Visitors' Comments on Huatulco (oldest)

PADI Scuba Instructor at Sheraton

We have PADI certified open water instructors (Jorge Martinez and myself), master scuba diver trainers, specialty instructors, and Medic First Aid Instructors.

So please, if you could let your readers to know that there are professional and certified instructors in Huatulco to get certified, from Open Water Diver to Divemaster, it would be great, because we have heard many complaints against bad scuba operators in Huatulco that are creating bad reputation for Huatulco.

My name is Carlos Ramos, best known in the area as Charlie, and you can contact me at (958) 7 02 42 (Home) or at Sheraton phone (958) 100 55 ext. 842. And please, Action Sports Marina is inside Sheraton, not across the street.

Thank you very much for your website, this is the first time I read it and is very interesting and helpful. I promise you to send very good underwater pictures of the aquatic realm of this paradise (what about a Killer whale eating a turtle underwater). I'll keep in touch

Carlos C. Ramos M.
PADI OWSI 157092
charlie_diver@hotmail.com
mare@huatulco.net.mx
November 1998

Scuba Certification

We finally went diving, and got certified after a lot of hassle. Charlie at the Sheraton is a PADI instructor, and one guy in Santa Cruz is a CIMAX (the French/ European version of PADI) instructor, we're still not sure if Hector is a qualified instructor, the people in his dive shop (across from the Sheraton) are great guides, but if you want to get any certification you must always ask for an instructors ID, don't just believe anyone, we made that mistake and had to go to the tourist bureau to make an official complaint to make sure that we would get our money back.

If you do have a problem with the quality of a service, or didn't get what you were promised you need to go to the tourist bureau, it has been set up by the government to make sure that all the businesses are above board, the office is across from the botanical park, near a super market and next to a hairdressers, the place is called `the fountain´. They are very efficient, but no-one in the office speaks English.

Food and lodging: Being poor, we didn't even bother looking around the big hotels, we stayed in the town itself. A clean room, two double beds with bathroom and shower came to 100 to 180 pesos a night for three persons. We ate at the Crucecita as most of the locals, their weekend food is great, and they have a daily lunch menu for 22 pesos (soup, main course and dessert). If you're looking for North American food and portions go to the Rum Boogie down the road from the Oasis, we usually split a main course between two. Drinks tend to be more expensive than other places, but still way cheaper than in North America and Europe. Oasis still has the best coffee in town, and I preferred their breakfast selection. If you're totally on a shoestring budget go to the bakery across the road, great bread and pastries, they also have homemade yogurt (5 pesos).

Pooneh

catben@ping.be
November 1998

Looking For A Place To Rent

Hank Rudin
PO 1776
Onset, MA 02558
hveer@aol.com
November 1998

First Time at the Maeva & Valentino, the Fisherman

The crew at the Royal Maeva [photo 39K] were fantastic. The "amigo's" were all upbeat and kept you involved. The scene at the pool always kept you involved. I've never seen so many people in the pool for aqua-aerobics. There were contests every day, some involving the adults only, some for the kids. All were in good taste and lots of fun. Fernando and Hector were the two Amigo's that stood out. Fernando is a kid in an adult's body. He is constant activity, relating equally as well with the kids as the adults. Hector, who heads up the sports and activities program, though more serious, is a pleasure to be around, constantly helping people have fun, and a friend to all of the guests.

The nightly entertainment is the best we've seen in Mexico. My wife and I have been to Cancun (7 times), Cozumel (2 times) and Ixtapa (once) and the Amigo show was first class. One night they brought in the traditional regional Mexican dancers, a group we've seen twice before. The rest of the nights were occupied with Broadway-type productions and guest-interactive shows. It is amazing that the Amigos can do so much during the day, then put on the high intensity shows that they do. Each night was fun and interesting. We made enough noise to cause the Sheraton next door to complain every night.

The disco was fun every night. They have group activities, drinking contests, dance contests and the Amigo's, are there for the fun. Yes, they are required to be there, but that doesn't show through in their level of involvement or activity. They are fantastic dancers, and are very willing to teach their skills to the guests. Even though I lean more towards alternative rock, the salsa music they play is high energy and fun to party along with.

Our kids went along for the trip. They enjoyed the kids program. The activities were not on par with Boscobel Beach in Jamaica, but the kids were full of stories of what they did and they are both sold on going back. They are adding on more facilities, so on our next visit, there will be more things for them to do. The list of things to do includes snorkeling lessons, movies, education, games, arts and crafts, dancing and more. The Amigos that run the program are fantastic, the kids fell in love with them and are wanting to go back and see them.

One of the best things we learned from your visitor comments was who to go to for good fishing. Your people turned us on to Valentino. He was booked for the next day (A father and son each caught a 90-pound sailfish) so we arranged a trip for the next day, but weather intervened. A storm came through, the ocean got rough and the harbor captain wouldn't let the boats go out. The following day, all went well, except the fish didn't cooperate. The storm made them move and no one caught fish. Valentino offered to go out the next day and almost guaranteed me a fish. We went out and there was no activity, but we didn't give up. After four hours of no activity (no one else was having any luck either) we turned up a small sailfish. We couldn't get ahead of it, but we continued working the area. Hard work, time, patience and Valentino's experience put us on a fish. The sailfish played with the bait, took it and ran. After 5 jumps, I got to do battle. Forty-five minutes and five runs from the boat later we put an 80-pound sailfish in the boat. On the way back in, we sighted another splash. I figured we were done for the day, but Valentino asked if I was up to another. I agreed, but it turned out to be a ray having some fun. We went back in to the Maeva and wowed the crowd with the only fish on the beach in three days. All in all, during the week, Valentino's boat put 9 Sailfish on the beach. Only one other boat brought in fish, and it only got one. He is reasonably priced, speaks fluent English, and doesn't hard-sell hustle you. I strongly recommend his boat. His experience in these waters is great. If you want fish, Valentino will put you on them. You will know him on the beach by his trademark white Frisbee. He will be found walking and throwing the Frisbee. Let him know what you want, from snorkeling, diving, spear-fishing, or deep sea fishing; he's the man to talk to for the best time. If you want to schedule something in advance (we're going to book him for the whole week on our next visit) here is his number: Valentino Garcia, "The Sailfish" 011-52-958-76420

Our trip to the Maeva was excellent. The only down side was the food. It was above average, but didn't just blow us away. They had good selections, and the quality was alright, but improvements in this area would make this the perfect resort. Huatulco is a great place, the nine bays are as picturesque as you will find. The town is welcoming and has enough restaurants, shops and entertainment to keep anyone happy. The Maeva had great facilities and the Amigo's make it special. If you want a quiet time, it is available, but you might want to look to another resort. But if you want fun, this is the place to go in Huatulco. The whole family can have a good time.

Doug And Judy
dhbaird@sprynet.com
October 1998

Bugambillas (in Oaxaca) Unresponsive

About this time last year I started to plan a trip to Oaxaca and Puerto Escondido, (and I used the resources of your site extensively). We did all of our own travel arrangements utilizing United Airlines, AeroMexico, Mexicana, Hyatt, the Hotel SanteFe, Marriott, and Las Bugambillas. As you can follow below, unfortunately, we were unable to take the trip and had to cancel. I would like to post the outcome of my dealings with Las Bugambillas in Oaxaca.

Thank you,
Mark Sarles

I would like to warn everyone about the lack of any professionalism on behalf of the Hotel Las Bugambillas in Oaxaca. If anyone is considering staying there I would think twice. What follows is my story.

Below is the message I sent on February 5 and February 10, 1998.

To Whom It May Concern:

I am very disappointed that I did not receive a reply to either of my email messages that I sent in February, nor the telephone call that I placed to your sister.

Out of all the travel vendors that we had dealt with in arranging this trip that we could not make, YOU are the only vendor that 1) did not even have the courtesy of replying to my messages and phone calls, and 2) did not extend a refund of the deposit. We dealt with 3 airlines, 4 hotels in 4 cities, and ground transportation. LAS BUGAMBILLAS was the only vendor to not have the courtesy.

I look forward to see if you will reply to this message. Not as a threat, but rather to relate my experience with the total lack of humanity that LAS BUGAMBILLAS extends to it's prospective guests, I will be posting my story on the internet of my experience with your establishment.

---

I am re sending this email as I did not receive a response to my message of last week.

Additionally I placed a telephone message at your sister's (201) 854-2701.

Regretfully we cannot make our trip to Oaxaca and our stay at Las Bugambilias scheduled for Feb. 11- 14. On Monday, Feb. 2, my wife underwent an emergency operation to remove a tumor and she was diagnosed with colon cancer. She is now recuperating from the surgery and will start chemotherapy as soon as it is feasible.

I understand this is extremely short notice and may put you at a hardship, but if at all possible, we would like to apply our deposit to a stay in the future. If all works out, we would like to come at the same period in Feb. 1999. Please reply and tell me if you can at all make this possible.

regretfully,

Question about Coffee Plantation Tours

Pat Gray
ragtime@monumental.com
October 1998

Questions

1- we would like to learn to Scuba dive, are there any facilities for beginners and how long does it take and how much does it cost to get an open water certificate? I 've got the added problem of an old shoulder injury, so I'm not a strong swimmer. 2- flights to and from Mexico city; prices, airlines? we're coming in from Belgium and we're told that a return flight Mexico City Huatulco would cost about $250 ???? would anyone recommend taking the bus if the road conditions have improved?

3- credit cards/ travelers checks/ cash: any comments?

4- bugs, namely mosquitoes, can I get a net there or is it bring your own? I was in Honduras once and got eaten alive even though i sprayed myself to death.

5- any last minute advice about what to bring, messages to pass on to people........

I have access to this email address for one more week, if anyone can help could you please put `for Pooneh´as the subject thanks thanks for a great site

Pooneh
catben@ping.be
October 1, 1998

Sage Advice from 3 Oklahomans

We have visited many places in Mexico from Cancun to Villarta, and many in between from the 70's until now. I can say that Huatulco is certainly one of the better ones. I also have to caveat that with "they were all great." Good people, good food, good times.

A little Spanish is certainly helpful as many have stated. That should not be a problem YOU CAN HANDLE IT. We were there during the peak of the Mexican vacation season and the effort in communicating only served to heighten the experience.

We stayed at the Maeva [photo 39K] and found it to be just as advertised Excellent in every respect. If you are not used to the surf on the Pacific side the true power of the Ocean may come as a surprise to you. Its not Playa car or the Caribbean but there are tranquil waters to be found they just aren't in front of the Maeva.

That brings me to my next point. Please don't just sit in the hotel. Get out and see the people and the countryside. You can do as you like and take a guided tour or venture off on your own as we did in a rental automobile. Just don't deprive yourself of the experience.

