A 5 hour flight from Calgary to Huatulco on Air Transat and we arrived!
Beautiful view overlooking the Tangolunda Bay
Off to Las Brisas, a very large spread out resort. There is a shuttle to get around, but once we were oriented, you can walk, but uphill all the way to your room! Walking took the same amount of time as the shuttle, as it switchbacked around, and you could walk direct, so good to wear off all the food! Rooms are newly renovated, large junior suites, great bathrooms – marble and tile. Deluxe rooms have no balcony. There is however one very large window that oepns and you can sit on the window sill. Dangerous! Children or drunken adults could easily fall to their demise! Rooms are far away from the rest of the resort so very quiet for sleeping. Friendly staff, good food. 3 beach areas, all in small coves. A snorkelling beach, an activity beach and a quiet beach. 3 pools but the whole area was blah, just rectangles on cement. No vegetation, no punch, no shape. Used to be a Club Med property so it was built for sports.
The Barcelo has a more Mexican style with tile and colours. Standard rooms are a bit dated, king and master suites nicer, but still no wow factor. Pool area is great, freeform with palm trees. Nice grounds. Nice walking beach, but after 10 minutes it’s over. Amazing food. Small shopping area in the hotel.
Infinity pool at Dreams
Wow – Dreams! My first choice. Rooms are deluxe, all the same, only the view changes. Oceanfront means oceanview really. 3 infinity pools overlooking the ocean, plus 2 more pools at each end of the resort. Same beach as the Barcelo (right next door). Buffet was great, as were the alacartes. Lovely grounds. No complaints here, but it will be pricier.
Across the street from the beach is the Crown Pacific. Built on a hill, sharing the same beach as Barcelo and Dreams. Amazing view! There is a funicular, stairs, shuttle…very hilly property. Nice large clean Mexican style rooms, mostly oceanview. 1 pool on upper deck with a wow view, with a bar, and no people when we were there – maybe the walk up was too much for them! The beach club is across the street, small and compact. Nightly entertainment is good. Good budget property. If you want a good price and quiet resort, I’d stay there for the upper pool alone!
The last property I visited was the Castillo Huatulco and I drew a blank because I really couldn’t find anything that stood out to remember. The beach club is a 15 minute walk or 5 minute shuttle from the resort. Nice pool area, large restaurant, food was pretty good. Very basic property, clean simple rooms. I wouldn’t likely stay here though.
A beautiful cove in Huatulco
Overall, I really liked Huatulco. Uncommercialized, beautiful scenery, mountains, ocean, vegetation. La Crucecita is a small town just 10 minutes away, a $5 cab ride. A typical Mexican village. Church at one end, town square, shops and restaurants. The cruise ship terminal is in Santa Cruz, another 10 minutes away. They are very eco-conscious in Huatulco and have strict building codes and they recycle! They want you to wear eco-friendly sunscreen and bug spray..didn’t know there was such a thing. Not great walking beaches if you want to walk for miles. But still nice. Lots of excursions to take – mud bath, turtle viewing – are just a couple. Bring bug spray, it’s pretty tropical. Airport is small, no duty free. Safe destination.
I would go back. My choice would be to stay at Dreams or the Barcelo.
