my situation... I have two toddler kids. Do any of you have any ideas of specific hotels which stick out in your mind as having particularly nice ameneties for kids, like swimming pool w/ slide, playground equip on property or ice cream parlor next door, etc? Any suggestions? (so many guidebooks forget to tell you these important things) I am travelling on Jan 12th.
Zachary and John
Thanks you both for your responses. You have confirmed my gut feel about renting in DF. I am thinking that we should rent a vehicle when we decide to leave Oaxaca. I seem to remember parking was at a premium, walking was easy, and cabs were cheap.
I can't imagine why anyone who is healthy, has time, speaks Spanish and is not travelling with young children would want a car in Oaxaca. Our first trip was for a month with 2 eight year olds and our second for 7 weeks with 2 ten year olds. They are very good travellers. We travelled exclusively by bus or collectivo (except occasionally when invited somewhere by our host family) and visited many of the towns within an hour of the city. For me, slowing down is a big part of travelling in a place like Mexico and public transportation is part of the adventure - it provides natural opportunity for social interaction. In Oaxaca I found it very reliable, fairly easy to figure out, usually comfortable enough and never had a problem with safety. (Well except the time the bus was stopped at a roadblock and I was the only person questioned on the bus. But even that was unthreatening enough that my daughter thought the soldier was coming over to ask for some of our pumpkin seeds).
In Puerto Angel, on the other hand, when we were there last August, there was a problem with collectivos crossing town lines which meant going a few towns away meant a making a few changes and waiting for each. After 5 days it was getting frustrating.
Yes, 4 runs daily in a newish 12-passenger Chevy van, beginning at 8AM. Go to the Hotel Santa Cruz on the main drag in Pochutla (big H sign visible as you apprach) to buy a seat: at 120 pesos it's a steal of a deal (sold off our return tickets in Oaxaca). One of the guys at the booking desk spoke some English which is always nice when your Spanish is weak and you just want to be sure everything's in the bag re your reservation. They even give you half a ham 'n quesillo sandwich and a bottle of pop as part of the bargain! Almost zero luggage space because they have seating installed all the way to the back (3:3:3:4) so the only real space is under the back seats, which is saying almost none. Big bags and backpacks go up front between the drivers and front passenger. The ride itself seems less precarious than the bus did since the van's more manouverable, though the drivers still thinks it's a bus and takes the same privileges on the road. The scenery's astounding and the big side windows in the van give you a great view of everything on both sides of the van. PS: avoid, if you can, sitting in the vicinity of potentially carsick kids ... nuff said. Bring your own toilet paper. Wear pants and bring something warm that covers your arms - it's a good bet the AC will be blasting and the driver may open the windows for good measure. Lastly, take some McGiver aids with you like a piece of cardboard toilet roll - one of the vent vanes was broken on my van and I was getting plowed with a jet of ultracold AC until I fixed it by blocking off the vent.
Hi
How was your trip in December? Did you like Puesta Del Sol?
-Ricu-
Thanks a lot to all of you :)
Now we had very much interesting information about the "mad" bus ride over mountains :). And John, we are going to do that :). We are going to test our relationship on the 175. Let´s see what happens. We will take medicine for the motion sickness and hope for the best. But I think we gonna love the ride...at least I will... :) (I know that my girlfriend read this... ;) )
If you see 2 gringos from Finland, who are probably not feeling well, arriving PA on 9th or 10th of February, it's us :). See you there!
I have 4 apartaments near universidad del mar with beautiful ocean wiew and a coffe plantation close to chacalapa. I would like to sale both of these places .There is a lot of potential .need more info write. Thank,s
Hi
Just wondering if PA has one or more restaurants you must visit ? :)
Hi Ricu
I had a great trip. I did everything I planned and more. In fact I liked it so much I am going back February 11. Okay, the truth is that Air Canada had a seat sale on and that made two trips affordable (US350). We plan on being in Puerto Angel for a few days around Feb 15th.
The Puesta del Sol is a good place to stay. It is clean, comfortable, secure, and breakfast was good. The only downside is the neighborhood noise during the night, dogs and roosters are active. However, I am a light sleeper so, it may not be a problem for most. I did get accustom to it after a couple of days and besides it is probably common in most areas of the town.All the other guests were happy with the place as well.
I know you were asking about the bus trip up hwy 175. I am taking that route again - both ways and we plan on renting a van and taking a leisurley trip at our own pace - perhaps with an overnight stay at San Jose del Pacifico.
Please feel free to ask more questions
Are you still planning on being there in PA in February as well?
Puerto Angel is hardly the home of haute cuisine; but there are many restaurants well worth a stop. Try the tuna salad at Betos. There's a food stall at the accross from the pier called the Oriente. Get a tlayuda there and then an assortment of tacos until you can't eat anymore. Go to Cordelias in Playa Panteon and have ceviche. Leyte y Vicentes in Playa Panteon is also a pretty good place to eat.The ladies at Tio Chilo will sell you a hambuger/hot dog fix.
Villa Florencia also has good, reasonably priced breakfasts. And, they are one of the few places (only?) around that take credit cards. We discovered this on our trip one week ago, and it certainly minimized the trips to Pochutla to pull out more pesos. Bon appetit!
Villa Florencia also has good, reasonably priced breakfasts. And, they are one of the few places (only?) around that take credit cards. We discovered this on our trip one week ago, and it certainly minimized the trips to Pochutla to pull out more pesos. Bon appetit!
Hola Manuel, Interested in looking at your property in Puerto Angel. I'll be coming into town mid-Febuary, Do you think I'd be able to take a look at that time?
Gracias, gary
We just stayed for three weeks in puerto angel at the La Posada Canon Devata.
A very great and clean place. The staff is the best.
We met a great guy from switzerland . He is renting low cost room for 150 pesos including breakfast and dinner a day.HE IS A REAL CHEF, LEARNED IN SWITZERLAND..
He offers also spanish class for 1750 pesos total school is 7 days.
Included are 2 hour in the morning and 2 hour in the evening including food and room.
He is one of the best guy to find.
He also takes you around for a small fee to places that are just incredibe.
Even if you do not stay at his place, check him out...
He also speaks 5 languges. English, french, german, spanish and dutch..
To find him , take a taxi at the village and tell them to go to Casa el Faro and his name is Pedro.
If you lhave more question email me at silvertrader1@hotmail.com
You wont regret it.
Thanks for your help folks. Am heading off to Oaxaca tomorrow and will be in Puerto Angel in 7-10 days. Sounds like it's gonna be great!
Hi
I think we will try Puesta too. We are planning to be in PA on 9th or 10th of February if everything goes ok. We arrive Ciudad de Mexico on 1st day and we are going to spend few days in Oaxaca. Then take the bus ride to PA and spend few days there. We fly from Huatulco back to capital maybe on 13th. Our flight back to Finland (via London) leaves in the evening on 15th. Two weeks is short time but can't make it longer.
Thanks for information
Ricu
Thanks John. You really know everything about PA :). That's great.
And don't worry. We get enough pizza in Finland. We won't miss it in Mexico at all.
Once I could say that I knew 'most everything about Puerto Angel. Then I had to move away and like all things, it has changed. But I hope again to learn all things about Puerto Angel some day soon...
Hi bruno, I'm mauro, I live in sardinia and I Hope to be in puerto angel in june 2002.
Could U tell me something about safe in puerto angel and in the town around it and the better way to arrive in puerto angel from mexico city.
Is it a good idea to rent a car to fdrive around puerto angel?
thanks.
Ciao.
mauro
Announcement.....
"Las cuatro amigas", with the help of the town of San Agustinillo, have opened a library in the picturesque village on the Oaxacan coast. The library is located near the center of town in the Casa Municipal.
The library is free for all local residents and available to tourists. We are funded by donations so we ask tourists to "rent" their books. It's a charge of one peso a day. The library is stocked with books in English and Spanish.
In addition to loaning books the library is also a center for the children of San Agustinillo. A class in English and a pen pal program with schoolchildren in Chicago are two of the activities por los ninos de San Agustinillo.
We invite all those visiting the area to stop in, rent reading material of donate their finished books. We are especially in need of Spanish language books and, of course, cash donations are greatly appreciated and sorely needed.
We are biking to Puerto Angel from Oaxaca & hoping to return via bus. I read that the mini-vans have almost no space for luggage. I assume this would include bikes. Do they ever strap anything on top? We have transported bikes in the luggage compartments underneath regular buses in Mexico. Is this an option ie is there a first- or second-class bus Pochutla to Oaxaca? Thanks.
You'll need to use the full-sized Pochutla to Oaxaca bus. Sounds like one hell of a trip down, though! How long do you intend to take?
Congratulations Nancy. What a great idea. I'm arriving on Wednesday and will be dining at Dona Sol that evening. I'd love to see you.
Joan Martorano
Hello Joan.....I'm not there. We aren't leaving until the middle of March. Richard leaves on the 11th or 12th, in the car and I fly out on the 21st. We know it's late in the season, but we have mucho trabajo. You can still get in the library. Carole, Harper and Helen are the librarians and it's open every afternoon from 2-6.
We are all very proud of the little back room in the Casa Municipal
If you are still there in March I'll see you then.
Nancy
We're taking 4 days down, and unsure how to divide it up. We don't really want to camp, so need to get to a town with a hotel each night. We are traveling on hwy 130 ( I think that's the number, but I don't have the map in front of me. Anyway, it'll be an adventure. Does that Pochutla - Oaxaca bus run at regular intervals? Is there a night-time run?
Thanks for the info
Laura
I don't know all the schedules, but I do know that there's an overnight; the women of Puerto Angel use it to transport smoked fish to market day in Oaxaca City. Probably NOT the best night to ride, unless you have sinus problems...
OK, 131 is the highway from Oaxaca to Puerto Escondido. Probably the very worst option. Accomodations are pretty well non-existent. 175 is the Oaxaca-Pochutla-Puerto Angel route. Were I a dedicated and in-shape bicyclist, this would probably be my choice. (The last few times I've climbed on a bike have revealed how very poorly my posterier fits a bicycle saddle!) On the gripping hand, 147 through Mateas Romero and Salina Cruz would be gentler grades and offer the best in the way of accomodations. See if you can scare up a topo and study the grades before you make your choice. The Salina Cruz route may be a questionable choice due to increased traffic; there are some serious bicycle clubs throughout Mexico. You might try contacting them for advice...
Hello again everybody :)
Just wondering... is there any "dangerous" wild life in Mexico and especially in Oaxaca and Puerto Angel? I hate scorpions and spiders... :)
How about in the water? We would like to go snorkeling, but we don't want to see any shark...or something like that. And once again asking about those dangerous streams in the water. What is/are the safest beach/es?
Only two weeks to go... :)
1) Oaxaca has a lot of poisonous snakes. Fortunately, they tend to be far more frightened of you than vice-versa. In 30 years of traveling to this coast, I had never seen a snake until after I moved down. You probably won't, either. There are some scorpions - big, ugly black ones - but you probably won't see one unless you turn over every rock you come to.
2) It is the ocean. There are sharks in every ocean. But there are only about 100 shark attacks per year world-wide. Only about 10 fatalities world-wide. The sharks should be so safe from human attacks! You've got a better chance of winning the lottery than you do of being attacked by a shark!
3)From the main beach at San Augustinillo looking out, the area to the right is very calm, the area to the left is surf; and the area by the rocks in between is tricky as hell!' Ixtacahuite is usually a great place to snorkel but is a bit of a walk.
When the fishing pangas come in about 10:30, hire one to take you to a good beach. There are lots of them accessable only by boat. Take an ice-chest full of beer and share with the captain. He'll watch out for you.
Oops, that's 190 through Matias Romero and Salina Cruz. Guess I need a remedial map-reading course.
Nancy,
I just arrived home to Minnesota from San Agustinillo. I am hoping that you can give me someone's name and address or phone number (in Mexico). He is from northern Ontario, Canada. His wife runs a restaraunt in town and his is fininshing a few rooms behind the restaraunt for a hotel. He fishes every morning for the restaraunt and there place is about 3 or 4 blocks west of the library. We ate there all the time and he said we could stay at his place next year but we forgot to get his name and address. I am the grey haired man who asked you about the area between Hualtulco and Salina Cruz just last week. If you can get me any information I would greatly appreciate it. I would love to return next year for a much longer stay (at least 3 months).
Hopefully we will see you again next year.
Laird Beager
651 462-3640
Thanx Everyone for the great tips & info. Jane & I will be in Puerto Angel during the 1st week of Feb. & In Oaxaca City before that! We feel a whole lot better about that Bus Ride now!
CIAO.
Hello Francoise
My wife and are going to be in your area from Jan 23 to Feb 1.
We are 50 years old and have been going to all areas of Mex. for the past 20 yrs.
This will be our first time in your area . Your house sounds exciting as we do enjoy a relaxed atmoshere
If you do have room ,please email me asap as we are leaving in a few days.
Thank you and hope to hear from you
Bob Koshman
Hello Francoise
My wife and are going to be in your area from Jan 23 to Feb 1.
We are 50 years old and have been going to all areas of Mex. for the past 20 yrs.
This will be our first time in your area . Your house sounds exciting as we do enjoy a relaxed atmoshere
If you do have room ,please email me asap as we are leaving in a few days.
Thank you and hope to hear from you
Bob Koshman
PS
We live in Calgary Alberta in Canada
Trip report I found ... not mine but maybe next time.
http://www.easystreet.com/~timurray/Oaxaca.htm
Thanks so very much for the link. This just points out the incredible birding in the area. See the main index for more info on the Chacalapa area; also note that the coffee plantations in the area - "shade" grown coffee - tend to be great birding areas as well.
Hi John
I have a question that is totally unrelated to this thread. It has to do with the collectivos. I have only used them while travelling alone. How does that work with a group of people going to the same place. Did I read on the ticket I purchased that each ticket is good for up to four people going to the same destination or does each person need to have their own ticket?
My girlfriend and I just spent two weeks in Puerto Angel. We loved it. We stayed at the Puesta del Sol Bungalow. This is a little house in the Faro (lighthouse) district with a big kingsize bed, living room, small kitchen and bathroom upstairs and twin beds and a second bathroom downstairs. Big deck with a spectacular view of the ocean. I spent a lot of time reading in the hammock and watching the many soaring birds and flocks of pelicans. Harald and his wife, Maria, who run the hotel (in town) and the bungalow, were wonderful hosts.
We found it especially nice to have a kitchen (no oven), as we could keep fruit in the refrigerator and make hot breakfasts (the eggs were fresh and exquisite). I made a few dinners, but going out was lots of fun.
The bungalow is in easy walking distance (10 to 15 mins) to Zipolite on the one side and Playa Panteon on the other. Or you can walk to the bottom of the hill and take a collectivo taxi for 5 pesos. If we did this again, we'd probably get a car, but walking was actually quite nice locally. To get to more distant beaches or mountain spots of interest, one really needs a car.
I'd like to second Bruno's comments about Pedro and his wife, Paulina. They are neighbors to the bungalow and were invaluable guides, company, cooks and generally nice folks. I met several folk who stayed with them and all had great things to say about the facilities and experience. I thought that Pedro's Pescado Zapeteco and salt cooked fish were wonderful dishes. Pedro speaks (at least) German, French, English and Spanish and possibly more. You can ask any taxi driver in town and they'll take you to Casa 'El Faro'.
Restaurants we liked: Beto's - great huachinango Verracruzano and quite inexpensive. Rincon del Mar (listed in some quidebooks as restuarante Arrecife, they are the same place) - nice view and good food. I liked the langosta al mojo de ajo. Villa Florentina - great breakfasts, good drinks and a nice bar. Hotel Buena Vista - the vista is blocked by trees, but the tamales Oaxaquenos were exquisite. The beachside palapas usually have good lunches, but tend to be variable. Pedro's food (and his margaritas) was the best.
If you really want fresh fish, you can show up at the dock in the morning and buy the catch right off the boat.
I actually lost weight on this vacation because 1) I ate essentially only fish, no meat, 2) I ate tons of fruit (I could go on at length about the excellent quality of the produce) and 3) I walked a lot.
mauro: We found Puerto Angel to be perfectly safe. Locals suggested we not walk between Zipolite and our place after dark, but public places are fine. There is cheap taxi service (5 pesos for a taxi colectivo during the day, going up to 40 pesos for an especial at night), but if you want to get to the more out of the way places, a car would be quite helpful.
We flew to Huatulco from Mexico City and the owner of the Bungalow we stayed at piced us up for 300 pesos and took us to Puerto Angel. (Hotel Puesta del Sol is on this web site).
Thanks for the report!
Hello everybody
Where can I found the minivan "station" to Pochutla in Oaxaca?
Thanks again
Ricu
Another good example of informative reporting.
Hi there,
de bus is going 3 times a day very early! +/- 08:00 a.m.
14:15 pm and around midnight, This is a directo, which goes through a very scenic environment and has breathtalking views and pieces of the road missing . There are many more via salina de la cruz, but it takes about 4 hours longer. The busdriver will stop along de road to eat something,
ciao len
All,
I am back from two wonderful weeks driving around Oaxaca and I want to thank those who shared their thoughts about how to drive from Oaxaca to the coast by different routes. My wife and I ended up driving to and from the coast via Salina Cruz (highway 190) because we ended up doing most of our driving by night (we couldnt wait to get there and then we couldnt pull ourselves away when it was time to leave) and figured the Salina Cruz-Oaxaca highway would be slightly safer night driving than the Pochutla-Oaxaca route (175).
I wanted to share a theory I have about an alternative route to and from Puerto Angel/Huatulco and see if any of you have tried this route or if it sounds like it is worth the extra time. When driving from Mexico City east on the Puebla toll road about 30 km north of Tehuacan there is a fork in the road and the road to Oaxaca becomes a two lane undivided toll highway heading south, and the four lane divided road continues straight to Orizaba and Cordoba. I noticed on the map (Guia Roji Road Atlas... available at any Sanborn's store highly recommended!) that the Orizaba Cordoba toll road eventually sweeps south too (highway 145 D I think), but is flat and straight for hundreds of miles as you drive towards Coatzacoalcos and Tabasco. Shortly before Coatzacoalcos in Acayucan the toll road meets up with the free highway 185 that runs from Tehuantepec north across the isthmus...
I checked the mileage on the map and the entire route via Acayucan is only 100 kms longer than the road from Mexico City to Huatulco via Salina Cruz (in mileage the Pochutla route is still the shortest, of course). The advantage is that much more time is spent on toll roads, and much less time spent on free highways, and plus you dont need to drive your car over any 9000 foot mountain passes to get to the beach.
To return to Mexico I tried to get my wife to agree with me to try this route to see if it was faster or more pleasant to drive, but she had her mind set on going shopping in Oaxaca before we left, so I had to reluctantly drive back up the mountains via the 190.
The downside of the route I describe is that you miss out on all of the great attractions of the Oaxaca highlands, but let's face it, if your mind is on that hammock on the beach, driving across the Sierra Madre Sur is not necessarily an exciting experience.
Has anyone driven the route I describe? Anyone want to volunteer to drive it and tell us how long it takes, what the conditions of the roads are, and if there is anything fun to do while driving the route?
Hi,
I'm travelling to Oaxaca and the coast with 4 freinds in Feb. Does anyone know of van rental agencies in Ciudad Oaxaca that could rent us a van or sport utility for about 1 week from Feb. 15 to 21?
We want to drive from Oaxaca to the coast and back at our own pace.
Alternatively, are there any tour guides with their own, new vans that could drive us and stop wherever we ask?
Any info or advice would be appreciated.
Skates (from Canada)
p.s. I know MTPockets. He's our unofficial tour leader.
Laura,
I don't know if you have maps for your trip yet, but John W. suggested you get some topo maps before you travel. Here is my contribution: http://www.maps-of-mexico.com/oaxaca-state-mexico/oaxaca-state-mexico-map-main.htm
You will have to do some cutting and pasting to create a complete picture, but hey, these are free topos with highways overlaid on top... you can at least get a basic orientation of the terrain along each route and then buy a real map once you are ready to travel.
What a trip, though!
Go to Budget's international website.
olla..vengo en marzo a puerto angel..puede alguien decirme como voy de puerto angel a san christobal ?conduce un camion ?Gracias por ayudarme mexi
If you like to contact Pedro or Paulina in Puerto Angel,
Casa El Faro
email to : casaelfaro78@hotmail.com
Hi, Joan here,
Nancy, I'm down here now and have been to the library. It's WONDERFUL. The local kids are there every day playing and borrowing books. The english language library is fantastic...not just John Grisham and Harlequin romances...really great books and quite a selection. I'll be here until march 16, but maybe longer if the house takes longer to go up. Hope I get to see you and Richard.
To the previous poster, the guy is Shandor. I'll try to find out if he has a cell phone...there are no phone lines in San Agustinillo. You can always write to him at Shandor, Domicilio Conocido, San Agustinillo, Tonameca, Oaxaca, Mexico.
Joan
Hello All...
Laird, sorry I haven't responded sooner, I haven't been paying attention to the posts. I guess I didn't have to because Joan is watching my back.
Joan is correct in saying there aren't any telephone lines in San Agustinillo. She also knows more about the postal system because I thought all mail was received in Pochutla by listo de correo.
I'll keep your telephone number and ask him to contact you for next year.
Did you see the library? I was there in November so I missed the grand opening. I'm not scheduled to be back in San Agustinillo until March 21st.
Nancy
Hello Joan,
I'm so glad you are having a wonderful time down there.....we just got dumped on by mother nature and I am longing for San Agustinillo. As I said in a previous post Richard is leaving Chicago on the 11th of March so you may see him before you leave. I can't leave until the 21st (I think) I'm making reservations on Monday. We know it's late in the year, but we only have two and a half more years until we are down there for the entire winter. I would love to see you, but we have the rest of our lives. What is your email address down there? You're only listed as Juanita without an address for private comments. Let me know, I'll write to you.
Oh, yea did you see the listing for the library on the San Agustinillo page?
Nancy
I looked into it for our trip back in December. You won't find a van in Oaxaca on the Internet. We ended up renting one from National in Mexico City. We reserved it online and paid for it a month in advance. WE called to confirm the day before we got ther. Upon our arrival... you guessed it... they said no vans. They called around for hours looking for vans, minivans, suburbans. After a good 3-4 hours a tourist guy at the airport said he could get us a Dodge Combi. We took it, it took another good hour and a half to 2 hours to show up. Granted this is Mexico City, but I will tell you I searched long and hard for vans, minivans, suburbans in Acapulco, Oaxaca, Ixtapa, Huatulco, PE, PA... none of the big companies rent them. The van we ended up getting in Mexico City was from some small shop local company type.. not a Hertz, Avis, Budget type of place. We truly got lucky. However, it was a '99 Dodge Ponti, which one would think is good. we went down to Huatulco via the Acapulco route from Mexico City and we were almost certain there was no way this thing was going to make it up the hill from Acapulco to Mexico City on the way back, because of the upward terrain. From what I've read, I'd give you 100:1 odds that this van would not have been able to go up the mountin from Huatulco to Oaxaca. My point is this... even if you find a van, I'd be surprised if it can make it. I'm dead serious there were many times where we were flooring it and couldn't go over 50 KM/hour. Just something to keep in mind.
Jeff
My husband and I will be spending a week on the coast and then a week in Oaxaca. The problem is that we are unsure of which places to visit on the coast, or if we should see all 3 in some fashion. We are both social workers and speak spanish and are looking to relax in a pretty, safe, friendly place. Can anyone give us the down-and-dirty highlights of Puetro Escondido, Puerto Angel and Huatulco? With a week of time should we plan to pick 2 of these to stay at? From Mexico City, what would be the best way to get there and which city should we start in? We leave in 2 weeks! YIKES! Thanks for any help! Darcie
Get in touch with Liberacion to fly DF-Huatulco. They do last minute liquidations of empty seats on charter flights.
Your choices: Huatulco is the safest resort community I know of, anywhere. It is clean; it's the only place I know of in Mexico where the entire town is free of sewage smells. But it iss a resort. Nothing in town built before 1984.
Puerto Angel is a great little fishing community. A little dusty; but unbelievably good people. PA is also the gateway to Zipolite, San Augustinillo, and Mazunte. But the area is not 100% crime-free, like Huatulco. The two are about an hour apart, equadistant and on either side of the airport.
Somebody else'll have to sell you on Puerto Escondido. It is a surfers' paradise and I'm a diver.
Im an old longboarder,Southern Cal to the Big Island of Hawaii. Now with two Kids in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Wondering about surf spots?, board rentals ect. Thanks
Im an old longboarder,Southern Cal to the Big Island of Hawaii. Now with two Kids in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Wondering about surf spots?, board rentals ect. Thanks
Im an old longboarder,Southern Cal to the Big Island of Hawaii. Now with two Kids in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Wondering about surf spots?, board rentals ect. Thanks
Escondido is a fair sized city, 40,000 or more. So it's a lot bigger compared to PA and Zipo. It's been an international surfing destination for many years, so it has a relaxed, non-showy, international feel. I've spent time in Huatulco and Puerto Escondido, and I return to the latter every year now. It's got a great combo of relaxed, non-touristy beach atmosphere (including wonderful small hotels, awesome breakers and surfer-watching on Zicatela Beach) and a working town where you can wander around and soak up local culture.
Board surfing is better in Puerto Escondido or just west of Salina Cruz. Go to the Main Menu down below then click on the surfing threads and articles. Early in the rainy season, during the first couple of rebalses, these are world-class surfing areas. Big faces.
My private email is martoraj at hotmail.com (can't find the "at" character on this keyboard!). Love to hear from you.
I knew RAP or Bill would come through for you!
Hello
We are now in Oaxaca and we discovered that you can buy tickets to the minivan(which goes to Pochutla) at La Noria 101 in Oaxaca. Ticket cost 120 pesos per person and the van departs 6 times a day. The first at seven o'clock in the morning. Journey should take only 5 hours (compare to seven or eight hours in the first class bus).
We will arrive PA on Friday, 8th of February.(if anyone is interested :) )
Riku and Paivi
I have been spending time in both PE and Huatulco for the last 7 years...each has its own appeal depending on what you want to do. Puerto is great for early morning walks on the beach...the beaches in huatulco are small and better for swimming and snorkelling (though Pto Angelito is okay for snorkelling in PE).
Puerto also tends to be much less expensive in all areas. But it is a bigger city and there are more problems with security...I wouldnot reccomend the beach at night and I would never leave my "stuff" unattended in PE. The tourism in PE seems to be more European...Italy and Germany and seems to be the same people from year to year. Of course if you like to surf then Puerto Escondido is where you will want to be.
Huatulco this year was great for me...though it is a problem for the area in general the lack of tourism makes it even more appealing if you like beautiful deserted beaches...a whole bay to snorkel in by yourself...peace and quiet at the beaches that in the past have been loaded with people. Hiring a lancha for the day and fishing along the way, snorkelling at different beaches and eating and lounging in St Augustin is a perfect way to vacation.
3 days in one 4 in the other depending on what you like to do and stop to visit Mazunte on the way.
Hey, is Mazune off topic here? has anyone been recently (I'm going to be traveling around in a week and heard it was worth a stop, but I'm short on details.) For example, how do you get there? I think the bus stops at Poshutla, or PA(?) I guess that means taxis to get around? If anyone feels like dispensing advice on places to stay in the neighborhood, that would be good too.
Hi Ricu
Good info on the bus. Sounds like we a similar schedule, but off by a week.
We are now packing and will be in Mexico by noon tomorrow - Feb 11. We expect to be in Oaxaca Tuesday afternoon and PA Friday or Saturday.
Was down there Dec 29-JAbn7. Spent time in PE, Zipolte, and Huatulco. I only spent 1 day in Huatulco, so I may be biasedd. But I just absolutely love Puerto Escondido. In fact, that's why I only spent 1 day in Huatulco(so I could go back to PE for more time). I liked PE a lot more mainly because I felt like it was mor relaxing, everything you need is right there, and it is a lot less expensive. If you decide to go to PE, no need to make reservations for a hotel in advance. If I were you I'd stay on Beach Zicatela. There's plenty of hotels right there. My recommendation is check out all the hotels pick your fav and if ou decide you want to switch, start looking at noon. If you do it beofre 2pm, you can stay at any hotel you want. Nothing better than staying at the best hotel on the beach for dirt cheap. Add to it a fresh morning walk along the beach and pure relaxation all day long. For nightlife you've got your choice of nightlife right there on Beach Zicatela or you can pay 15 pesos to take you to Gagne (sp).
AND 1 NECESSARY ACTION... Take John's advice... call Liberacion and fly to Hutulco instead of making the drive from DF. I looked into flying and wasn't willing to pay the $300. I hear Liberacon is cheaper. Had I known about it, I would have flown in a heartbeat as opposed to drivng from DF. In fact after having driven, I'd pay the $300 to fly. Just getting the 2 extra days on such a short trip makes it worth it. But when you factor in that you are going to pay $100 each way in Tolls and also have to spring for ahotel in Acapulco, it's a nobrainer. Even for a party of 4. Have fun.
Hi
We are now in PA. HOT :). This is great place. We were snorkeling with Chepe(Azul Profundo in Panteon) yesterday. Didn't see whales but it was great. Chepe and his friends seem to be professional.