We did go fishing one day and booked that with a beach vendor. It was a memorable experience as we caught 3 good sized Bonita and a 45 to 50-pound sailfish. I can't guarantee the luck but I can recommend that you try it. Just do a little shopping so to speak. We were charged 45.00 per hour for three people for 4 hours, that's a total of 135.00 for one hell of a good time plus a reasonable tip based on the catch.

The food at the Maeva is good. You can always find something that will satisfy your palate. Take advantage of the room service if you stay there, it is prompt and very good especially in the mornings for coffee and pastry etc.

Outside the Hotel we found very good food. Oddly enough one of the better experiences was had at Don Porfinos, which is within a block of the Hotel in the little shopping center. They advertised Certified Angus Beef. I asked to see a sample of the fare and was surprised at the apparent quality. Undoubtedly the best beef I have ever eaten in Mexico along with service that would rival the best restaurants in Chi Town or the big Apple.

Go. Visit La Crucecita and anywhere else you can get to in whatever way you desire, but go now so you can experience a paradise basically unspoiled.

Warren Stokes
astokes492@aol.com
Sep. 14, 1998

Bus Travel Rough

Kevin Moore
kjmoore@globalnet.co.uk
August 1998

Quality of Bus Travel Varies

Transportation to Huatulco from Mexico City
We took a bus from Mexico City. If you do not mind taking third class (that's what it felt like) and you are the adventurer type, go ahead... We were told that the bus was first class but it wasn't. It made stops in places it shouldn't . The bus took highway 200. It stopped in Pochulta, Pinotepa and Puerto Escondido. Mexican soldiers, checked all males for I.D. On one occasion, they made some males get off the bus for an inspection. The bathroom was very dirty. We watched one movie in this 12-hour trip. Also, on one instance they picked up people along the way, so that many of them rode standing for about an hour or more. It was one of the most uncomfortable bus rides I have ever had. I would recommend flying directly to Huatulco. On our way back from Huatulco we took a bus to Acapulco where we stayed there for two days and then we took the Executive class bus to Mexico City. It was a great bus ride, very luxurious and hospitable.

Time to Travel
We were told that we picked a great week to go (week of July 6th 1998) because the following week school let out in Mexico and it becomes really crowded. We had no problems finding cabs. It was usually 10 pesos (1 dollar) to go from one beach to the next.

Eating Authentic Mexican food
We recommend La Crucecita restaurant. It is located a block from the main plaza in the town La Crucecita. Very authentic and very good. We recommend the 'Consome de Pollo' and the 'Tamales Oaxaquenos'.

Swimming Safety
TAKE NOTE: If you can print all the bays from this web site and their descriptions. When it reads "not recommended for non-experienced swimmers". The ocean tides are so unpredictable!

Where we stayed
My family and I stayed at the Casa del Sol condo in Bahia Chahue. We first knew about it from this website. We were told that each person owns their own condo. The condo we rented was the one on the first floor. (The only one, the other on the first floor was being built). It would be fair to say that the condo was not very clean. There were some spider webs in both the bedrooms. The air conditioning was not necessary. However there were huge roaches. Needless to say the stay there was uncomfortable.

Overall, I can't wait until I go back to Huatulco we snorkeled, rode water bikes, ate, swam and relaxed!!!! I will try to go again before school lets out... It is very beautiful.

dimension4tech@email.msn.com
August 1998

Looking for a Quiet Out-of-the-Way Hotel

My wife and I were last in Huatulco in December of 1995 and plan to go again this coming December. We stayed in what was then the Posada Binniguenda, which I see has now changed to the Hotel Meigas. Does anyone have any recent experience with this hotel? We loved it three years ago and were looking forward to returning, as the service and ambiance were just amazing.

We want to largely stay away from the bustle of La Crucecita (not to mention the luxury hotels and condo strip) so would also be interested in a few other hotels on your list, the Castillo Huatulco and La Marina, which seem as if they're close to the Santa Cruz Marina. I'd love to hear from you or any of your visitors before we go ahead and make our own reservations!

Thanks very much in advance,

Joe Safdie
jsafdie@mailnt.ctc.edu
August 1998

A Week in Huatulco

We ate somewhere different every night and it was all wonderful food. Except for a little place up in La Crucecita called La Crema, it was so good we ate there twice! They hand make pizza & cook them in an old wood fired oven right there. And they are very, very reasonable, like 40 to 50 pesos for a large with everything. (And the exchange rate was 8.85) Just wonderful! And great drinks too. That was a great little town, really clean too. We went on a bay tour/snorkeling cruise and saw 4 dolphins come up to the boat & 2 huge sea turtles! The water is clear, but too rough in a lot of places for snorkeling. We also took a horseback ride up through a mountain and down to a deserted beach. It's not for beginners, but it is a lot of fun if you like to ride. Those horses can flat out run across the beaches (just like in the movies). But I was really disappointed that it had to rain the day we were going to fly up to the city of Oaxaca, and they cancelled the tour. I heard it would have been a great one. But all in all, it is a really nice destination, with fantastic scenery, and I would recommend it.

Lori Young
oyoung@dialnet.net
August 1998

Four Oklahomans in Huatulco, July 8-15

We flew out of DFW on Sun Country, and got our tickets through MLT for super-cheap at only about $150 round-trip. I would recommend this to anyone who can go with only 10 days or less notice, as you can get really great fares. Also, if you are leaving from DFW then you can stay at Days Inn and leave your car there for free, and also have access to a shuttle service which takes you to and from the airport.

The trip to Huatulco was great (besides a few rowdy people on the plane) and the Huatulco airport is very interesting architecturally. The airport is located several miles from the hotels in the area, so if you don't have a packaged deal then try to find a taxi on the side of the building, they are the cheapest mode of transportation.

We spent our week at the Hotel Villa Blanca [photo 30K] , which is located a mile or two from La Crucecita. It is a quaint and nice, moderately priced hotel at about U.S. $50 a night. It has very well kept suites which are air conditioned and situated around a pool. The part that I liked best about the hotel though is that the owners and workers were extremely friendly and we almost felt like family by the end of the trip. If any of you happen to stay there, then please say hello to Ruben, Noberto, Pepe, Elio, Natalie, Teresita, and the gang from the "Nord Family"!!! The hotel also seemed to be fairly centrally located in the area and cabs were fairly cheap anywhere. For example, it cost only 10 pesos (a little over U.S. $1) to go each way to Las Crucecita.

Meteorologically, Huatulco is located in a tropical setting and we just so happened to visit during the "rainy season". The first day we were there it rained all day, but luckily for us after that it rained only minimally. The temps there are normally between 80-90 degrees Fahrenheit, but it feels much warmer due to the stifling humidity.

On one of the first days, we went to La Entrega Beach. It is supposed to have great snorkeling, however unfortunately the day we were there the water was extremely murky. The food there was pretty good, and all in all it was a relaxing place.

If you have a sense of adventure, there are numerous deserted beaches in the area where relatively few people go. For example, we went to Conejos Beach where we spent a day relaxing, throwing a football around, and "soaking in some rays."

Another recommendation, especially at night, is to go to the zócalo (center of town) at La Crucecita. Especially on weekend nights, the zócalo is packed with lots of locals which provides for a great atmosphere!!! Also, when in La Crucecita if you get hungry, we recommend eating at The Oasis. The food there was great and the workers friendly, as we got hooked on eating there often throughout our stay!

Yet another exciting activity worth trying is to spend a day on a boat with one of the locals. We negotiated with a local boatman to spend a full day out and it only cost about U.S. $50 for three people! We left at 7:30 in the morning and trolled for fish until 10 AM and actually caught three fish called Bonitos. Our guide then brought us to St. Augustín Bay, where a local cooked the fish we had just caught (that cost us extra), all while we relaxed on the beach and played soccer (or as they would say "futbol") with the local boys. Then came the snorkeling, and seeing as I had never been before, it was quite frankly amazing!!! Our guide even came along and would dive down to the coral and bring sea life up to us at the surface, such as Blowfish and sea urchins. The large numbers of beautiful fish were unbelievable, I just wish that I had brought an underwater disposable camera.

Renting a boat and local guide is highly recommendable, and even if you don't want to fish you can go sightseeing instead (that's primarily what we did while we were trolling). Then you can spend the rest of the day relaxing and snorkeling at the beach, all for a relatively inexpensive price. Also, another advantage of going with a local guide instead of a packaged trip is that you can go wherever you please and with no schedule. The guide will take you almost anywhere you want to go at anytime and you are not dependent on a large group's schedule!

The last thing that I would say is that bringing an English-Spanish dictionary/phrase book is most helpful, although not at all necessary. If you get in a bind it can be helpful, as I found out the hard way.

So, in conclusion, my family had a blast and we sure hated to see the week come to an end. We were very busy doing things the whole time, and yet there were still many things that we didn't get to do. It's truly a tribute to how many things there are to do in the Huatulco area!

Well, I hope you have fun on your trip to Huatulco, we sure did!!! Also, I hope this helps you out in your adventures to Huatulco. Feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions at all.

Jason Nord
Jaynord@yahoo.com
August 1998

Just a couple of things:

2. Do you know the recipe for the marinade and/or recado they use on the chicken at Pollo Feliz? I always get their Chicken Imperial at least once when I'm in town. I would like to BBQ some chicken here in Montana and try and duplicate their recipe.

Thanks for any info.

Dan Merriman
tfl3672@montana.com
August 1998

Can anybody help Dan with this? --Tom

Royal Maeva 7/12 - 7/19

One word to the wise. If you are flying into Mexico City, make sure you have more than one hr. between flights. Immigration was really crowded and we were running to our connection. We made it though... Customs at LAX was a snap in comparison.

The staff at the Maeva is great! They do their best to see that you have a good time. Do be sure to catch the shows at 9:30 in the evening. They are really good, the staff does a great job. Water aerobics was really fun and there was always something going on in the pool area.

You might like to know that they do have an ice machine in the hotel. We found it by chance the third day. It is much easier than calling room service if you want a bucket. It is down by the doctor's office in the hall by the coke machine. Made life a lot easier. If you are planning to call home to the states, go to the store across the street and buy a phone card to use in the pay phone by the store. My 21 yr. old found out the hard was ($96.00 phone call to Calif. for 12 minutes) to the love of his life. She was worth it though.

Didn't have much trouble with bug bites, but made sure to spray a little before going out. Just don't forget the sunscreen!!

The "Tequila" boat for the 7 bay tour is one thing not to miss. Tell the crew and Fabio that the blonde kids from California say hello. We found the snorkeling trip from the hotel to be just as good as the bays on the tour. Don't miss it. Take a disposable underwater camera. The pictures turn out great.

