Suggestions for Huatulco, Mexico?

We will be in Huatulco in early November. Any suggestions for excursions, beaches, or things to do? any good snorkeling spots? Anything to avoid? Thanks

I was going to post the very same question. We're on the RCCL Radiance for the full transit of the canal on 11/4. We've been on a Mexican Riviera cruise before but it did not include this port. We'd love to find a private guide but I really don't know where to start. Hopefully someone will reply to this thread.

This port is very remote( they bring the workers in in the AM, and take them home at nite.

We had a very nice catamaran beach/snorkel .

Has anyone done the walking tour?

I loved this port. we did the walking "bird tour" it really was just a beautiful walk in an amazing area...with a little bird watching thrown in. My sister who is not a bird watcher (went to make me happy) loved it.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g150789-Activities-Huatulco_Pacific_Coast.html

We will be in Huatulco in early November. Any suggestions for excursions, beaches, or things to do? any good snorkeling spots? Anything to avoid? Thanks

Hi!

We'll be in Huatulco next Feb. with only 5 hours in port (new Celebrity ship/Quest or Journey...don't remember).

I'd like to see the Sea Turtle preserve in Mazunte...not offered as a ship's tour. From what I can see on-line, it's about a 1 hour drive each way, which seems like it would make it possible with a private guide/driver.

Has anybody been to Mazunte from Huatulco...OR....driven down from Acapulco? We're embarking there, so we could go a couple of days early and go south before the cruise.

Thanks for any help anyone can give me on this!

murphysmum;)

hi all .

due to work , i'll be living ( part-time) in huatulco ( beginning this coming up weekend .Aug 18th) , so i just wanted to extend an invitation to all. i have an " in " around huatulco , so i will have access to loads of info about the town and surrounding area's .

my office is , literally , within a few hundred yards of the cruise ship dock , so before long , i will get to know many of the fella's who offer side-trip's . ask a question , i'll try my best to find out the answer . ( huatulco and surrounding area's , please ... i know nothing about the cruise lines ) .

wanna just hang out with a beer ? lemmie know , i can take my seista anytime :) .

also , any GEOCACHING cruisers , please keep an eye out . i plan on placing a few caches nearby .

what's geocaching? kinda like a high-tech treasure hunt . it's loads of fun !

check it out : www.geocaching.com .

claud4

the first cruise ship of the season showed up today ( sept 13 ) , the Rhapsody of the Seas , and the port at Santa Cruz ( huatulco ) is abuzz with excitement .

the ship docked around noon and i think it starts reloading around 5:30 . tons of people flowed from the boat , down the looong dock and spread out to do what ever was planned . some just planted themselves on the beach ( within steps of the dock ) , some jumped into taxi's to head downtown to La Crucesita for some major shopping and chow , while other's headed off on side-trips galore .

cruise arrivals are still very exciting around here , due to the dock being only 2 years old ( in may ) .

my time here is almost up , i'll be heading back to Atlanta last Sept , but it seems that i AM moving here in late november , so my offer above still stands .

happy sailing !

claud4

(on a sidenote , i may be taking my first cruise in the upcoming year . whoo hoo ! im excited ... wonder where i'll go ... hmmmmm) .

sept 26th~~~

the day is a bit overcast , as the 2nd cruise ship of the season pulls into Santa Cruz harbor (Huatulco) .

today it's the Island Princess and she's loaded to the max with people ( I believe ) that are headed down to the Pamana Canal .

today some traditional dancers showned up to put on a show for the trourists , also an art show WAS planned , but fell through at the last second .

happy sailing !

claud4

(on a sidenote , I think i'll be taking an Alaskan cruise , i've decided . i guess after being in all this warmth , all i can think of is a little cold . maybe not too cold , please . )

We booked the Cooking demonstration 9 months prior to sailing on RCI's Rhapsody of the Seas September 13th. The tour was limited to 20. We were picked up by vans and taken by our English speaking guide to the L'echalote restaurant, bar and hotel. Upon arrival at the the restaurant we were seated in the spacious dining room very open and airy setting tastefully decorated in local charm. The tables had white linen and we were served a red colored drink with ice. (Hibiscus water). It was very hot so I drank it in spite of knowing I shouldn't drink beverages not out of a bottle. It was refreshing. We were then taken into the kitchen and were seated around the food prep area while the cook and his assistant prepared 2 dishes. This was very informative and done in such a way that each participant could view every ingredient before it was utilized in the dish. Some of the ingredients I did not recognize but most can be obtained outside Mexico. We were guided through each step in the prep and cooking process by the interprator. The chef did not speak English - he did drink beer while he was cooking. It is very hot in Mexico and there was no air conditioning.