The minivan(oaxaca-pochutla) took about little less than 6 hours. The driver was very good.
We are staying in Puesta del Sol, which is nice. We have heard very good comments concerning hotel Capy. You can maybe try that one. It's very near Playa Panteon and P. del Sol too.
We are flying back to Mexico city on Thursday and back home to Finland on Friday :(. Have a nice trip :).
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tell me... is this a good place to visit for a single visitor for a long weekend? or shall I go to Playa Zipolite
Thnx.
Hi Everybody,
I found this terrific website while researching potential destinations for my honeymoon June 1-10 of this year. Since you guys seem to be very knowledgeable about the area, I thought I'd venture a few questions...
My fiancee and I are 27 and 33 yrs old, live in San Francisco in the Mission and were thinking of going to Puerto Vallarta, but were discouraged by "tourist trap" concerns. Many people have told me that Oaxaca City and the beaches of Puerto Angel and Puerto Escondido are less touristy and more beautiful. I'm wondering if you experienced travelers think that a honeymoon in the Oaxaca region in early June sounds like a good idea? If so...
I'm thinking that we could fly into Oaxaca City and spend a few days at a very fancy luxurious place. Then I was thinking of adventuring in a more economical way by rented car to Puerto Angel Puerto Escondido and (any other must visit locations?). Does this seem realistic?
From what I've read on-line, I see that there are fancy resorts in Oaxaca (like Camino Real) where people certainly go on honeymoons. I was wondering if anyone knows of a more special, best kept secret kind of place - like a family-owned villa or very private bed and breakfast, but really "honeymoon worthy" in terms of amenities and service. Am I dreaming? I would love to make arrangements to stay at a place like that where the proprietor comes highly recommended, and could be trusted to help steer us in the right direction for car rental, day trips, etc. If we found that kind of place, we might even just make a reservation for the whole time at that place, and just make alot of day trips.
How far is it by car to Puerto Angel from Oaxaca City?
Any feedback from you wild world travelers would be much appreciated.
Hi Bo
We stayed 3 weeks in Puerto Escondido and were also in Oaxaca for 5 days. Just got back a week ago and am missing it dreadfully...
In Oaxaca, we stayed by the zocalo in a fairly budget place, but we also visited a very pretty resort on a hill overlooking the city called the Hotel Victoria. It had gorgeous grounds, private villas, etc. We had breakfast there; food was fabulous, service was great. We also had a peek at the Camino Real, and while it definitely is cool (16th century frescos and all that), personally I thought the Victoria was nicer, at least from the outside (we didn't see any of the rooms). It was certainly in a quieter location, since the Camino Real is downtown. I've also heard nice things from people about Hotel Hacienda los Laureles - it's a bit away from the centre, but apparently has beautiful grounds. Another possibility is Casa Caruso -- a beautiful B&B I always wanted to stay at. http://www.casacaruso.com/
We took the bus up Hwy 175 to Oaxaca. It took about 7 hours from Potchutla (the major town just inland from Puerto Angel). It was a beautiful drive - spectacular mountain scenery-- but even though it was the dry season there were a couple of washouts, and the bus had to go over a temporary bridge at one point. If I drove this, I would take my time and maybe even stop overnight in San Jose del Pacifico. There's also Hwy 131, which goes from Oaxaca to Puerto Escondido, but haven't heard any recent reports of the road conditions, and people tell me this Hwy is usually in worse shape than 175.
Another resource you might want to check out, if you haven't already, is the http://oaxacalive.com. They have forums for lodging and transportation pertaining to Oaxaca -- you never know, someone might be advertising the place of your dreams...
Anyway, hope this helps a bit...
Good post by Yvonne. Camino Real is nice, being close to downtown has it's plusses, such as walking to and from the Zocalo area at night. However, taxis are cheap, plentiful and cheap. I've never stayed at the Camino Real, but have been in it a few times. It does a lot of European tour business, and seems as snooty as it is luxury. A good restaurant in Oaxaca, frequented by businessmen and politicians, as well as some people I know, is Garibaldi's. It isn't expensive, serves Oaxaquena food, lots of appetizers etc. I think that in the Oaxacan tradition, it closes at 5:00 or so, but I'm not positive.
A trip to Angel, as oppsed to Escondido, would probably be better, since you'll want to relax after Oaxaca. However, it's pretty much a day each way. Check the other threads regarding the van to and from Oaxaca. I think Iread it was about 4 hours.
Enjoy
Hi Michael,
I just got back home yesterday from 10 days in this area. Mazunte is just a gorgeous beach as are all in the area. You can go to Pochutla and grab a bus or taxi to Puerto Angel...or better yet...rent a car, it beats waiting around in the heat for transportation. It was 95-100 degrees all last week!
It is not a far drive from Puerto Angel to Zipolite Beach (just follow the road out of town in that direction) Zipolite has nice surf and several nudists soaking up the rays. Just down the beach is Playa Agustinillo and Mazunte which both have nice calm surf and solid sand bottom and further down the coast still is Playa Ventanilla (where the turtles come in to lay eggs) which is also a great beach. If you take the taxis, there are enough traveling around to take you from beach to beach . Don't worry about a place to stay. There are small hotels along the beaches, rustic palapas and even palapa covered places to hang a hammock for the night. Each beach has several palapas serving drinks and food. There aren't many tourists in the area. The local people are looking for your business. Have a great time and watch out for sunburn.
PS. In the other direction of Puerto Angel is Playa Estacahuite which has nice rocks to snorkel around and also food/drink palapas. If you stop there, say Hi to Vic from Montana who will probably be sitting under a palapa drinking a cool agua.
JoAnn from Wisconsin
Hi again Michael,
I goofed up on some of the information...must be jet lag. Playa Agustinillo has a nice firm sand bottom and mild surf, Playa Mazunte is where the turtles come in to lay their eggs. The Museo Tortuga is located there. Down the coast not too far is Playa Ventanilla, also a nice beach. If you turn on this road to Ventanilla, the only marker is a small sign with a picture of a crocodile on it, and drive down towards the beach, you will find a kiosk there where you can buy a ticket for 35 pesos to boat through the lagoon to see some BIG crocodiles and igaunas. It's a nice trip.
JoAnn
Hi Bo
My girlfriend and I just spent one week in Oaxaca and one in Puerto Angel (1.2.-15.2.). We travelled in budget places, so I can't give advices concerning hotels but maybe I can give you few other hints.
First. If you don't like to drive from Oaxaca to Pochutla via hwy 175, you can take a minibus (a van). It takes about 5-6 hours and leaves many times every day. You will find one company at La Noria 101 in Oaxaca. We used that and it was good. The driver was very professional. The 175 is very beautiful but it might be quite bad if you or your better half has motion sickness easily. But there are very good medicines for that if you want to try. In Finland we have Postafen(pill) and Scopoderm (patch). If you drive that road, DON'T DO IT AT NIGHT. There are few bad places, example half of the road has collapsed or there are big stones on the road. Those things can be hard to see at night. And like Yvonne said, I recommend to stop at San Jose del Pacifico. What a place.
Second. If you are interested to see many ruins, take first Mitla or some else and after that Monte Alban. If you go first to Monte Alban, I think you might be a little disappointed in the others. M. Alban is so fantastic...I think it's better than Teotihuacan.
Third. I maybe recommend more San Agustinillo than Puerto Angel. SA is very quiet and it has perfect, quite safe beaches with great waves. The beaches are almost empty. It is only few kilometres from PA. You can take a look on this website: Playa San Agustinillo. PA is also good(and if you rent a car you can drive to all beaches nearby, also SA). Maybe more people and maybe not so beautiful beaches but also safe sea. In PA you have more options when you pick a hotel.
If you like to ask something, please do. I'm glad if I can help. Maybe if you like to see photos of SA or PA, I can send few to you by email.
2 Mar will be my first time back to the Huatulco area in 14 years. I remember sitting on the beach at Playa Principal in Puerto Angel at 4:00am awestruck as we spotted Halley's Comet.
Has anything changed? Only kidding.
I want to know if anyone is familar with a small beach called Estacahuite. There was only one restaurant there then and the snorkeling was wonderful. I'd like to return there if I can. How I can get there from Barcelo Resort Huatulco?
1.Rent a car. Budget has a bug as cheap as 27usd per day if reserved on-line. You still have to walk in from the road. They cut a road to Estacahuite, but it didn't survive a single rainy season.
2.Bus to Pochutla and take the micro to Puerto Angel. This is the cheapest option.
3.Take a cab to Puerto Angel.
The snorkeling is still good. There still aren't too many people, but more than you remember.
Hola Amigos,
Just returned from 10 days in Puerto Angel and there is so much to tell but I'll try not to be too windy....and try to give helpful information.
Flew in to the Huatulco airport and rented a Nissan car so we'd be able to wander the area at our leisure. There is not much traffic so driving is easy. For a layout of the area... from the airport, take Hwy 200 east to Huatulco (about a 45 minute drive) or west to Pochutla (about the same distance) or south to Puerto Angel (not far). Directions are well marked at the crossroads.
Pochutla is a nice town to change your $$$ to pesos (on a weekday afternoon). But on Friday afternoons everyone is out and about, you can hardly wiggle your car around. Dang it, I forget to go back to see that beautiful church there.
Puerto Angel, just straight south, is a relaxing village nestled on a gorgeous bay with the mountains coming right down into the sea. The people are friendly and relaxed, the dogs are friendly but hungry (feed them, please) and small fishing boats are bobbing in the bay . Don't worry about finding a place to stay, there are taxis or you can hop a bus to the many places to stay along the coast. There aren't many tourists and the local people are looking for your business.
We stayed one night at Penelopes, located just off the road above Playa Panteon, ask at the grocery store where it is..it's not well marked. Our host, Patricia is just a super lady and will do anything for you. She makes the best Margaritas also! We hated to leave Patricia and her beautiful garden paradise but wanted to be on the beach. Moved to Cordelia's overlooking the bay so we could watch the fishermen leave in the morning. Great room, great view, great vocal parrots chattering in the morn and Cordelia's son Chepe (who speaks fluent English) will take you out on the Azul Profundo for 100 pesos to see the whales, dolphins, tortugas, snorkel and cliff dive. Next door to Cordelias, if you hear a gringo singing and playing guitar under the palapa, say Hi to Neil from Canada. He's really a talented musician! In PA, Beto's, climb the stairs , has super garlic atun and Capy's on Playa Panteon also has great fish and authentic Italian sphagetti. There is a nice walkway along the rocks to travel from Playa Panteon to Playa Principal on this bay. My husband had great fun fishing every morning on the rocks. He caught and released a variety of fish. The 'puffer' was a bit tricky to realease! On Friday night they set up a gigantic sound system on the pier and play music until about midnight. I just listened from my veranda since I was fighting off Montezuma's revenge.
If you follow the road out of the village to the west, Zipolte is not far and a beautiful surf beach with several palapas. Mexico is a country full of contrasts and it sure was evident here. What a visual sight to see the tiny village grandmother walking along the beach held tight by her granddaughter on her way to place flowers on the rock shrine, passing in front of a naked man standing tall and bearing it all to the rays!
Further down the beach is Playa Augustinillo, (safe, soft surf and solid sand bottom) Next down the coast is Playa Muzunte, also a great beach and where the Museo Tortuga is. It's worth stopping in. Over the hills a short distance is a nice little village and Playa Ventanilla. Watch closely, there is only a small sign with a picture of a crocodile marking the road. By the beach you will see a kiosk . Stop in and for 35 pesos, Tino will walk you down the beach to the boats and take you into the mangrove lagoon to see HUGE crocodiles, HUGE iguanas, etc. Keep your fingers out of the water...the big croc ate Tino's dog!!! West of here the beach goes on and on all the way to Puerto Escondido.
East of Puerto Angel, or just around the rocks is Playa Estacahuite, another beautiful bay with palapas. If you stop there, say Hi to Vic from Montana, he's staying on the hilltop.
East of Puerto Angel is La Crucceta (spelled wrong) a nice town, many shops and has a good market. Try some fresh pineapple...the juice just drips down your arm. We took a tour through the hotel boulevard of Huatulco. Nice hotels, nice landscaping, (enroute you'll notice they clean up the typical roadside garbage from the airport to the hotels) and a beautiful bay. Didn't see any tourists most likely because they're on the beach in front.
For the finale, I'm ready to go back now that I've cooled off up here in frigid Wisconsin. The temperature last week in PA was around 95-100 degrees, I was told. Anyway, this area is very beautiful and after a few days it 'fits you like a glove'. Since I'm getting too windy with details, I'm not going to talk about the fantastic little seclusive bay amigo John Williams directed us to. Don't feel bad, it's really quite an ordeal to get to and you may not be one of the lucky survivors.
(Hi John, my amigo)
Hasta luego my amigos.
(Hey, Roger Ebert of Siskel and Ebert was on my flight home. And, they so boldly searched him in Mexico City.)
suntanned JoAnn now shivering in snowy Wisconsin
Something tells me Roger might have enjoyed that thorough search! Thanks for the wonderful report, JoAnn. Now if my tax refund will just hurry up and get here, I'll be heading down a week from Friday!
John
Are you sure it was Roger Ebert? He just had surgery to remove lymph nodes from his throat. Maybe he took the trip before the surgery.
Hola,
Hey John , have just the greatest fun and adventure down south. Soak up some sun for me! And Ben ,try to have a good time with dear ole dad.
About Roger E., it definately was him. He didn't have much of a tan so I'm thinking he maybe had his surgery in Mexico City.
When I was in line at customs in Chicago, Roger was ahead of me and the officer laughed and chatted with him....then Jose was next...the officer just belly laughed and blurted out "so you're Jose eh" then he called over another officer and asked "does he look like Jose?" they both just broke out in stitches. Poor Jose looked nothing like his stolen passport photo and the poor fellow was hauled off.
I think Jose will probably be on your flight back to Mexico.
The library has a page on this web site at
http://www.tomzap.com/alib.html
Tom
Manuel, Me interesa su propiedad en Puerto Angel. Voy a llegar a Puerto Angel el dieciocho de Marzo. ¿Peudo verlos cuando estoy en Puerto Angel?
Gracias, Memo
Hi Ricu
Well I guess we are all settling back into our lives back in the 'real' world afer leaving paradise behind. yeah right....
I was really impressed with PA ....for the second time around and we plan on making it our destination next winter. In PA we stayed at the Pasada Canyon Devata, at the top of the canyon in what is known the el cielo. It was absolutley the best accomodation I have ever stayed in. It was like having a cottage in paradise.
So, I read your posting about San Agustinillo. Did you stay there and do you have any recommendations for a place to stay? Anyone else reading this post, please feel free to add comments. We are definitely returning for a couple of weeks next year and plan on moving around to different beaches.
Also for anyone reading this, if you go to PA, go to Beto's place for dinner. Great food, great prices, and friendly service. Beto and his mother are wonderful people.
Thanks everybody for the great tips on this thread. I replied to your posts thru email, but I realized today that maybe some of you don't actually have a reply address, so I just wanted you to know how much I appreciate your kind and thoughtful replies to my query.
My fiancee and I are definitely going to honeymoon in Oaxaca City and Puerto Angel vicinity during the week of June 1st. So I will be putting these great tips to good use. Please feel free to keep posting more good advice! I'll put it to good use.
With Gratitude,
Bo
Hi MTPockets
We didn't stay in San Agustinillo, just visited there. So I can't recommend any hotel or other place to stay.
It was quite disappointing when we arrived back to Finland. It rained wet snow and temperature was +1 celsius... But now, almost four weeks after "the paradise" this feels normal again :).
Waves can also be found sometimes in Zipoliote and the scene is local and mellow, waves are never crowded. The people are really friendly
I have not rented an apartment but know of a great one. Go to Playa Panteon and ask for Chepe. I am not sure of the rates or of he is still renting, but he is a great friendly guy, fluent in English and the apartment is beautiful.
Greetings MP Pockets,
What a great name, mp pockets! My husband and I were down in PA at the same time you were but never ran into you, sure was hot that week, eh? I don't have too much to say now that I'm back up here in Wisconsin in the blizzards. Now I mope, think of a ways to head back south and just want to agree with you about the great food at Beto's. I had garlic atun there a few nights, it was fantastic and the price for 'many drinks' and food was so reasonable! Had great meals at Capy's also. I love climbing those stairs and eating up so high. If you go back soon, stop in at Patricia's (Penelope's B and B) just up the road going out of village from Beto's...ask directions it's not marked well ,and stay or have one of her margaritas. She is just the greatest and hardest working lady , runs her business by herself with the utmost perfection. She loves people and tells you "this is your home" as long as you want to stay.
Say, I wanted to see Mateo's paintings...at the Canon Devata...right? Ten days there and I never could find the place! Guess it was too hot and I spent too much time eating, drinking and cooling off in the water.
We're looking for a house to rent in PA for July and August, 2002. We have 4 kids ages 2 to 7, so we'd like at least 3 bedrooms. Does anyone have a house to rent? or any ideas? Thanks.
Hi JoAnn
Like you, I am thinking about PA these days. We had a tame winter until the last week. Then we got it all in one week. The good news is the skiing is awesome. I got my tan back in one day - only on my face of course. Wisconsin! You know what winter is all about as well. There was a guy by the name of Roger who stayed at the Devata as well (he was from a mid west state) - did you run into him at all? He was alone and liked to strike up a conversation with fellow travellers from the north.
Thanks for the tip on Penelope's. I'll check that out next time. Did you stay there? I do remember something about the name. From your description it would be up that long hill towards Zipolite.
I ate at Capy's too when I was there in December. I had a great tuna meal but, one of their neighbors decided to burn their garbage and the smoke rolled right up over the patio. The smell of burning plastic didn't do much for the ambiance. It was also a nice place for breakfast - great view.
Next year we are flying all the way to Huatulco. I am looking into a B&B in Huatulco called Agua Azul. Looks like a nice place to spend a few days before moving on to PA. I would appreciate any input from fellow posters on the place. I can't believe I am planning already. I must be hooked on the area.
adios
I´m a kid from guanajuato looking for something diferent to do with my live. There are some things I´ll like to know. The first one is what things can I do in P. Angel? How many miles or kilometers is it from Oaxaca? And the last but no least, what hotel will be the best including cheap price and hot water? Would it be a good idea to go on summer vacations?
Andres
We have an appt. in PA, it's a terrace, Two queen Beds, two hamocks, veiw of ocean, refridgerator, one Bathroom inside and shower, about 10 min to the beach, is located in Colonia San Martin, the closest beach is Playa Ixtacahuite & Playa La Mina. Appt. also has Mangos, Bananas, and Coconuts, if you would prefer a little more outside of PA then we also have a two bedroom house 30 mins from Puerto Angel, in a small village called La Florida it has kitchen, one bathroom shower, and laundry outside, for the appt, outside ouf PA we are asking $250 or BO and for the house same you can contact us at our email costachica85@hotmail.com
we hope we have been of some help.
Ok, I gotta ask: Is that 250 dollars or pesos?? Please says pesos!!!!
Maria, Thanks for responding to our query for a house. I think your apartment and the house outside of town will be too small -- we really need 4 bedrooms. Otherwise, your places sound great and I hope that you rent them. If you have any ideas for us I'd appreciate it. Do you know if any larger houses are ever available for rental in PA? Oh yes, I bet you were talking USDollars. Ira
I was about to reply to Ira by saying "YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING!!" when it suddenly hit me I was thinking "by the day" and Maria was probably referring to "by the month"? In that case 250 dollars is an exellent price!
Zoe
who seems to be in a chronically confused state lately and hopes it ends soon!
I'm sorry for the confusion over the money, we are asking 250.00 dollars a month! sorry i don't know any other 4 bedrooms house for rent .
Thanks, Maria. We'll keep looking. Good luck with your rentals.
Hola, my name is Diana and I would like to tell all something about my last trip to Pto. Angel.
My report goes out to all travellers who love, like me, snorceling and diving and to those who appreciate an intact natur- animal and underwaterworld.
After travelling to Pto. Angel several times I would like to mention the fantastic work of a young man called Chepe, who carries on his own diving school (Azul Profundo) placed at Playa Panteon. He organises boattours of a several hours for a very cheap price.
Besides a lot of fun, you will have the opportunity to see turtles, delphins, flying fishes and even wales. At on of my last boattours, I was lucky to watch a few greywales who were swimming along their way, just right next to the boat.
It was more than a great feeling to watch these peaceful giants and to be closed to them.
A further part of the boattours is to snorcle at different places, to be able to discover the various underwaterworld around Pto. Angel. The equipment will be placed at yours disposal by Chepe and is already included in the price of 100 pesos.
For all those guys who don´t want to snorcle but relaxation or getting some bomb ass food and drinks they are welcome to do this during a stop over at Playa Estacahuite. There they offer the best tasting pulpo (cuttle-fish) far and wide !!!
After leaving Playa Estacahuite you will go by boat to a different beach called Playa La Mina, where sport freaks have the chance to play volleyball or soccer.
Those who prefer to snorcel, they can do that closed to the beach. You can see some beautifull coralls and a plenty of different fishes.
After about four hours everybody will return to Playa Panteon in Pto. Angel. Those who live in Zipolite during their stay, they can take the free ride with Elisabeth (Chepe´s VW-Bus) back to Zipolite.
Everybody who would like to join a boattour during the next stay in Pto. Angel, Zipolite or surroundings:
Tourstart is every morning between 9.30 - 9.45 a.m.
Meeting point is Azul Profundo at Playa Panteon
Those interested guys who stay in Zipolite, there is a free pick up every morning between 9.00 - 9.20 a.m. (meeting point in Zipolite is at the Cabanas San Cristobal) > Watch out for Humberto, Bayo or Chepe !!!!!!
I wish you all a great stay in Pto. Angel, Zipolite or wherever you are !!!! Have fun and enjoy the hot weather !!!
Hey Diana,
Pto Angel sounds great! Two questions--
#1 How did you get there? Fly into Oaxaca? Bus to Pto Angel?
#2Where did you stay in Pto. Angel?
Thanks for the info. I'll say Hola to Chepe for you!
Jeff-
I do love that trip on 175 from Oaxaca to Puerto Angel, and it is more convenient now that the company with the vans has started operations. Not for those who become car-sick easily. And you'll probably find a flight directly into Huatulco to be as cheap as one into Oaxaca City. The Huatulco airport is just about equidistant from Huatulco and from Puerto Angel.
There's a pretty good listing of hotels accessable from the Main Index. Canon DeVata appeals to the ecotourist in us all; I'm especially fond of a couple of other spots in town, especially Los Alemendres; and if you must have air-conditioning, that leaves only the hotel Soraya. Not to step on Diana's lines or anything....
Hi Jeff !
The best conection to Pto. Angel is, if you fly to Huatulco and than you take the bus to Pto. Angel. That´s proberly the easiest and the most comfortable way to get there. At my last trip I had a lot of time so I took the bus from Mexico City to Pto. Angel. It was pure adventure and it took me over 18 hours to reach in Pto. Angel. Well, I guess I will never do that again but it was cheap and I got to know a lot of new people.
I can not tell you so much about the hotels in Pto. Angel cause I was living at my friend´s house. The only hotel I know (and which I can recommend) is Cordelias.
It´s located at Playa Panteon, just right next to Azul Profundo. They cook some bomb ass food there and the hotel rooms are new and very nice (nice view of the ocean). If you are interested, the best thing you can do is ask Chepe!! He can show you the rooms and tell you how much it is.
Well, you are really lucky to go to Pto. Angel. I wish I could be there right now. Thank´s for telling Chepe "Hello" from me.
Hasta luego
I don't think I know of a four bedroom house in the Pto. Angel area, but I'm sure there are several 4 bedroom houses in Huatulco (Santa Cruz). One comes to mind, Casa Costena, however, it will cost more than $250.00 per month.
Anyone know of a condo or house for sale in San Augustinillo area? Most of the listings are for the more developed areas. Just wondered what might be available.
Thanks, Nancy, for your information. I found Casa Costena on the web and it looks beautiful, Not $250 a month (!), but we don't expect to spend that for a large house. What I'm really looking for, though, is to stay away from the planned resorts, no matter how lovely. Puerto Angel seems more like the place to bring our four little kids for two months to play on the beach, fish, learn to snorkel, pick up some Spanish, and absorb the pace and pattern of small town life. From a distance, it seems that the Huatulco area and, in the other direction, Puerto Escondido, aren't quite as suited to our purpose. But though I have spent time in many parts of Mexico, I've never been to the Oaxacan coast, so I could really use advice from those of you who are (or are often) there. Are there any houses in PA that could work for the six of us, without being on top of each other? Would any other communities in the area work as well for us? We would appreciate any thoughts that you or anyone reading this might have. Thanks. Ira and Jill
In Feb, 2002, we stayed at above place - this place over rates themselves - most expensive place on coast - value not there. There is an add-on payment for everything - suggest other places as being much better value - owner has cats EVERYWHERE - on tables - yuk.
does anyone know the best way to get to Puerto Angel from New York?
The most convenient airport is Huatulco, an hour by road from PA. In season, air-only charters are usually the best deal, but they have limited departure points in the U.S. and Canada, mainly Chicago, Vancouver, and maybe Toronto? If you can get a good enough deal on a charter (like a "fire sale" price) it might even be worth flying to Chicago (if not Toronto) to connect with one.
Otherwise check Mexicana airlines, sometimes they have sales on Huatulco flights. Usually there'll be a connection in Mexico City. You could also fly to Acapulco and take a bus, but it's a long ride (like 8 hours or more). Check the boards for Puerto Escondido and Huatulco for more info.
does anyone know about internet access in Puerto Angels? Is it safe to take a computer there?
I was in Pochutla a year ago. There is a small internet-telephone facility in town. Very inexpensive. Also a couple in Pto Escondido, but that's a few miles north. I haven't had anything stolen in the area, but would be careful to have a place to lock your computer up. I plan to take my laptop next time I'm there, but will be staying in a private home...for what that's worth.
Will
I live in Mazunte so this info is fairly up to date...There are now two internet offices in Pto Angel...the one at the West end of town being particularily helpful. There are also 3 internet offices in Zipolite. Some with printers, some without! We have lost count of the number of facilities in Pochutla, it seems like dozens....all with new computer equipment, and ranging from 10 to 15 pesos per hour of use.
Hi JoAnn:
Just loved your report. You have a real gift, I felt like I was there already. We are planning a trip to Puerto Angel in Oct 02. Could you tell me how much it cost to stay at Cordelia's and what her place is like? This will be our first trip into Mexico, going that far south. Any info you can share with me would be appreciated. Also, if you would like my e-mail address, just post a note. Thanks again. Linda
Greetings Linda,
I just turned my computer back on after a week of 90 degree temps and electrical storms since it is a safe Wisconsin blizzard today....and was happy your question wasn't posted a week ago.
October should be a great time to visit PA. The mountainsides should be more green and lush than during the winter months. Puerto Angel is just a small village. When you get there, walk out onto the pier and look across the bay which is only about one half mile across (some people swim across it) and Cordelia's is the white building with arches over their balconies, right on the beach. There is a big palapa covered eating area right smack in front. Cordelia charged us $25 per night in Feb. because there weren't many tourists... it may even be less in Oct.
The rooms are great..all white, clean and airy. Wide patio doors with a nice balcony overlooking the bay. Large tiled bathroom/shower. Ceiling fans. The temps where 95 to 100 degrees when we were there, we left the patio door wide open at night and ran the ceiling fan and felt quite comfortable and safe. There are cheaper places to stay but without the great view of the bay.
Cordelia does not speak any English so if you have trouble communicating, ask for her son Chepe. He speaks several languages, is just a super guy and will help you. He will take you out snorkeling etc.also for $10. The restaurant at Cordelias has great food as does Betos and Capys. Buy a big jug of water at the grocery store for the week, it's much cheaper that way.
The village is really easy to get around. You can walk around the bay, there is a stone walkway or the road winds up and down hill around it. There are some really interesting and seclusive places but you will find they are not marked well with signs, the local people just know where they are and assume you do too.
Anyway, kick off your shoes when you get there, relax and take a dip in that great warm seawater.
As I look out the window I can't believe I'm looking at over an inch of snow that has come down in the last half hour. I sure would love to float in that warm bay right now and then.... have a huge bowl of tortilla soup.
I'm thrilled to answer any questions you have. Feel free.
JoAnn
Tradition has it that it doesn't rain in Puerto Angel after the feast for the town saint, which is in the first week of October. So you should be getting there just in time for the end of the rainy season. Verdant doesn't begin to cover it! For such a tiny village, the market usually has remarkably nice veggies, including broccolli and cauliflower, rare in that part of Mexico. Make sure to have a Tlayuda from Luncheria Oriental, right accross from the pier, one night. And if you feel like a hotdog or a burger, grab one at Tio Chilo's, just up the street from the pier. All banking has to be done in Pochutla; insist on some small change as "No hay cambio!" is the most frequent phrase you'll hear.
I drove from Oaxaca to Puerto Angel in the early 80s, against the advice of several guidebooks in print at that time. It was beautiful, but the road was incredibly rough and "missing" for stretches of 100 ft. or so in places. The buses careened around the mountain roads in a way that looked absolutely terrifying to my companion and myself. We were stopped at two checkpoints by army guys with machine guns. I'm certain it's different nowadays, but it was a long arduous drive. The scenery didn't begin to compensate adequately for all the work--it took about 12 hours as I recall. My advice is to fly and explore the surrounding area as you feel able to.