Enjoy the eating and laying around and eating and laying around. Take your towel down early when you go to breakfast to camp out a good lounge chair. We loved the ones by the little bridge. Shade most of the day. Be prepared for hot and humid, but you do kind of get used to it as the week progresses. And on the subject of towels, don't lose yours, you have to beg to get another one. Not really.

Shopped in Santa Cruz and La Crucecita. I like the first and my sister liked the latter. More selection in La Crucecita. If you love silver jewelry, you'll be happy. I was.

If you have any questions about Huatulco or the Maeva, feel free to email me and I will be happy to tell you what I know.

Caryl and gang
carylfitz@earthlink.net
July 1998

Hotel Mision de los Arcos

Our first day there we took a look at the town and tried getting used to the humidity. The next day we got a taxi to give us the scenic route to the beach. He took us to the light house and we got to see the ocean spray through the "blowhole" in the rock below the cliff. I think it's called the Bocadora, but I probably have it wrong. Anyway, he dropped us off at Playa Entrega and set us up with one of the palapa restaurants. Apparently, if a taxi driver drops customers off at a specific palapa the driver gets a free meal when he comes back to pick up his customers. We were a little concerned about whether the taxi driver would remember to pick us up but he was there about 20 min. earlier to eat and take us back into town. The cab fares were all very reasonable and nowhere in Oaxaca or Huatulco did anybody try scamming us for more money. By the way, we ended up at the last palapa, over by the snorkeling stands and were very pleased with the food and service. Good shrimp cocktails and their specialty is an open faced fish with all kinds of seafood on top (shrimp, bell peppers, and more). Another plus is the fact that I think they might be the only one that has a shower for their customers. All the others send their customers to the public showers where you have to pay 5 pesos; 3 pesos to use the restrooms. Watch out for late afternoon waves coming up near the tables, so think about that when picking a table. The second time we went to Playa Entrega we decided to go on our own. Expect to get all the waiters to greet you and convince you that their palapa is the best. We went with the palapa that had blue tablecloths and thought it was just okay compared to the other one we had been to. Suggestion for young ladies with long hair: get your hair braided, you know tiny little braids. There are 2 women who go around braiding ladies hair for about $8 or $9US. It takes them about 20-30 minutes but it's worth it. My head felt so much cooler and I never had a bad hair day in that humid weather. Oh, and there's a guy who walks around with an iguana asking if you want to get a picture taken with it for 10 pesos. If you do it ask him to throw it in the ocean and you can watch it swim back to shore. Pretty cool! I was a little disappointed with the mercado and all the little shops in Huatulco after having been in Oaxaca city. They really focus on selling t-shirts and cheap touristy souvenirs; though we did find quite a bit of pottery, but 3 times more expensive than what we paid in Oaxaca and not much of a selection. We were glad we had spent all of our money over there for these types of purchases. One store I was very impressed with is on one of the side streets. It's called Zipolites Place, owned by a very friendly gentlemen Julio Manzanilla; address Flamboyan 209 in La Crucecita [map]. This store had all original pieces of art made of marble, paintings, jewelry and more! He really had a nice selection of art and very tasteful. His prices seemed reasonable too.

Our third day there we rented a VW bug and headed toward the Sierras searching for a coffee plantation. We ended up driving about 2 hours into the mountains, not really knowing much or where these plantations were. Eventually we ended up in one. Nothing too spectacular, but I think we found a little one that didn't have much. The view of the mountains was fantastic. Everything is so green and luscious! And we discovered why...when it rains it really pours!! We got caught in this bad weather and had to stress about driving through the washed out roads. But we made it through just fine and enjoyed the exciting adventure. Huatulco sure is beautiful. Unfortunately we didn't make it to Puerto Escondido or Puerto Angel. We thought we could take day trips there but the roads are so twisty and narrow that it's not worth it. There is a lot of road development going on in Huatulco, most of which is planned for completion by December. New roads are being paved which will allow access to some of the more isolated beaches that are only accessible by foot or through the boat tours. So, enough said, enjoy Huatulco and I hope people make it to Oaxaca (a whole other letter).

terbo@stormnet.com
July 1998

Solo at the Maeva

Went out of Dallas on Sun Country direct to Huatulco. Good flight and only took 2 hours 45 minutes. Stayed at The Royal Maeva for 7 nights. Went by myself and had a ball. Why not check out my web page at:

http://home.earthlink.net/~pepper77/

Pictures are worth a thousand words. I have a lot of pictures and comments on the web page.

David
pepper77@earthlink.net
July 1998

Found Romance in Huatulco

Ellie Mazzio
evmazzio@rconnect.com

Hotel Binneguenda & Puerto Angel

Aside from us, there was only one other American party staying at the hotel. Everyone was mostly vacationing Mexico City folks. The desk staff spoke a little English; our Spanish was just enough to get us by. The bar staff was very nice, and they make a killer margarita -- none of that mix junk you get at bars at home.

The beach at Santa Cruz is just OK, but it's just a five-minute walk from the hotel. There are several restaurants right on the sand, which was nice. We couldn't believe how cheap the food was -- there and everywhere. We ate fish with garlic, fish en brochette, fabulous ceviche with white fish and octopus and paid under $10 easily per meal. Lots of entrees are $6 or $7. Beer is $1 to $1.50.

We also went to the beach at Tangolunda, where the Sheraton, Royal Maeva and other big hotels are. It was fine, but if you wanted a coke or something at a hotel pool bar, they want to see your ID bracelet that says you're a guest at that hotel. So take your own refreshments.

In La Crucecita, we ate at the Oasis, a Mexican restaurant and sushi bar. What a hoot. It was the only place we heard American top 40 music. The sushi was just OK, not bad. The onion soup was out of this world, and the fish tacos were pretty good. Our favorite restaurant by far was Sabor de Oaxaca, in La Crucecita. The mole is truly divine. We had chicken and steak, as well as plates of Oaxacan cheese -- which is incredibly good. The ice cream shop on the corner, facing the plaza, was great, too.

We found pretty good shopping in La Crucecita; bought several little pieces of Oaxacan art -- the brightly painted animals and platters -- plus some silver jewelry. Prices were really cheap.

One day we rented this little car -- more like a go-cart -- from Los Portales, a restaurant on the La Cruecita plaza. It was a VW make, with a roll bar on top, no doors or anything -- you just climb in. It was about $40 per 24 hours and was a lot of fun to putt around in. Another day we rented a VW bug (not one of the new versions) and drove to Puerto Angel. That cost about $42. The drive is only about 20 miles, but it took about an hour because the road has so many tight, twisting turns.

Puerto Angel was great, but the ocean was really rough -- big winds from a tropical storm somewhere. [Hurricane Blas, which remained offshore, stirred up the waves along the coast] Couldn't really swim because the waves were gigantic and the undertow was perilous. But the little palapa huts at the main beach and at Zipolite beach were wonderful. Sat on the sand and drank cold, cold beer and read a book. Slice of heaven.

Another day we chartered a little 10-person boat, just the 3 of us and our two guides. It cost about $25 per person and they were supposed to take us to all kinds of coves, etc., for us to snorkel. They actually took us to two beaches, both of which had concessions run by their friends, where they wanted us to spend our money just at their places for snorkeling gear, drinks and food. That was pretty frustrating, because we had our own ideas about where we wanted to lie in the sun and swim and snorkel. In fact, it was really annoying to have to argue, when it was our money paying for the ride. Still, we enjoyed the beaches and water -- which was pretty rough due to high winds.

In general, we were glad we took tons of sunblock and bug spray. Two of three of us were bitten constantly. And plan on sweating a lot -- at least in summer. Bottled water is plentiful and cheap. Have fun -- we did.

June
junebug@startext.net
June 1998

Back from the Maeva

Kathryntex@aol.com
June 1998

A Week in Huatulco

The following restaurants are on Tangolunda Bay, which is where most hotels are. We had dinner at Don Porfirio, where food is great and is moderately priced. On the next day we tried La Pampa Argentina, food isn't outstanding and it is ridiculously expensive. Our advice is simple: don't go there. On our last evening we tried an Italian restaurant, Bella Venezia. If you are planning to go to Huatulco, don't miss this place. They have excellent Italian homemade pasta and it's very reasonably priced. They don't accept credit cards but don't let that stop you from enjoying an excellent meal. In order to tour the bays there are boats available. However, it was suggested to us to rent a car (VW Bug chassis, sort of dune buggy) and it is a very good thing to do. You can tour at your own pace and the scenery from the top of the mountains surrounding the beaches is just breathtaking. Traffic is, at least at this time of the year, nonexistent. In short, we had a good time. We hope others will.

Starke Fabris Erich
erich.starke@uia.mx
June 1998

The Food, the Bays, the Coffee Plantation Tour

Regarding the fires in Chiapas, there was residual smoke and a slight smoke smell until Monday the 15th, after which we couldn't detect any. The rains, while threatening to start, had not set in yet, and it was 90-95 degrees, with 80-90% humidity, which will tax one not used to such conditions, especially if the day is not laid out with them in mind.

The other thing that comes to mind is that the mix of Mexican-to-US. tourists seemed to be 4-to-1 or greater. This had little impact on our experience, but was very different from the other trips we have made to Mexico, where American, Canadian, German, and Brazilian tourists seemed to be in abundance. My guess is that Huatulco is receiving considerably more "pub" in Mexico than elsewhere.

Saturday
The arrival afternoon "orientation" offered by MLT was mainly a pitch for their affiliated excursion agency, Servicios Turisticos Del Sur, but we did have a very positive experience with that agency, especially Karinna, who sent us not only a message via the hotel, but also a follow-up call when the schedule for the Tequila boat changed (see Sunday). We were made to feel well-taken-care-of by Karinna and her agency's guide, Mario, who led us to the coffee plantation (see Tuesday). A late lunch in the Sheraton's Dona Rosa cafe was unremarkable and pricey. We took a cab into La Crucecita , bought pesos at the ATM there on the square (best air conditioning in Oaxaca in the little ATM booth), took stock of the little mercado and shops off the zócalo, snacks at the "Super-Mini", as convenience stores are known there, got some bar goods (savings over room service) at the liquor store and returned to Tangolunda, where the Sheraton sits. Let me say here that many of the restaurants/stands mentioned on this site were not open for business during our stay. I'm certain this is because there was just not enough business during this time of year for all of them to remain open. Along the strip there at Tangolunda, as far as we could tell, only Don P's, La Pampa, and Jarro were serving, and Jarro (see Monday) had no patrons at 9:00 p.m. this Saturday night. Not to worry, though because Don Porfirio's did not disappoint. Cookie had grilled giant shrimp, prepared within view at the large grill on the curb, and I enjoyed tableside preparation of smaller, "house" shrimp with onions and peppers in a garlic, butter and rum sauce. Bo ate quesadillas made with Oaxaca's tangy Quesilla cheese, a theme that was to repeat over our stay. Having a relaxing, fulfilling meal, we wanted it to last, and shared Bananas Foster as a ceremony and dessert. With margaritas, this meal came to about $45 US. A really nice time.

