The last time we travelled to Huatulco, Mexico was about 15 years ago, and wow, what a difference a decade and a half makes. In previous posts about Mexico, I’ve described La Crucecita as a small town, with only a handful of resorts. My recollections was that of a quaint downtown square, surrounded by little mom and pop shops and local artisans. I was shocked at how much the area has grown and developed in a relatively short period of time. That said, Huatulco and the town of La Crucecita is still very small in comparison to Mexico’s larger resort towns. In winter, there is very little precipitation and the weather is consistently in the high 20’s, to low 30’s.
On this trip, we were looking for a hassle free stay, close to town, but wanted to avoid the larger all-inclusive resorts. We found a really nice hotel called Nirú Ocean Suites, which is a small boutique all-inclusive hotel with only 28 rooms. The hotel is located on the same beach as the local cruise ship dock, and is within walking distance of downtown La Crucecita.
The Nirú is built above the beach, with the main level having a beach club, consisting of a large pool, daytime eating area and a pool side bar. This level is also open to guests of the Binniguenda Hotel, located several blocks away. Guests from that hotel can take shuttles through out the day. The second level has another pool, that is only available to guests of the Nirú. This level also has a snack and drink bar that serves as the dinner area in the evening. There are pro’s and con’s to staying at a smaller resort, and for us, the pros definitely outweighed the cons. The hotel amenities didn’t feel crowded, and you never had to compete for beach or pool chairs, or long lines for drinks or food. The trade off is that there is less variety of food and drinks, but the quality of what was available was better than most larger resorts.
The beach was spectacular! There was no dead kelp washing ashore, which is an increasing problem in a lot of beach areas, and the bay surrounding the beach had fantastic snorkelling, teeming with different varieties of fish, and the ocean water was warm and refreshing, with gentle waves. Although you share the bay with the odd cruise ship that arrives once or twice a week, it doesn’t impact your ability to enjoy everything the beach has to offer. There are numerous beach side restaurants if you wanted something different, and very few vendors bothering you compared to other places we’ve stayed.
Being so close to town, we walked to the old square for a day outing, which is about 5 kms return, and the heat was stifling. By the time we got there we were soaked with sweat and desperately in need of some refreshments. There is no shortage of restaurants, but we were on the hunt for a non-touristy cafe, and we found the perfect taqueria, that only served carnitas. Essentially, slow roasted pork, served on small tortillas with a salsa verde and pickled vegetables. Although Don Patron’s only had two small tables and a few bar seats, the food was spot on, the beer was cold, and the owner was a wonderful host. I can’t emphasize this enough, eat where the locals eat!
After lunch, we stopped at the mercado (market). It’s essentially a large warehouse style building, housing numerous stalls and vendors. I was pleasantly surprised at the price of goods, and didn’t bother trying to haggle. Just by walking around we were able to find the same products at different price points, but overall, more affordable than what we’ve experienced in other places. After the long hike into town, a little shopping, followed by the walk back, we couldn’t cool down in the pool fast enough.
I was also pleasantly surprised to not encounter a lot of American tourists. For many Canadians, the on-going trade war has resulted in a profound sense of betrayal, which can be seen in the stark drop in cross border traffic being experienced across the country. Although I hope for a positive resolution at some point, I can’t support a country that is treating their historic allies in this manner. I don’t wish for this observation to be inflammatory, but perhaps a reminder that there remains countless countries that we as Canadians can visit, while avoiding the United States, who is actively denigrating ours while attacking our economy.
I had a great time going back to Huatulco, and it remains a very beautiful, tropical vacation destination; although it’s gaining in popularity, it is still small enough to maintain an air of quaintness and tranquilness that is lost in many larger resort towns. Still one of my favourite places in Mexico!