If you'd like a great view of Playa Panteon, a walk of a minute to it, a low cost, I'd recommend the rooms (brand new, whitewashed, balcony, wooden chairs) above restaurant Cordelia. At this time of year it's 250$. They're so new don't think they are listed anywhere yet. Haven't had any problem with mosquitos here maybe because it's very breezy.
Also, you really must visit if not stay (a more rural, quiet location) at Posada Canon Devata just round the back of playa Panteon. It's a beautiful tranquil setting, shaded walkways, lush vegetation, and the best organic coffee I've yet tasted.
If you'd like a great view of Playa Panteon, a walk of a minute to it, a low cost, I'd recommend the rooms (brand new, whitewashed, balcony, wooden chairs) above restaurant Cordelia. At this time of year it's 250$. They're so new don't think they are listed anywhere yet. Haven't had any problem with mosquitos here maybe because it's very breezy.
Also, you really must visit if not stay (a more rural, quiet location) at Posada Canon Devata just round the back of playa Panteon. It's a beautiful tranquil setting, shaded walkways, lush vegetation, and the best organic coffee I've yet tasted.
Maria,
We are looking for a house to rent January 2003 - March 2003. We are interested in the town of San Augustanillo. Can you tell me if either of your properties are near there or if you know of any homes for rent in that area?
Thanks,
Laird
Hello...Have been talking to an American named Diego about renting a house for a year...Have lost communications with him...I am an American writer looking for long term,hopefully on Mazunute or Patheon beach or close to it...Would prefer 2-3 bedrooms in the $300 to $400 US Dollars amonth range...Won't be down until Sept-Oct so have plenty of time to plan. Hopeto reconnect with Diego. Anyone have any ideas or housesavailable, even remote between Puerto Escondido and PA or Between Hultaco and PA as long as it has electricity so I can write would be swell...Thanks for the info...jbrooke2001@yahoo.com
Laird
we do not have properties in the actual town of San Agustinillo, but we have a small house located in a small village called La Florida,which is about 20 to 25 min away, NW from San Agustinillo, it has kitchen, one bathroom shower, and laundry outside, for the appt, outside ouf PA we are asking $250 or BO and for the house same you can contact us at our email costachica85@hotmail.com
we hope we have been of some help.
Looking for a 2 bedroom home/apt/condo in the Peurto Angel area to rent for 4 people the last week in October. Any ideas?
Thanks,
cc
We have an appt. in PA, it's a terrace, Two queen Beds, two hamocks, veiw of ocean, refridgerator, one Bathroom inside and shower, about 10 min to the beach, is located in Colonia San Martin, the closest beach is Playa Ixtacahuite & Playa La Mina. Appt. also has Mangos, Bananas, and Coconuts, if you would prefer a little more outside of PA then we also have a two bedroom house 30 mins from Puerto Angel, in a small village called La Florida it has kitchen, one bathroom shower, and laundry outside, for the appt, outside ouf PA we are asking $250 or BO and for the house same you can contact us at our email costachica85@hotmail.com
we hope we have been of some help.
ps we can also rent weekly if you prefer
Maria,
Can you tell me if the house in La Florida is on the ocean or how far it is from the ocean. Do you have any information you can share about the town.
Thanks,
Laird
Para mi vivir en Puerto angel fue lo mejor que me ha pasado en la vida, este puerto es maravillloso, la gente es muy linda, las playas son bonitas, todo lo que hay ahí es incoparable, la tranquilidad que ahí se vive no se puede comparar con ninguna otra, las noches son muy romanticas, ver la bahia desde el radar es tambien algo muy romantico y maravilloso, les recomiendo que visiten este paradisiaco lugar, no se arrepentiran.
pd. I love you Thomy :)
Numerous mistakes, too many to mention, but not bad for a bilingual teacher.
And your prompt response it what keeps ME from trying postings in Spanish, Frank!
Greetings Laird,
FYI... La Florida is located near Tonameca on the main Hwy and is about a 10 drive from a beach called Masunte. (See Website map) The town is a small town of mostly farmers and if you don't mind the roosters nearby is a rather peaceful environment. There are buses that pass through regularly and we have also made arrangements with local taxistas from time to time. Would you be flying in or driving? If you have any other questions feel free to ask.
With warm regards,
Maria
I know its harsh, but I do it for their own good. The above posting is actually pretty good. I just wanted to argue a few points.
Hi Coleen
We are still under construction, we will be done by end of July. PLEASE go to my website which will continue to be updated.We offer rooms with a/c and private full baths. Keep us in mind. www.arigalan.com
thanks,
rose
Hi Mark.
I am currently building in Mazunte, between the secundaria and the centro de tortuga. I currently have two a/c rooms available with great views of San Agustinillo and will have six more by the end of July. My site is arigalan.com check it out.
I am a realestate broker in the U.S. and plan on selling land in the area. If your dad would like to contact me or call me my info is on my site. I have world of first hand info.
I am looking for a monthly rental for two, in the summer, beginning around July. Are the rates quoted weekly or monthly? gracias.
Frank, who are you to determine what is "for their own good" ?
Jon, I am The Man, that's who. Who the hell are you and why do you have nothing to say? And where is Zuemy Puc, if that really is her/his name? He/She is obviously easily intimidated. But the main thing that bothers me about people like Zuc is that they write somewhat poorly in Spanish that which they probably cannot adequately say in English. The arrogance of people who do this remind me of the poor language skilled, higher paid teachers of the biggest public boondoggle of all, bilingual public education. The same losers who advocate bilingual education are the ones who speak it like street children. I hate ignorance when it is passed off as intelligence. Like I always say: "Bilingual Education, a fine way for San Antonio's public school teachers to improve their usually meager Spanish skills." Yes thats more like it. Keep 'em coming.
This is a bad thing, Frank? May be the only thing the State of Texas has EVER done to improve the lot of school teachers! Si se serve...
As you know I like to resort to a bit of exageration when putting down the misguided and self serving efforts of others. I worked for two years as a substitute teacher in the SAISD. I covered many bilingual classes and I was bothered by the number of students who were not proficient in either language. I believe bilingual education has its uses. Its just that in this part of the country they have made it more of a dual language program instead of the "accommodation of the native Spanish speaker program" that I advocate. And everytime I spoke to the teachers in Spanish they would quickly change to English. I'm telling you all that I am not an expert. I plan to be one, but I still have a long ways to go. Imagine then, their skill levels.
I worked "bilingual" classrooms where few, in any of the students spoke Spanish. Again this is not all bad, but I began to suspect that it was a way for the parents to ensure that there would only be hispanic students in their child's classroom. I never saw any black students in these classes, even though half of the students (in that school) were indeed, black. You can imagine the amount of money involved for books and instructional aids. Most of which I considered to be for show and nothing more.
So here's my take on how to improve public education. Keep students in grade school through the sixth grade instead of the fifth which some idiot started in the eighties. Make high school optional and not mandatory. The students should have enough of an eduacation by the sixth grade to do well in life. Of course the problem with that idea is that since their parents are incapable of teaching them anything they probably won't relate to a lifetime of continous learning. Bring back the trade schools. And stop trying to send every kid to college. This not only cheapens the experience, it has had the effect of placing higher education in the same category as corporate America where the bottom line is what's most important. And with all of the money that the gov't throws at the colleges they have become over priced just like life, house, property, health, auto, credit, and appliance insurance. Maybe then we would not have to pay so much in property taxes. So much to do and so little time to do it.
O when the west was very young
there was a man Bat Masterson
he had a cane and Derby hat
They called him Bat
Bat Masterson
Thanks Batt. That reminds me of something that has nothing to do with anything.
My favorite 50's western theme song was from "Texas John Slaughter". The true tale of a Texas lawman as seen fit for US kids to look up to and pattern their lives after by Walt Disney. Title role by Tom Tryon who also wrote horror books.The refrain goes:
" Texas John Slaughter
Made 'em do what they oughter ( had to rhyme )
And if they didn't they died." I believe the Sons of the Pioneers sang his song.
Old Texas John shot down several badguys each week, just like Matt Dillon, The Rifleman,Wyatt Erp and not to be leftout, Butt Masterson. Good role models all.
Of yes, who can ever forget Robert Stack as Elliott Ness who gunned down a few of Frank Nitty's thugs each week for brewing up illegal hooch. He never could quite nail down Nitty who constantly outfoxed Ness and his Untouchables.
Of course, if the object was to teach kids that crime doesn't pay, they shouldn't have kept showing Nitty and his goons sitting around in expensive suits, bottles of champagne, slinky flappers hanging around, and expensive hotel rooms.
Elliot and the feds lived in a crummy warehouse and were poor but honest. But they did have Walter Winchell announcing for them. This was after he'd lost most of his national clout and before he started his doughnut empire.
Those were the days.
No wonder my generation turned out so well.
Hi,
I am looking for a 1br/1bath beautiful apartment or condo right on the beach for a 2-week honeymoon in early september.
Please email me at nscuria@hotmail.com if you know of anywhere I can look.
gracias
Thanks for this board.
Gregg Kuenster
We are two retired couples planning a trip to Mexico in January for 1 month/6 weeks. We hope to fly into Mexico City then travel to Oaxaca. We would also like to spend some time on the coast. To date our favorite coastal stay has been in Barra de Navidad (several times) where we like the Delphin. Our longest bus trip so far is to there from Guadalajara. I've read lots of the posts on PA/PE and Huatulco. PA sounds great the only negative being it seems the accommodation is up on the hill and as one of our party has a heart condition climing in hot weather isn't recommended. We would like a beach with safe swimming - snorkelling would be a bonus. How sensible would it be to consider going from the coast (wherever we end up) to Barra by bus ? Or should be just be content with staying in the general Oaxaca area. Any tips on good moderate hotels and a must see list would be much appreciated. Many thanks.
I've lived in Barra; I've lived in Huatulco; I've lived in Puerto Angel. Once you get to know the Oaxacan Coast, you'll probably never be satisfied with Barra de Navidad again. It would take two days (conservatively) to bus from Puerto Angel to Barra.
Not all of the accomodations in Puerto Angel are on top of the hill. You've probably heard about Angel del Mar, which is a hellish walk and in poor repair as well. And the accomodations range greatly in quality and amenities. The only one with air conditioning, the Hotel Soraya, does have a pretty steep driveway. You might try Los Alamendres, a nice shaded location next to the Villa Florencia, for the first night or two while you decide where you want to stay for the duration.
And give a look to San Agustinillo and Mazunte. As well as the La Crucecita section of Bahias Huatulco.
You're gonna like this part of the world.
John how is the Hotel Buena Vista ? I haven't been to PA but was researching it a few years back and it looked like a good bet.
Marion I recall someone a couple years ago rhapsodizing about a room they rented in PA. It was on a second floor, big balcony, fantastic view and sea breezes. Sounded like heaven. Try looking back in the older posts for PA, there aren't that many so shouldn't be too tough to plow through.
Buena Vista was fine last time I saw it. But hotels require continuous maintenence in this climate and may vary considerably from one season to the next. I also like Casa de Huespedes "Gladys" up above the Soraya. Bugambilia, down on Playa Panteon, has its good years and its bad years. Can~on de Vata is dearly loved by its afficianados, but is sort of a mind-set thing. Now, I'll nearly always stay at least one night at the Soraya just to check how my friends who own it are doing. I keep plugging Los Alamendres, but it has only a very few rooms. I'll stand by one piece of advice: start at nearly any hotel for a night or two and check around the area carefully for the one you really want to stay in.
The wonderful ladies who own Tio Chilo eaterie will always have a great place to eat tortas, hamburguesas, and hot dogs for just a little money. The little caseta right accross from the pier, Oriental, has superb Tlayudas, tacos, and similar fare in the evenings only. Betos, up by the turnoff to Playa Panteon, is a sure winner for lunch or dinner. And any of the beachfront restaurants on Panteon are great for fresh seafood; the folks at Leyte and Vicente's are friends and I'll take this oportunity to give them a plug.
La Biblioteca de San Agustinillo, needs books in Spanish.
http://www.tomzap.com/atinillo.html
I will be leaving from Chicago to Oaxaca City on July 17, 2002. After a few days in Oaxaca City I will be driving to San Agustinillo. If anyone in the Chicago area has any Spanish Language books (literature, fiction, cook books, current events, magazines) they would like to donate we would appreciate them. Please email me if you have donations and I would be willing to pick up any books (in the Chicago Metropolitan area) this weekend.
Thanks
Nancy Foertsch
nancyfoertsch@hotmail.com
Sorry, the link is wrong.
http://www.tomzap.com/alib.com
Please. They have high speed yet so I can move my office there or what?
Dial-up on Telemex so far. But Fox states a hope to convert the antiquated telegraphy system into a high speed networks, since there's already so much copper land-line laid.
I hate to be negative...but I don't like the layout now of the Puerto Angel page. I'm wondering if people aren't using it much now because of all those dangling threads. Can it be put back the way it used to be?
Not sure what you mean, the page looks the same to me as it always has. Can you clarify?
Hi Nick,
I was in Puerto Angel in Feb. this year and loved it. Your trip should (hopefully) avoid hurricane season, which is usually from October onward. My group stayed at the Posada Canon DeVata (lopezk@spin.com.mx) owned by Mateo Lopez, a painter. It was a great place to stay. Our group took three rooms up at the top of the restored canyon ecosystem that comprises the hotel property. It is actually a foreign ecosystem to the coast. Mateo has created a tropical oasis in the semi arid coastal region. He uses recycled shower and sink water to irrigate the plants. Anyway, back to the accommodations. The 3 rooms we took are in a building called "El Cielo" The hotel is made up of many small buildings and private, isolated cottages. The hillside gardens are connected by stone steps and paths. It is very steep climbing. I counted 175 steps from the hotel office building up to El Cielo. Bring a small flashlight! The paths in the canyon and the streets of town can be very dark.
The roof of our building is an open air patio where we spent every late evening enjoying the Pacific breezes and views and sipping cervecas we bought from the Super Puerto store. We walked down to the beach every day (about 5 minutes away) and parked for the day at one of the beachfront restaurants in their beach chairs. We snorkeled and swam and bartered (gently!) with the locals for trinkets. You can't really get accommodations on the beach in town, but everything in town is a short, winding walk from the beach. You also can go to nearby beaches such as Estacohuites (Stack 'o Wheaties) and Zipolite (nude beach).
It's definitely a more earthy destination than the big swanky hotel chains in Huatulco, but it's pretty cool to see real Pacific Mexicans. They go fishing every day and at the local restaurants (Beto's was my favorite) you get whatever the catch of the day was. I saw a couple of fishermen mending their nets on the beach in the lazy, hot afternoon sun, smoking local "tobacco". The fishermen run their boats right up onto the beach 20 feet from low tide shore. There's even an internet cafe in town. Don't count on being able to phone anyone. Keep in touch with home via email, every few days. Drink only bottled water (Ciel by Coca Cola) soft drinks and beer. We bought fresh fruit (unpeeled only!) from the markets like cantalope, bananas and oranges. That way we ate our breakfast on the front porch of our building every morning. If you love your coffee, being your own. I hate to say it, but their coffee sucks, if its available at all. A small 2 cup automatic drip machine works well. You CAN bring food in sealed packages for personal use into Mexico. Some of our group bought milk in a national brand package from the Super Puerto. We also bought a small styrofoam cooler and lots of ice daily for the milk and beer. We left the cooler there.
I suggest you fly into Huatulco. The drive from Mexico City is a long journey, although the buses are excellent in Mexico. Always buy tickets for the highest or second highest level of service (Executive: Ejeutado or First Class). Learn some Spanish before coming down. Tourist phrase books are best. Read about the area in a tourist book (Fodor's, Frommer's or Let's Go).
What can I say, I loved it. I hope you do too.
One last thing. We combined our trip with a 3 day stopover in Ciudad Oaxaca. It is a beautiful place. I highly recommend it too.
Once you go to "real" places in Mexico, you'll laugh at the resorts. They're good if you want a package, but you won't get to see how enjoyable life is without airconditioning and TV. (Really!)
Skates
Got to agree with most of that; a couple of quick exceptions:
By early October, Hurricane season is over. It is hurricane season right now. There's just a slight difference between Atlantic and Pacific hurricane season with the Pacific having a slightly earlier start. The feast for the patron saint of Puerto Angel is in the first week of October. Traditionally, it doesn't rain from then 'til the next May. However, T'laloc was never a great respecter of tradition, so don't be surprised at a rare shower (or even downpour!) when it's not supposed to happen.
But September is actually the rainiest month of the year. There's some historic data in the weather section of the main index to this website. However, even on a day when it rains, it never rains all day and the selva is SO green... Besides, as honeymooners you should be able to entertain yourself during a rainstorm!
September is also about the slowest month of the year tourism-wise. No sweat for accomodations. Grab a room for the first night or two - I like Los Alamendros on the main street next to Villa Florencia - and take your time deciding where you want to stay for the balance of your honeymoon.
I fell in love with Puerto Angel in 1973. It was good then and it's good now! By the way, if you discout the deposit fot the jug, you can buy a 5 gallon jug of water almost as cheaply as a litter-and-a-half. The truck will come by daily; specify "vidrio" if you want the glass jug.
Frank is living proof that some people will say anything to hear their own voice. It's obvious Frank is the most important person in Franks teensy ieency weency little life, and that those that teach never do...DO anything that is but pontificate so they can rile up the masses who dont care a two bit piece about their suedo intelligence than anyone cares actually about what Frank thinks or says except Frank. Try politics Frank, they can always use a blabbering idiot who talks a lot with out really saying anything there...My god, where do they ever come from?
You can get good coffee in Pochutla at a made-for-gringos cafe on the street to the main plaza. I forget the name of the place. If you can fit it into your luggage, a small electric drip coffee maker is great to have!
By the way, it's very rarely locals that sell trinkets on the beach in Puerto Angel, or any other beach in Mexico. They more often are the ones that sell the delicious snacks, like empanadas.
If you're going for the first time, I always suggest stopping over in th city of Oaxaca for a few days if you can, to sort of ease into things. It's a beautiful city.
In Puerto Angel, I would suggest staying at the Buena Vista, probably not as inexpensive as some places, but well worth it. (Especially for a honeymoon) Also, their place out in Mazunte, the Alta Mira, is wonderfully relaxing.
Gosh Frank, you are a guy who must have long arms, all the better to pat yourself on the back but severely distorted mirrors, because you see yourself much differently than anyone who reads what you write but you have been blessed with an incredible imagination. That is not to mention the big bale of wool you have pulled down over your eyes, to think that anyone would believe that you could pass yourself off as a teacher. I have no idea what your skill level is in Spanish, but if it is no better than your command of English, then you are a failure. Your spelling is atrocious and your grammar is laughable. Your sentence structure is almost as poor as the content of your writing.
Unlike you, who just say you can do better, but don't, I'll just pick out a few examples. I won't criticize you for starting sentences with prepositions. Try as I may, sometimes I just can't find a better way. Exaggerate has two "g"s. Every time is two words, not one. Your use of It's is a contraction, and therefore should have an apostrophe. There are absolutely no circumstances that would allow the beginning of a sentence with the word "and".
You say there is so much to do and so little time. If you spent as much time trying to improve yourself as you do in your childish disparagement of people who have done nothing to deserve one of your blindside attacks, I might take you a little more seriously. I have only scratched the surface of your misuse of English. There are numerous errors in your spelling and grammar I can't be bothered to point out. The general rambling, illogical sentences, lack of structure in the sentences, not to mention the paragraphs, would put me over my internet time allowance. I'm just an engineering technologist, just imagine what your report card would look like if someone who is an English expert had a look at your composition!
By the way, being Canadian, I had to suffer through bilingual education. Not French Immersion, but our French teacher was also our Math and Geography teacher, so we had to do that in French too. No wonder I can't add or find my way around. I guess that's also why my English isn't up to snuff. What's your excuse Frank? So much to do, and all I've got is time!
Sept. 4, the Canadian Odyssey begins. The only road kill I saw today was a racoon, I'm holding out for a beaver, but mating season won't be until after I leave. I might have to omit the decoration from the back bumper.
Dangling threads? JoAnn what are you talking about? The board has always been this way unless your alter-ego thought differently?
Guys (and Gals) remember the Comic Book Guy from the Simpsons? Comic Guy Book the geek who is always insulting everyone but is nothing but a nerd? Guess what (as if we did not know) that guy is based on Frankie (in Texas) so when you see his post remember that he speaks hi - falutant but really is nothing but a bag of wind. ( ps- Comic book guy will have a retort to this message but then again airbags always expulge. )
Click on"Threaded View" or "View Threads" on the little black strip. If that's all it takes to keep you away from a web site, I can only imagine the effect Frank is having on the world.
Hi there. I'm heading to the Oaxacan coast at the end of August, planning to spend a week in PA and Mazunte combined. I've been reading great things about both Posada Canon Devata and La Buena Vista hotels in PA and wonder which is more recommended. This will be our belated honeymoon (albeit not a super fancy honeymoon!) and are looking for beauty, charm, romance, funkiness and an all around unique experience. We can spend up to about $35/night.
Thanks for your help!
Does anyone know of a surfshop (or even a local hotel) where I can rent/borrow a surfboard in Zipolite or PA and vicinity? I'd rather not trek all the way to Puerto Escondido or Huatulco. But if I have to, any idea what a weekly rate would run me?
Thanks!
Does anyone know of a surfshop (or even a local hotel) where I can rent/borrow a surfboard in Zipolite or PA and vicinity? I'd rather not trek all the way to Puerto Escondido or Huatulco. But if I have to, any idea what a weekly rate would run me?
Thanks!
Don't book either til you get there and check them out. There's no great crush at the end of August. You don't need reservations.
We stayed at the Buena Vista 3 years ago in February. There were two couples and we got the two rooms on the third level (118 steps up from the street) for 700 pesos. The rooms are in a separate building with french doors that open onto a large covered terrace overlooking the bay. The larger of the two rooms has a great onyx bathtub (big enough for two) with windows that open to the view on two sides. The smaller of the two also has an onyx bathroom, but the view is from a shower not a tub, although it's big enough for two as well. From our experience in the Yucatan and Chiapas last year I would guess that room prices have have gone up but perhaps not in the summer offseason.
We looked at the Posada Canon and it looked great as well. The small cabanas are tucked in a narrow canyon with lush selva all around them. I can't remenber why we didn't stay there - it was either more expensive or booked.
People say the food is good at the Buena Vista - we only ate a disappointing, and, what we thought was overproced, breakfast there.
Lots of other good places in town or across the andador to Playa Panteon. There was a great view from a place just at the edge of the beach in front of the naval base, high up the hillside (only 87 steps), but I can't remember the name of it. The food was fine, not as good as other places we ate in, except for the ceviche and guacamole which were as good as I've eaten, but the view perched on the cliff and the cool breeze were spectacular.
Wow, ya, 21 years since i last saw Zipolite. Then it had two places to sleep, Casa de Gloria, can someone tell me is she still there? and Tony's. It had two places to eat and no toilets...i am assuming it has since been discovered in a big way. I am now driving to mexico with my dog from canada...(ok, i know its a nutty trip for a single woman to undertake but call it a mid life adventure..)I now have a certificate to teach english but I am having trouble finding the schools on the net. Does anyone know of schools somewhere in a hundred miles from Ziploite? Is there any opportunity for such an adventure? Curious for information from anyone. Thanks...and hopefully I will see Gloria once again...21 years and the memories are still fresh as yesterday.
Now I like Kris from Canada...well said! I only hope I never have to exchange grammer usage with you. You obviously know it well and have continued your education long after school. I only hope to reach the same place. Life is a learning experience and I appreciate your thoughts. We all share this planet together for a very short ride and it would be nice to think we can do so in a kind manner.
As I've said before in other places on this board, most of us sort of haunt the website, and even get involved in some good natured kidding. I keep trying to let this guy's irrational attacks pass, but every once in a while one of them just puts me over the edge. When someone tries to communicate in a language that is not the one they use on a daily basis, they are prone to making errors in verb tense and vocabulary. I can't even remember all of the verb forms in English, and don't expect to ever master Spanish. I will, however, take my best shot at learning how to carry on a conversation and living in a Spanish-speaking country. I did a lot of technical writing when I was working, so I needed to keep fairly close to "proper" English. There is NO excuse for picking on someone, then calling them misguided and self-serving for posting a comment. I have not even read the original posting, it doesn't make any difference what it says. Spouting off at someone, then going into a rant about how smart you are, and the failure of the public school system, indicates a short circuit in Frank's operating system. Maybe we can get him upgraded to a newer version.
The minivan with Maple Leaves painted on the sides, Moose antlers on the front bumper and Beaver Tail on the back bumper should be passing through San Antonio on Sept. 9, en route to Puero Escondido. An impromptu spelling bee can be arranged.
A while ago, on the Puerto Escondido branch, I believe, there was a posting regarding language teachers. It seems to me though, that they were looking for both English and Spanish, but I'm not sure.
Susanna, the problem is going to be money. There are lots of locals who wish to learn good, coloquial English. This is especially true in Huatulco, where bilingualism can tremendously increase their earnings potential, particularly through tips. Unfortunately, Oaxaca is Mexico's second poorest state and the ability to earn a living wage is problematic at best. If you can affoard to go down and teach for next to nothing, no problem. But if you want your teaching to pay you a living wage, then you may have unreasonable expectations.
I have an very interesting route, which I did by public transportation. I can't really recommend that because it means making many connections, but I thought, if I ever get a car I'd do this again in a second!
I live in Huajuapan de Leon, in the north-west corner of the state of Oaxaca. To get here from Mexico City you can either go via Cuatla on Highway 160 to Izucar de Matamoros where you pick up Highway 190, or Puebla or come from Puebla City on either 190 (to Izucar de Matamoros) then onto Acatlan, Puebla and Huajuapan or on Highway 150 to Tehuacan, Puebla then Highway 125 from Tehuacan to Huajuapan.
Acatlan is a big terra cotta making site and it's fun to stop and see the artesans at work, and on the way back maybe pick up somethings. Tehuacan is famous for it's mineral water.
From Huajuapan you take 190 towards Oaxaca, passing through Tamazulapan, home of a lovely sulfur spring, to Highway 125 (again) towards Tlaxiaco. After the "desviacion" to Tlaxiaco, you pass through Teposcolula. It is worth a stop to see the Dominican temple there. Then just before Tlaxiaco is Huamelulpan, home of a little visited Tourist Yu'u (one of the department of tourism's eco-turismo projects) There is a lovely river and some ruins to explore as well. Tlaxiaco has a wonderful Saturday morning marke, and is the start of the forested sierra Madre del Sur region.
After Tlaxiaco you come to the mountain town of Putla it is the largest town until Pinotepa, and fairly pituresque. After Putla the higway begins to decend. It is a really really lovely drive. You can watch the cows get fatter and the women's hupils change as you get lower in elevation and more to a tropical climate.
From Pinotepa Nacional to Puerto Escondido is about a three hour drive, but there are some really wonderful more-seldom-visited beaches between Pinotepa and Puerto Escondido, that I would recommend that you don't go directly on to Puerto Escondido and points east.
MELI,
I really enjoyed your post. It brought back many dormant memories that happened to me, many lifetimes ago, doing the small towns in the countryside when I was living in Mexico City, Cholula, and Puebla City.
Acatlan rings a bell, if I am not mistaken, my friends and I went to a "Dance Club" there one evening. The place was like a large hall with slow dance music playing loudly. The "maidens", all with strong Indian features and none over five feet tall with long braided hair aged 14 to 20 yrs old (most looked old for their years), all sat in chairs against the far wall. The male customers all sat in chairs against the opposite wall. There must have been at least 50 chairs on each side, all filled. Both sides just stared at each other. Bottled beer was available for 2 or 3 pesos, depending on the brand.
When the music started, those males who wished to do more than stare, would ask a "maiden" for a dance. That then cost one peso per dance. During the dance, price would be decided for her company and one of the multitude of back rooms. The private "dance" with her usually lasted 20 minutes and cost then 30 or 40 pesos. There were no showers; although, it felt like it was over 100 degrees in there (can't be at that elevation) and we both sweated profusely.
We all had "dances" that evening and really had a great time. We drove back to Cholula in the cool breeze.
Tehuacan was a 3 hr bus trip from the Puebla City bus station. I went with a friend who wanted custom made boots. He had heard that the town was also famous for it's bootmakers, besides, it's bottled mineral water. The street was filled with bootmakers. Estimates were received from the more prosperous shops and, the order given. They said it would take about 2 or 3 weeks. My friend returned in 4 weeks, and the boots were not yet ready.
Since he had to return to the States, he asked me to pick up the boots and drop them off to him when I was going to return to the States a month later for a break.
Since he was from the New Orleans area, and some friends and I only just briefly drove through on our way from Mexico City to New York City during the holidays years before (66 hrs non stop, one driver, since I did not drive at that time, his girlfriend and I were surrounded by fluffy pillows and refreshments); I accepted, wishing to see more of New Orleans as guided by a local resident.