Sunday
We had booked passage on the "Tequila," the only craft that day to give "The Bays Tour," a visit to most of the bays that make up the Huatulco complex. Having veered from our MLT agency of choice, who were offering the Bays Tour on a smaller craft on Monday, we were greeted with the interesting experience of being the only primary-English-speaking family on the boat. Not to worry, though. Although Hector, our "Cruise Director" was concerned that I didn't know much Spanish, with a slight assurance that my wife Cookie was fluent, stuck to a Spanish-only presentation that was more irreverent and unchecked than I imagine the American/Canadian excursions on the same craft are accustomed. I never thought I'd hear a Spanish-language version of "Achy-Breaky Heart," and outside the context of the catamaran-at-sea-line-dance, never wish to again. I feel like some version of this tour is an essential orientation to the area, as well as great entertainment. Enterprising youngsters will snap photos of your party posing with the "Tequila" life-ring upon boarding, and sure enough, they're there with your framed photos for your purchase that same afternoon as you disembark. Likewise, a videographer is present, and will approach you at some point about your opportunity to buy the edited "dock-umentary" of your excursion for about 150 pesos. We did this, and while not up there with "The Sorrow & the Pity," we'll probably have reason to dust this off and show to ourselves and to friends as the years go by. By the end of this all-day trip, we were all fighting for the shower in our room. After that, we sought out nearby Jarro, and this worked out pretty well. Like Don Porfirio's, this is a streetfront outfit. Yes, Pancho the famous parrot is there, en vivo and in effigy as a giant paper-mache' likeness haunts the restaurant's sign. Alfredo, the proprietor, understands the tenets of customer service: a good product, well-presented with enthusiasm. The under-$20 meal for three we had here was second to none of the more expensive establishments we sampled.

Monday
For the second day in a row, we partook of the Sheraton's breakfast buffet. It's hard to beat for selection. Lots of breads, fresh fruits, cereals, hotcakes waffles, omelets-to-order, and 7 or 8 chafing dishes full of hot staples, from eggs to Chilaquiles to bacon to Oaxacan tamales, potatoes, guarantee you will not leave hungry after paying your $8 per-person grazing fee. There were some all-inclusive customers there, with the telltale white hospital bracelets, and I suppose this was a better deal for them. A good breakfast nonetheless. This may seem like blowing a day on a short visit, but Bo's fondness for the kiddie pool kept us at the hotel this entire day. A great network of pools and passable pool-food service got us through this, along with some prime real estate (chaises and palapa) staked out as soon as breakfast ended. Back into La Crucecita that afternoon for a buying trip. Our driver, Raymundo, had a friend who lived about 2 blocks off the square, who made textiles in his home. Once inside, we saw his large loom and impressive work. We bought some. We had Raymundo leave us at the Zócalo and arranged for him to return 2 hours later after we'd had a chance to finish shopping and eat dinner. Shopping, while not on a par with the Oaxaca villages and markets, was close enough, so we spent pretty freely. Dinner was at Sabor de Oaxaca, and it was all we had come to expect from the reviews on your site. A small place with a BIG taste. for 3 it was about $25, we laid off the alcohol, and had Sprites w/ lime.

Tuesday
With some trepidation (partly from reports on your site, partly from knowing Cookie doesn't like to get too far off the beaten path, we opted for the Coffee Plantation Tour. There were five of us, plus our guide Mario, in a new Suburban w/ a/c. The roads were scary at times. A stop in a small village on the way and a tour of its cathedral and a small family-run restaurant. Many beautiful butterflies, birds and trees. The coffee plants were in bloom, having a heavy, gardenia-like fragrance, and Bo got a chance to see the grocery store mangoes and bananas hanging from their actual trees of origin, along with cinnamon, almonds, and vanilla. After hiking a bit through the plantation, we took a short drive to the waterfall. It was beautiful, chilling and fabulous. We were soon joined by a dozen or so native children, who were happy to demonstrate the many acrobatic diving feats we might not attempt ourselves. We all thought this was the best part of the day. For once, we were outdoors and cold at the same time! Dona Gloria and Don Gustavo were hosts for a superb lunch, and the ride back down the mountain did not seem as long as on the way up. Being our last night, we splurged for the view at Casa del Mar, and were not disappointed. The food though not exceptional, was really good, and the view was fantastic. With multiple margaritas, lobster and shrimp, our threesome rang up at $100. If you don't have to have the atmosphere, better off paying half that at Don Porfirio's.

Wednesday
Breakfast and a bit of swimming at the Sheraton Pool for Bo, until we left at 11 a.m. for our 1:30 flight. Sun Country has a nice operation, with box lunches and free cocktails (hey, I'm used to Southwest, so easily impressed with in-flight goodies).

All in all, a great (but HOT) trip (btw, when we got back to Dallas it was 100 degrees, but only 35% humidity, MUCH more comfortable to us Texans). A worthwhile destination, and probably a paradise in-season. If I have any regrets at all, it was that the package we bought could not be extended beyond 4 nights. It seems like you could easily spend 5-7 days here without crossing your own tracks too often.

Robert R.
2theWind@cautious.com
Garland, TX
June 1998

In-Depth Comments

Thank you so much for organizing one of the most valuable resources on the Web. I gained much insight into Huatulco from your web site and even choose Huatulco in part due to the favorable comments from your readers.
Having visited most of the major tourist destinations in Mexico (Acapulco, Cancun, Ixtapa, Manzanillo, Mazatlan, Mexico City, Puerto Vallarta, Taxco), I was ready to try something new. Huatulco sounded like the ideal spot to visit next.
Despite the tardiness of this letter, we were actually in Huatulco during the first week of April. We found Huatulco to be a lovely vacation spot with everything one could ask of Mexico - great weather, beautiful beaches, pretty scenery, friendly people and tasty food - all at a reasonable price.
Huatulco is very much geared toward pleasing the tourists. Virtually all of our encounters with the cab drivers, waiters, shop keepers and locals were warm and genuine. In fact we had two experiences which really made Huatulco a modern tourist destination in our minds. First, most of the downtown area of La Crucecita is handicapped accessible. Not only that, but the intersection across the street from La Flamboyant (where we stayed) [photos] had the curb demolished and a wheelchair ramp built all in a 24 hour period during our stay. We had been laughing to ourselves that the rubble might sit there until we came back next year when much to our surprise, it was all picked up and hauled away by the next morning. The other defining moment for Huatulco came when we requested a light bulb at La Flamboyant to replace one that burned out and the maintenance guy came back about 30 seconds later and replaced it.
On the down side, Huatulco is very dry in the spring time. The vegetation was pretty much in hibernation until fall when the rains come. I assume it would be much prettier between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Another drawback was that in La Crucecita, the shop keepers and children beggars who work the zócalo are very aggressive. By the end of the week they had become a bit tiring.
With all that said, if there was one piece of advice I would give people going to Huatulco, it would be to experience the entire area and try to meet the locals. We talked to many tourists who pretty much stayed down near Tangolunda Bay during their entire trip and I think you miss out on a lot by doing that. Anyway, on to the good stuff - our review of Huatulco.

Restaurants
Rick's in-depth coverage of restaurants is relocated here.

Shopping
Mercado across the street from Sabor De Oaxaca. Wide selection, vendors willing to bargain a bit but not too much. Leather belt for $7 US.
Santa Cruz. Being right near the marina, an area they are quickly building up, the prices at this market were higher than in La Crucecita. They did, however, have some items which we could not find in town---silver picture frames (avg. $10 US) and the drinking glasses with blue around the rim ($3 US). They were willing to bargain a little, but many vendors let us walk out of their shop rather than come down on price very far.

Beaches
Bahía Chahue. Nice quiet beach. A great place to spend the day soaking up rays, swimming and reading. The bay offered moderate waves and under tow. The beach club for the Castillo Hotel was here. As a Castillo guest you get in for free, otherwise it cost $1.25 per person to use their Palapas (beach hut), towels, showers and other facilities. The beach club also had a restaurant which had very good food, especially considering they had a captive audience. We visited this beach several times and ate a tasty lunch each day. We had sandwiches, tacos, enchiladas and it all was very good. The lunches averaged about $12 for the two of us and could be eaten out on the beach under the Palapas or in the casual open-air restaurant overlooking the beach.
Bahía Santa Cruz. Small, quiet beach. Little wave action. The bay houses the marina so it's picturesque in its own right. We used the beach club on the east side of the bay which was free for us since we were staying at La Flamboyant. The people were all friendly and we spent a nice relaxing day. We kayaked all over the bay (free at the beach club) and had a great lunch, including fish quesadillas that were wonderful, for about $10.
Playa Entrega. Great snorkeling for the Pacific coast. It's not the Caribbean or Hawaii, but good visibility, lots of coral and an abundant variety of fish. This beach has little wave action which makes it good for swimming and families. This was definitely the spot to be for the Mexican families on vacation. The guy renting the snorkeling gear wanted $5 US per set, but we negotiated with him and got two sets for the morning for $6. We had a light lunch at Calinda Lindo, the second to the last restaurant furthest away from the main parking lot. There were 6 or 8 little restaurants side by side on this beach and they all seemed to generate a good crowd. Our cab ride here was $3 US from La Crucecita.