Next we were seated again back in the dining room and served the meal that was prepared for us. It was very good and everyone seemed to have a good time. Plenty of time was allowed for this excursion and it wasn't rushed. A few people ordered softdrinks and beers with their meal and they were included in the price of the excursion. The staff here went out of their way to please and even had each person fill out a survey before we left in the vans.:o

Once back in town we walked around and shopped a little; there isn't much in the area around the cruise ship terminal. Lots of taxis though and a few shops around the town square. A few bars too with 3$ beers and 2$ sodas. Some passengers were at the beach right near the ship. The water was clean and warm.

If you are planning a beach day some time during your cruise, this would be the place!

It's one of those rare ports where one literally walks off the pier onto a very nice beach. It was very clean and the water was great. We just took our towel and didn't bother with a palapa or anything. It wasn't necessary. I never thought those photo scenes of the ship docked with people swimming and jetskis running in front of it actually existed, but that's exactly what it is like. The vendors were VERY low key, at least while we were there. I don't think we were even approached. There were many nice Mexican locals down enjoying the beach as well. It was a happy crowd all around. Huatulco is really a beautiful little bay and the town of Santa Maria, also steps from the pier, is quite nice to walk around. "High-end" atmosphere for Mexico, yet not really necessary to spend any money as the ship usually isn't docked for more than 5 hours. Obviously, I enjoyed myself.

hi all .

due to work , i'll be living ( part-time) in huatulco ( beginning this coming up weekend .Aug 18th) , so i just wanted to extend an invitation to all. i have an " in " around huatulco , so i will have access to loads of info about the town and surrounding area's .

my office is , literally , within a few hundred yards of the cruise ship dock , so before long , i will get to know many of the fella's who offer side-trip's . ask a question , i'll try my best to find out the answer . ( huatulco and surrounding area's , please ... i know nothing about the cruise lines ) .

wanna just hang out with a beer ? lemmie know , i can take my seista anytime :) .

 

We'll be there 11/23 ...sounds beautiful. Still moving back permenantly? Sounds like we'll likely beach and beer ... would be interested to hear if you have any suggestions ... thanks

sue -

yes , i'll be back in Huatulco the second week of NOV , so i'll get there just before you .

at the moment im in Atlanta , packing and organizing for the REAL move .

how long is your dock in Huatulco ? if you want , and it works out , i could probably take you all on a quick tour all around Huatulco and some of its other beaches .

let me know ... i'll keep the cervasa cold for ya!

claud4

Hey claud .. thanks ... we're there from 12-5 ... dont wish to impose .. but would love to get the "native" tour! what kind of work are you doing? what a life!!

sue

Hey, Claud.....where have you gone? The spring tours should be coming through soon. Are you ready?

That cooking class sounds fun--are there any that aren't done through the cruise ship?

Is there anybody there walking around offering massages on

the beach? I need to get my massage fix.

Are there any Catamaran tours around the different bays? I would like one that is not all covered up. I like being in the sun out on the water. Any suggestions?

I'll ask one more question in hopes that someone will respond to them all...

Are there Jet Skis, Sailboats, or other water craft for rent?

Thanks,

Mark

I loved this port. we did the walking "bird tour" it really was just a beautiful walk in an amazing area...with a little bird watching thrown in. My sister who is not a bird watcher (went to make me happy) loved it.

Can you give me a little more information on the "walking bird tour"...please. Where did you come across the info ?

I am also looking for more info from people who have done independent tours. I know some have talked about renting a taxi for the day, but I am hoping to find an actual tour operator.

But, in case I can not find an independent operator, I will take a suggestion for the best beach area. I would want something where you can rent chairs under umbrellas and that has a nice wading beach.

Thanks

That cooking class sounds fun--are there any that aren't done through the cruise ship?

did you ever find a private cooking tour in hualtuco? I'm going on a cruise their and I don't want to pay $79 for their ship sponsered tour.

booking your own is the way to go

randy stayner

rws4bigdog@sbcglobal.net:D

When we were in Hutulco last spring we booked a private tour with Marcos Lopez. He did a great job and was very willing to take us where ever we wanted to go for the day. We were interested in just driving around and seeing some of the local sites. He speaks perfect english and is a great guy to spend the day with. Can't recommend his services highly enough.

His contact info if you are interested is: Marcos Lopez huatulco.tours@yahoo.com

Hope you enjoy this beautiful port as much as we did! Wish I could go back and spend more time before it is built up too much!

Has anyone done the cooking class recently on a Princess tour? We are signed up for it in May, but I just read a comment that the restaurant has recently been changed. The poster was very disappointed. Someone at the restaurant told her that this was only the 3rd time they had hosted the tour and were still trying to work out their plans.

Thanks for any info.