He was happy to receive the boots. He and his friends showed me the town before we went to a rock concert in an old wharehouse there. We also spent time at his father's plantation. It was a fun weekend. I then rode a bus for 24 hrs to Chicago, where I stayed a month before returning to Mexico City, also by bus. I did a lot of bus travel then.
So you see, I cherish my memories of small towns in what was then the rural Mexican countryside. My early youth is filled with many such memories.
Your chances of finding work as a teacher of English are slim, and, if you do find a job, you're likely to earn about US$3 per hour (for only several hours per day). Foreigners are required to apply for and receive government approval to work in Mexico (FM-3 Visa, with work endorsement), and, while not always difficult to obtain, you've chosen an area of the country that's very poor and where Mexicans who teach English earn US$350 per month in the public schools (and in an area where government approval may be slow in coming). Pam Vigil who posts to the Huatulco board runs a school in Huatulco, and she might be able to give you some honest/realistic feedback on local opportunities. As for Zipolite, I can't imagine that you'll like what you see there today as compared to what you remember from 21 years ago.
This is a great post! Thanks to all for taking the time to set down your thoughts and memories.
thanks for your input. i think we'll take john's suggestion and just show up without a reservation. i have heard that while the posada is beautiful, it can get very hot there in the little canyon. but we'll see when we get there.
SF, here's hoping you'll post your impressions here after your visit. Have a great trip!
I just posted this on the PE chain and realized it's probably better here. My mom (54) and I (her daughter) will be spending a week to ten days on the Oaxaca coast and had some questions that we thought some of you savvy travelers out there could answer. So here goes--any and all responses welcomed!:
1) Any recommendations for places to stay in Puerto Angel?
My mom likes areas that are peaceful but not anti-social (no loud parties at night or swarms of backpackers--nothing against them, they're just not my mom's thing--that's why I thought Puerto Angel might be better for her than PE). We would be looking for a place near a pretty beach with good views and some charm. We are not on too tight a budget and would pay more for a place that's worth it (up to around $75d), although of course if there are good places for less that's even better. Probably needs to have hot water.
One nice place we heard about is Canon Devata, but it had apparently closed for a while--does anyone know if it has reopened?
2) Is it worth it to have a rental car while there?
We are considering renting one in Oaxaca and making the drive, with a stop along the way in San Jose del Pacifico at a hotel called Puesta del Sol (anyone been there?), and then we'd have the car for exploring the coast. We'd like to find some out-of-the-way beaches, go to Chacagua, and perhaps make an upland excursion somewhere. Is it worth it to get the car for convenience and flexibility, or is it possible to do all the above with local transport without it being much of a hassle?
3) Day trip recommendations
Where should we go? We're interested in isolated beaches (especially if there's good swimming or snorkeling), Chacagua lagoons, inland towns/villages with local flavor or markets (maybe Chatino country--Nopala?), and nature areas (moderate hikes, waterfalls, hot springs).
As to Chacagua, has anyone stayed at the little place there called Siete Mares? Is it only possible to get to it by boat? Do the cabins have private or group showers?
4) Safety precautions
Do we need to be extremely careful about our belongings on the beach and in the rental car? Is it the kind of thing where if you leave anything on the sand while swimming it's gone when you get back?
Thank you & happy travels to all!!!!!
Lexi, some of this repeats things I've sadi in other posts, so bear with me if it's somewhat repetitive.
1) Upkeep in this climate is very difficult. From season to season, a property that may have been first-class "slips." Another season, the property rehabilitates. This can change either way in an amazingly short time. As an example, some dear friends of mine own the Hotel Soraya, a property with not only a fantastic view but also most of the air-conditioned rooms in town in its restaurant wing. But as the patron, Don Jose, 's health deteriorated, so did operations of the hotel - his wife, Hortensia, was far more involved with him than with the hotel. But since Ricardo has returned home to help his folks, I understand the hotel is being whipped back into shapw.
But I always recommend AGAINST making reservations until you get there to check out the properties. Get a room at the Soraya or another of my favorites, Los Alamendros next to the Villa Florencia, and take a day or two to pick your lodging for the remainder of the trip.
2.a) I love having a car. It's possible to do without one, especially as your budget would allow you to hire a taxi and driver for the day whenever you choose. But there is a great freedom in being able to drive yourself to say: Mazunte. Tonameca. Chacalapa. Candelaria. Day trip to La Crucecita and the rest of Huatulco and/or Puerto Escondido in the other direction. But if you need the guide and your Spanish is weak, go for the taxi and driver.
2.b) I LOVE Puesta del Sol in Jan Jose del Pacifico. You can find some picturesof the place elsewhere in the website (you HAVE checked the Main Menu, right?) but pictures could never do justice to the incredible view from this spot (8300 ft altitude). And it is SO incredible to be this deep in the tropics yet still need a fire in the fireplace at night!
3) I've been too long away to make any Chacagua recommendations. There are a lot of OTHER recommendations you can find in the Main Menu, though...
4) Bad news here. Don't take anything to the beach that you can't affoard to lose. Funny how something valuable like a digital camera can disappear from what you thought was an empty beach without the victim ever seeing the perpetrator. It's a bit more rare to have a locked car trunk broken into, but not unheard of, either. Now, if you befriend the owner of a palapa and ask them to watch your things...or join a group and make sure someone stays with the valuables...
It never hurts to check the status of your homeowners or renters insurance before you go on vacation AMYWHERE.
You're going to love this area!
Thanks so much John! Your response was so helpful. I think we will rent a car--I did that for a week in the region south of Cancun and found some wonderful, isolated places--it sounds like it would be the same here too. And we will definitely stay in the Puesta del Sol on the way.
Two follow up questions for you or anyone else:
1) I have continued looking at different places to stay, and three that sound good are the Buena Vista, the Canon Devata, and the Alta Mira in Mazunte, which I believe is fairly new. Any comments on any differences amongst these (price, location, food, etc.)? (The Alta Mira doesn't list its prices on its website and it's not in the guidebook). I'd like to take your advice and look at them first--can we expect to find vacancies fairly easily the second week of Sept?
2) I really appreciated your heads-up about safety--we will either go to the beach empty-handed or get in the water one at a time. Are there also concerns about personal safety in the Puerto Angel area or the nearby beaches? I know there have been some reports of muggings in PE, one of the reasons we decided not to stay there.
Thanks again!
Hey, Lexi -
Believe me, September is probably the slowest month of the entire year. Reservations won't be a problem. The Mexican tourists from July and August are back home with the kids in school; the gringo high season won't start until late December. Drawback: it's the month of highest percipitation (usually). But it won't rain every day nor all day on the days it DOES rain. But the rain could make the Canyon less appealing...(Buena Vista and Canon de Vata are both in a ravine...)
I'm hoping our friend Zoe will come to the rescue with her insights on Alta Mira...
As for personal safety, take normal precations. Roaming the streets at 4am drunk or stoned would probably not be a good idea for a woman even in Vatican City! But with the possible exception of Zipolite after dark, your personal safety should be greater in Puerto Angel than in your own home town. And in September, most of the ladrones are back home in Mexico City, so even Zipolite should be fairly safe after dark...
Beachwear is cool in Puerto Angel and most of the other coastal towns. But you might take something a bit more conservative for your trips inland. And this is more out of respect for local customs and mores than anything else.
Oh, and visit the little inland village of Santa Maria Huatulco while you're down there. It's near the airport, which is halfway between Puerto Angel and the Huatulco resorts.
Rose,
I checked out your site and you place looks appealing--are you open yet? If so, what are your rates nightly and weekly (it would be during the second week of September)?
Thank you!
Thanks for the tips! A few follow up questions: Did the rooms above the Cordelia have private baths? Hot water?
Also, how much did you pay at Canon Devata? Are their any ocean views from there?
Actually, John I woke up this morning thinking about Mazunte. The sound of a motorcycle starting up somewhere (a dirt bike kind of engine sound) reminded me of the sound of the fishing boat that I always heard just after dawn in Mazunte and I was pulled back to my trip last year.
The Alta Mira when I was there was about 350 pesos. The rooms are clean and the balconies with views are breathtaking. Staff is lovely and the food at the restaurant is great. The climb up the hill (I was at the top) is daunting in the heat and there is no electricity which adds to the charm at night (lights on stairs and in restaurant but just candles for rooms) however it also means no fans which can make it pretty damn hard to sleep. But on the whole a very magical place.
I do disagree with John about the lack of concern about finding a room there, though. When I was there last August it stayed pretty much full. I got there late afternoon and there was no room. But you can always find a room somewhere in Mazunte if that's your choice (and I far and away preferred Mazunte to the admitedly small views I had of Puerto Angel) and then go to the Alta Mira the next day. I also hear the Cabanas Zigas at the other end of the beach is nice too.
Zoe
Hi Guys,
Maybe I don't know what I'm talking about. Too much stress most likely and I need a vacation. However, what I am referring to is this page has comments listed as RE: to blaa blaa blaa instead of what the other visitor pages have which is the number of replies to each post. It's really no big deal and please forget I even posted it.
At Playa La Boquilla. We were thinking about staying at this hotel. Wondered if anyone had any comments or information about it. Looks like a great place to get away from it all. Thanks.
I've visited La Boquilla many times, but have only seen guests at the hotel once; other than that time, it has seemed deserted. It's a beautiful little bay and you usually have it to yourself. Occasionally a snorkling expedition boat will moor and people will snorkle for an hour or so. Other than that, it's usually very quiet. Bear in mind that the road down to the bay from the main road (3 km) is quite primitive; you will definitely need to rent a car if you stay there.
Hello Dar...
Not sure anymore of rental/loan options, but check out La Posada Canon Devata at Playa Panteon, in Puerto Angel. Darshan Lopez is a well-known surfer in the area and was recently talking of building, repairing and making boards available in the area.
Happy surfing but watch for the riptides and undertow at Zipolite,
tom
The Rooms/bungalows run from $10 to $30.
It is safe, quiet, clean, and full(over 300 pieces) of
fabulous art work. Even if you do not stay there, visit.
Mateo Lopez(proprietor) built this hotel on ten acres out of
rocks and adobe over the last 30 years. He has created a
self-restoring ecosystem. You have to see it.
It is full of birds and other wildlife. The phone number is
958.4.3137. Sorry,I do not know the new area code. The best
time to reach Mateo(he speaks perfect English) is 10am or
6:45 pm. At a minimum take a free tour.
Gregg Kuenster from Chicago
None of the hotels have cold water. The temperature is near 70
or above everynight. The showers all work fine in all of the
hotels and are very refreshing. Cordiella is very Latin in her
relationships with her customers. It seems people have extreme
opinions of her business practices. They either really like
staying there or they think they got ripped off bigtime.
It is clean and confortable but a little louder
as it is on the beach.
Sounds more like you'll need a jeep or other 4x4! :-}
Estoy interesado en rentar o comprar una de sus cabañas en Puerto Angel, agradecería la localización, preciosy servicios.Conteste a la siguiente dirección:
propulga@yahoo.es
Thanks again John & Zoe for the great advice!! I am always amazed at how generous people are on these sites in advising strangers--because of that I have started replying more often when I have knowledge to share.
John, no need to worry about us wandering around stoned or drunk at 4 am, we are a bunch of goody two shoes, I am ashamed to say (although adventurous in other ways). Thanks for the advice on the day trips--I speak Spanish fluently (lived for a year in South America), so we will explore on our own that way. Any tips on the best snorkeling beaches? I am a little worried about the big waves and undertow, especially for my mom, who's not as strong as I am. But she loves snorkeling, and actually is PADI certified too, although she hasn't gone diving much recently. Do you think it's safe and worth it to go diving in the area? (Don't know if you have any personal experience with this and I will also check other posts, but I thought you might at least have heard something to pass on).
Zoe, thanks for the advice about Alta Mira. It sounds beautiful, but doing without fans and electricity for a week is probably asking too much of my mom (she loves reading at night and gets bitten badly by bugs). So we made reservations at the Buena Vista, which also sounds very nice. We have a car so we will definitely spend some time at Mazunte and check out the Alta Mira--maybe she'll be so taken with it that she'll change her mind...
Thanks again to you both! Don't suppose either of you will be there the second week of September? Oh, that reminds me, we will be there for Mexican Independence Day on the 15th-16th. Any advice on where to go for festivities or what to avoid?
Lexi, of the three times I've gone broke trying to run a dive shop in Mexico, once was in Puerto Angel and another in Huatulco, so I do have some opinions on the subject. Typical visibility tends to be about 10 meters as opposed to that 30 meter visibility over in the Caribbean. That said, if the conditions are right, GO for it.
Ecstacahuite, the next beach down the coast from Puerto Angel, is a very good place to snorkel. A bit further down the coast on Hwy 200 in the Huatulco direction, you'll see a decrepit little bar called "La Tijera". IF the road next to it is passible, it leads to Playa La Tijera, where the rocks are shaped like a pair of scissors. The snorkeling AND diving are superb! But watch your bouyancy and especially your hand placement; I've seen a lot of scorpian fish on these rocks. If the road isn't passable, you could get a launch fairly easily and cheaply to take you there from Puerto Angel. This may well be my favorite dive and snorkel spot in the area. Plenty of coral.
Even closer to Huatulco is the cut-off for the last of the "Huatulco Bays", San Augustin.The palapas make good food and the snorkeling is quite good.
The snorkeling in Mazunte and in San Augustinillo CAN be quite good. But neither is quite as sheltered as the other two places I've mentioned and are far more effected by meteorological conditions.
Deisiseis de Septiembre....hmmmmm. I think I'd celebrate in Santa Maria Huatulco. It is most assuredly NOT a part of the Huatulco resort communities. The road inland is just on the Puerto Angel side of the Huatulco airport. The airport, by the way, is about half way between Puerto Angel and the Huatulco resort development. Santa Maria is a lovely, clean town populated by indigenous Oaxacans. The history is fascinating - it was established when the English pirates devastated the original Santa Cruz Huatulco back in the day...
Wish I WERE going to be there. If only those lottery numbers would fall right.... Oh, that's right, I'd have to buy a ticket before that could happen!
this site is a scam. cowardly tom penick and his pussy sidekick, john williams are now deciding what gets posted and what doesn't. you all are being scammed. tom, remove all posts with the name frank in texas. i won't have anything to do with you two wimps. looks like bill masterson got his wish. i have respect for him now
If you decide to come to PE, let us know if we can help you in any way.
I.P.
Check this site if you decide to visit Puerto Escondido.
His mailing address is: Apartado Postal 42
Puerto Angel, Tonemeca, Oaxaca, Mexico 70902
Hope this helps.
where I can surf where the waves aren't so brutal?
where I can rent a board, outside of Escondido? Anywhere close to the spot above?
what I should avoid?
how long does it take getting to Escondido from Zipolite? (in case I have to go there to rent a board)
places to stay that are nice but not real fancy close to surfing?
feel free to be verbose.... I enjoy all the info I can get?
muchas gracias!!!
Bryant
http://www.mexico-condo.com/Beaches.htm
Will B.
San Jose, CA
Thank you for taking the time to reply to my question. Your response was of great help.
Best regards,
I.P.
I am finally really planning our trip to Puerto Angel and am having a terrible time finding any travel agents in the great northwest that know anything about your neck of the woods. The charters out of Vancouver BC seem a little high.
We live in Port Orchard, WA across the pond from Seattle and want to fly into Huatulco airport. We have transportation to Pt. Angel from there. Somehow I got information on Vista World Travel out of San Antonio TX. Has anyone ever used them? I would like to use their services but am a little hesitant because I'm in WA and they are in TX. Any info will be appreciated.
Thanks,
Linda Sloan
former nursing student, finally graduated !
Tom
I.P.
Thanks so much for the info on Vista World Travel. With such glowing reports I am placing a call to them immediately !!
Everyone who contributes to this board is always so helpful.
Thank you,
Linda Sloan
Thanks for any info!
We also checked out the Posada Canon Devata and while it looked like an interesting place, we decided we'd rather be perched on a hill overlooking the ocean than in a dark wet forest. Just personal preference.
Overall, we thought PA and the surrounding area was fantastic! Thanks for all your help in planning our honeymoon.
I can rent by room or the complete house. We have a swimming pool.
May be soon. Francoise
Glad to hear you liked Puerto Angel. I do remeber the service not being all that friendly but the view made up for it.
Did you get the rooms on the third level?
What was the cost?
We're going back to the area in March for a month and may be interested in a trip to PA>
regards
Jim
Glad to hear you liked Puerto Angel. I do remeber the service not being all that friendly but the view made up for it.
Did you get the rooms on the third level?
What was the cost?
We're going back to the area in March for a month and may be interested in a trip to PA>
regards
Jim
Glad to hear you liked Puerto Angel. I do remeber the service not being all that friendly but the view made up for it.
Did you get the rooms on the third level?
What was the cost?
We're going back to the area in March for a month and may be interested in a trip to PA>
regards
Jim
Which room did you get?
We are in the area for a month in March and are wondering what has happened to prices at the Buena Vista.
Regards
Jim
My friends and I go every year to PA, and are wanting to check out San Cristobal again. My friends aren't bus-friendly, and I'd prefer to avoid flying from Huatulco to Tuxtla through Mexico City...
My last trip down there last year (when I went to Mazunte) I also took a trip down to Guatemala..and now I have THOSE distances to add to my desired destinations...sigh..I wish I WAS wealthy..in both time and money (I guess they're related!) As much as I enjoyed Mazunte, I don't know if I'll return regularly like some people here do as I only get to go every few years and have so many places I want to see.
Zoe
VIRGILIO URIBE S/N
PTO. ANGEL, OAX.
TEL/FAX
(O1-958) 4-30-44
I have a house in puerto Angel and i know a friend of mine next to my house who has a land to sale. This is oceanfront with a fantastic view.If you want more details, let me know, francoise
Surf Casting: Any good spots for fishing off the beach or rocks? If so, what type of lures or bait should be used.
Deep Sea: Any relatively cheap charters available. I'd like to head out and attempt to land a big Tuna or Sail Fish.
If you're looking for a Hatteras or the like to charter, you won't find it in Puerto Angel. If you want to go do tuna fishing from a panga, it'll be cheap - but take your own stick and maybe a belt as well. In fact, if you've picked up a good rig at a reasonable price somewhere, you can probably trade it for some boat time. Good fishing equipment is VERY hard to find in Puerto Angel. If you're too fond of your rig to consider leaving it behind, at least take a big spool of heavy line with you. Makes a great tip.
gg
And: What are the big differences between Oaxaca Coast and gulf coast arround La Paz regarding diving?
Michael
The garden is full of flowers and trees with a swimming pool, 2 jaccuzi, barbecue and a lot more....
I can rent the full house or by room.
This house is the more elegant house in Puerto Angel and we have employees to take care of all the services, so you can enjoy your time!!!!!
iF YOU ARE INTERESTED, EMAIL ME FOR MORE INFORMATIONS.
Does anyone know of an apartment that is rented by the week in Angel or the area? Any info you can provide is appreciated.
Thanks
Kevin
Best diving in nearly any month is from Puerto Angel south. Or should I say east. You're nearly garaunteed big Pacific eagle rays. As for the rest of what you ask, quien sabe? This is the Pacific and a less predictable body of water I've yet to find.
There's great variety and it will be different.
I saw some coloring books today with English and then Spanish translation. Should I buy some ot those? Any idea when you are returning to Mazunte? Mike and I just celebrated our 35th with a fantastic trip to Ireland and Scotland. Thinking about you and Richard. Expecting our 8th grandchild in Dec!!! Love, Mike and Kate.
I've been thinking about you and Mike. I knew you were in Ireland, but didn't know when you would return. Everyone on the beach is wondering when you are arriving. I'll send you a personal email about that and about my travel plans.
Yes, by all means buy those coloring books. It sounds like they are perfect for the kids that are studying English. I'll pick them up before I head down.
I just wanted to let you all know that we now have an online ad that features more details on the high speed internet service. That page is: www.mexicanbusinessbrokers.com/en/satellite.html and also features a photo of an installation.
Thank you,
John
And Oaxaca and Mexico?
Are the frequent comments I read about crime accurate or exaggerated?
Thanks a lot in advance for any info.
Oaxaca to DF 1st class, 10.
I won't say that what you've heard can't happen; I will say that its PA-OAX is nearly as safe as your local Greyhound and that OAX-DF is safer.
Gotta love the videos on many first class buses, you just sometimes have to ask the driver to turn the sound up because all the Mexican passengers are reading the subtitles!
Zoe
Sandor's hotel is finally opening! If anyone is looking for a place to stay in San Agustinillo, please check out our website:
www.paraiso-del-pescador.com
We will be open by mid November. Hope to see you all soon!
Sara
For the upcoming season, we will be charging $20 USD per night (deposit fees will be required to guarantee a room). Activites such as fishing will cost extra. Also, if people are flying into Huatulco, we provide transportation to and from the airport. Even if you don't stay at our hotel, come by to the restaurant to say "Hello" and enjoy a great meal!
Sara
Check the 2 airports online perhaps?
mike
Is this the same place people used to call "a bowl of wheaties" ?
mike
I wrote nonsense: I had been once in La Paz with the best
dives in my life (e.g. had seen in August 1999 large schools
of hammerheads - again and again at "El Bajo"; and the
most beautiful divings with sea-lions). And I had been
several times at Cozumel ("Caribbean coast") with the
very different highlights (compared to La Paz): clearest water
(in march/august/april everytime about 50m), beautiful
coral gardens (eg at Palancar Reef) and pretty fast drift dives
(eg Maracaibo Reef). However, my La Paz dives
seemed to be somehow not repeatable compared to Cozumel.
Because I want to visit this time Oaxaca Coast I asked for comparing
it with Sea of Cortez undersea environment.
So far I have no experience with the Gulf Coast.
However, as I will visit Veracruz at november 7th before I will go
for Oaxaca Coast, your advise is interesting.
Do you have recommendations for a diving shop or (more important)
interesting diving sites there?
Best regards,
Michael
Will Brecheen
San Jose, CA
Just read your answer to Royce .We would be interested by your friend oceanfront beach property.Would you know the size and the price ?
are you french?
Dominique ( I am french)
Thank you for your help
Dominique
I plan to go to Oaxaca coast for about three weeks mid December but I heard some stories (mostly from hotel owners - no suprise here!) that everything is sold out and I might end up having to pay 100 bucks for a room per night! Not an option for me really...
Any tip or even hotel suggestion would do, thanks and hope to see you down there on the beach!
Serge
There is a small tienda very close for cold drinks, snacks etc.
Posada Canyon bungalos are across the dirt street.
You will like it.
Thanks, that tells me where to find it. I stayed at the Posada Canyon and checked those bungalows out before settling on El Cielo. The view was great from up there too.
my name is kinnie and i have been to angel many times and am looking for someplace private, clean, and close to playa pantheon ....
where are you located and do you have rooms for rent in january?
merci,
kinnie
We are trying to contact Sandor on the e-mail from web page it is not working. Can you tell us the correct e-mail address?
Thankx,
Laird
I, too, am interested in renting a room from Jan 18-31. What do you have available, and what are your rental rates?
much thanks,
asa
I stayed at Penelope's one night last Feb. Patricia owns and runs it all by herself and is one great, hardworking lady. I think the sign on her gate says "Penelope's Bed and Breakfast". Her place is on the hilltop above the beach where Cordelia's is located. (Can't remember the name of the beach.) I'm sure you know where it is. Patricia had just built a new big palapa when I was there.
You have to duck to enter ..inside are tables, her library shelf and the kitchen. Nice and cool under there. She has beautiful plants everywhere and alot of birds come to sing in the afternoon. Her rooms are very nice and clean and she will go out of her way to make you feel at home. She tells you "you are family while you stay here". I really feel guilty because I just HAD to spend my week in a place right on the beach so I told her we were going to move on. Penelope's is rather hidden in the hillside and there is just a small view of the bay. Patricia is such a sweetheart, she had bills to pay and was just devastated to lose us. She was even going to teach me Spanish. And ..she will go way out of her way to cook , visit with you and make you feel right at home. I still have the piece of paper she wrote out listing places/people for us to see.
...Zipolite, San Agustinillo, Mazunte, Museo Tortuga, Ventanilla, Cocodrilos Rio, Coballos, Estachuite, and find Chepe O Beto's Azul Profundo. (In beautiful handwriting, I might add). I'm such a jerk.
Anyway, if I went back, I'd be less selfish beach-wise and stay at Penelope's. Visiting with her is just great. If you stay there, say Hi for me.
le proprio est super cool .juste quelque pbl avec sa femme y a plus de 20 ans .
en realite y a beaucoup de monde qui voudrai recupere son auberge pour developper avec des americain lui il prefere heberge des refugie du chiappas!
en plus il connait super bien la region y a trent ans il etait sherif et apres pecheur de langouste . aujourd'hui il est en fauteuil roulant mais toujours t'emmener nager!
je te promet que choisir son plat dans l'eau c'estcool
Panteon , that's right! I even have photos of the cemetery. Tell me, are there any reasonably priced air tickets anywhere? I've been searching all week through Funjet, Apple and all the airlines for tickets ...and the prices for November are $800 to over $1,000 for just airfare. A friend and myself thought we'd head out of Wi. during deer hunting season..getting cabin fever already, and just wanted a straight shot flight to a warm clime to relax a week. Actually, if I could get a decent one day flight to Belize, I'd bus it up to Tikal. Maybe not relax at all. American Airline has a return flight from Belize where the first stop is Dallas/Fort Worth where you have to spend the night before flying out again the next day. Ticket price is way too expensive. Forget that! Talk about dragging out your vacation in airports. Last time AA wasn't even going to pick us up in Belize City as scheduled because the plane leaving Miami turned back. They had to send another jet that was too small. Plane had to stop in Cancun to refuel and pick up some Mexican stewardess. No bevereges or food served...plane was too small. Neither Funjet or Apple seem to have any deals even to Cozumel. Don't you work for an airline?
Thanks for that information. I'm sold on Penelope's. I like staying in this type of accomodation as apposed to resorts. The money goes directly into the hands of the people.
We are coming from Mexico City via Cuernavaca, Acapulco, Pinoteca Nacional, and finishing in PA. I just read your recent post on airtravel. We are out of Ottawa and find it difficult to get to Huatulco - as it is for you. Our most direct route is from Montreal (2hrs) via charter. Charters are great but limited in options. The price is $1000 cdn. This time I am flying Ottawa - Atlanta - Mexico city via Delta. We are busing from there. That is the trade off for us - flexible flight time and busing from D.F. The upside is that you get to see a lot of country while travelling by bus.
I did the Oaxaca route twice last year so, we are trying a different route. The objective is to take our time and spend no more than 5 hours on a bus each day. On the way back we are taking the same route but, staying is Taxco for a couple of days. We are only going to be in PA for 5 days as a result. That will still give us plenty of time to go through all of Beto's menu. Feb 17th can't come quick enough. Good luck with your trip plan.
Sara
We went to Punta Cana a few years back. I'll give everyone an idea of what its' like there in comparison to Mexico. I felt like I was in Cuba. We got a good price to stay at the PC Beach Club, which found out later is owned by Oscar de la Renta and Julio Eglesis. There are 3 restaurants on the property so I didn't buy into the meal plan. But found out that the restaurants either required reservations or were not open so we shucked out a couple of hundred to eat the week in the community palapa. Couldn't wear shorts, had to dress up for meals. 'My husband loved that!' Great food though and gained weight. The gate by the road was locked and you had to get permission from the security guard to leave. They really didn't want you leaving unless on a tour. We walked to the road, hopped the local bus into Higuey. The town is tin shacks, everyone was drunk on the street since it was Sunday and I'm sure glad I hadn't tried to wing it like I do in Mexico since there wasn't a place I would have wanted to stay in there. And, I'm not that fussy. Quite a frightening little town. My Vietnam vet husband didn't want to get off the bus. He said at least in Vietnam he had a gun. We changed buses to return to the resort. Crawled over the gunny sacks ,cases of beer and supplies in the aisles going to the sugar plantations, tried to ignore the live chickens tied to the front bumper that were screeching for a good 30 miles and chuckled at the arguments that broke out at every stop. Everyone seemed to be perpetually disgusted at any wait. They argue just for the fun of it. Made friends with the locals on the way back but were really embarrassed when we saw the look on their faces when we got off at the resort. Lived the resort life the rest of the week. Dress up for breakfast. Stretchy, stretchy exercise on the beach. Merangue dance lessons on the beach. Kayak out but not past resort property lines or to the reef. They come out in motor boats to retrieve and scold the hell out of you. Americans are pretty thick headed when it comes to their freedom. How we made it without getting spankings is beyond me! And, at 4 pm your beach chairs are taken away, no more beach time..there is no one on beach duty... and its time to get dressed for another lovely evening meal. Just a freakin tropical prison for a week! Think I'm going to get tickets to Mexico in Feb/ March, instead. Enjoy your great trip in Feb.
That is the first really bad review I seen on DR. I have friends that are constantly returning to Punto Cana yearly. They love it. However, your hotel stay would have turned me off too.
We stayed on the north coast 5 years ago - a week at the Jack Tar village in Puerto Plata. It was by far the best resort we stayed at yet. Outside the complex was not near as nice as Mexico though. As you noted - a lot of poverty to deal with - which can be a culture shock. We did a trek on our own once - arranged by the resort workers - probably not sanctioned by the resort. A bus dropped us off in PP for the Carnival - complete with a case of President beer. It was a great experience. One big problem - only one public washroom at the parade viewing area. Also at the end of the day, the bus driver forgot to pick us up. So typical Caribbean right!