Hotels
La Flamboyant. [photos] Right on the NW corner of the zócalo next to the church. The best hotel in La Crucecita. It's quaint, clean, has a pool and AC, is centrally located and offers architecture and furnishing that clearly say Mexico. The garden view rooms opened up to a cute court yard and they had chilled water available in the hallways. Lock boxes were also available. Cost about $56 includes dinner and transportation/access to their beach club on Santa Cruz bay. A very good middle of the road choice for someone looking for a more traditional experience. We loved staying in town and had the opportunity to visit several different beaches during our week-long stay. The people were friendly and a maintenance guy fixed a burned out light bulb within minutes of asking him. The only major drawback was that the bed was very hard, so hard that I had some difficulty sleeping.
Gran Hotel. On the north side of La Crucecita. Double was $50. We looked at staying here prior to selecting La Flamboyant as we wanted to stay in town at a hotel with a pool. The hotel looked a bit tired. The location was less than ideal as it was on a busy avenue that led to and from the airport.
Mission De La Sol. A small white-washed spanish-style hotel next to Bings and across the street from La Flamboyant on a little side street. It's a new budget level hotel that was very clean, cute, and seemingly a great buy at $30 US. The rather small rooms had simple furnishings and ceiling fans that I would have preferred to AC. For someone on a budget vacation, this is definitely worth checking out.
Suites Begonias. This quaint hotel is situated on the southeast corner of the zócalo. We saw their best room, a corner double overlooking the zócalo that was priced at $35 US. This particularly large room even had a table and chairs, something not offered by many of the hotels in Huatulco. The decor was quite cute, including lots of tile in the bathroom, and the room was very clean and had a ceiling fan. The only drawback was that the hotel didn't have AC and I would imagine that the noise from the zócalo would be a problem. However, this was the one of the neatest rooms I scouted out all week.
Binniguenda. Quiet looking hotel. $90 per night. Good looking pool area. In Santa Cruz near the marina. Kind of off by itself. A definite step up from La Flamboyant but we didn't think it looked like it was worth twice the price. A safe in the room was a plus.
Hotel Castillo Huatulco. [photos 35K] In Santa Cruz, overlooking the marina. Cute, spanish-style. Provided bottled water in the room. Access and transportation to the beach club at Playa de Chahue. Regular rate $112. Dropped to $62 in April. We stayed here for a couple of nights at the reduced rates. A great buy at $62 per night and a step up from La Flamboyant. Frequented by Mexican families. Good breakfast buffet with a wide selection of fruits, breads, cooked and made to order food for about $6 US per person. We had a great view facing the marina, but it was very loud at night and I would recommend having a room that faced away from ocean. The beds were quite firm, but not as hard as La Flamboyant. Another downer was that we never had enough towels or wash clothes.
Marlin. Located three blocks west of the Santa Cruz zócalo, the pink-stucco Marlin is a very quaint spanish-style hotel. The $85 a night rooms have a lot of tile and are quite large, and there was a swimming pool in the courtyard. I really liked the room as it and the one we saw at the Suites Begonias were my two favorites. However, the hotel is kind of off by itself and is a longer walk from Santa Cruz than I'd want to make at night.
Marina. [photo 99K] This hotel is more like a condominium development. It sits right on the Santa Cruz marina and overlooks the ocean. The suite that we saw had a separate bedroom, living room and kitchenette. Its larger accommodations, location and pool warrant a little more money, but at $150 per night, I thought it was a little overpriced.
Sheraton. [photos 141K] Plenty has been written about this hotel so I won't do that, but I can add some insights. We spent one day at their pool even though we didn't stay there. They let you use their pool area for $6 US per person which was quite the bargain. We didn't see the rooms, but the pool area was fabulous. The food at the pool-side restaurant was mixed and quite expensive (big surprise). Our hamburger was pretty bad, but the fish quesadilla was excellent. No language barrier here.
Alligheri. The Alligheri was a cute little hotel situated behind the Villablanca and across the street from Playa Chahue. The room was clean and simple, but cost $85 per night. However, I think they raised the price because it was Easter week. It had a pool and provided access to the beach club at Playa Chahue, plus it was handicapped accessible.

Other
Long Distance Phone Shop. This little hole in the wall was a provider of phone service to the locals. We used it a couple of times and were the only gringos in it each time. Located about a block and a half from the southeast corner of the zócalo. They charged $1.50 US per minute and it was much easier and cheaper than making calls back to the US from our room.
Pharmacia. We visited a local drug store a couple of times during our stay (suntan lotion, skin lotion and some medicated lotion to treat sunburn) that was two blocks off the zócalo from La Flamboyant. The shopkeeper and his wife were very friendly and we had a couple of nice conversations with them. Their wares were 25-50% cheaper than on the zócalo or in the main markets.
El Delfin. This little shop was about one and a half blocks off the southeast corner of the zócalo from the main Oasis restaurant. We bought a couple of t-shirts there for half the price of the same shirts sold in shops on the zócalo. The owner was a wonderful lady and we got to know her and her daughter.
Cabs. 10 pesos within La Crucecita and from La Crucecita to Santa Cruz. 20 pesos from La Crucecita to Tangolunda bay.

Thanks again for a wonderful website.

Rick Brimacomb
rick@smaby.com
June 1998

Now the Crown Pacific

Our stay in Huatulco was very enjoyable overall. We all had a good time, and we were impressed by how "un-touristy" Huatulco is. It's a nice change from Cancun. There were very few people at our hotel simply because the town is relatively new for tourism and hasn't been discovered by the masses yet. If partying and nightlife are a priority on your vacation, go to Cancun. The Crown Pacific and Huatulco in general is a very laid-back place good for taking it easy. We will definitely go back to Huatulco one day. We only stayed four days this time. Next time I'd like to stay a week. I do recommend the Crown Pacific to anyone planning a vacation there, but certainly don't expect luxury. Do expect a nice time with nice accommodations and lots of good food and drinks.

Allison
allibar@yahoo.com
June 1998

Canadians Endure Long Hours for Trip to Paradise

Gerry,Laura & Kiley
Vancouver B.C. Canada
kilerin@lightspeed.bc.ca

Anybody Stay at the Crowne Pacific?

Milinda
eehh110180@msn.com
May 1998

Where to Stay in Huatulco

JN in Fort Worth
junebug@star-telegram.com
May 29, 1998

Huatulco Trip at the Sheraton

We used the information on this page as a guide of restaurants and sights to see. One place not to miss is Don Porfinio's, a restaurant right outside the hotels, they have great shrimp. Say hi to Moses and Memo for us, they were great! Another great place to eat is Jarro Cafe. This is a convenient place (across the street from the Sheraton) with good food. Along with good food you will be entertained by Pancho the parrot, he'll eat the sugar right out of the sugar bowl. Ask for Freddy, he is super. La Pampa is an Argentinian restaurant up the street from the hotels. They specialize in beef from the U.S. The atmosphere is nice, it's next to the golf course. Lastly, Casa Del Mar was the most beautiful restaurant. You'll need reservations, but it is so worth it. Go at sunset, which is what we read here and it was perfect. Great views!

The golf course is beautiful. We golfed midday, that was a mistake, it was so hot! Go early, you'll see beautiful birds and a nice view of the ocean. It is expensive.

La Crucecita [map] is one of the small towns near the resorts. We went to the market in town and bought fruit, vegetables, beer, and water and filled our mini bar in the room. The majority of the shopping is here. Found some fun things there but the prices were better in Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz is just being built up so there isn't much traffic there. It's more of a marina than a town right now. A few rows of shops, same trinkets, better prices.

We took the seven-bay tour. Ask for Tino, he will take care of you. The water was rough when we were there. It was still a nice time. We spent the whole day out on the boat or in the bays. We were lucky enough to have dolphins swimming around our boat and were greeted by a giant turtle swimming next to us. We snorkeled in San Augustín and La Entrega bays. These are the best for snorkeling although if you are a pro at it, I understand it doesn't really compare.

Lastly, someone asked about the smoke and fires in the area. On the last two days we were there, as I opened our patio doors in the morning, I could smell the smoke. Our last full day there was overcast and people speculated that it was due to the fires. We saw them as we left on Sunday (5/17) from the airplane.

One more thing, we met the nicest people from the East Coast that were also vacationing at the Sheraton. We had a great time with them and we hope to keep in touch. A big 'HI' to Michelle, Jim, Dirk, Marion, Mary and Kevin!!!!

Chris and Dawn
Colorado Springs, Colorado
dawn.nauert@mci.com
May 1998

Second-Time Visitors

great web site tom.

jr & glenna
scljr@netico.net
May 1998

Any Smoke There?

Thanks.
Diana
huntcon@onramp.net
May 1998

Huatulco Trip 4/14/98 ­ 4/18/98

My 14-year-old son (Brad) and I took a trip with our travel club (Ambassadair ­ based in Indianapolis) to the Sheraton in Huatulco as an all-inclusive five-day vacation. My trip report follows. First there are some general comments about the destination. Then there is a day by day commentary with more details.

Thanks to everyone on the net who helped us plan this trip. Please contact me if you have any questions.

Jim/Brad Williams [williams@indiana.edu]

General comments

This was a good trip. We particularly enjoyed the Sheraton [photos 103K]. Good food, lots of variety, lots of water [more about that later]. There are a few things we learned on this trip that might be useful to others....

First, there were many Mexican families vacationing at the Sheraton. This was wonderful because it provided Brad with an excellent opportunity to meet kids from a different background and culture. But, I wish we had concentrated on our Spanish more before vacation. I had Spanish in high school. But, we just could not communicate as well as I would have liked. Study your Spanish before you go. You'll have more fun!

Second, there are no cities in the Huatulco area. This translates into not much shopping or standard "night life". That was not a problem for us. But, just be aware. This is a resort area with limited options outside the resort. (At least we did not find much to do outside the resort area, although we did go into Santa Cruz one day...more later).

Finally, the time of the month and the tides play a big part in the environment in Huatulco. We happen to be there when the tides were high and the waves were big, very big. The beach at the Sheraton was closed for two days! [This phenomena is associated with the full moon which occurred on April 11. See explanation. -Tom] Since many of our activities centered on the ocean (scuba diving and snorkeling), this is a point worth considering in your planning, if you have the luxury of scheduling your time.

Overall, we enjoyed this trip a lot and liked the Sheraton in particular. It is not the calm, crystal clear Caribbean. But, it is sunny and warm with wonderful, friendly people.

Daily comments

Depart Indy 8:15 for a 4 hour direct flight to Huatulco. Nice airport. Our bags were flagged for search. This was a first for me. But, that was really no problem.

It was a twenty-five minute bus ride to the Sheraton. It is the dry season now and things are really dry. We saw lots of interesting cactuses (cacti?) out the window of the bus. The Sheraton is very nice and not very crowded. Brad and I looked around while the check-in line diminished. The Sheraton has a huge, excellent pool and a nice beach. But, the waves were very big today (more on that later). After our explorations, we checked in and went to our room.

We had a very nice room overlooking the pool on the 5th floor. Two double beds and a nice bathroom and (Brad's favorite) TV. We had lunch at the restaurant by the ocean.

Let me explain a little about the food service at the Sheraton. There are three restaurants, which I will call the ocean, the inside and the fancy. Of course, they all have official names, but I cannot seem to find that information now. Breakfast is only served at the inside restaurant (although, you can either sit inside or outside). And, it is a buffet. But, it was always very good. The food was fresh and hot. They had a variety of fresh fruit and good Mexican entries. A nice way to start the day! They also serve lunch and dinner from a menu in the inside restaurant. We ate there several times.

The ocean restaurant serves a buffet lunch and dinner. Dinner seems to be a differing theme every night and always a buffet. But, for lunch at least, you can also order off the menu. There is a nice view of the ocean and the food was good. You can get pizza. That was very important for Brad! We had lunch here a couple times. But, we never had dinner here.

The fancy restaurant only serves dinner. It is a typical fancy restaurant in an all-inclusive. A good dinner menu with some special entries added (at extra cost).