In my opinion Mexico is definitely a cut above most warm destinations - especially away from the resort - I don't think anyone on this page would disagree. We enjoy the bus travel. What a great opportunity to see the country and sample the local activities. We can hardly wait.
If so, what type of fish are close to shore and what type of lures/bait should be used?
MTPockets, we did go on an organized tour to Isla Saoma in the south off the coast off La Romana. They packed us into 3 tour buses according to the language we spoke. Had a great trip through the countryside. Got on a catamaran sailboat packed so tight no one could move. I claimed my space on the bow ,legs dangling over. Saw some flying fish. Island is spectacular. This crowd of over a hundred on this little island had lunch. No one spoke to each other much. The few conversations I overheard amongst couples were "why didn't we go to Mexico" and "guess we learned". Took a packed speed boat back and couldn't believe how crabby the wives were. Perfect strangers were snapping at each other over trivial comments. Tour bus stopped at a gift shop in Higuey. A local told this couple they hate Americans because they're so cheap and never buy anything. Got back on the bus and watched out the window as a group of old men on the street beat the crap out of a little kid for throwing his friends toy on the building roof. All of a sudden I had a very excited silver haired European man squeezing in on the seat beside me. Turned out he was doing some free traveling, didn't know it was a tour bus but wanted OUT of this area badly and back to Puerto Plata. We hid him out until the bus got back to PC. Arriving back in PC the tour guide took a body count and didn't know what to do with this extra guy.
I apologize again, folks. Anyone else have some travel stories.
Hit the pawn shops and look for a tuna stick and a heavy reel, too. Pick 'em up cheap and barter for boat time with one of the local panga fishermen. They'll take you out where the big yellowfin tuna swim.
Buenas suerte.
What's the beach like at Tijera? Is the snorkeling good? Is there a restaurant or store there? Thanks.
Joan
gg
What is 'Bar La Tijera'? What is so interesting about this place?
As for those who are headed that way...luck muthas! Sure hope things fall just right so I can get down there, too!
I'll be heading down there next week!
I'm going to a wedding in the City of Oaxaca on Nov. 23. My friend, who I grew up with in CT, is marrying a woman from Oaxaca. He now lives in L.A. He met her while on business in Mexico.
So, I'll be in the city on Nov. 21, 22, and 23. I'm then heading to the coast for a week on Nov. 24. Any suggestions for accomodations in Puerto Angel?
Hey, how far (in Miles) is La Tijera from main beach (Playa Principal?) of Puerto Angel?
TunaTaco
Boston, MA
If you are still in California, pick up a telescoping fishing pole and strong line before you head down to PA. Otherwise you possibly could find a spool of line in Mexico and fish like the locals do. My husband and I wanted to fish on Caye Caulker and didn't have any equipment. (It's a small island and we were there for ten days). We bought 2 heavy hooks at a grocery store there, found some line lying on shore and a couple of sticks. Used a can of Vienna sausages for bait! We were catching puffer fish....they sound like little pigs squeaking when you take them off the hook...but was told that sound was really their teeth grinding away the hook. Didn't have to worry about releasing the huge sting rays. One snap and they are gone!
Because you're a foreigner, it's likely that people will quote you a price higher than what locals, or Mexicans from elsewhere in the country, will be quoted. So, the more time you get to know the area, and its people, the better your chances of finding something "reasonable" are. If you have the ability to communicate in Spanish, it's also likely that the price you'll be quoted will be lower. Bargain hard, and within your pre-set limits, and don't be afraid to walk away from the negotiations, several times if necessary. Bargaining is a respected way of doing business in Mexico, and something many non-Mexicans have a difficult time getting used to.
Remember that the ownership of coastal property is restricted to Mexican nationals, but foreigners can purchase through a long-term trust-type arrangement set-up through a local bank, for which you'll pay an annual fee. An indepsensible person in the entire transaction will be a "Notario Publico," an attorney specially authorized by the government to handle real estate transactions. I might be wrong, but I think that the closest Notario Publico is in Pochutla (which, as you know, isn't that far away).
I've always believed that, prior to signing any purchase (or "deposit") documents, it's smart to have everything translated into your native language . . . so that you'll understand what you're getting yourself into; doing so (translations) can cost as much as US$500, depending upon the number of documents involved. Each country has its legal peculiarities, and Mexico is no different . . . so, it's better to be safe, than sorry.
Good luck with your adventure!
Let me know if you have a message for him. Or I can send an email for him. He cannot see the keys.
Will be here for 7-10 days more.
Linda
Will be here for 7 to 10 days if anyone has a question to be answered while here, drop me a line at lindasloan106@hotmail.com
Later, we are off to dinner.
I did some fishing off the shore at Playa La Tijera.
Also went out on a Panga with the guys from Vincente y Levy's. Very nice guys. I highly recommend them. They are located on Playa Panteon. I had a great time with them. It is $25 USD per hour.
flor de maria is claen and inexpensive and kind of centrally located between the zicatella and the main beach in PE it has a roof top pool very nice.......my wife and i stayed there last year in mid december
dave
It was -25 C this morning on the Canadian prairies. I can feel the evening breeze now.
Yup, unfortunately one-way.
Can this be done, i.e. are there night buses?
Which bus station? (I've heard there are even buses direct from somewhere at the airport...does anyone know about this?)
Any other suggestions?
Thanks a lot.
He would turn nto the curves so fast heads would hit the windows. What a beautiful bus. When we finally slowed down to let us eat at one of those predistinations places there was the smell of volmit. When finally got out I looked back at the pretty bus and out of most of the windows volmit was running down the sides.
But, when we reached the highest elevation the clouds would seep through the bus. A rollocoaster remembered time. It was a fun event. I'd fly next time! Dave~the~wave~~~~~~~~~~~
Ciao.
Did you book that through an airline? Sound like a decent price. We are busing from DF to Puerto Angel and it would be nice to fly back - rather than cover territory we have already seen.
I would like to do a little diving while visiting PA in January. Is Chepe's the only dive company in town? How would
people rate his equipment and safety standards? Is PA the best town in that area from which to dive or would it be better
to go to Huatulco? Any recommended sites? Thanks...
Thanks. I was hoping to book a flight ahead of time. I was checking out return trips from DF earlier but, the cost was about $500cdn - that was with Mexicana. If I could snag a couple of tickets for $150cdn, that would be great.
Marabella (Huatulco 58 70011)
Ana Campos (Servicios de Viaje Bahias Plus (587-0811)
5 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, jacuzzi, A/C and a great service.
I had 24 hours to get to the airport at Mexico city - as my flight left at 2:00 pm on Monday. Harald at the Puesta del Sol told me the trip by van was okay but many tourists got sick on it. I decided to take a gravol before to be safe. As it came time to board the bus, I realized that it was also going to be very full. As we were getting on a Mexican lady started to cry and do the 'sign of the cross' repeatidly on her two sons. Geez, what did she know? So off we went, 18 of us in a full size van. 20 minutes into the trip we had stopped twice for a 'vomitar' stop - and we hadn't started into the mountains. There was a family of four beside me on the bench seat, and one of kids hurled all over the back of the seat - nice...I had shared most of my gravol with fellow travellers - so after an hour all stomachs were pretty much settled. It is not a trip for the 'faint of heart' as other posters noted. The drivers treat these vans like formula one race cars - they must get paid by the trip and not hourly. I was an experience. All in all it was a pretty stressful trip back. I was in Oaxaca by 10:00 - purchased a ticket on the 12:00 bus to Mexico city and made the mistake of checking my backpack in luggage storage. I went to pick it up before my departure and there was no one to be found. I missed my bus as a result and had to pay for a second trip at 2:00 - the last before morning. I was in Mexico city by 10:00 and at the airport in plent of time.
Was any of the new toll highway open yet between Oaxaca and Salina Cruz
Any other comments about things to see, places to go, would be most welcomed.
Thanks Karen
Try that site for information on Oaxaca.
Some info - I have stayed in two places in Oaxaca - The Casa Colonial bed and breakfast, and Antonios. Antonios was just one block away from the zocalo. The price was good - around 400 pesos and the accomodations were comfortable and quiet - considering where it is located.
The casa was about 10 blocks from the zocalo but, the owners are very friendly and helpful. The accomodations are excellent and its a cheap cab ride to the zocalo
There is no shortage of places to stay and depending on the time of year - available
Secondly, I am 5 or 6 years away from retirement and we are scouting for places (rental accomodations) along the ocean on the Mexican Pacific coast, where we can stay for 2-3 months each year. With the weak Canadian dollar, it seems we have to go a fair distance away from places like Acapulco to avoid the US dollar dilema. Suggested towns or cites that might fit the bill would be most appreciated. We both like to shop, but at the same time, enjoy tranquility.
Thanks!
Rigo and Marie
Ottawa, Ontario
tourist seem to react much more than the locals. I was in PA staying in a
screened hotel room and asked the proprietor for netting. He said he would be
glad to put up the netting but I would not need it. I believed him because there
were no mosquito visable. A couple of days later I displayed some large bites.
He put up the net without complaint.
I most likely picked up most of the bites on the beach at dusk and in the evening.
gg
thanks,
John
I just went to a wedding in Oaxaca on November 23. The wedding was at Santo Domingo....it has to be the most beautiful church in North America...seriously.
I stayed at 'La Casa de la Tia' for 4 nights. We had a 2-floor suite with 3 beds for $40 U.S. per night. If you need only one bed, you can go much cheaper than that.
The owners of the place are extremely nice and helpful. They are a married couple. The wife is originally from NY...she is a very nice woman. The husband is from Oaxaca. He also owns a coffee plantation on the coast of Oaxaca. He was very helpful one day. We needed to get somewhere, but we didn't know the address. He called his friend, who is a taxi driver, and had the guy pick us up and take us to the location.
I've done quite a bit of travelling and I've stayed everywhere from the Boston Harbor Hotel and the Marriott Marquis (NYC) to many roach infested motor inns. That said, 'La Casa de la Tia' is very, very clean and has 2 great patios.
-one warning, if you do stay at 'Casa de la Tia\
It is very clean and very nice. The restaurant is very good. It's not on the beach, but it does have a beautiful view (hence the name) of the water because it's set up on a hill.
-One warning, if anyone in your group has trouble walking up stairs, this might not be the place for you because the hotel has several levels up the hill with plenty of stairs.
If you're looking for somewhere right on the beach, I'd look for something on 'Playa Panteon' in Puerto Angel. It's a better beach than 'Playa Principal'.
To be completely frank with you, the beaches actually in Puerto Angel (Panteon and Principal) are not fantastic because it really is a fishing village with small panga boats coming in and out.
However, the beaches right outside the port are absolutely gorgeous...untouched and not populated.
Here's a link to the Buena Vista website:
http://www.labuenavista.com/
http://www.labuenavista.com/alta_mira/photos/index.htm
--john
Does anyone know if the Casa de Huéspedes is a good and budgety place to stay? Also, how is Puerto Angel for a single female traveller? Any experiences?
Thanks,
Teresa
Puerto Angel is reasonably safe for a woman alone - certainly safer than most of the US. But lets run through a few simple rules. Make that suggestions. Don't wear a bikini away from the beach. Realize that this is Mexico with all those latin machisimo implications, so don't flirt if you don't mean it. There is a culture of giggolos on Zipolite, and most of them live in Puerto Angel, so gaurd your heart as well. Take universal common sense precautions, like not walking alone down a dark alley. If you're traveling to or from Zipolite after dark, take a cab.
This is for both genders: No matter how much you hate being thought of as a rica gringa, you are. You make more an hour than most Angelinos make in a day. Many of you make a weeks' wages in an hour. You ARE a rich American. Live with it. And be generous in spending and tipping - but don't be insulting.
Back to gender specific advice. Most (I refrain from saying "all" out of politeness) - I repeat MOST people don't go on vacation intending NOT to get laid. This creates a certain amount of what a socially conservative society might construe as promoscuity. This further creates certain attitudes and expectations of which you must be aware. So don't start something you don't intend to complete.
That last part sounds awfully sexist. But you'll find many women experienced in solo travel in Mexico will vouch for the veracity.
I think I know what you mean by the "creation of promiscuity" and what expectations it arouses. I have been to Tulum by myself and found it a very pleasant place, you could hang out having a choice wether you like to be alone or in company - while at other places being alone itself was already an invitation.
Hey, I am not American btw ;) (yeah, I know, I am still rica)
Are there many single (male / female) travellers in this area?
Where would you recommend to stay if one wants a bit of solitude as well as sometimes sozialising (not the getting laid business though)?
I plan to go again within the next weeks and love it! I might add that there seems to be some form of entertainment in the zocala day and night, whether young school children parading, concerts, fireworks, carnivals... or just people watching!
If you get wanderlust, rent a car and go to Puerto Angel and it's neighboring villages. The drive will scare the @!#$ out of you as you travel from mountain desert to tropical rainforest. Avoid alcohol for the trip... most of the road ditches are bottomless! Read up on the town... it is extremely underdeveloped for tourism, but another true look at Mexico. After Puerto Angel, head east to the next "big" town (I forgot the name, but it is long and begins w/a T.. Tantepec, or something),
then pick up the Pan American Highway (4 lanes, high speed) back to Oaxaca.
You'll pass Mitla, so you might as well stop on the way.
If you drive, get a good map, in a language you understand! Since I first started going to Oaxaca, the city has grown.. If you get stuck downtown during anything like rush hour... you're screwed.
I have also stayed at several of the 5 star hotels, where you pay handsomely, and might as well be in La, or NYC. I have also stayed in lots of 1 star hotels around southern Mex and been delighted. Terrified, but ok.
Write for more. I fear my msg is too late for you, but.. oh well.
Bill
Just out of town is a beach called Extaccahuite. It's a WONDERFUL place to stay! And since you're an extrajeña NOT from the United States, you may know more than one language - maybe even Spanish? If so, you'll find the women of the area very easy to get to know and they'll look out for you like a long-lost sister!
Socializing. There are two beach discos in Zipolite.The one in the Roca Blanca area is my favorite. When it's time to go back to town, take a taxi!
Lot's of folks socialize at the Villa Florencia, especially over breakfast. They even have a good selection of books. It's especially popular amongst the numerous Italian residents of the area. That and the Italian place in Mazunte... If I'm giving the impression that there's a sizable Italian ex-pat community in the area, then it is a correct assumption.
One of the least expensive places to eat in Puerto Angel is the Tío Chilo. The family there is also a lot of fun to hang out with.
Ask me another question or two. Maybe it'll dislodge a block causing a stream-of-consiousness flow of information for you...
Wow, you are such a quick replyer! And I am suffering from Insomnia since it´s 5 AM in the morning for me, but alas, I thought getting a few good ideas about Puerto Angel will give me enough food for sweet dreams.
I do infact speak little Spanish and would find it extremely exiting to meet some local women - one always needs long-lost sisters. And a way to improve my Spanish would be certainly welcome. I like discovering places through the people. I love both ways, meeting locals and explore their culture as much as meeting people from abroad - or those who came to settle down in that area.
I am looking for a neat, quiet little place to stay that gives me a recluse for writing but not an extreme solitude. I liked what I was reading on these pages about the Posada Canon Devata - and also I found a website of the above mentioned Casa de Gundi i Tomas, so I was playing around with these two in my head to see what would suit me better. But checking out the Los Alamendras first sounds good, too. I am planning to stay around two to three weeks - like right after New Year´s Eve, which is probably still a busy time. My budget would love to stay around $15 per night if not even cheaper (oh I am so cheap, but I guess I am one of the few gringas who really is not that rica at least in her hometown)
I am curious about two more thing - that I will very likely find out when I go there, but I´d love to hear about it... I was wondering if there are more artists in this area, for example painters like Mateo Lopez (although one could say practically every Mexican is an artist by heart) - and I am interested in the library founded by the four American women. So if you are not busy at the moment... let the stream flow!
There's an article on this site about the black coral jewelry made by the incarcerated folks at the prison in Pochutla. But don't head that way by yourself.
There used to be a woodcarver in Río Tonameca who did some lovely work. I don't know if he's still there...
You'll have to go to Pochutla to do your banking, anyway. So check the market there.
And I'm having some cerebral flatulance right now trying to remember the name of my friend who lives with her husband and kids on the rim above the dropoff to the beach at Extaccahuite. She's like a member of the family with the ladies at Tío Chilo's. Quick as I can remember her name, I'll email it directly to you.
Cheers,
Teresa
I took a bus from Mexico City to Oaxaca, and then from Oaxaca to Puerto Angel.
Awesome scenery, but scary roads. The bus was stopped at a military police checkpoint, and all the men had to get out of the bus and we were frisked and patted down by officers with machine guns. Meanwhile, the woman's bags on the bus were searched by other officers, who were on the bus with machine guns.
Did you encounter anything like this?
I have to say, this was the only negative experience I had in my 10 days of travelling the state of Oaxaca. Well, that and the taxi driver from Puerto Angel to Puerto Escondido who though he was Mario Andretti.
Zoe
I've been visiting here since 1986 and have never been disappointed.
Thanks for the tip.
We have been staying at Cordelias on the Playa Panteon. This is our first trip to Mexico, and have been here almost a month. We have friends who live here part of the year.
Had a bit of culture shock when we first arrived. So we passed on the smaller places like Penelopes. The locals seem think it is great. But I am not up to staggering around in the dark to use the bathroom (outdoors no less).
It cost 250 pesos a night at Cordelias but it is soooo nice. Large room with a private bath with shower. Right on the beach with a beautiful view of the harbor and all the fishing boats. Also....she has loaned us a fan to use in our room since we are such whimps from the great northwest. There is also a ventilator over the bed that goes very very slowly.
I understand there is a man named La Pine that runs a grocery store up from the church at the central part of town. Met some people who were staying there and said it was a 3 bedroom house, each with private bath for 100 US $ a week.
Let me know if you need any other info. We leave in 3 days. Just spent a week in Oaxaca City. Advice do NOT use the van at 120 pesos, use the first class bus at 183 pesos, well worth the money for the comfort.
Later, Linda and Gordy Sloan
Were you the Roger that:
- was staying at El Cielo (Feb) and moved to the bungalow next to Penelopes?
- was at the Carnival in Veracruz before coming to PA.
TunaTaco's reply reminds me of what I was going to say. I think most people who go to the state of Oaxaca, Mexico are quite impressed with their accomodations BECAUSE they aren't like the Best Western or Comfort Inn. Hotels are usually unique on many levels. They're not American plan. They're decorated extravagantly by Mexican standards. The owners/proprietors do the best they possibly can to impress the rich western traveller. Actually, I'm good friends with MTPockets and stayed with his party Feb. 2002 at Hotel Antonio's on Avenida Independencia. We were about 50 feet from the northwest corner of the zocolo. The zocolo is the place to hang out in Oaxaca. From there, with just a little bit of exploring during the daylight hours, you will find a pedestrian mall to the north that leads to the Church of Santo Domingo. It is a beautiful church and visitors are welcome, as long as they respect the church rules (no hats, speak quietly, no photos, etc.). Right beside Santo Domingo is a National Museum. It used to be an old convent and is truly a world class museum. If you crave good coffee, there is a North American style coffee house across the street from the church. I think it's called the Italian Coffee House or something. Quite good.
You should try all of the restaurants on the zocolo square. Sit in the cafes and watch the events. In your mind, practice saying no to the cutest kids in the world who look hungry and make you feel guilty if you don't buy Chicklets of trinkets from them. You won't be able to fend off about 10% of them, so you'll go home with a bunch of cheap stuff to hand out to friends and family. I tried to tip everyplace I was. I found that pesos were the best currency to have. I eventually changed all of my American and Canadian dollars to pesos. South of the zocolo are a few excellent mercados to while away an afternoon or two at. One is the local people's market with everything from hanging beef, chili peppers and Chapulines. Try the chapulines. They taste like spanish peanuts. Look up the translation for Chapulines when you get home.
We went to Monte Alban by walking about 10 blocks to the Hotel Riviera (I think) and catching a bus for $25 pesos. When we got there (about 1/2 an hour) there were 5 of us in a group, so we hired our own guide for a 1 hour walking tour. It cost $200 pesos. Don't miss your bus going back!!!! Monte Alban is a very "cool" place. "Cool" as in don't miss it, It's actually quite hot there. Buy lots of bottled water and sunscreen for any outing.
Our buses never got boarded but we were stopped a few times by Federales. They do have wicked looking machine guns, but that is the norm down there. I wouldn't joke around with a federale but I wouldn't fear them either. Obviously, always have your identification with you (photocopies of passport and travel visa which they give you at the airport upon entry into Mexico.)
Take good buses. Ejecutivo or Prima (first) class are best. I don't recommend the bus trip between Oaxaca and Puerto Angel. Those mountain roads are very very very steep without any guardrails or shoulders to pull off on. I didn't take the bus, but MTPockets did. He told us a few hair-raising stories about the buses. We rented an SUV and drove ourselves at a sensible 15-30 MPH the whole way, which was eyeopening enough!
However, do go to see Puerto Angel. Huatulco is the big, government funded all-inclusive town. It will become Cancun in a few years. In Puerto Angel, you feel like Ernest Hemmingway as you watch the stars at night from the open air restaurants or your "discovered secret" hotel or inn.
Have fun exploring.
Skates
will be leaving for san agustinillo from laredo this weekend (12/21) and was wondering if anyone had any sugeetions for routes down there. i will be driving an '86 toyota land cruiser so terrain shouldn;t be too much of a factor.
any help appreciated.
-c
On the other hand, the other candidate for quickest route is probably Laredo-Monterrey-Saltillo-San Luis Potosi-Quretaro-Mecico City-Puebla-Oaxaca City-San Jose del Pacifico-Pochutla-Puerto Angel-San Augustinillo. It's also probably the most scenic and has about as much altitude change as anyone could wish for.
I've always said that you need at least a month to justify the more expensive option of driving down. Take a week for your inbound travel and take the mountain route. If you're really going to take your time, then go with Highway 85 from Monterrey through Cd Valles and Tamazunchale to Mexico City. That's the old Pan-Am highway. Then from Mexico City, instead of taking the Puebla-Oaxaca toll road, go south through Cuernavaca and THEN cut accross to Oaxaca City. It's an even more scenic route. Then do 175 from Oaxaca City to the coast. Actually, THIS one would maximize mountains.
Remember: burros have no tail lights; park it at night.
Have a great trip!
Thanks!
If you take the bus, grab a "collectivo" taxi in front of the Elektra store in Pochutla for the rest of the ride into Puerto Angel.
The best travelors' rule I ever heard was to take half the clothes and twice the money you think you'll need.
Pochutla is also where you'll have to go to get pesos from the ATM machine during your stay.
Have I done this? I've been visiting the Costa Esmeralda since 1973 and have NEVER ridden in one of the over-priced Suburbans. OK, OK, the Suburbans have only been around since the late '80's, but still...
I have driven both ways and think the one that John suggested thru Tampico,Vera cruz;Toll road to Acayacan,exit and cross the isthmus to salina cruz has the best roads and is the fastest.
I was pulling a trailer and made it in three days of driving.
I stopped along the way for a day or more after each day of driving.
Some friends drive that same route in a car and make it in two days of steady driving.
Jim C
Regarding the Federales..reminds me of our trip to Mexico last year. We flew in to PV and our son and his fiance picked us up in a tiny rental car. On the road down to Melaque, we were stopped by the Federales. None of us speaks Spanish but we smile alot. We were puzzled when one of the young men, with a very big gun was pointing to the car and becoming irate with my son, who was driving. He kept pointing to the back seat saying Madre, Madre...He was frusterated with my son because he wasn't helping me struggle out of the cramped back seat. This young Federale obviously treasured his mother! I thanked the young man, bopped my son playfully on the head, and we all had a good laugh. They checked our car over and waved us on our way. Welcome to Mexico...Thanks again for the info...Karen
They all have private patios. Also, there is a Large(40 feet by 40 feet) tile deck
on top of the "Cielo" rooms which has a great view. The place has trails
and stairways that connect the buildings. You will love the layout.
It is quiet, clean and safe. Say hello to Matao and Darshan.
They are the father and son that run the place.
The last phone number I have is 95.84.31.37
Buenas' gg from Chicago
--Chilly David in Madison, Wis.
Snider Social Action Institute
Phone: 310-553-9036
Fax: 310-553-4521
www.wiesenthal.com
PRESS INFORMATION
Arva Shapiro, Director, Public Relations
Michele E. Alkin, Director, Communications
October 30, 2002
WIESENTHAL CENTER PROTESTS ANTISEMITIC SYMBOL DISPLAYED ON CITY HALL OF OAXACA, MEXICO
In a letter to Jose Murat, Governor of the Mexican State of Oaxaca, Simon Wiesenthal Center Director for International Liaison, Dr. Shimon Samuels, protested symbols currently displayed on posters hanging from the City of Oaxaca's municipal building.
The letter noted that, for example, "a Star of David = a Swastika" appears among anti-United States and pro-Palestinian messages.
The Center urged the Governor to investigate this incident and to take appropriate measures to punish those responsible for incitement to hatred, in violation of Mexican legislation and the Pan-American conventions of the Organization of American States.
For more information, contact the Center's Communications Department, 310-553-9036.
The Simon Wiesenthal Center is an international Jewish human rights organization dedicated to preserving the memory of the Holocaust by fostering tolerance and understanding through community involvement, educational outreach and social action. The Center confronts important contemporary issues including racism, antisemitism, terrorism and genocide and is accredited as an NGO both at the United Nations and UNESCO. With a membership of over 400,000 families, the Center is headquartered in Los Angeles and maintains offices in New York, Toronto, Miami, Jerusalem, Paris and Buenos Aires.
Established in 1977, the Center closely interacts on an ongoing basis with a variety of public and private agencies, meeting with elected officials, the U.S. and foreign governments, diplomats and heads of state. Other issues that the Center deals with include: the prosecution of Nazi war criminals; Holocaust and tolerance education; Middle East Affairs; and extremist groups, neo-Nazism, and hate on the Internet.
The Center is headed by Rabbi Marvin Hier, its Dean and Founder. Rabbi Abraham Cooper is the Associate Dean and Rabbi Meyer May is the Executive Director.
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information@wiesenthal.net
Personally, I find the PE-ACA route very interesting. Then again, nobody is going to be able to say which route is better for you than you yourself. No two of us are going to share the same travel interests/trip goals, etc. I also think that the trip from the D.F. to PA is quicker if one takes the DF/ACA/PA route, but then you wouldn't be close to Cholula or Oaxaca. There might only be a 2 or 3 hour travel distance when you travel DF/Oaxaca/PA. About the last day: the drive from ACA to the D.F., by car, takes anywhere from 3.5 to 4.5 hours - depending how fast you drive, and how many others are on the highway with you. Since you're not traveling during a busy holiday period, or late in the day on a Sunday (when the D.F. folk are heading home after a weekend in ACA), it's likely that you'll see few cars on the toll-road and the trip will be a good one. You'll probably want to get to the airport in the D.F. and check-in about two-hours prior to your scheduled departure . . . so think about leaving ACA around 6 a.m., just to be "safe." I think that the last-day plan is doable.
Thanks again for the info. -David
It is also the section of Zipolite at the far West end, near Shambala. It holds most of my favorite Zipolite destinations like La Choza, restaurant, bar, and rooms; Bar La Puesta, the better of the Zipolite discos (imho), and two internet cafés. Not to mention Alchemista, Emanuels, Los Hongos, and other notable spots).
Miguel Sucio
Hi Sara!
Could you tell me what is the easiest way to get in touch with you? So far, we tried with with your e-mail address ('paraiso_del_pescador@yahoo.ca') by sending you a message on the 18 th of December but we haven't received an answer yet.
We also tried to phone during the last week-end by using the two numbers for Canada (705-266-7771) and Mexico (011-52-958-583-9763) but we couldn't get through. When we tried the number in Mexico, we got a message in spanish explaining (according to a friend of ours) that the connection couldn't be made because the line wasn't either connected or in service.
My girlfriend and I are planning to spend the two last weeks of February in San Agustinillo and we would like to know how we can make a reservation with your hotel. Thanks for your cooperation.
Merry Christmas.
One afternoon while we were eating at a restaurant on the Zocolo, a young boy walked up to us and started singing some songs in Spanish. At first I was a little confused, but then I realized he was singing for a 'tip'. So, when he finsished the song, I gave him a generous tip(by "peso" standards) and then asked for "un mas". He performed again, and the reaction was great....he received quite a round of applause from the other diners....and, more importantly, tips from several tables.
I saw him later approach another table, and they quickly brushed him off before he finished the first line of the song, and he left without complaining.
So, I guess the moral of the story when dealing with children in Oaxaca is if you have NO interest in tipping them or buying anything from them, let them know immediately so you don't embarass them or waste their time. However, if you have a little extra money to spare, enjoy it and do business with them. Pocket change to many tourists goes a long way for a child in Oaxaca.