After lunch, we put on our swimsuits and headed into the ocean. The waves were big! I am a strong swimmer and these were the biggest waves I had ever been in. You could body surf far up onto the beach. Then the current would take you back into the ocean again. It was not really dangerous, if you kept you head. But, the ocean on this day was absolutely not a place for small children. Brad, of course, had a blast! The waves got even higher and eventually were so high that the beach was closed for the next two days! See my earlier comment about timing of a trip.

Brad discovered the swim-up bar. Of course, at 14 he gets no alcohol. But, he got Sprites and water.

Let me make another digression about water. I have been in other places in the Mexico and the Caribbean area where you could not get enough water. Usually, you got a glass and had trouble getting it refilled and bottled water was hard to find or expensive. Well, at the Sheraton you got bottles of cold water and lots of bottles if you like. This was wonderful. We would simply ask for water at any meal or at the bar and a bottle of cold water appeared for each of us. This was very, very nice, given the heat and salty environment.

After playing in the waves, we took a nap (an important part of vacations). We did a bit of exploring around the Sheraton and found a potential place to go scuba diving on Friday. However, at this point the waves are too high for any reasonable diving. There would be difficulties getting to a dive location. Then there would be the cloudy condition of the water.

Had dinner at the fancy restaurant (Casa Real). We had an excellent dinner with a nice piano playing in the background. Brad had tera messu (sp?) for desert, which he really liked.

Day 2 ­ Wednesday 4/15

Had breakfast at the buffet in the inside restaurant today. It was very good. We got our food and ate outside. The birds, while interesting, can also be annoying. If you leave your food at an outside table, they will swoop down and have their own breakfast. So, someone always has to stay at the table.

The waves were really high today and the beach was closed. I am a bit worried about our snorkeling and scuba diving plans. We walked along the beach, looking at the waves and picking up shells.

Brad and I played around in the pool and played some tennis. There are three excellent tennis courts and a nice fitness facility at the Sheraton. We had lunch at the ocean restaurant again and then the typical vacation nap.

We took a cab into Santa Cruz in the afternoon to do some sight seeing and shopping. There is not too much to see. We made a few souvenir purchases and looked around a bit. Then we took a cab back to the Sheraton.

We stopped at a place across the street from the Sheraton called the Jarro Restaurant. They have a parrot that is the center of attention. We had a snack there and then went back to the hotel to hang out.

We just had sandwiches for dinner tonight in the inside restaurant. Then we went off to bed.

Day 3 ­ Thursday 4/16

It is snorkeling day today. We signed on for a tour with our travel group from Indianapolis. We had our standard breakfast at the inside restaurant. We left the hotel at 9:00 for a bus ride to Santa Cruz and then on to the boat. Given the size of the waves yesterday, I was a bit concerned. But, the boat is good size (40ft?) and the waves are going down. Some people have suggested that you can hire a small boat to visit the bays. If the ocean was calmer, you might be able to do that. But, not today!!

We toured the bays north of Santa Cruz. We stopped at one to go snorkeling. But, the snorkeling was not very good. The weather was rough and the visibility was poor. Unfortunately, the coral environment was pretty much destroyed.

Brad and I went to Cozumel last year and many people in that area, dive boat masters, hotel tour directors and people in general seemed to have a clear understanding of how critical the ocean environment was to their tourist industry and their future. We were cautioned that on every dive we should keep our equipment closely attached to our BCs and "do not disturb the coral". Another example of the broad scope of this environmental concern is the controversy over the construction of an additional deep-water port in Cozumel directly over a prime diving site.

There seems to be no similar environmental awareness in Huatulco. The coral we saw today was dead. I did not expect to see Cozumel type coral. But, the fact that all the coral was dead shocked me. Somehow this issue must be addressed.

We had lunch in one of the bays where there are lots of restaurants set up to serve tour boats. The food was good, but a bit expensive. The people are clearly in business to serve the tourists. The trip home was a bit wavier. I could not imagine taking this trip in a small boat.

Took showers, relaxed by the ocean and pool and just talked. Had another excellent dinner at the inside restaurant. Watched the Simpsons in Spanish and went to bed.

Day 4 - Friday 4/17

The tides are going down and the beach is not closed today. So, we are going to try scuba diving. My son and I are both certified and have about 20 dives under our belts. We decided to dive with Hector Lara O. (Buceo Sotavento Dive Shop), who was recommended via the Internet. Hector's dive shop is located just down the street from the Sheraton.

We have a typical beginning to the morning, with breakfast outside at the inside restaurant. We met Hector at 9:00 at his shop directly across from the Sheraton. We decided on Hector because we (Brad and I) felt he was being honest with us about the problems with diving at this time of the month, directly following the high tides. He said the water would be cloudy, but that we would see lots of fish. And, he agreed to take us to a bay considerably north of the Sheraton, where the water would be as clear as possible.

We got our diving equipment together and off we went. Hector's dive boat is a small open fiberglass fishing boat, with a ladder. His equipment is old, but in good condition. And, Brad and I both felt comfortable about his concern for safety. The dive went well. I can supply details for any divers who are interested. It is not Cozumel.

We returned to the hotel around noon and had lunch by the ocean. The ocean is much calmer today. Brad and I played in the ocean, bodysurfing again. Had dinner at the inside restaurant.

Day 5 ­ Saturday 4/18

We had another regular morning with breakfast outside/inside. Played in the ocean and swam in the pool and got our stuff together for the trip home. We decided to eat at the Jarro Restaurant again to say goodbye to the parrot and do a bit of shopping.

Then we were off to the airport and home.

Summary

Overall this was a good, fun trip. Huatulco is not the place for scuba diving or snorkeling. But, it would be an outstanding tennis vacation! We enjoyed the Sheraton, the food and the staff, who were very helpful. And, there were many things we did not try out, such as the ATV trip.

If I can answer any questions, just drop me a note.

Jim Williams
williams@indiana.edu
May 8, 1998

A Week at the Club Med

Getting there and back:

We took the charter flight from Dallas on Saturday / Sunday that arrives at 1:30 AM and returns leaving Huatulco at 2:30 AM via America Airlines. This is the nastiest way to start and end a vacation that I have ever experienced. The schedule is God awful, especially if you are traveling with kids. There is a direct flight from JFK that arrives and leaves on Mondays. Do if you can.

Huatulco

Week of April 19th and it was hot and humid. No surprise there after reading others comments. We were there in the dry season and it is a desert. Spectacular environment with rocky headlands and crashing surf. No leaves on any of the native vegetation, very very stark. The wet season it is a tropical jungle. This is really a fascinating ecology.

Sun is directly overhead at noon, we used as much sunblock SF30 in a week as we do in a summer in Maine. Be careful. No biting bugs this time of year. (However see scorpion comment below)

It is the open Pacific Ocean beyond the bays, venturing out into the open waters we encountered 10 to 20 foot high swells. This impacts beach swimming though not at Club Med. It truly made the Bay Cruise unpleasant for 11 of the 21 that went on our trip. I had sailed into the open seas prior to our going and was not surprised, many were. If you get seasick be prepared or take a cab.

Club Med This is the best family resort that I have been to. Staff was attentive, friendly and professional. If you have not been to a Club Med before you will need to be aware that this is a highly scheduled place and each day needs to be planned. Also the hotel is staffed for the sports not food service, so that all meals are buffet with bus service and no waiters. The same is for the bar. This was not a problem for us but some we talked to did not like it at all, they wanted the waiters.

The grounds are beautiful with lush vegetation and flowers everywhere. It is hilly and hot; we used the trams that connect the rooms to the village a lot. The hurricane did a lot of damage to some of the plantings, it appears that the problem was erosion as lots of new gutters everywhere and many areas of new planting.

The teen club and kids club are great ideas that work for many and not for all. Older teens tend to avoid the club activities. The kids club did not really work for my 11-year-old twin boys. They were too old for stuff like face painting. Also they were limited in many activities to only those times that the Kids Club was scheduled for them, even with parents. This was not true for all activities and there was no list of which ones were limited. The circus stuff is with the kids using the "big" trapeze only on Friday and Saturday mornings for an hour. My guys with 7 years of gymnastics training were disappointed. The 6 to 10 year olds seemed to thrive.

This is a big place with a capacity of over 900 guests. Our week had 500, and that appeared to work real well. We talked to two families that had stayed the week earlier than we did, when the place was full and they said it was a zoo. 85 people lined up for the trapeze; hour waits for dinner etc. It would be worth looking into how full the place is before booking.

Food is good, great variety, some items better than others. Water is safe to drink. Ocean temp is low 80's; pool temps are same as air ­ high 80's to ninety. We did have a scorpion in our room, no big deal (remember the desert comment) and the Club fumigated the room which we didn't even notice. The rooms are Spartan and small but as people have said ­ so what. Great ocean view and interesting layouts of buildings. Note that there was a west breeze every afternoon that only west facing rooms got with the full west sun.

Again great time, lots of fun, great staff and guests.

sdarch@concentric.net
April 1998

Royal Maeva and Huatulco - PARADISE

The Royal Maeva [photo 39K] is definitely a 5* resort in every sense of the word. You have access to whatever your heart desires at any time of the day or night. The facilities are incredibly clean and the staff provides you with service second to none.

I will begin by explaining that on our first day there, we met three couples which throughout the week became wonderful new friends. We consider ourselves fortunate that although our trip came to an end, it facilitated a special friendship for all of us. The magic of Huatulco will linger in our hearts and minds forever.

FACILITIES

1. The Royal Maeva is situated on a long span of beach which provides the perfect setting for walking, running, sunbathing and most watersports. Swimming at the beach is safe unless you happen to visiting after a full moon. For two to three days after, the surf is high but it does revert back to calm conditions.

2. The rooms are comfortable. Definitely ask for the ocean view. It is worth the surcharge.

3. It does not matter what time of the day or night you are hungry or thirsty, food and drinks are always available. This is complimented by 24 hour room service which is included in your package. The Happy Hut restaurant provided the best atmosphere overlooking the beach with a constant breeze. The buffet restaurant in the main square was tasty but it was what one would expect from a buffet. The Italian a la carte restaurant was disappointing. The service was excellent but the food was rather tasteless. To avoid this, you may want to select an earlier sitting when the menu items have been freshly prepared.

4. If you are in the mood for a party, you can find music and night life. If you are in the mood for peace and quiet, you can sit by the beach and star gaze with a "nightcap".

The Royal Maeva offers the best bang for your buck. I suspect that as development in the area increases, so will the prices. Go now !

DINING OUT

DON PORFIRIOS was a quaint restaurant across the street from the Maeva. The food, atmosphere and service was great. Ask for Moses and he will take care of you.

CASA DEL MAR was probably the best dining experience I have ever had. The restaurant is located on top of a cliff which offers a panoramic view of Tangolunda Bay. The music, atmosphere, service and food was superior. It was romantic, magical and will be locked in my memory forever. If you travel to Huatulco, do not miss a visit to Casa Del Mar around sunset.