I speak a decent amount, but when I struggled the Oaxacan people seemed to be very patient and helpful. One thing I feel is important is to show a little humility about your lack of Spanish language skills. Too many tourists visit foreign countries and expect the native people to speak THEIR language (I know it sounds crazy, but it's true...I've seen it). I noticed that when I apologized for my poor Spanish, they were very grateful and more helpful....a simple "lo siento por mi Espanol" or "no hablo mucho Espanol" goes a long way.
Puerto Angel has some great sea food restaurants. I enjoyed Betos.
Puerto Angel has some great sea food restaurants. I enjoyed Betos.
Puerto Angel has some great sea food restaurants. I enjoyed Betos.
Puerto Angel has some great sea food restaurants. I enjoyed Betos.
Puerto Angel has some great sea food restaurants. I enjoyed Betos.
Ciao,
margaret.
I would greatly appreciate any information, recommendations, suggestions for apartments (or houses) in Oaxaca City for rent for up to 1 month (mid Jan. to mid Feb.). I found a few places while searching the web for ~$600 per month, but I've heard there are places to be had for less. Thanks.
Todd
Highway 175 is a great drive, go for it. Refer to
As far as driving through Texas, you can make it through alive
so long as you don't litter.
I'll post a trip report when I get back. Adios
i made a post about 3 weeks ago and john willliams provided useful insight.
here are some notes that might help....
- drive a 86' toyota land cruiser (lol...a joke, but its' beefy suspension and general over-engineered qualities proved invaluable)
- if you decide to cross at laredo, use the new, little used solidarity bridge. it is about 20 miles east of laredo and you will see signs for it about 15 minutes before you hit laredo. as a an aside, b/c gas is so expensive in mexico, i would drive all the way to brownsville and cross at matamoras.
-if crossing at nuevo laredo, head straight to monterrey and then to cd victoria and then tampico, if at matamoras, take 101 and head toward cd victoria but take a left on 80 heading toward tampico once in tampico pickup 180 heading south.
-from tampico, stay on 180 toward vera cruz....you'll pass ozuluama, cerro azul, alamo, poza rica. as you approach vera cruz you'll want to look for the road marked paso del toro, it will take you around centro vera cruz and spit you out south of the city back on 180. or, if you want to visit vera cruz, from the cenro, head toward boca del rio and it will take you out south of the city back on 180. look for signs for alvarado from there.
-at acayucan, you will pick up hgwy 185...look for matias romero on the map. 185 will hit hgwy 200 at juchitan de zaragoza. from there look for 200 to salina cruz. once in salina cruz, you take a right out of the city on 200 and immediately make a small climb to a fairly straight road. but like most roads in mexico it doesn't last long and you're driving skills will soon be tested as the last 100 miles or so to PA are mountanious and curvy. when you hit pochulta take left on 175 to PA.
-there are other routes but, having just driven it and speaking to about 5 people down there this is the most direct and the roads are ok by mexican standards. that being said, make sure you are well equipped w/numerous flashlights, spares of everything (including patience)
-please, do not take this trek lightly, it is an arduous jouney and you will see things on the road that will astound you. another note, if you're not an aggressive driver, start practicing, timidity will add an xtra 10 hours to you trip if you get stuck behind a truck.
-some practical driving tips....you will HATE toppes by the time you are done. toppes are speed bumps on steroids and are usually ill-marked and can rip out a nomalt cars suspension with ease or cause a blowout (hence all of the vulacanizadoras). almost every town has a zona de toppes...some are marked, others are not. blinkers and headlights are used to relay information in mexico b/c so much of the driving is done on 2-lane roads. if you are behind a car and they put on their left blinker, it means you have enough space to overtake that car. a right blinker, don't pass. if an oncoming car rapidly flashes its' headlights, it means there is an upcoming hazard you should be aware of. hazard lights means a rapid deacceleration. if the road you are on has a shoulder, you are expected to make use of the shoulder as a half lane if not passing. the middle of the road then becomes a "floating" 3rd passing lane. night driving isn't recommended but, b/c of late starts and holdups, i was forced to drive every night on the trip down and back up. from the border at matamoras, you can make PA in 24 hours driving time. if timed properly, you can make vera cruz the first day and PA by evening of second. of course, if possible, take a leisurely pace down there.
hope this helps a little. have a safe trip.
-christian
i made a post about 3 weeks ago and john willliams provided useful insight.
here are some notes that might help....
- drive a 86' toyota land cruiser (lol...a joke, but its' beefy suspension and general over-engineered qualities proved invaluable)
- if you decide to cross at laredo, use the new, little used solidarity bridge. it is about 20 miles east of laredo and you will see signs for it about 15 minutes before you hit laredo. as a an aside, b/c gas is so expensive in mexico, i would drive all the way to brownsville and cross at matamoras.
-if crossing at nuevo laredo, head straight to monterrey and then to cd victoria and then tampico, if at matamoras, take 101 and head toward cd victoria but take a left on 80 heading toward tampico once in tampico pickup 180 heading south.
-from tampico, stay on 180 toward vera cruz....you'll pass ozuluama, cerro azul, alamo, poza rica. as you approach vera cruz you'll want to look for the road marked paso del toro, it will take you around centro vera cruz and spit you out south of the city back on 180. or, if you want to visit vera cruz, from the cenro, head toward boca del rio and it will take you out south of the city back on 180. look for signs for alvarado from there.
-at acayucan, you will pick up hgwy 185...look for matias romero on the map. 185 will hit hgwy 200 at juchitan de zaragoza. from there look for 200 to salina cruz. once in salina cruz, you take a right out of the city on 200 and immediately make a small climb to a fairly straight road. but like most roads in mexico it doesn't last long and you're driving skills will soon be tested as the last 100 miles or so to PA are mountanious and curvy. when you hit pochulta take left on 175 to PA.
-there are other routes but, having just driven it and speaking to about 5 people down there this is the most direct and the roads are ok by mexican standards. that being said, make sure you are well equipped w/numerous flashlights, spares of everything (including patience)
-please, do not take this trek lightly, it is an arduous jouney and you will see things on the road that will astound you. another note, if you're not an aggressive driver, start practicing, timidity will add an xtra 10 hours to you trip if you get stuck behind a truck.
-some practical driving tips....you will HATE toppes by the time you are done. toppes are speed bumps on steroids and are usually ill-marked and can rip out a nomalt cars suspension with ease or cause a blowout (hence all of the vulacanizadoras). almost every town has a zona de toppes...some are marked, others are not. blinkers and headlights are used to relay information in mexico b/c so much of the driving is done on 2-lane roads. if you are behind a car and they put on their left blinker, it means you have enough space to overtake that car. a right blinker, don't pass. if an oncoming car rapidly flashes its' headlights, it means there is an upcoming hazard you should be aware of. hazard lights means a rapid deacceleration. if the road you are on has a shoulder, you are expected to make use of the shoulder as a half lane if not passing. the middle of the road then becomes a "floating" 3rd passing lane. night driving isn't recommended but, b/c of late starts and holdups, i was forced to drive every night on the trip down and back up. from the border at matamoras, you can make PA in 24 hours driving time. if timed properly, you can make vera cruz the first day and PA by evening of second. of course, if possible, take a leisurely pace down there.
hope this helps a little. have a safe trip.
-christian
i made a post about 3 weeks ago and john willliams provided useful insight.
here are some notes that might help....
- drive a 86' toyota land cruiser (lol...a joke, but its' beefy suspension and general over-engineered qualities proved invaluable)
- if you decide to cross at laredo, use the new, little used solidarity bridge. it is about 20 miles east of laredo and you will see signs for it about 15 minutes before you hit laredo. as a an aside, b/c gas is so expensive in mexico, i would drive all the way to brownsville and cross at matamoras.
-if crossing at nuevo laredo, head straight to monterrey and then to cd victoria and then tampico, if at matamoras, take 101 and head toward cd victoria but take a left on 80 heading toward tampico once in tampico pickup 180 heading south.
-from tampico, stay on 180 toward vera cruz....you'll pass ozuluama, cerro azul, alamo, poza rica. as you approach vera cruz you'll want to look for the road marked paso del toro, it will take you around centro vera cruz and spit you out south of the city back on 180. or, if you want to visit vera cruz, from the cenro, head toward boca del rio and it will take you out south of the city back on 180. look for signs for alvarado from there.
-at acayucan, you will pick up hgwy 185...look for matias romero on the map. 185 will hit hgwy 200 at juchitan de zaragoza. from there look for 200 to salina cruz. once in salina cruz, you take a right out of the city on 200 and immediately make a small climb to a fairly straight road. but like most roads in mexico it doesn't last long and you're driving skills will soon be tested as the last 100 miles or so to PA are mountanious and curvy. when you hit pochulta take left on 175 to PA.
-there are other routes but, having just driven it and speaking to about 5 people down there this is the most direct and the roads are ok by mexican standards. that being said, make sure you are well equipped w/numerous flashlights, spares of everything (including patience)
-please, do not take this trek lightly, it is an arduous jouney and you will see things on the road that will astound you. another note, if you're not an aggressive driver, start practicing, timidity will add an xtra 10 hours to you trip if you get stuck behind a truck.
i made a post about 3 weeks ago and john willliams provided useful insight.
here are some notes that might help....
- drive a 86' toyota land cruiser (lol...a joke, but its' beefy suspension and general over-engineered qualities proved invaluable)
- if you decide to cross at laredo, use the new, little used solidarity bridge. it is about 20 miles east of laredo and you will see signs for it about 15 minutes before you hit laredo. as a an aside, b/c gas is so expensive in mexico, i would drive all the way to brownsville and cross at matamoras.
-if crossing at nuevo laredo, head straight to monterrey and then to cd victoria and then tampico, if at matamoras, take 101 and head toward cd victoria but take a left on 80 heading toward tampico once in tampico pickup 180 heading south.
-from tampico, stay on 180 toward vera cruz....you'll pass ozuluama, cerro azul, alamo, poza rica. as you approach vera cruz you'll want to look for the road marked paso del toro, it will take you around centro vera cruz and spit you out south of the city back on 180. or, if you want to visit vera cruz, from the cenro, head toward boca del rio and it will take you out south of the city back on 180. look for signs for alvarado from there.
-at acayucan, you will pick up hgwy 185...look for matias romero on the map. 185 will hit hgwy 200 at juchitan de zaragoza. from there look for 200 to salina cruz. once in salina cruz, you take a right out of the city on 200 and immediately make a small climb to a fairly straight road. but like most roads in mexico it doesn't last long and you're driving skills will soon be tested as the last 100 miles or so to PA are mountanious and curvy. when you hit pochulta take left on 175 to PA.
-there are other routes but, having just driven it and speaking to about 5 people down there this is the most direct and the roads are ok by mexican standards. that being said, make sure you are well equipped w/numerous flashlights, spares of everything (including patience)
-please, do not take this trek lightly, it is an arduous jouney and you will see things on the road that will astound you. another note, if you're not an aggressive driver, start practicing, timidity will add an xtra 10 hours to you trip if you get stuck behind a truck.
-some practical driving tips....you will HATE toppes by the time you are done. toppes are speed bumps on steroids and are usually ill-marked and can rip out a nomalt cars suspension with ease or cause a blowout (hence all of the vulacanizadoras). almost every town has a zona de toppes...some are marked, others are not. blinkers and headlights are used to relay information in mexico b/c so much of the driving is done on 2-lane roads. if you are behind a car and they put on their left blinker, it means you have enough space to overtake that car. a right blinker, don't pass. if an oncoming car rapidly flashes its' headlights, it means there is an upcoming hazard you should be aware of. hazard lights means a rapid deacceleration. if the road you are on has a shoulder, you are expected to make use of the shoulder as a half lane if not passing. the middle of the road then becomes a "floating" 3rd passing lane. night driving isn't recommended but, b/c of late starts and holdups, i was forced to drive every night on the trip down and back up. from the border at matamoras, you can make PA in 24 hours driving time. if timed properly, you can make vera cruz the first day and PA by evening of second. of course, if possible, take a leisurely pace down there.
hope this helps a little. have a safe trip.
-christian
i made a post about 3 weeks ago and john willliams provided useful insight.
here are some notes that might help....
i made a post about 3 weeks ago and john willliams provided useful insight.
here are some notes that might help....
- drive a 86' toyota land cruiser (lol...a joke, but its' beefy suspension and general over-engineered qualities proved invaluable)
- if you decide to cross at laredo, use the new, little used solidarity bridge. it is about 20 miles east of laredo and you will see signs for it about 15 minutes before you hit laredo. as a an aside, b/c gas is so expensive in mexico, i would drive all the way to brownsville and cross at matamoras.
-if crossing at nuevo laredo, head straight to monterrey and then to cd victoria and then tampico, if at matamoras, take 101 and head toward cd victoria but take a left on 80 heading toward tampico once in tampico pickup 180 heading south.
-from tampico, stay on 180 toward vera cruz....you'll pass ozuluama, cerro azul, alamo, poza rica. as you approach vera cruz you'll want to look for the road marked paso del toro, it will take you around centro vera cruz and spit you out south of the city back on 180. or, if you want to visit vera cruz, from the cenro, head toward boca del rio and it will take you out south of the city back on 180. look for signs for alvarado from there.
-at acayucan, you will pick up hgwy 185...look for matias romero on the map. 185 will hit hgwy 200 at juchitan de zaragoza. from there look for 200 to salina cruz. once in salina cruz, you take a right out of the city on 200 and immediately make a small climb to a fairly straight road. but like most roads in mexico it doesn't last long and you're driving skills will soon be tested as the last 100 miles or so to PA are mountanious and curvy. when you hit pochulta take left on 175 to PA.
-there are other routes but, having just driven it and speaking to about 5 people down there this is the most direct and the roads are ok by mexican standards. that being said, make sure you are well equipped w/numerous flashlights, spares of everything (including patience)
-please, do not take this trek lightly, it is an arduous jouney and you will see things on the road that will astound you. another note, if you're not an aggressive driver, start practicing, timidity will add an xtra 10 hours to you trip if you get stuck behind a truck.
-some practical driving tips....you will HATE toppes by the time you are done. toppes are speed bumps on steroids and are usually ill-marked and can rip out a nomalt cars suspension with ease or cause a blowout (hence all of the vulacanizadoras). almost every town has a zona de toppes...some are marked, others are not. blinkers and headlights are used to relay information in mexico b/c so much of the driving is done on 2-lane roads. if you are behind a car and they put on their left blinker, it means you have enough space to overtake that car. a right blinker, don't pass. if an oncoming car rapidly flashes its' headlights, it means there is an upcoming hazard you should be aware of. hazard lights means a rapid deacceleration. if the road you are on has a shoulder, you are expected to make use of the shoulder as a half lane if not passing. the middle of the road then becomes a "floating" 3rd passing lane. night driving isn't recommended but, b/c of late starts and holdups, i was forced to drive every night on the trip down and back up. from the border at matamoras, you can make PA in 24 hours driving time. if timed properly, you can make vera cruz the first day and PA by evening of second. of course, if possible, take a leisurely pace down there.
hope this helps a little. have a safe trip.
-christian
2) Ever hear the universal adage, take half the clothes and twice the money you think you'll need?
3) Take along a few cheap toys and be generous with the children you meet.
4) Listen to what the locals suggest. If you get invited to a party - especially a quincenero - GO!
5) Visit some of the smaller places inland. I LOVE Santa Maria Huatulco, Chacalapa, Rio Tonameca, La Ventanilla, San Augustinillo...
6) Bottled water only.
7) If you eat street food, only buy from vendors where the person handling the food and the person taking the money are NOT the same person.
8) Wash your hands before eating. Wash your hands after eating. Wash your hands any other time you have the oportunity. Especially, wash your hands between handling money and eating.
9) Free flow. Battle plans and travel plans rarely survive first contact with the enemy or with the new culture. Don't stress when the plans fall apart; just go with the flow.
10) Don't take anything to the beach that you can't affoard to lose.
11) ENJOY!
I"m going to stay in Puerto Angel for 3 days and then I need to get to Mexico City. What is the best way that is economical? Is there maybe a scenic bus that goes up the coast line?
Thanks,
Maggie
I'm currently based in MC and I'm planning to drive to PA.
I understand there are two options;
1) Via Acapulco
2) Via Oaxaca
Any suggestions on the best option (with small kids in the car...) ?
Feed-back is highly appreciated.
Mischa
I'm currently based in MC and I'm planning to drive to PA.
I understand there are two options;
1) Via Acapulco
2) Via Oaxaca
Any suggestions on the best option (with small kids in the car...) ?
Feed-back is highly appreciated.
Mischa
Thanks,
Susan
see
Tom
Thanks,
Susan
Thanks.
Will
thanks for your help!
contact Ivan Wastchenko at bahia-de-la-luna@usa.net Best thing I've seen in the area.
contact Ivan Wastchenko at bahia-de-la-luna@usa.net Best thing I've seen in the area.
nuff said.
gg
just east of San Antonio.
gg
Do I read you correctly in that the preferred route is MC - Oaxaca - Salina Cruz - Pochutla - PA, but not via Hwy 175 from Oaxaca to Pocutla.
What would be the alternative route from Oaxaca to Pochutla ?
Best regards
Mischa
In total 4 adults and 7 kids ranging from 1 year to 13.
Looking forward to your suggestions !
Mischa
We stayed at Cordelia's for ten days last Feb. The rooms are spacious, white tile floors, have large patio doors and a nice balcony overlooking the bay. Its' a nice location. I could live there for months like the elderly couple in the room next to us were doing. The beach is right out the door if you want to take an early morning dip, snorkel or even swim across to the other side of the village. My husband was fishing on the rocks out in front every dawn. There is a nice restaurant downstairs with lively parrots that will wake you in the morn and also the palapa on the beach. Cordelia's is the white building with arched balconies you see straight across the bay from the pier in town. Ask for Cordelia's son Chepe if you can't speak Spanish and he'll make any arrangements for you. If you have a car, they will make a parking spot for you...everyone seems to know its yours and won't even use it. Our room cost $20 a night since it was slow tourist-wise.
I looked all week for Canon Devata and never did find it. I believe the proprietor is an artist and I really wanted to see his paintings. Anyone know where he's located? I'm sure I was really near.
Penelope's Bed and Breakfast is also very nice. The owner, Patricia is a lovely lady. Her place is on a hill and has more of garden atmosphere.
We checked out several places and all were nice but Cordelia's had the best view of the bay.
Thank you,
Susan
I would suggest to have a look at the Posada Canon Devata. The hotel has buildings - one called El Cielo. That building has two doubles, a single and a large family unit - with four our more large beds. The only downside is that El Cielo (the sky) is at the top of the canon - but the view is spectacular and the the roof top terrace is a great place to spend the evening.
Thank you
Rachael
Ana and Geoff are great - the hotel is beautiful and cheap.
Ana used to be a caterer in the states, so the restaurant there is one of the best in town.
There are 12 cats now (rescued) but they are sweet and I think they add to the charm of the place.
John
Were you going along to fish or to help the fishermen? Just going along for the ride? Please tell me more. Can't wait to hear. With any luck I'll be there myself in just a few weeks.
Scott
I consider spending two weeks at PA at the beginning of August with my wife and our 1 year-old daughter.
Is the weather ok at that period ? Is the place crowded ?
Is it safe for babies ? (doctors, food...)
Do some of you have some idea of a relatively budget place to stay that would be really close to a pleasant beach ?
Thanks for the information on Communal property. I'll be in Puerto Angel the end of this month & will be sure to meet with an attorney.
Medical care in Mexico is superb. There is a clinic in Puerto Angel and a good hospital in Pochutla.
Places to stay? Penelope's, Buena Vista, Cordelias, any of several cases de huspédes - depends on for what you're looking. Go and decide when you get there.
On my return trip at the end of December there was the same two inspections, plus one visit by police officials. The officers were very respectful of the passanger, mostly women and children, on the bus.
On booth trips the driver gave us enough time at one of the stops to get off and quickly visit a food stand, where we picked up lunch to go!
The driver at all times seemed to adhere to the speed restrictions and I felt very comfortable - and we arrived in Mexico City on time.
I give a very high score of 9.9.
It is not a 10 because of the very violent American movie (Black Hawk Down) that were shown on the monitor - not a good idea with all the kids on board. Luckily, most of the kids were too young to read the captions so the just slept through the whole trip.
The owners, Jeffrey and Ana, are gracious, accomodating, honest, and thoroughly hospitable to all your needs. The hotel itself is much more than a comfortable place to sleep-although it is certainly that as well. The rooms are solid, clean, tastefully decorated and provide all the comforts one would want in this village. The restaurant has the best food and drink I've had in Mexico and is surrounded by a lush and serene garden. The other empoyees at the hotel are trustworthy and hard-working; they add to the charm and personality of the establishment.
I can say nothing bad about the Posada; it is a gem of a hotel run by amazing people, in a amazing gem of the world, San Agustinillo.
I remember it being quite a problem back then.
Victor, the owner of the Dublin Cafe in La Crucecita took a bunch of photos of the area with a VERY nice camera. He can probably be contacted on the Huatulco board if you want copies.
Thanks,
Terri
While Playa Zicatela is known for world class, big waves, La Punta has rolling, long waves ideal for learning. A couple of sites:
http://www.mexicanpipeline.com/
http://www.centralsurfshop.com/
I'm looking for infos about the Rancho Cerro Largo in San Agustinillo. Have anybody stayed at that place lately? How was it? Are there weekly, monthly rates? My girlfriend and I will be in San Agustinillo from the 14th till the 28th of February. We tried to contact them by e-mail ('ranchocerrolargomx@yahoo.com') a couple of times but it didn't get through. Couldn't find a phone number on the web and in the travel guides either. Thanks in advance for your replies.
does any one know how to get ahold of Hubert? He's a wonderful german living in Puerto Angel?
A friend of mine recalled a visit a while back to Puerto Angel, and the excellent stay he had at a certain hotel. He can not remember the name of the place but thinks it was owned by a family named Jalil. Does anybody know the name of this hotel and what is a phone number for it? Thank you for your help.
Check us out if you come to PE.
I happen to have one of his business cards right here on my desk.
it call Hotel angel del mar . the location of it is playa panteon .Dont have the phone # . good luck.
I'm planning on visiting PA/Zipolite/or surrounding areas the 1st week of Nov with my wife. As an Oregon surfer I'd love advice on where I can spend some time in the water while my better half is enjoying herself elsewhere. I'm a relatively new board surfer (I do a lot of wave skiing) so I'm thinking Puerto Escondido, and the Zicatela beach break are a little much (specifically w/ the med conditions and surfing solo...) So I'm looking for any info/advice:
I will be driving from Cuidad Oaxaca to Puerto Angel (actually Mazunte) and back in December and am wondering which of the two main highways is faster. I drove hwy 175 many years ago and remember it as a beautiful, but slow road. I plan on driving it again on our way down to the coast. But for our return trip to Oaxaca to catch our plane I will want to take the fastest way. Any advice?
Yeah, it's faster to go through Salina Cruz. But not as pretty.
Board rentals are usually available at Zipolite. Ask your host or ask a lifegaurd; either should know where to find one.
Boards are readily available in PE, check http://centralsurfshop.com/ for ideas&info. In PE the east end of Playa Zicatela, an area called La Punta, has milder waves and is reportedly a good spot for beginners. (I'm not a surfer myself but that's what I read and it's where surfing instruction takes place. There are some good aerial photos of Puerto beaches that I can't find the link to at the moment, but will post in a separate response.) Also Playa Carrizalillo in PE reportedly is good for newbies, I've watched surfers there in what looked like pretty reasonable conditions. PE & Zip are pretty close, half hour or less by cab. Sorry, can't tell you much about surfing in Zip.
Here's the link to the aerial beach photos
Hubert recently moved to Pto Angel from his previous place outside Pochutla. The address - apt #42 - is a good one. No phone or email, however.
Dear Mr. Becerra:
Hi Guys:
Hello! I spent about 5 days in the wonderful Puerto Angel and I'm looking for the address or email address for Villa Florencia or for the local liason Jerro Jimone (sp?) Any ideas would be fantastic as I'm looking to connect with him and send along appreciation for the local vibe. Many Thanks! Liza
I have used them several times over the years and everything went smoothly.
I can not say enough good things about Vista World Travel. The service is great and I have used them several times without any glitches. Gene, the owner is a stand up guy who is a man of his word. He for sure will go the extra mile and bend over backwards for you to insure your trip goes off smoothly.
I did my flight bookings for Puerto last year (3 legs each way) with them and they were great. I live in St. Paul and would use them again.
To everyone who responded:
My husband and I are planning a trip to PA in January. Any suggestions from those who have visited recently on places to stay, eat, visit, etc. Reading the postings from Lexi and SF, we are interested in hearing how their trips went. The Buena Vista looks like a good place or any other suggestions on places to stay?
Hi again. I'm home from my trip and wanted to report back that we ended up staying at the Buena Vista hotel. It was a nice setting but the (very young) staff was a bit surly. I don't know if anyone else has had this experience. We found the same vibe at the sister hotel Alta Mira in Mazunte. Maybe it's an off-season thing, but it really put us off.
Hi karen, if you are interested, i own a very nice house in Puerto Angel, next to the light house.
SF
SF
SF
Sf, Glad to hear you enjoyed Puerto Angel.
Anyone else interested in chartering a flight from Huatulco/Pto. Escondido to Tuxtla Gutierrez on Sat. March 1st, just in time to see San Cristobal de las Casas at the height of Carnaval (aka Mayan New Year)?
Must be nice to be wealthy!!
Not wealthy, Zoe (Ojala!), probably just naive.... :-)
I understand..lol..I love San Cristobal as well. It's always hard to decide where to go in Mexico if you have limited time and budget...distances can be prohibitive..and having done a few overnight bus trips there can understand your friends' feelings..though buses there most newcomers are surprised to learn are quite comfortable if a bit chilly..far nicer than our own.
Hi everyone. I've got some info on a new high speed internet service, mainly meant for small to mid sized companies who need speed. Maybe some of you work at home people might be interested as well, especially if you are in an area with poor (or no) telephone service? I, for one, am fed up with the slow and unreliable dial-up systems now in use in Mexico, like Prodigy for example. So, I thought I'd let you all know. A guy from the states does the install, etc. I posted this on some of the other tomzap sites as well, to let as many people as possible know about it. Maybe if more of us sign up, the price can come down.
We are planning to fly to Mexico City and then take a bus to Oaxaca, then a bus to Puerto Angel for a week or two. I am thinking of then taking the bus to Acapulco to fly back to Seattle. We need to fly out of Mexico City or Acapulco because we have to fly on Continental Airlines. Are there any interesting towns along the way to Acapulco to break up our trip? There doesn't seem to be any info in guidebooks.
On the Visitors' Comments page, you'll find a link to some older posts on Santiago Jamiltepec. Read them. Of course, there's also Pinotepa Nacional. Not to mention Puerto Escondido. And as you travel through the countryside, you'll see some round grass huts in a couple of isolated areas. This is a fascinating Afro-Mexican culture in the Costa Chica. Worth a stop, but noplace to overnight nearby. Hey, anyplace you stop will have people worth meeting and cultures worth exploring...
AV. PRINCIPAL
I am looking for a buildable oceanview site near Pto Angel(preferably) or Huatulco or Pto. Escondido. Anyone know of any available spots? Must have clear title. When does Fonatur auction off property?
hi Royce
We were quite puzzled after reading Jane's comment, our prices are $10.00 us dollars in the off season $25.00 us dollars from nov 15 to jan 15 for a double room with two matrimonial beds, ceiling fan, mosquito net over the bed and in the windows, some of the rooms are $30.00 dollars, but they have a kitchenette. The only add-on-payment is for purified water, if you request it and for laundry service, we do not have any add-on-charges! The statement that we are the most expensive on the coast is incorrect, to say the least.Ten to thirty dollars a night can hardly be considered expensive...you can no longer live in Mexico for a dollar a day!. So far most of our customers have expressed that we are a great value and wonder why we don't charge more!.In fact a lot of our guests keep coming back every season for that reason. Sorry you weren't happy Jane.
I am looking for info on 2 things:
did anyone drive on hwy 200 from Acapulco to Puerto Angel? What's it like?
Seems like I've seen kids with hand lines on nearly every accessible rock at one time or another. The most successful I've seen was fishing the rocks at La Tijerra.
8 hours of desert. Lots of Topes. Do not drive at night. I would recommend starting in the morning or stoping for a hotel if you leaving from the ACA airport in the pm. Pino National(sp?) is about three hours south of the airport. The airport is about 30 minutes south of Acapulco. Do not drive at night. There is a nice looking hotel in the middle of nowhere with a great mountain view about an hour south of Pino. It's called Rancho Vista or something. Bien Viaje.
What is Topes? Thank you for your responce. We are thinking of doing that route in 2 days, stopping to swin on small beaches and maybe camping? Do you think it is safe to camp out on a beach?
What are the best diving sites at Oaxaca Coast in November for big fish (mantas, hammerheads, dolphins...)?
Large house to rent. 5 bedrooms,5 bathrooms. Air conditionned. very large opened living room with a fantatic view direct on the ocean.
Hello,
La Paz is Sea of Cortez, not the Gulf. Tuxpan and Vera Cruz are Gulf Coast, and offer better diving than either Pacific Ocean locale. But it does lack the people, terrain, and ambiance that make the Oaxacan coast the best overall destination. (Why do I rank Gulf diving better? Tongue and groove coral and lots and lots of it. Some walls. Clearer water, even if you have to get under a dirty layer to get to it.)