EXCURSIONS

Our group of 8 signed up for the Tequila Boat and brought a packed lunch from the Maeva. The boat is comfortable but they do load it up with about 128 people. The trip consists of a tour of the bays with scheduled stops at two of them. If you want to spend a few more bucks and have a group of 8-10, you can charter your own small yacht (with a guide). This would enable you to control the beaches you visit and your length of stay at each of them. Having said that, the Tequila Boat does provide you with a good picture of just how beautiful the bays of Huatulco are.

For those of you that might be hesitant about selecting Huatulco as a vacation destination, think again ! Huatulco offers a magical setting which enables you to reach a peacefulness and calm only attainable in paradise. We are planning our return trip to paradise in April 1999.

Helen
rbsucen@isys.ca
April 1998

Pleased with the Maeva

We do not have much to add to the many terrific comments we read at your site. We stayed at the Royal Maeva [photo 39K] and had a fabulous time. The Mexican people - both at the hotel and elsewhere -- were so very kind, generous and genuinely eager to please; it was the best and most sincere service I've seen anywhere in the world. The weather was perfect every day. The activities staff was also terrific; they were never pushy, but wanted to be sure everyone felt included and had an opportunity to participate in their activities. They were also entertaining at the evening shows they put on. The all-inclusive approach at the Maeva was nice. The drinks were great. The food at the hotel was fine; the buffets were so-so, but the private restaurants at the hotel were good.

We used only money from the ATM in Santa Cruz. It proved much easier than travelers checks and the exchange rate was quite good. Also, it helped that my wife spoke Spanish whenever we went in taxis or into town; the people all tried hard to speak English, but knowing Spanish made it much easier.

We hope to return to Huatulco and the Maeva again in 1999, and bring our teenagers. It was a great place and we highly recommend it.

Thanks for putting on such a fabulous site - it was incredibly helpful in planning our activities in Huatulco.

Michael Monahan
M.J.Monahan@worldnet.att.net
April 1998

The Honeymoon's Not Over

At the Zaashila, we met the most wonderful staff too many to name and wouldn't want to forget anyone. We always had great service and a lot of laughs. It was our first trip to Huatulco and definitely not our last. We plan to stay in touch with everyone we exchanged addresses and/or numbers with (which is a lot of people). We cannot possible say enough about the trip. Nothing went wrong, except for a jelly fish sting. We hated to leave. The hotel was not at all crowded which made it all the more pleasant. It was truly our paradise. We cannot wait to return. Hopefully, Huatulco will never turn into another Cancun or Acapulco. We would hate to see it ruined with too much tourism. The Zaashila was very expensive but worth it to have the peace and solitude.

Sandra and Vaughan
North Riverside, IL
UCG61@aol.com
April 1998

Huatulco Scuba Diving

The divemaster at the time (I don't have my logbook from back then) was a kid, but had good experience in the area and gave us helpful briefings. Diving was out of pangas with a backroll entry.

I wouldn't go to Huatulco as a dive destination, but it's a pretty spot--the nicest of Mexico's government sponsored (Fonatur) tourist developments--and as long as you're there, you might as well enjoy a couple of dives.

The city of Oaxaca, by the way, is one of Mexico's most beautiful and interesting colonial towns, filled with dazzling architecture, beautiful crafts, and adjacent to some of the most impressive meso- American ruin sites. If you have the time to stop off there, it's definitely worthwhile.

Eliot N. Sekuler
TXLM40A@prodigy.com
April 1998

Sheraton Is the Best

The ATV excursion is a blast; sure it's dusty, but swimming on the private beach and lunch and Maguey Bay was great. Some friends went on the coffee plantation trip and were confronted by a bandito out in the mountains complete with mask and gun. The guide swerved to miss his road block and the bandit shot at the vehicle apparently trying to hit the tires. No one hurt. Another friend rented a cart and went 70 miles south on Route 2 to be confronted by a roadblock from the rebels dissatisfied with the present regime - they were detained for 2 hours and let go. The vehicle rental dealers know this is going on but don't tell you. Stay local and you'll have no problem.

All in all, a relaxing and enjoyable time. No one had any stomach problems and we ate all over and drank the water. Some people at Maeva all-inclusive had Montezuma's revenge for 4 days, we think because they leave the buffets out all day long. Not a lot to do, but relaxing. If you like scuba or snorkeling and have done Cozumel or Grand Cayman, don't go here - no coral and poor visibility. We booked our trip as a flight filler at the last minute before departure and paid $750. for 7 nights and flight while heard others paid up to $1,250. for same package. Apple was very good and had brand new planes layover in Acapulco on way down makes trip long, but direct flight to Chicago back.

Keith Ondrasek
ondylaw@dataplusnet.com
April 1998

Caribbean Village a good deal

We, too, heard that the hotel was changing hands within the next few weeks to a Swiss company, and that Allegro is planning to construct a new resort in the area. As others have noted, this facility is definitely not a 5 star (apple) resort, but it is perfectly adequate, and the staff are marvelous. Great value for the money.

General comments:
Food: Average, but plenty of it, and the Mexican dishes (always available) are better than most. Try the chicken "tacos" from the snack bar at the 7th level pool.
Drinks: Juice drinks all seemed watery, and there was NEVER enough ice. The tap beer was always colder.
Entertainment: Worse than awful. A high school drama teacher's nightmare. Stay away! Only the Mexican dancing (authentic) was good. Why not just a small mariachi band playing in the lounge?!?! We didn't see or hear even one!
Bugs (and other critters): None. Nary a mosquito.
Suites: All very nice, though the beds and pillows are hard. Very clean.
Accessibility: Due to a minor accident before our trip, I was on crutches for our entire stay. Accommodations for the physically impaired are inconsistent at best. Anyone with problems walking (let alone in a wheel chair) will have trouble here. The ramps are very steep, there are many, many stairs, the driveways are unevenly cobbled, etc. 5 other people ended up on crutches, or with legs and ankles injured while we were there. I managed to procure the only wheel chair on the premises when we first arrived (retrieved from basement storage) and it was a great help. The streets around the hotel and in Santa Cruz and La Crucecita are no better. Those who saw doctors for their injuries reported competent medical attention.
Tours: The 7 bay tour via Cantera was well worth the money - $30 for the day trip, lunch not included. We independently took cabs to La Crucecita, Santa Cruz and Entrega Bay. Good snorkeling there as well as at San Agustín and El Maguey (on the 7 bay trip).
Recreation: Very nice golf course. Greens fees after 2:00 p.m. were reduced to $30 (from $50). Caddies were $15; carts were $40. Apple somewhat misrepresented that greens fees were always reduced by 50% for guests. We will complain directly to them.
Check-out: Another complaint to Apple will be their representation that our rooms would be available until 5:00 p.m. (since our flight did not depart for Chicago until 9:50 p.m.) Instead we all had to check out by 1:00 p.m. Hospitality suites were available for men and women separately after 2. To say the least, it was very inconvenient, since our bags had already been checked into storage.
Beaches: The beaches on Tangolunda Bay were nice, but small (for each hotel), and very steep, which made my husband's jogging a challenge. The beaches at some of the other bays were much gentler. Needless to say, negotiating any beach on crutches was not fun, but I managed anyway!
Shopping: Not much to speak of in the area. Any entrepreneurs out there will notice dozens of opportunities.
Restaurants: Because we were on an all-inclusive package, we only tried La Pampa Argentina. We agree with a previous contributor that it is overrated and over-priced.

We definitely plan to return, though we may try one of the smaller hotels the next time. We did reconnaissance on La Marina [photo 99K] and Castillo Huatulco [photos 35K] , both of which seem equally nice. We think we will prefer trying different restaurants the next time, but we are glad our first trip was an all-inclusive. It gave us a chance to "safely' scope out the area for future travel.

We wish our Spanish (or their English) had been better. Some discussions were most difficult and were not at all satisfactory. Mexico is still a thirdworld country in many respects, albeit a friendly one! In all, this is one of the best and most relaxing vacations we have ever taken. We highly recommend Huatulco.

Kcardona
Kcardona@aol.com
March 1998

Fun-Filled Week at the Caribbean Village

The hotel was great- I would certainly recommend it, especially for the price. The staff was very friendly and amusing, especially Armando the bartender-he is one of a kind. Since the motel is built into the side of a hill, the rooms are not directly above each other, making elevators impossible. Instead you can ride a "funicular," which is essentially a trolley that rides at a 45 degree angle. It is like a cross between a train and an elevator. I personally thought the food was excellent- its kind of like a beefed up version of Ponderosa with a Mexican twist. The breakfast was probably my favorite, because there was a lady at an omelet bar who would make custom egg products. You fill a bowl with whatever ingredients you want, tell her how many eggs, and she makes it right there in front of you. Lunch and dinner were also great, as were the hamburgers at the Amigo Bar by the pool.

I got the impression before I left that Huatulco was only 15-20% developed, and this was in fact the case. What really surprised me though is that all of the roads, water and sewer lines, and electricity are already installed. When Fonatur (Mexican government agency responsible for tourism, I think) decides that they are going to build a resort, they don't mess around. They set up the infrastructure and then Resorts come in. Think of it as a real life Mexican version of Sim-City. Don't be alarmed if you are in a bus or a taxi and your driver blows through ALTO (STOP) signs, because these are put up in anticipation of future development. I must admit I was scared on my first taxi ride, and the language barrier prevented the driver from explaining to me that you really don't have to stop for them until a hotel is put up. It made me wonder how bad their pizza delivery guys must drive. Speaking of taxis, it seems like you can go anywhere for 15 pesos. A two block taxi ride cost 15 pesos, as did a 10 minute ride to la Crucecita and a 15 minute ride to Santa Cruz. I should have asked the price to go to Wisconsin (Probably 15 pesos).

We went on the coffee plantation tour and it was fun, but sixty bucks a person is a little overpriced. The ride up the mountain really does take almost two hours in a Suburban, and at times you are quite literally 18 inches from death, as the narrow road abruptly ends with a rather large vertical drop and no guard rails. If you are the type of person that is easily scared, DO NOT GO ON THIS TOUR!! However, the trip was very informative and you really learn a lot about life in rural Mexico. Our guide Paulo would stop often to point out a plant or animal, and give a history of the area. You also stop in a little town along the way for drinks, where you see a local school and church, and have contact with the poorest people in the region. I suspect part of their money problems arise from the fact that we got 3 Cokes and six Coronas for just under five bucks. It kinda made me want to move in. When we got to the coffee plantation, we essentially got a hiking tour of the jungle and were given samples of fruit picked along the way. We saw pineapple, oranges, rubber trees, vanilla, cocoa, coffee, and may other tropical fruits. The coffee was probably the least interesting, except that it pretty much grows wild in the jungle shade. I expected it to be in rows like the way we grow corn up here. After the jungle tour, we had an excellent meal prepared by the owners, and were then taken to a river with a small waterfall to swim in, which was very refreshing and the highlight of the tour.