Tope means spead bump on steroids, rarely well marked. Beaches between Acapulco and Puerto Escondido require a LONG drive off the road, usually through choking dust, so make sure the air conditioner works. Camping. Hmmm. Don't think I would. Hammock in a palapa would be a different story. No palapa? Got a mean dog?
Hi, Nancy
Hola Kate Kelley!
Hi everyone,
I've hear mixed things about night bus safety. On a scale of 1 (totally safe) to 10 (rampant robbery) how would you rate the night buses between Puerto Angel and Oaxacao?
PA to Oaxaca 1st class, 8.5. 2nd class, 7.
In general, I feel a lot safer (not to mention more comfortable) on Mexican buses than American. I have taken buses all over the country, many overnight rides and have felt perfectly safe travelling often as a single woman. When I was younger I got some come-ons, but they were very avoidable, but that's about it. I almost always take first class buses and the only warnings I need give are: 1) take a blanket and wear socks even in hot summer weather...they keep them cold!! and 2) It's common sense to not leave your valuables exposed when you're sleeping.
Hello Friends and Fellow Travellers,
I looked at the website, good photos of the place. Care to share with us the rates for the upcoming season? Thanks.
Hi Bill,
Greetings, I don't know about the local airlines today but in the late 80's I used to "winter" from Florida in southern Mexico and traveled everywhere.... I did the bus-trip from SC/ Tuxla to Hualtulco/PA once.........won't do it again! There used to be a local commercial airline that made the trip in a twin engine 6 seater that I used to use. It must still be around for folks that don't want that bus-trip.
Hi Ruthe.......you wouldn't happen to be a Doctor would you?
Has anyone stayed at Penelope's Guest House? Bruce Whipperman's Oaxaca book describes it as friendly, quiet and comfortable and quotes a price around $US22 per double. We plan on being there in late February. The location sounds like it would be near the Posada Canon Devata. Any comments appreciated.
Thanks John for your good advises!
Hubert recently moved from outside Pochutla to Pto Angel...should be living near the "downtown" area above the wharf. Look for a blue Willys pickup with camper shell...if you have not already contacted him.
Rather than visit the dive shops in downtown Vera Cruz, drive out to Anton Lizardo, out past Boca del Rio (where cooking estillo Veracruzano started), There are two shops in Anton Lizardo; at one time, both belonged to Capitan Gabriel Serrano who taught Scuba at the Mexican Naval Academy, also in Anton Lizardo. IF he or his son still are connected to the business, I assure you that they know the sites far better than I. Though I could tell some stories...
Hi Francoise
We are looking for an ocean front land in ( or near )Puerto Angel.Any suggestions?
I hope to be headed your way in late Feb. or early March and was wondering about the transportation you mentioned to and from Huatulco airport. Could you tell me more? How much, how often, what type, etc. Thanks Scott
Sara's on the road from Canada right now and probably won't be able to answer for a week. Here's an educated guess: six rooms. Owner has car . Reasonable working hypothosis: An owner or employee will be holding a sign up for you in the terminal when you arrive. Having tried to run businesses in this part of Mexico, there are several universals. You always need something that you can't get any closer than Pochutla, if you can get it that close. Patience in waiting for a delivery is in inverse porportion to the desparation of your need for the item. There is a reason that "ahorrita" (idiomatically meaning "right away") is considered one of the three great lies. Pochutla's already half way to the airport. So there's always a need that will roughly correspond to your arrival time. I could easily be wrong about such logistics but I bet they'll tell you if I am when they get off the road!
What are the chances to find accommodation in Puerto Angel during Xmas and New Year's Eve without making a reservation in advance?
Be prepared to spend a night, maybe two, in a hammock while you wait for a room to vacate. And there's ALWAYS a hammock to rent on Zipolite! Get there, start checking hotels and guest houses. Try the little ones a little harder to find. Los Alamendres, a favorit of mine, is right next to Villa Florenci but is kinda tucked in back from the road, so hard to find. Walk up the hill behind Hotel Soraya. There's a couple of Casas de Huespedes back there with decent views. Here's an idea: go to the basketbal court by the pier. Give ten pesos to some 10 year old kid and tell him he gets 50 pesos more if he can find you a hotel room. Then walk over to the big yellow restaurant there by the pier; order a tuna salad (NOT what you expect; the fish was swimming yesterday, not living in a can) and una jarra de limonada. By the time you finish your limeade, you'll have a hotel room. Caveat: you may not LIKE the room, but you will have one!
Penelope's is a clean, comfortable place run by a nice lady (Penelope). The view overlloks the Pto Angel beaches. She shops daily for food and will fix what you like.
I don't know the route number, but there is only one road Oaxaca-Pto Angel, which takes you over the 3 mountain ranges, through San Jose del Pacifico and Pochutla. It's a beautiful drive, but allow at least 6 hours.
Highway 175. Plan a stop in San Jose del Pacifico.
Greg
Sara, thanks for the price information. Best of luck!
bonjour francoise ...
Sara,
She's probably still on the road. It sounded like they planned to take their time, as should anyone doing Mexico by private auto. Sure is lots and lots to see twixt La Frontera and the Costa Esmeralda...
hello there,
how much?
how much?
Hey MT Pockets,
va au coco loco se qu'il disent de lui sur se site est n'importe quoi .
Cordelia's is on Playa Panteon, named after the graveyard ("Panteon") visible above the beach.
Hola John,
JoAnn
How difficult is it to get to Toronto for WI? There a number of last minute week long deals at resorts places like Dominican for around $700 - $800 cdn - all inclusive. That would be about $1.50 US. Okay seriously, around $500US.
My self and partner are planning our first trip to Puerto Escondido from 20th Dec (4 weeks total) and will be looking for reasonable clean and quiet digs initially for first week over Christmas New Years. Any recommendations, prices, places to check out would be a great help along with email address/tel nos. We'll make our own plans after New Year as we work either up or down the coast. Many many thanks. Px
Hi there I will be traveling from Oaxaca City to Puerto Angel for the first time. I love OC and want to explore the coast. I am looking for a nice, romantic cabana right on the beach, any suggestions? Thanks so much.
It was a long trip but we finally made it! It is always an adventure driving thru Mexico. Thank you John for everything! As for the hotel, we are open and ready for business. The email is working fine and we are checking it as often as we are able to. As for the transportation, we are able to pick up and drop off people (who are staying at our hotel) at the Huatulco airport. We will only be going to the airport when it is requested. If there are any questions, please email us at paraiso_del_pescador@yahoo.ca
I'm looking for something long-term that is available immediately. But I am on a local salary, so I don't have a lot to spend. Could you please send more details? Thanks.
MT Pockets, you have a great trip planned! Aw, Beto's...I had the best garlic tuna there! Say, are you talking about the Dominican Republic that has the deal?
Go to Zipolite and get naked! That's romantic!
Yikes! - does anyone else out there agree that this is not a typical Dominican Republic experience, or have I always just been extraordinarily lucky on trips to the D.R.? Out of curiosity, have you been to Cuba within the last seven years?
Hi Im looking for a place to stay in mid feb. I would like ot stay close to the beach and in a cabana. Has anyone stayed here? Thanks.
Sara, I think my story would really annoy the Apple Vacation people the way DR is being promoted. Sorry everyone ,remember its just one opinion. Actually, I think the northern coast towns and resorts would be rather nice. Looked like it was popular for golfing. I only touched down at the airport there but it looked nice from the air. People sailing through the winter tell me they anchor in Cuba and its one of the most beautiful ports. Can't fly there from the US though.
Hi JoAnne
Cannot seem to get your website. Is paraiso-del-pescador.com correct? Thank you Kate Kelley
I used to sell travel for American Airlines Vacations and sold a lot of Dominican Republic. It'd be great for the people who go to an All-Inclusive like those at Tangolunda and stay drunk and on-property for the whole trip. If you want cross cultural experiences, this is not the place. There ARE other friendly warm-weather destinations other than Mexico; I love Caye Caulker in Belize; I also enjoy St Croix; Costa Rica is a beautiful place to be; the Bay Islands of Honduras can make for a remarkable experience...
how much?
Glad you got there in one piece, Sara. Now are you going to do a write-up on the trip or what? Come on, we're DYING to share the adventure vicariously!
Bit of a sweeping statement there! While it is true that the D.R. offers an abundance of AI resorts, not everyone feels obliged to drink their faces off all week. People do that anywhere,if that is their inclination. There are a lot of Canadians and Europeans who own or rent properties and winter in the Dominican, as they do in Mexico - Sosua was a haven for Jewish refugees in the second World War, and has a thriving synagogue, and Jewish community. There are also many alternatives accomodation- wise, as anyplace else. It is true that there is an awful lot of poverty, but things are improving - I notice differences every time I go back. I can honestly say that we have always felt entirely comfortable wandering around little towns and villages freely, using common sense and caution, the way we would anyplace, and there all kinds of things to do, other than drink! Yes,we have had items stolen from the beach, and occasionally from our room or balcony - since it was a stuffed toy animal that disappeared from our room, we couldn't get too distressed about it - good opportunity for a" have and have nots" chat with the kids. Things don't operate as well in the D.R. as they do in Mexico, and service levels are not as high, for sure; but I have an affection for the place and the people, and don't like to see it written off . For those travelling on $Cdn, it is extremely affordable - St Croix, on the other hand, is not! If you are looking for an alternative to the AI scene, Cabarete{a Mecca for windsurfers internationally and home of a Mistral windsurfing school} is a great little spot. I suppose this is the wrong board for this, but I didn't start it! Peace and love.
Does anyone know if there are any good areas to fish from the beach or rocks in Zipolite or Puerto Angel?
I'm really sorry to have painted such a bad picture of DR. The island is beautiful but John is correct in pointing out that this is not the place for cross culture experiences or mingling with the people. I'm sure glad I didn't go to Haiti as first planned!
Playa La Tijera has a nice reef nearshore; you can catch just about anything on the reef. Take a fly rod and prepare to be amazed at the action. Make it an old flyu rig as something bigger than expected COULD take it away from you...
Hesitate to post on this as I haven't been to DR but in Toronto newspapers, over the last 10 years there have been numerous reports of rapes and murders of Canadian tourists staying there. In several cases these happened in the rooms of the resorts they were staying at as well as in (I believe) condos (time share??). In one case, the murder of a family of 3 (F,M,&child) in their room , in a room invasion robbery. I hesitate to imagine how much worse it must be OFF the property or in places without security on site (for what that's worth!). Left me with the impression that I wouldn't go there regardless of price. Have never considered such situation anywhere I been in Mexico, though occassionally have got myself into rather trickey situations wandering all over as I am wont to do. I worried more about Fedrales than people I would meet in the streets! :-}
Numerous? - hmmm. I think maybe that comes down to statistics - given the enormously high volume of tourist arrivals into the Dominican Republic, I believe the highest of all the Caribbean islands, it makes sense that there will be more cases of crime against visitors. Not to say it doesn't have problems, but a helluva lot of people return in one piece, and return again year after year. Remember,a couple of years ago,that nasty murder of a teenage girl in civilised and genteel Bermuda, of all places? Or that kid that got shot on his March break school trip to Florida? How about the murder of a young girl in the bathroom of the Holiday Inn in Curacao? A close friend of mine was raped on the beach, right in front of Club Maeva in Manzanillo just last spring - didn't report it, so didn't hit the Toronto Star.And don't get me started on Jamaica, even though I love the place! I do understand where you are coming from though.
John,
The snorkeling is superb. Beach is very limited. And there's no commercial activity whatsoever. Actually, access by boat is FAR easier than by car or foot. But if you've got a rental VW bug, go for it!
John, you told me to go here, remember. It is the most spectacular bay but the drive in gets pretty hairy, especially since there is absolutely no one around to help if you have car trouble. Last February, the last stretch was washed out road that hugged the cliff and the bottom of our car was scraping rocks. It was over 100 degrees the day we were there, had only a quart of water along, knew we wouldn't be able to walk out if the car broke down (it's a long way in ) not to mention getting by a pack of unfriendly dogs that were guarding something. Don't you think it would be safer for Joan to either go by boat or go in with two vehicles? It's such a gorgeous bay but hard to relax and enjoy if you're not sure you're going to make it out.
Well, JoAnn, I've actually walked from El Crucero - where 175 and 200 meet. Of course, that was while I was LIVING down there, walking everywhere, and in pretty darned good shape. The condition of the "road" varies from year to year but is never great. Maybe hiring a boat is the very best way to do it...
Where is this place?
Check the map on the site. The beach is marked. The road is not. It takes off from Hiway 200 just east of Hiway 175, next to Bar La Tijera, which is certainly NOT a place for your typical tourist!
Thanks for the good advice and information.
Thanks for the information about surf casting! What type of fish can be caught from Playa La Tijera?
The bar is just a local bar by the turn-off. The place is a near-shore reef with the typical cast of reef characters: small grouper, various snappers, sheepshead, and so forth. It's a fantastic snorkel with more coral than is typical on this coast. Careful what you touch, though, I've seen at least three species of scorpion fish here and in some numbers.
Wow John, that is one long walk from La Crucero! I could never have made it in the 100° heat during the week I was there. But then again, Americans don't walk that much either. My husband went into the La Tijera Bar to make sure we were taking the right road. I think the place was empty except for the cute little gal that gave him directions. If I remember right the drive through the mountains to the bay took about an hour....didn't see a soul...just the pack of guard dogs and some donkey tracks. I'm sure glad I didn't know about these scorpion fish while I was there thrashing about in the waves. I'll have to read up about them, I'm rather naive about sea creatures. A Portugese Man of War floated past me in the water off Caye Caulker and I reached out to touch his sparkling threads. Sure glad I missed! Have a feeling that gg and TunaTaco are going to be visiting La Tijera real soon, eh?
Thrashing in the waves, you were in no danger from the scorpion fish. They tend to be sessile on the reef, pretending to be a chunk of rock or coral. It's when you snorkel or scuba on the reef that you have to watch your hand placement!
Thanks...
Perhaps five? Less than ten, for sure. Much closer by boat. There's always a launch available cheap.
Best to just "charter" one of the local small-boat fisherman. For example, Byron on Playa Panteon will take you there and back for about $20. It's about a 15-20 minute boat trip from Pto Angel if I remember correctly (2 yrs ago now..)
Can anyone suggest a good pawn shop in Puerto Angel for fishing gear?
just a thought...but unless you are going here alone, i would think you may enjoy spending quality time with your traveling companion than worrying about where to find fishing gear.
I meant to hit the pawn shop in your home town and bring the gear with you. There's very little equipment available on the Oaxacan coast.
Hey TunaTaco,
Sarah Vigh, where is San Aguistinillo in relation to Puerto Angel? I'm always looking for a good lower priced hotel in the area.
My travel companion sleeps until noon. Have to find something to do in the morning.
"Oceanfront" and "view" properties are available, and I think that the best way to find them is to spend some time in the area, have a look around, find some specific areas you think you'd be comfortable living at (and which are indeed buildable w/utilities, etc.), and get to know some of the locals. Most of what's "available" will be discovered by word-of-mouth from the locals. It's not like you can just walk into a real estate office and ask to see the listing of all properties available. If you're unfamiliar with the area, I wouldn't buy something without first having made several "familiarization" trips, during which I had spent an extended period of time. What seems like heaven while on vacation can easily become a living hell when the place becomes a home, or second home.
Let us know how things wentwhen you get back. My wife doesn't sleep quite until noon, but I'm usually looking for something to do in the mornings myself. Fishing sounds great.
Even if you blow off the advice about buying some cheap used gear in the US and taking it on a one-way trip down, DON'T ignore the advice about taking along a spool of the stoutest line you can find. 100lb test line is about the best gift you could give a panga fisherman! But seriously, a good used rod and reel would be easy to carry and a great thing with which to barter. Take a cheap fly rig for popping around the rocks. It'd all fit in a single long box and it would be allowed baggage per IBAGS regulations.
Bob, San Augustinillo is the next community past Zipolite on the coastal road from Puerto Angel. It's just before you get to Mazunte. Zipolite and Mazunte are an easy walk from San Augustinillo while Puerto Angel is a doable walk. here are plenty of taxis and if you take a "collectivo", the price is low. Check the maps provided on this website to get oriented. Just click on Main Menu and then maps...
Two families (4 adults; 5 boys 8-18) are planning a visit to the Oaxaca coast in late June early July. What do you charge for a one-week stay?
The original poster requested that you email her directly; she may not get to this site very often, given the eccentricities of the internet in PA. Just click on her name after the word Author: and you will get a new message screen with her email address filled in.
We are here in Pt. Angel and have discovered a great restaurant. It is called Rincon Del Mar. Located on the rock pathway from Playa Panteon to Playa Principal. Very near the old Naval Base. You have to climb a rock pathway up the hill but it is gradual and switchback with railings and lights. Gorgeous view of the harbor and the best seafood and fish we have ever had. PLUS it is very reasonable. 2 entrees, 2 margaritas and 2 waters totaled 157 pesos. The octopus, dorato and tuna are wonderful.
Hi JoAnn, Really enjoyed your travel report of last February. We are heading to PA in early January and Cordelias sounds like a great place to stay. I can't find any contact number on this website for them. Do you know how we can get ahold of the owners? We would like to know we have a place to stay for at least the first couple of nights. Thanks, Karen
Does anyone know what the air fare from Huatulco to Oaxaca is? We want to see as much as we can without the long bus ride if flying is not too expensive. Thanks for any info. Karen
We've been to Rincon del mar, and it is wonderful. Where are you staying, and do you have any recommendations? We're freezing here in Minnesota and we hope to spend a week in PA soon. Thanks.
I've been hearing $200+ airfares this season. Shudder. But the travel agencies in La Crucecita usually have a cheaper deal pasted in their windows, so...
Agree about Rincon del Mar. Would suggest you try Beto's as well...
Karen, the chances of getting reservation and confirmation in Puerto Angel are somewhere between slim and none. I could tell you stories about the telephone system and top them with stories about regional attitudes and still couldn't approach the reality you will experience. But there will be a place to stay. Honest.
I just took a flight from Puerto Escondido to Mexico City for $105.00. I booked in online.
Hi, I just got back.
While looking at some property for sale in several states over the Thanksgiving Day holiday, I came across the listing of two different properties in PA. I haven't seen the properties, but they both claim to have "views" of the Pacific Ocean (or, at least the bay in front of the ocean!). The first parcel is 5,000 sq. meters, and the asking price is 200,000 pesos (about US$20,000); the second parcel is 200 sq. meters, and the asking price is 60,000 pesos (about US$6,000). It's more than likely that both prices are negotiable. As for construction prices, my sense is that you can have a small, but nice, home, say 3 bedrooms and 1 bath, with combined living/dining/kitchen area, all rooms finished nicely (but excluding furnishings) . . . for less than US$30,000 (in addition to the land/closing costs and any fees/costs to connect the house to the utilities). I've been looking for small lots (like the 200 sq. meter one above) in various parts of Oaxaca, Veracruz and Guerrero . . . and the prices I'm seeing asked most often are in the 40,000 to 60,000 peso range (US$4,000-6,000), with some that are a lot higher in high-end development areas. Depending on just what you're looking for, my guess is that you'll be able to find a lot you like for between 60,000 and 100,000 pesos (US$6,000-10,000).
One way or R/T? If one way, that's what I thought...
http://www.mexonline.com/flordemaria.htm
God it's good to know Hubert's still kicking along. Had many a cool glass of water with him back in Mazunte between dives and swims. Gotta admire the man; I just hope I live long enough to affoard to move to Oaxaca and get REALLY old! Give him my best.
I agree about the Rincon as well. The view is wonderful and the service is friendly and attentive. While the seafood was good, it was the margarita's that stick out in my memory as among the best I ever had. (Those were at Ana y Jose's just outside of Tulum).
John,
Thanks for the helpful comments. We're needing one way tickets. We've booked our flight to arrive in Huatulco and depart for home from Oaxaca. We have contemplated taking that crazy bus ride but don't want to spend too much time travelling as we only have 2 1/2 weeks this time. The bus sounds pretty horrific but should we take the bus and experience the trip instead of flying? Thanks, Karen
Months ago I promised putting some of my daughter's pix on here when she returned from her photo tour of Manchu Pichua and Peru, she's still developing them. Hundreds of them! Photographer Phil Borges, whose workshop she traveled with, and the founder of a program called 'Bridges to Understanding' has a website. www.bridgesweb.org . Check it out. My daughter Hillary is in the black sweater with the ponytail showing a little Peruvian girl her camera. I believe some of her photos will be on this site fairly soon.
Take the van from Pochutla to Oaxaca. Everyone should take that road at least once. Heck, taking a second class bus to allow an overnight stop in San Jose del Pacifico would be worth it, if only for the view.
I arrive in DF around 4pm, call it 5pm by the time I get through customs and such. I hope to catch a bus by, say, 9pm to either Oaxaco or, ideally, all the way to Pochutla.
Yes, You have to a "Brave Heart" to do that bus ride. I did a few years ago getting a brand new bus. A bus driver from hell was at the wheel. If you notice a sign above the driver which goes something like "DON"T DISTRACT THE BUS conductor!" This guy was very professional. He also was hell-bent to get there in a world record time. If you only knew by just looking down just how far you would plunge! WOW! A trip I'll never forget!
Magicbus.com can give you some rough schedules on busses to Pochutla or Huatulco. Seems like the last departure is something like 7pm. Thet are from the Tapo, or south, station. One of them can be picked up from the north station, but it then drives TO the south station, so there's no time savings. There's also a departure from a little station over near the old train depot, but I've no details on THAT. So, if your time in the airport makes you miss the direct bus to the Oaxacan coast, your next alternative will be to grab a bus at the south station to Acapulco (they pretty much run all night with a gap from 2ish am to 5 am); take a taxi to the OTHER bus station in Acapulco upon arrival; then take the bus to Pochutla from there. Buebos suerte.
Holy Cow Dave! Thanks for the story! I've read other similar stories on this site and that's why we are thinking of flying to Oaxaca. It does sound like a neat adventure, but vomiting is one adventure I usually try to avoid. No, I think we'll bite the $200 bullet and fly.
Take a pill (if you get motion sickness) then take the bus-- sat in the frnot seat to Oaxaca and was spellbound the entire trip. You can fly next time.
Heck, I've done it in the back of a stake-bed truck with ropes to cling to for the passengers. I was MUCH younger then, 'tis true. But it's one of those memories that will haunt me forever. Remember that some people define "adventure" as something really scary happening to someone else far, far away. But no one ever went to his or her grave wishing that they had FEWER memories. The edge is a most uncomfortable place to sit, but a glorious place to run from time to time. Go down on the bus or the van. Go back on the plane, if you must.
There are departures from the TAPO terminal (East) in Mexico City to the city of Oaxaca until just before Midnight. From Oaxaca there are at least a couple of ways people get to Pochutla, and one of them is to take a first class bus (Cristobal Colon) that first passes through Salina Cruz (the "long" route). Other routes go over the mountains, by second-class bus. And, there is at least one van operator offering service between Oaxaca and Pochutla. You can also go to the Taxqueña bus terminal (South) and catch a bus for Acapulco and from there take an Estrella Roja bus down Hwy. 200 to Pochutla. You might want to plan things so that, after your arrival, you have a nice dinner, spend a couple of hours sightseeing or walking around in some safe areas of Mexico City, and then travel by overnight bus. I don't think that the busses to Pochutla, from Oaxaca or Acapulco, begin running until after 5:30 or 6 a.m. I think that posts on this page, and/or on other pages discuss this type of trip in detail, and you might want to spend some time reading through the material. Also, have a look at the transportation page at Oaxacalive, where the trip has been discussed before.
True words, John. I've always liked the line in the back of my Pacific Mexico Handbook which reads "will you have enough stories to tell your grandchildren?"...maybe we should add the Oaxaca bus trip to our travelogue...
Thanks guys for the info. Sounds like it will be very straightforward for me to get to Oaxaca and beyond the night I arrive. I checked the schedules at the recommended websites - looks like a lot of buses heading that way. Hopefully there should be enough open seats for sale (Dec 26) but I expect that should be ok. If Mexico is at all like home, many people are likely stationary on that date.
One other option you may consider is catching the airport bus to one of the cities south of DF and going on from there. For example, there are Executvie class buses to Puebla and Cuernavaca. They leave every 40 minutes - Puebla is in the direction of Oaxaca and Cuernavaca on the way to Acapulco. The bus fare is circa $20. Puebla has a large bus terminal with good connections onward. Last year we arrived at DF around 12:30, caught the airport bus to Puebla and were in a hotel by 5:00. We spent a nice night hanging around the zocalo and were on the bus early next day.
Hi
Can you tell me more?
Okay, please ignore my previous vague postings/questions - TunaTaco can you tell me more about where you booked that flight?
I would like to do a little diving while visiting PA in January. Is Chepe's the only dive company in town? How would people rate his equipment and safety standards? Is PA the best town in that area from which to dive or would it be better to go to Huatulco? Any recommended sites? Thanks...
Karen, by all means talk to Chepe. But I would like to plug Charlie Ramos at the Barcelo in Huatulco as well as my old partner, Hector Lara of Buceo Sotavento in La Crucecita. While there's at least one breathing air compressor other than Chepe's in Puerto Angel, it's not set up for tourism and while I'd dive with those guys, I don't think I'd send anyone with less than a thousand dives to look them up. Chepe, on the other hand, is a true professional - as are Hector and Charlie - and feel like you can place complete trust in any of those three.
Suggested sites around PA? La Tijerra. Petrolos.Roca Blanca. The point of La Ventanilla (extra fuel charge on that one.) Any of the pinacles off Mazunte. Or ask Chepe.
Has anybody stayed at la Cabanas de Puerto Angel hotel? Can you reccomand it?
Some years its been immaculate; other years its been shabby. This is an area where a lot of maintenence is required. Sometimes it gets it, sometimes it doesn't. Don't decide where to stay until you get there.
MT Pockets, I know you can book that flight through the travel agency in front of Hotel Griffer in La Crucecita. It can be packaged with things like land to Monte Alban, etc...
Hi John
If only I were better organized! I'm LOOKING for the right business card for my travel agent friend in Huatulco; I KNOW I've put the number in the threads in the past... Hey, I'll get it for you, MT.
I hope you'll find that card and post the number, John. I'd be interested in it too. We're planning a trip to Monte Alban when we get to Oaxaca...
Here's a couple of #s for travel agents - don't know if they are the ones John is looking for and they may not be current
I will be in Puerto Angel from december 24 to..... as i want. If you are looking for a very nice place to stay, i have a house in Puerto Angel with a swimming pool and much more. I can rent the house by room or complete.
fr33004@hotmail.com
Yep. Ana Campos. That's who I was looking for.
Here's one more hwy 175 van/bus story - as today marks the anniverary that I did that trip last year.
Dayum, MT, sounds almost like you were in the middle of a virus epedimic rather than a bus ride! As for the driving style, the mixture of extroverted skill with fatalism - it's most assuredly cultural; I once attributed it to machisimo, but that was before I had a girlfriend who thought I drove WAY to timidly and took over all driving duties when we were together. I'd swear that old Toyota pick-up was up on two wheels on a regular basis! 'Course, THAT relationship didn't last too much beyond the demise of the motor in the 'Yota... <"pinche Chilangas", he muttered, ruminating at his keyboard>
I last took 175 just prior to the hurricane, it was then out of commission for a while. Once I found out how much better a bus ride is without car sick passengers, I switched to the "long" bus through Salina Cruz. Took the night bus, roundtrip, last week with 2 grandkids who are highly prone to the motion sick malady. A pleasant trip and we slept through all - except a short wake up call when the army walked down the bus aisle. Bought tickets just off the zocalo in Oaxaca (179$) - Cristobal Colon leaves Oaxaca 0930, 2130, and 2300 for Puerto Escondido. Returns from PE @ 1400 and 2045.
Mary Ann
I'm hearing several years yet, Jim.
The road construction we saw was between Tule and Teotitlan - a long long ways from the coast. We were told that the new road would cut travel time from Oaxaca to Huatulco to 2 hours (!!) Not in my lifetime...
There doesn't seem to be a visitors' comment page for Oaxaca City so I thought I'd ask here. Any recommendations for a moderatly priced place to stay for 4-5 nights? We would like to be within walking distance from the zocolo. Also, if anyone can recommend a good tour operator for Monte Alban, that would be great--or is it best just to hire a guide at the gate. Our Spanish is muy poquito!
http://oaxacalive.com/
Hello: Whenever I see an establishment that advertises the fact that they have mosquito netting in the rooms, I get paranoid. I do not react well to mosquito bites and was wondering if someone could give me the goods as to the mosquito situation in Puerto Angel. My wife and I would visit in either January, February or March.
Our hosts Tom & Nancy were recently in Oaxaca on the Food of the Gods tour. He hasn't got anything specific on the front page of this site
There are mosquitoes all up and down the coast. For whatever reason,
Thanks for the tips MT and John. I did go to the Main Menu on this site and the links to the "City" were easy to follow. I just wanted to know if anyone had any personal info on places to stay. Maybe Tom will update the Oaxaca portion of this site if he was there recently!
There will be skeeters there in March for sure, as that's when I go and I always encounter them. Actually they're more like no see-ums, because you don't (see 'em), but you'll know they're around when your ankles start itching. The spray Bayer Autan is readily available and works great. Netting a good idea especially if your room doesn't have AC (seems to keep 'em at bay). I've also used those slow-burning coils, called raidolitos down there, put a couple in your room at night and it works great.
There's no getting away from them. I found San Augustinillo especially bad for 'skeeters during Jan. 2001.. further away you get from the beach (because of the breeze that's on the water) the more you seem to encounter them. Bring some coils and repellant with you and by all means ask for a net if available.
Hi...I'm looking for a place to stay in Puerto Angel (or nearby) in February, for 2 weeks. There are 6 people in my group, and we'd like to find something near the beach.
In February? Don't think I'd worry too much. There'll be space.
I strongly recommend 'La Casa de la Tia'. It is about 3 or 4 blocks from the Zocolo. It is also about 3 blocks from Iglesia de Santo Domingo, which is a fantastic church. The area around Santo Domingo is also very nice, which makes the location of 'La Casa de la Tia' ideal.
I was just in Puerto Angel 2 weeks ago. We stayed at La Buena Vista for 2 nights.
I didn't go to this beach, but as far as beaches go, it looks much nicer than Puerto Angel. This hotel is owned by the owners of Buena Vista, so I'm sure it's clean and nice:
Wow, what a great recommendation. After that glowing report, how could we stay anywhere else. Sounds perfect. Thanks for the info TunaTaco! We'll be in touch with the folks at Casa de la Tia.
thanks for the suggestions ! i'm actually looking for a private house to rent.
Am I the only one who read in the news that the city of Oaxaca refused to let McDonalds have a franchise in the zocalo? God bless us everyone!
Hi there!
Casas de Huespedes are economical and usually include one or more meals per day. Casa de Huespedes "Gladys" is an old favorite in Puerto Angel.
Hi John, thanks for answering. Actually I just noticed now that Casa de Huespedes is a term and not a name for a single location - so I was really talking about the Casa of Gundi & Tomas.
I have stayed several times in a hotel located on the zocala, the marques del valle, which is 3 star, nothing great, but comfortable and clean. Since it is on the zocala, it also is surrounded by restaurants, magnificant old churches (one that borders the hotel is ancient and beautiful), minutes walk from the market (a must see), and great restaurants minutes walk from the hotel. Monte Alban (by car or bus) is a must see, but the other local ruins are not (Mitla, etc).
There are a LOT of singles in the area, especially in Zipolite, and you'll find it at least as safe in Puerto Angel as you were in Tulum. As for suggestions on where to stay, my main suggestion is that you wait to choose until you're there. Upkeep and the tropics being what they are, there's a lot of variation from season to season. I really like Los Alamendras next to the Villa Florencia, especially for the first couple of nights while you pick out your favorite spot. It only has a few rooms and may end up being what you want in the first place.
Cool!
Oh, goodness, there are some WONDERFULL artisans in the area! And not all of them are Mexican; up at Rancho Alegre near Chacalapa there's a man of German descent who does some wonderfull scrimshaw on everything from beads to sharks' teeth. His wife often sells the work on Zipolite; his daughter was living in Canada last I heard, selling it there as well.
Thanks, John, for all the information. That´s wonderful to have. I am providing you with my email address here, in case the name of your friend makes it´s way back to your memory.
Bill, how did you like driving in the state of Oaxaca?
Unfortunately, the experience with the Federales on the bus is quite routine in Southern Mexico. The first time it happened to me I was terrified, but it does make for a good story back home!
You have to check out La Posada Canon de Vata. It's worth the extra dollars. I can't think of a lovlier/quieter place to write. From the patios that surround the various compounds of rooms to the meditation temples scattered along the canyon, you'll always have a quiet place to write. And when you want to share experiences with others you can join the crowd for dinner at the main compound or for drinks before dinner at El Ceilo's Sunset Bar. Check out the view from there. It has the most beautiful sunrise.
Try the night bus.
Check out the incredible La Posada Canon de Vata. Mateo will take care of all your needs. A real paradise.
I put that in my notebook, Roger!
Hola
Wonderful! Tell us more!
I have been to PA twice but I have never heard of Tio Chilo. Where is this restaurant? Thanks
Tío Chilo is more of a luncheria than a restaurant; great place for a really inexpensive torta or hot dog or hamburguesa and sometimes offers a regular meal. It's on the road into town before you get to the post office, right accross from the side street that goes past the cooperativo. They also sell fruits and vegetables by the kilo. Except for teenager Federico, it's pretty much a family of women running the place. Great people.
Roger Doyle
Karen,
howdy,
Wow. Sort of six of one, half-dozen of the other in my view. You could cut across to Tampico, follow the Gulf through Veracruz; cut across the Isthmus of Tejantepec through Matias Romero and Tehuantepec to Salina Cruz; then its just a hop, skip, and jump to the Costa Esmeralda. This is probably the best route for anyone suffering motion sickness as it avoids major mountains. This MAY be the quickest route as well.
Hi there! My boyfriend and I will be going to Puerto Angel for a week next week and we fly into the Huatulco airport. We are a bit confused as to how to get from the airport to PA. We are staying at the Posada Canon Devata and they suggested walking away from the airport for a few blocks to catch a cheaper taxi. It sounds a bit confusing. Anyone out there who has done this?
There is a VERY stiff fee paid to pick up passengers at the airport; the holders of this franchise own a fleet of Suburbans and charge a lot of money to take you to Puerto Angel - or Zipolite or Puerto Escondido. On the other hand, the main highway - 200 - is only a quarter mile from the terminal. Pack light; after the air-conditioning and dehydration of the plane ride, the heat will hit you like a wall. Once at the highway, you should be no longer than 20 minutes from the next bus to Pochutla. There will also be some taxis offering you a ride; there's information on some of the other threads on how to negotiate with the drivers. See especially the Zipolite threads,
The roads that follow the east coast has really improved over the past three years.
I will be in the Puerto Angel area in mid march2003 and was wondering if someone could tell me how long it would take to drive from PA up to Acapulco (Hwy 200.) I will be renting a car from Mexico City, driving to Oaxaca, then down to Puerto Angel and was hoping to go back via Acapulco. Also, I really appreciate all the work that went into these web pages. I am leaning toward Alta Mira in Mazunte for my base of operations while on the coast. La Posada Cañón Devata also sounds very appealing to my traveling companion who is vegetarian. Does anyone know if the rooms at the top of La Posada have private balconies? Thanks in advance.(David)
Ok, Ok, you've all got me wondering if our plan to DRIVE to Oaxaca in rented car from PA is nuts. We are spending 3 weeks in the area, and intend to take 2 days driving each way (different roads) in a rental car. We like having a rental car since it gives us so much flexibility to see as much as we can. Are we nuts? Yes, we are adventuresome, but not suicidal.
Thanks for the trip report, Skates. We're really looking forward to our time in Oaxaca and your suggestions will really be valuable. I just spent some time with a neighbor who was there for 4 months. She told me about a mercado which was run by local women and an organization helping Oaxacan street children where for $150. you can send a child to school with shoes, books, uniforms, etc. She also told me about free English tours of the city offered by the public library. Really interesting organizations to check into.
Not at all but I wouldn't drive at night. I have taken the bus 4 times between Oaxaca and Pochutla and the road are nasty but if you take your time you should be fine. Besides, you travel for the adventure, right? When do you plan to go? Good luck!
Hey, David, it's going to take about the same seven-and-a-half hours to drive Puerto Angel to Acapulco as it takes to drive Oaxaca to Puerto Angel, only the PA-ACA route is less-interesting and more tope-full. Run your vegan girlfriend up to Shambala at the end of Zipolite for at least one meal. It's Buddist/Vegetarian and quite interesting.
The Posada Canon Devata has 5 private small houses(bungalows).
If you drive yourself, you can go as slow as you feel is safe; maybe I'm a control freak, but I'd rather be behind the wheel myself. But first do check over your rental car VERY carefully; the "fleet" is pretty broken down and the brakes are not always what they should be.
thanks gg and John. Do you know if driving Mexico City to Puerto Angel is faster via Oaxaca or via Acapulco? For sure on the way down I am going via Oaxaca because I want to see both Cholula and Oaxaca before spending a few days on the coast. On the way back I was hoping to spend my last night in Acapulco thinking I could get up early enough the next day and drive up to DF to catch a 2:25 PM flight. Is that possible? I guess it might be wiser to spend my last night closer to the city. Thanks again!
Simon Wiesenthal Center
" . . . only the PA-ACA route is less-interesting . . . "
what does this have to do with site? find another venue to support your propaganda>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Thanks Bill! I like to drive so am not worried about the scenery or the road bumps on the ACA to PA route. My traveling companions are botanists and even if it was arid desert, they would find it completely fascinating. I suspect we will make frequent stops. They are not early risers however so I'm rethinking this itinerary. I'm starting to think I should reverse my itinerary and spend my first night in ACA and then head down the coast the next day to PA. And go back via Oaxaca with Cholula for our last night. Then we will be much closer to the airport.
Right on Dave
Does anyone know anything about Roca Blanca?
Time to go back on the meds, pal.....
Lots of people ask about it, check over on the Puerto Escondido board for more info.
John's right, it's easy to get to the hway from the airport, actually it's probably even less than a quarter mile, more like a couple hundred yards. Usually you don't even get halfway there before a taxi pulls up and offers you a deal.
Good story!
Roca Blanca itself is a guano-covered off-shore rock off Zipolite. On the ocean side, theres a deep channel; there are some interesting grottos with big resident groupers. It can SOMETIMES be safely dived.
There is the village of Roca Blanca about 25 miles west of Puerto Escondido. Right on Rt 200. Walk through the village to you come to a fork in the road. Take the road to the right to the playas. The road to the left will lead to a beautiful compound that I believe is associated with Doctors Without Borders. There are three palapa style restaurants on the beach. Lulu's is the best. Her husband comes in from diving for oysters around noon. Can't get them any fresher than that. She also has a couple of cabanas for rent. Very, very few folks during the week. Playas go on for miles, up or down the coast.
Beat it, dork!
Good post, Skates.
Karen, don't worry about speaking a small amount of Spanish.
Richard, if you have the glorious oportunity to pass some time in this wondeful stretch of the Oaxacan Pacific, you will return with the knowledge of why "reservations" are just a foggy concept somewhat contradicted by the local reality. Go. There'll be someplace in the area to stay, even if it's not this particular hotel. The magic has no structure.
I stayed there two weeks ago. It was so great. The cabanas are right on the beach. They have thatched roofs, modern bathrooms, very clean and the perfect location. About 5 minutes out of Puerto Angel. Ivan, the owner, is very attentive to his wonderful spot in paradise. The evening meals were wonderful. Fabulous shrimp and red snapper dishes. IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU MAKE A RESERVATION AND RECEIVE A CONFIRMATION.
I was just there two weeks ago. I loved it. If you want a little grass hut on a beautiful bay away from all the tourists, this is the place for you. Believe me, you won't find a nicer place in Puerto Angel. Ivan, the owner, takes great pride in his little piece of paradise. MAKE SURE YOU MAKE A RESERVATION! I overlooked that detail and spent the 1st night in a very uncomfortable bed. Not fun. I had checked out 3 places & finally checked in to one which seemed like a better choice than sleeping in my car. I also enjoyed the evening meals. Great shrimp and red snapper.
I was just there two weeks ago. I loved it. If you want a little grass hut on a beautiful bay away from all the tourists, this is the place for you. Believe me, you won't find a nicer place in Puerto Angel. Ivan, the owner, takes great pride in his little piece of paradise. MAKE SURE YOU MAKE A RESERVATION! I overlooked that detail and spent the 1st night in a very uncomfortable bed. Not fun. I had checked out 3 places & finally checked in to one which seemed like a better choice than sleeping in my car. I also enjoyed the evening meals. Great shrimp and red snapper.
I was just there two weeks ago. I loved it. If you want a little grass hut on a beautiful bay away from all the tourists, this is the place for you. Believe me, you won't find a nicer place in Puerto Angel. Ivan, the owner, takes great pride in his little piece of paradise. MAKE SURE YOU MAKE A RESERVATION! I overlooked that detail and spent the 1st night in a very uncomfortable bed. Not fun. I had checked out 3 places & finally checked in to one which seemed like a better choice than sleeping in my car. I also enjoyed the evening meals. Great shrimp and red snapper.
I was just there two weeks ago. I loved it. If you want a little grass hut on a beautiful bay away from all the tourists, this is the place for you. Believe me, you won't find a nicer place in Puerto Angel. Ivan, the owner, takes great pride in his little piece of paradise. MAKE SURE YOU MAKE A RESERVATION! I overlooked that detail and spent the 1st night in a very uncomfortable bed. Not fun. I had checked out 3 places & finally checked in to one which seemed like a better choice than sleeping in my car. I also enjoyed the evening meals. Great shrimp and red snapper. Location is about 5 minutes from Puerto Angel.
I was just there two weeks ago. I loved it. If you want a little grass hut on a beautiful bay away from all the tourists, this is the place for you. Believe me, you won't find a nicer place in Puerto Angel. Ivan, the owner, takes great pride in his little piece of paradise. MAKE SURE YOU MAKE A RESERVATION! I overlooked that detail and spent the 1st night in a very uncomfortable bed. Not fun. I had checked out 3 places & finally checked in to one which seemed like a better choice than sleeping in my car. I also enjoyed the evening meals. Great shrimp and red snapper. Location is about 5 minutes from Puerto Angel.
I am interested. I have stayed at at Posada Devada. where is your house, and how much? Have any picture. We are thinking of coming in for a week from Huatulco, my sister and my sever year old son.
Hi,
A car is a great thing to have in Oaxaca. I think your bigest problemo will be the first hundred miles or so after Texas......if you can get through Texas alive! Good Luck! If you see me could you please give me a lift down to the coast from Oaxaca town?
Hmmmm. Those who have access and knowledge to use the telecommunications system are going to usually be those from higher socio-economic reaches. Their properties are going to tend to be on the high side. To get the best rates, you need to be "on the ground" looking. Especailly as those who would have the cheaper rentals are those who can least affoard to pay commissions...
I think the original post was about driving locally in Oaxaca.
I was curious to hear about that place. How much did you pay per day, in dollars? Was there good swimming and snorkling on that beach? thanks.
An ealier post mentioned "Cordelias on Playa Panteon." Does anyone have any information on this place? Also, any updated info on either Hotel La Cabana or Posada Canon Devata. Will be staying in PA for 10 days or so -- any other recommendations in that price range appreciated too.
We leave for Puerto Angel/Oaxaca City in two days! I can hardly wait. Any last minute tips, suggestions, etc?
well....having just returned from san agustinillo in my 86' land cruiser, i might be able to lend some insight. thi is assuming you want to end up in puerto angel.
well....having just returned from san agustinillo in my 86' land cruiser, i might be able to lend some insight. thi is assuming you want to end up in puerto angel.
well....having just returned from san agustinillo in my 86' land cruiser, i might be able to lend some insight. thi is assuming you want to end up in puerto angel.
well....having just returned from san agustinillo in my 86' land cruiser, i might be able to lend some insight. thi is assuming you want to end up in puerto angel.
well....having just returned from san agustinillo in my 86' land cruiser, i might be able to lend some insight. thi is assuming you want to end up in puerto angel.
well....having just returned from san agustinillo in my 86' land cruiser, i might be able to lend some insight. thi is assuming you want to end up in puerto angel.
1) Bring plenty of sunscreen. SPF 30. It's higher than heck on the beach.
Doesn't "PA." stand for Pennsylvania?
I was in PA about 9 years ago. I stayed in a large hotel on top of a hill on the edge of town. It had several large buildings plus 4 or 5 smaller ones-cabins and the remains of a disco. When you come into town you turn right, go past the cemetery, and then up a steep hill. It was a bit run down and almost empty but you could see the sun rise from the sea and set in the sea from it. I've tried to recommend it to people but I can't remember it's name. Is it still in business?
That would be the Hotel Angel del Mar and it is still in business.
You're thinking of the Hotel Angel del Mar. Sure is a LONG walk up that hill. There's information in the Puerto Angel hotel section under the Main Menu. There's even a phone number. You know, that hotel was looking run down way back in 1973. Periodically, bits and pieces of the hotel get an update. I'd sure look over any room they rented to me very carefully before committing myself. But it is SUCH a breath-taking view up there!
Hello,
Thanks for the name of the hotel. I will have to go back there one day.
Hi,
Hi,
Pochutla to Salina Cruz to Oaxaca to Mexico maximizes the coastal view; Pochutla to Oaxaca through San Jose del Pacifico maximizes the mountain scenery. Pochutla to Acapulco to Mexico City is how you go when you've missed the other busses. Whichever way you go, you WILL spend a full day traveling. A LONG day.
use estrella blanca buses or gacela it will take yuo back to mexico its a first class bus and is economic
Yes, there are busses that will get you from PA to the DF, and it will take you, probably, 17 hours, maybe longer, depending on conditions, protests along the way blocking the road, route, etc. I prefer the route that'll takes you up Hwy. 200 to Acapulco, from where you can connect to a bus to the DF. It's a long-haul, in one trip, and I think that breaking it into two segments, with at least an overnighter in ACA, is the smart thing to do. You can also go back over the mountains, or around them through Salina Cruz, to the city of Oaxaca, from where you can also connect to service to the D.F. I'm not certain if there's much of a difference in travel time between the routes. There is, however, more frequent connections between ACA and the DF than there are between Oaxaca and the DF (or, at least I think that's accurate). I'm unaware of one bus that makes the trip, non-stop, between your departure point and your destination. I think that there are several threads on the Pinotepa/PE/PA/Huatulco message boards that discuss similar trips (or substantial portions of it), and you might want to check 'em out. The entire trip is likely to cost you about the peso equivalent of US$60-65.
Mischa, the question may be your tolerance for topes. That gorgeous Autopista del Sol from Mexico to Acapulco is followed by one of the most-tope-plagued highways in Mexico. Now, taking the Puebla-Oaxaca City turnpike followed by Oaxaca-to-Salina-Cruz and Salina Cruz-Pochutla-Puerto Angel highways, while not tope-free, it may be the more comfortable route. With small children in the car, Highway 175 from Oaxaca City to Pochutla should probably be avoided. Should there be any tendencies towards car-sickness, this is probably the road to set them off. But that's just my opinion; other suggestions are sure to follow!
Would you happen to have the name and phone number of a good Notario Publico in Pochutla? While in Puerto Angel I gave a deposit on a piece of land & I need a Notario. I am returning to the area at the end of this month.
Last I heard, it was $21, which is about 210 pesos. Send them an email.
Check out Bahia de la Luna. It is right on the beach. Each cabana has a thatched roof. It's the best thing I've see in the area. I stayed & will definately return. Located 5 minutes from Puerto Angel. Contact Ivan Wastchenko at bahia-de-la-luna@usa.net You MUST have a reservation.
I am interested in information on the oceanfront lot your neighbor has for sale. Size, price & location. Also info on your house.
I am planning a trip with friend to the Oxeca state. We are beginner surfers but would like to improve whilst in Oxeca. Is there anywhere you would recomend? or are the beaches in this region to dangerous?
I just returned from a wedding in San Augustinillo, which is just a short taxi ride away from Puerto Angel. We stayed at the Posada Dona Sol, owned and operated by a Canadian couple named Ana and Jeff. Now, I have eaten in some very upscale restauants here in the states, but I have NEVER had food as fantastic as what was made for us by Ana and her local helpers at the Posada Dona Sol. Wow. The inn itself is very charming and a nice oasis from the dust and heat, sand and surf of San Augustinillo. However, the food was so incredible that I would say it would be a major loss for any visitor to travel to this part of the world and not at least have dinner at the Posada Dona Sol. I would describe it in more detail if I could remember all the names of dishes I had, but I would say it's pretty safe to order ANYTHING on the menu and it will be wonderful. Ana, you're the best!!!!! Now that I'm back home in the rain and cold of Seattle, I can't wait to get back there!
I just returned from a wedding in San Augustinillo, which is just a short taxi ride away from Puerto Angel. We stayed at the Posada Dona Sol, owned and operated by a Canadian couple named Ana and Jeff. Now, I have eaten in some very upscale restauants here in the states, but I have NEVER had food as fantastic as what was made for us by Ana and her local helpers at the Posada Dona Sol. Wow. The inn itself is very charming and a nice oasis from the dust and heat, sand and surf of San Augustinillo. However, the food was so incredible that I would say it would be a major loss for any visitor to travel to this part of the world and not at least have dinner at the Posada Dona Sol. I would describe it in more detail if I could remember all the names of dishes I had, but I would say it's pretty safe to order ANYTHING on the menu and it will be wonderful. Ana, you're the best!!!!! Now that I'm back home in the rain and cold of Seattle, I can't wait to get back there!
Haven't heard from Hubert Lichter for several weeks. Anyone had contact with him in Pto Angel? He's lived in the area for almost 20 years.
hola, i was wondering if anyone knows something about the dona sol (owners are jeff and ana as far as i understand) - are these cabañas on the beach or rooms in a hotel - and what would be the prizes for a single room (in pesos, please)?
Definately check out Bahia de la Luna. I loved it. Cabanas with thatched roofs, right on the beach. 5 minutes from Puerto Angel. Great food also.
You do need a car as it is located about 5 minutes from Puerto Angel. I stayed in December & loved it. Food is great also. You must have a reservation. And the road really isn't that bad. Contact Ivan Wastchenko bahia-de-la-luna@usa.net
Definately check out Bahia de la Luna. I loved it. Cabanas with thatched roofs, right on the beach. 5 minutes from Puerto Angel. Great food also.
You will thoroughly enjoy your stay there. The rooms are pleasant, clean, and equipped with ceiling fans and mosquito netting. No air conditioning and you would seldom need it. The garden in the patio is beautiful and shady for times you want to get out of the sun. The rooms face the garden, and are a 3 minute walk to the beaufiful beach. Ana and Jeff are gracious hosts and went out of their way to accommodate my daughter's entire wedding party - not just the ones who stayed there. I only wish the place were larger so the entire party could have stayed there. Ana is an excellent chef and their restaurant has the best food I've ever eaten in Mexico. You can't go wrong staying there.
Ana and Jeff have a gorgeous hotel just across the road from the beach. The spotless rooms are grouped around a palm-shaded courtyard/garden. There's hot water and ceiling fans.
There are nine cats.
I have been told he is living in El Coco which is on 200
Thanks John,
Any suggestion on suitable accomodation for two families travelling with kids ?
Hi Hope,
Can anyone tell me why or why not it's ok or not ok to buy communal property. I know that you can get some really good prices on property that is communal.
Ask the guys at Azul Profundo to take you in a boat to Playa Botilla and La Mina. They are a blast and you're sure to have fum with them, as well as, see some sea animals.
I just returned from PA and Canon Devata was open. I stayed at la buena vista, which has added a pool and cabanas further up the hill with magnificent views. the buena vista people have also opened cabanas at Mazunte, which was full when i was there. The name is the Alta Mira and there is a walkup from the Mazunte beach. The Alta Mira has no electricity in the rooms as of yet but they provide candles. The views from nearly all the rooms are spectacular. Both places are managed by Adrian, who I find very helpful. Both places are also meticulously maintained. We paid $37.00 and $45.00 for two large rooms with bathrooms, and terrace over the Christmas/New Year's holiday. All the rooms are priced differently so you could find something cheaper.
175 IS the alternate route. My favorite, actually, but I like mountain roads and don't get carsick.
Hi Mischa
I would have to second that! Ana and Jeff are the most gracious host! I am usually a very picky eater, but I can honestly say there was not one thing that Ana made that I did not like. I actually gained 5 lbs!! And after you have ate until your ready to burst, go lay in the hammock and take a nap! The waterfall is sure to put you to sleep! Thank you for your hospitality!
I highly recommend it!! Just got back from there last week.
My family just recently returned from Puerto Angel, and we stayed at La Buena Vista, which is where we always stay when we go there. It is built unobtrusively into the hillside, which is covered with flowering shrubs although right now it is getting a little dry. The rooms are all different prices and sizes and many have a semi private terrace. They also have cabanas at Mazunte, which are built in the same style and have spectacular views. The name of that place is Alta Mira. If you call La Buena Vista ask to speak to Andrian, he manages both places and I find him very helpful. We paid $37.00 and $45.00 for two very large rooms with terrace overlooking the port.
I spent 2 weeks in puerto angel and have never enjoyed a holiday as much. I do not speak much spanish but that did not get in the way of the locals hospatilaty. Every day I went fishing with them in both the morning and evening watching the sun rise and set. New years eve was amazing as there was a fiesta on the pier on the main beach, what a party... it continued until 7am but that was the most exciting thing for the two weeks. All that I will say is give it a chanc and you will never have as good a holiday again. P.S. try helena's Italian restraunt on the beach front on the smaller beach... the most amazing Italian food outside Italy.
The "why not" of buying ejido land has a lot to do with the difficulty of getting clear title. The whole purpose was to keep the land in the hands of the indigenous people. There are ever-on-going changes in the laws; you're going to have to bite the bullet and pay for the services of a lawyer and will also have to talk with a specialist in the bank that will be servicing your trust - this is exclusionary zone; what you get won't be pure ownership.
Mis amigos y otros villajerons: Word is that a change in servers is imminent; the forums will be down for a day or so and when they come back, it's likely the old threads will have been lost. So if there's information in the threads that you gatta have for your next trip, better copy it to your own files. Later, y'all.
Sounds like you had a great time. I am also interested in doing some fishing with the local people and would be interested to hear more about your experience.
Even if you can find a title, the land must be bought in the name of a Mexican person.
It's been 2 years since our last visit - looking forward to renewing old acquaintances and seeing what, if anything, has changed. Will return with a trip report as I did in 2001. Hola
Oooo, a prestanobre is a really bad idea. Unless you want to lose a friend and have your land stolen from you. The fideocomiso through the bank is the only way to go.
A non-Mexican can't get a fideocomiso if the land is within 50 kilometers of the border or sea, or if it's eijido land.
Shandor in San Agustinillo offers fishing vacations.
Gosh, Juanita, I really don't want to get into an argument here; maybe we're mixing terms somehow. But as it was explained to me, extranjeros can actually get legitimate title outside the exclusionary zone; the lease foreigners arrange through the bank on property INSIDE the exclusionary zone is called a fideocomiso; and that a prestanombre is for someone with radically strong faith in human nature as the buyer has no protection whatsoever. Or at least, that's the understanding I came away with after talking with my buddy at the Bancomer. The folks buying FONATUR property in Huatulco are doing the fideocomiso fandango.
I stayed at Canon Devata in a charming little cabin in 2000. It is hard to find,,, but on the only road toward Angel Del Mar. Before you get there it's on the right - you can't see it... there's a little parking space and you go up a trail to the hotel. Read Pacific Mexico Handbook by Moon Travel - it tells you lots of stuff! I found the dinners there were a little sparce. Rates were good in August. No view., There is a large house way up the hill that he rents which looks beautiful, but be in shape for a real hike. Very quiet ecological reserve with wild iguana and lots of birds.,
Please email me about your house or room for rent. I've been to PA before and love it, but would love to stay in a house. I'd like to be able to email you., I'll be coming in August 2003., Thank you.
Hi,
John,
I paid $50. per night. I am very sad to report that Ivan emailed me that he will be closing his place. I don't know if this will be for a short period of time or for good. You might email him for more information.
July and August are a beautiful time of the year; deep enough into the rainy season for everything to be a lush, lush green yet before the super-wet period of late August and September. However, it is the "mini-high-season" with a lot of domestic vacationers enjoying the childrens' vacation from school.
I took the 1st class bus (on ADO) from Mexico City to Oaxaca in October' 02 . My daytime trip was very pleasant. Company representatives boarded and inspected the bus two times during the 6 hour trip.
I've been all around México, usually to out-of-the-way little spots like San Agustinillo. I have never encountered a better-run hotel than the Posada Doña Sol in San Agustinillo.
Have they been able to screen the windows so that you don't get eaten alive by mosquitos like it was in 2001? ...
In regards to staying there; have they adequately screened the windows so that you don't get eaten alive by mosquitos like I did in 2001??
I recently flew around the Puerto Angel area at 500 ft AGL in a small plane to check it out. While I have never visited on the ground - it sure does look nice.
Is there anyone located in Zipolite who is willing to get a message to someone in San Agustinillo for me. They are staying at Paraiso del Pescador (Sandor's hotel). Their cell phone is programmed wrong and I need to send them direction. If you are willing to get a message to them please email me directly.
Not an argument, John. You're correct about the fideocomiso in the exclusionary zone, EXCEPT if it's eijido land, and it's just about all eijido land around Zipo-San A-Mazunte.
Please send picture, details, availability and rental price to me. We visited the area around Puerto Angel for a few days last year
I would suggest Puerto Escondido for beginners.
Then we're back on the same page, Juanita! I recall at least one marriage made primarily so that one of the parties could access ejido land; but as long as politics in your country is driven by the same corrupting device as drives ours - money - the protection of the ejido land will continue to slide...
Hi everybody!
Terri...if you still need help, I can help you. I'll email you.', 849);
www.tomzap.com
Tom Penick:
tom@tomzap.com