We also went deep sea fishing where we caught five bonitos and one 93" sailfish!!! Wow!! I'm glad I got it on videotape, because even my own grandma didn't believe it until we showed her (I never catch anything). It was well worth the sixty bucks an hour (for as many people as we wanted to bring), and is the one thing I will do EVERY chance I get. We were tempted by the beach vendors with their lower prices and additional services, but I just did not trust them. Therefore we booked our trip through our Apple representative, Carlos, because if we got ripped off, I knew right where to find him. It turned out we got an excellent captain (Antonio) and crew (Jeremy and Tino) who really tried hard to get us a fish. They were really great guys who kept the beer glasses full and kept the boat compulsively clean. Next time I'm down there, I will look them up again, although I will take a taxi to the harbor and try to eliminate the middle man and his cut. I could have had the fish mounted and sent home for $500, but I did not have the money at the time. I assure you though, the next one is going on the wall.

We did not go on the ATV or horse tours but were told they were fun; just be sure to wear some crappy shoes and clothes. The shopping was good, but we found that as a rule the prices in the stores were inversely proportional to the English speaking abilities of the clerk. If the store owner has good English, he probably also has high prices.

Montezuma got his revenge with us, but I'm sure its from our ventures outside of town, not the resort water. If you do get it, it isn't too bad. Sure you have to go a lot, but there isn't the urgency involved that keeps you within ten feet of a toilet for fear of polluting your pants. I talked to my physician before I left, and he seemed to think that as long as you stay in the resort area you would not risk catching anything. He is right, but in the event you plan on leaving the hotel to go shopping or on a tour (which you will), I would get a hepatitis vaccine as the area is under advisory. I don't think there is a vaccine for the Hershey squirts, but it clears up about a day after exposure so it's not necessary if you've got some intestinal fortitude.

As far as eating out goes, print out some of these comments listed here and on the "Eating in Huatulco" page as they will come in handy. Eating out is not cheap like I was led to believe, so I am glad I went all-inclusive.

Another thing to think about while you are there is that starting wage at a resort is about 20 Pesos per DAY! That amounts to about $2.30 per day, which pretty much sucks, so even though my travel agent said tips are not required at an all-inclusive resort, I shelled it out anyway.

The beach vendors are everywhere and are quite pushy if you show interest, so if you do not want what they have don't even acknowledge their presence with more than a "no gracias". If you start to look at their inventory, they will not leave until they sell you something. If you ignore them they will go away quickly in search of an easier target. Also, if you are going to buy something, do it just before you leave the beach for the day, because once they see you purchase something the rest of them line right up and take their turn. Another trick is to not bring any bags to the beach with you, because if they see no money they don't waste their time.

Anyway, If you go you will certainly enjoy it. I hope to go back soon before it gets too busy and loses its small town appeal. If you have any other questions feel free to drop me an email. Have fun!

Jeremy and Wendy Staven
jandw@wctc.net
3/23/98

Overpricing in Huatulco

There wasn't much information on Playa Chahue, but we found it to be a very quiet and beautiful beach. We went to the Hotel Castillo's beach club and rented chairs under the palapas for 10 pesos a chair (includes a big beach towel). Drinks are expensive. The food is expensive and not well made. Our enchilada had a big beetle in it and the ceviche was dreadful! Bring your own water and food if you can.

The Cafe Huatulco in Santa Cruz is very good for a morning coffee if you can wait until 10:00 AM to have coffee. The birds and classical music make an interesting combination. Buy a packet of coffee beans to take back for 50 pesos. The little market off the square towards the Marlin Hotel in Santa Cruz is a good place to pick up bananas, bottled water, beer, snacks, etc. The market on the marina has higher prices and might overcharge you if you aren't paying attention!

We went to the Tipsys beach bar on the beach in Santa Cruz and ordered fish tacos. They were 95 pesos!! Fish Tacos should cost about 20 pesos. We did not go back.

Almost all the restaurants in Santa Cruz are overpriced. Instead, go to La Crucecita which is a 20-minute walk. La Crucecita is a very vibrant and alive town. We went there for dinner almost every night. Recommended are: Oasis (there are two: go to the one further from the zócalo), Cactus (on the zócalo) and Sabor de Oaxaca (prices have risen since the menu was posted to this site). For dessert, try the ice cream parlor next to Cactus (ice cream is 5 or 10 pesos and ice cream bars are 5 pesos). Also recommended is the breakfast at the Villablanca hotel. The coffee is good and they have a buffet for 40 pesos.

Always ask how much the margaritas are, no matter what restaurant you are in. The drink could cost more than your food! Margaritas were anywhere from 20 to 40 pesos when beer was 8 to 12 pesos.

If you can stand very basic accommodations, try the Puerta del Mar Hotel on Bahía Chahue (on top of the restaurant Borsellino). Most of their rooms have balconies that face the beach. Our room was 300 pesos a night. The beds are not great and another drawback are the very bright street lights right outside the rooms.

We took a 7 bay tour which we bought from a guy named Oscar whose office is right outside the Marina Hotel. The price was 150 pesos/person including all you can drink. The boat we took was an aged cabin cruiser. We were trapped in the cabin part of the boat so we could not see much of the bay tour. The stop for lunch was at San Augustín and the food was terrible and pricey. On the way back, everyone seemed a bit sick from the motion and the diesel fumes. A word to the wise: book your bay tour on the Tequila boat. You will be able to move around and see what you took the trip to see. (and it doesn't a lot more) Our impression of Huatulco: nice, but we will go back to Zihuatanejo next year.

Matt and Josh
MALSPACH@PILLSBURY.COM
March 1998

Paradise at a Price

We booked through Apple Vacations and flew out of Chicago, being from Wisconsin, park and stay is the way to go here. We first landed in Acapulco, and then on to Huatulco, the stop in Acapulco being very confusing. The Sheraton was very nice, but it seems that Apple Vacations doesn't get very preferential treatment. Our room was on the third floor set way back #312, so the view was less than spectacular. It was also right outside of the restaurant ventilation system, which was less than quiet. We immediately asked to change rooms, and they accommodated us with two choices. One with two double beds and a nice view of some new construction, or one room up. We opted for the one room up #412. These rooms were nice rooms, but I know they get a lot nicer. The Sheraton is a beautiful resort with a great staff, and nice pool, located right on the beach. Perhaps we could have done better? The prices at the Sheraton are in line with the USA, not what you'd expect in Mexico. A Corona cost 28 Pesos, or about $3.75 US. A RIPOFF! But if you go to a store and buy a case, it's much cheaper. The only problem is, trying to keep it cold! The biggest rip-off is soda, which is 18 Pesos or $2.50, per styro cup! A Mickey D's burger was about $7.00. So I suggest eating out, or trying to buck the system.

We did go horseback riding, and that was an adventure. MAKE SURE TO TAKE ALONG BUG SPRAY! And maybe long pants, since the horses like to run. This is no US type ride! We had no problem with the beach vendors, we thought they were Great! The Actividades Boys were Great. Alex, Daniel, and Isrial, were my friends....... at least they were "my girls" friends! If anyone who was there from 1/26/97 to 2/03/98 at the Sheraton wants some picts, e-mail me and they're yours. We basically spent most of our time around the pool, playing volleyball.

As far as eating out goes, La Pampa Argentina is overrated, and over-priced! We paid 560 Pesos for dinner for two, which is about $70 US for a small steak, and a shrimp dinner! In Mexico, That Is A Rip-off! We did eat at an Italian place outside of Santa Cruz, called Borsellini that was very good, and cheap! The Cafe across from the Sheraton, Jarro, was good. As far as Crazy Lobster goes, make sure you are getting a one pound TAIL! Not a one pound lobster! There is a difference! There are a lot of nice Cafes in La Crucecita that we ate at, but don't remember the names.

One thing to remember when you go to Mexico is, If you look around, it can be cheap!

Tom, your page was, and still is a great help to many.

Tony
tony@vbe.com
March 1998

Warming up at the Villablanca

This was my first visit to Mexico and my sister's 4th, but the first in Huatulco. We stayed at the Hotel Villablanca [photo 30K], which is in between Santa Cruz, Tangolunda and La Crucecita. This hotel is not directly on the beach, but a short couple of blocks walk. This was not bad, and they gave us free passes to the beach club which had palapas, restaurant, bar, bathrooms, hammocks, and a great beach! The Hotel Villablanca was very nice (except for the very hard beds), the staff was great, restaurant wonderful (they had a breakfast buffet for 40 pesos - enough to fill up on for the day). There was not much surrounding the hotel, but a 10 peso cab ride to the other areas. We spent a lot of time on the beach due to the beautiful weather. HOT HOT HOT and sunny everyday. This was a requirement for me to be by the water since it was so hot, but to get sunshine every day in March, compared to snow and cloudy in Minnesota it was welcomed.

We did go on a 7-Bay tour (arranged by MLT Vacations) which was very beautiful. We snorkeled at one bay all to ourselves. Snorkeling was great! Had lunch and snorkeled at another bay, snorkeling great, lunch not so great (sorry, I can't remember the name of the bay, but it was the last bay of the tour). I highly recommend a 7-bay tour, but gave MLT some suggestions on ways to improve theirs.

We spent another day at La Entrega (Saturday). This bay was very beautiful too. This seems the bay for locals, and was great to see all the families spending time together. We rented snorkeling equipment there ($5 for all day), dropped our 'stuff' at one of the restaurants tables and the owner watched it while we were out snorkeling. Another great snorkeling area!

La Crucecita was our night spot most of the time. There are a lot of good restaurants and shopping there. I suggest going after dark since this is inland (maybe a mile or less) and it is very warm even after dark. We walked the first night and were sweating by the time we got there. Taxied the rest of the week. We found a great pizza place - La Crema - wonderful oven baked pizza. I know we were in Mexico, but we both aren't wild about Mexican food and needed a break. We called this place the 'hippie Mexican pizza joint'. Great food, drinks, atmosphere, and very inexpensive. We found another place very inexpensive for beef and pork dishes, Taco something. Right on a corner in La Crucecita, open dining, and seemed to be more of a local hangout until a bunch of us Minnesotans found out about it!! This helped that craving for beef.

All in all this was a great trip. Now is the time to go, very inexpensive, and not a lot of tourists right now. There is a lot of construction going on and this will be another hot spot for Mexico. If you want great weather and sun every day go to Huatulco.

C. Olson
Carolyn.Olson@dhcmail.com
Minnesota
March 1998