Touring Mexico’s Undisturbed Huatulco Bays

We arrived here with no clear plans beyond attending the elaborate wedding of an old friend.

But as we descended into this huge, smog-shrouded metropolis, my mind drifted to another Mexico, one that during the six years I lived here had always been my escape from work, smog, traffic and the winter chill. I closed my eyes and thought of pristine water and smooth sand. I thought of the hundreds of miles of Mexican beaches that stretched along the Caribbean and the Pacific coasts.

During the years I was based in Mexico as a journalist, I often used a travel plan that Mexicana, the major national airline, offers within Mexico called Viaje Hotel Pagado, VHP, which means travel with hotel included. It is designed to promote domestic tourism and is one of the best-kept secrets in Mexico. The plan offers a reasonable route to the better beach resorts when traveling within the country.

For this trip, in late November, my friend and I decided to go to a stretch of bays on the Pacific Coast in Oaxaca called Bahias de Huatulco (pronounced wa-TOOL-koh). The area is also the newest resort in Mexico, and since it’s in the early stages of development, it maintains its unscarred beauty while still offering excellent accommodations.

The Mexican government’s decision to develop this relatively calm expanse of sandy bays into a resort in the mid-’80s sparked a national controversy when the residents of the area, who lived on ejidos , a sort-of communal land, were evicted. There were some financial settlements then, and others are still pending.

I visited the site in 1985 when bulldozers were plowing the jungle to build the first real roads through the region. I was staying in nearby Puerto Angel and remember Huatulco as remote and beautiful.

My former travel agent suggested we stay at the Sheraton Resort Hotel on Bahia Tangolunda next door to an immense new Club Med complex. Only a few of the nine bays at Huatulco are developed. But several projects are in the works and scheduled to open in the next few years. But for now, the region is still far less developed than areas such as Ixtapa and Puerto Vallarta farther up the coast.

Our Mexicana Airlines package, which is offered for travel within the country, included the round-trip flight from Mexico City and two nights in the Sheraton for less than $200 per person. You can do the trip for even less if you opt to stay in one of the moderate hotels. (From Los Angeles, travelers can also arrange to fly to Mexico City and connect on to Huatulco via Mexicana or Aeromexico; see accompanying Guidebook for details).

The flight left Mexico City at 11 a.m. for the approximately 50-minute trip to the new international airport at Huatulco, an unusual construction of palm-thatched buildings. My friend and I were pleasantly surprised to find that the recently privatized Mexicana Airlines was vastly improved from what we both remembered. There are some new planes in the fleet, and others have been renovated. The national flight area of the Mexico City airport had also been given a face lift since I’d left the country, and was remarkably efficient.

As we ascended after takeoff from Mexico City, the flight path took us through one of the most spectacular sights one can see in Mexico. We flew directly between the two volcanoes--Popocatepetl and Ixtacihuatl--that hover over the southern fringe of the valley of Mexico. They are rarely seen from the city because of the smog.

On one side of the plane was “Popo,” as Mexicans refer to the volcano. We flew past the vast, snow-covered crater. It was right at eye level and looked close enough to touch or to swallow the entire plane. On the other side was “Izta,” with its snow-covered coarse rocks.

I was still reeling from the thrill of the volcanoes when the mountains of Oaxaca came into sight. I had twice driven the winding road that twists through the green mountains from Oaxaca City to the Pacific Coast. It’s one of the most difficult drives in Mexico, and I was glad to have done it and now be flying over it. And soon the coast, with its bays and sandy beaches, came into view.

Besides Tangolunda, the government has built a presidential vacation complex on another bay. There are a few moderate hotels in Santa Cruz Bay, one on Tangolunda and several others either under construction or planned for the region.

Mexico has struggled with tourism for years, desiring it for much-needed foreign exchange, but only in recent years has the government aggressively promoted it. Concerns about security have mounted in some tourist zones, particularly over developed areas such as Acapulco, which has become a magnet for migration from the impoverished countryside.

The ambience of Huatulco, however, was very tranquilo. Although it’s still relatively undisturbed by American tourists, it’s gearing up for major tourism. The airport, though small, is equipped for international arrivals.

All transportation from the airport to various hotels is regulated, an effective system used at all national airports in Mexico that eliminates the annoying hassle over cab fares. It cost about $7.50 per person for the 20-minute ride from the airport in a collective van to Tangolunda.

Within the zone, taxi fares are also regulated by the department of tourism. And it looks as though the drivers were sent to tourism school. Each cabdriver dutifully repeated a speech on the bays and the state of Oaxaca, explaining there are seven distinct regions and indigenous cultures, which we already knew. Some said they had come from Acapulco and other areas to work in Huatulco, and all marveled at how safe the area was. One catch phrase summed up the message the department of tourism was trying to convey: “This is Huatulco, not Acapulco.”

The first day we spent at Tangolunda, the water was calm and warm and a clear shade of blue-green. It was the Pacific at its best.

Our second day we decided to find a boat to cruise the coast. On the hotel’s beach, several men offered a variety of excursions for touring and fishing. The fishing trips were priced according to time and the size of the boat. Food and beverages were provided at an additional cost. Some offered large cabin cruisers for parties. The prices for just touring the area, though, were high--about $50 an hour.

We decided to take a taxi to nearby Santa Cruz--another bay, where a major harbor is already receiving some cruise ships. These days, Santa Cruz is still relatively small and pleasant. A few moderate hotels are open, and others are under construction. And several excellent restaurants along the waterfront serve fresh local fish. An artisans’ market in the center of the town is where vendors sell crafts made in Oaxaca and an assortment of T-shirts.

In the harbor, dozens of boats are available for tours ranging from an hour to a full day. It was Thanksgiving Day, still early in the high season, and business was slow. Several boats were docked in the harbor, and we were soon approached by Enrique. We negotiated a full tour of the region to see all nine bays, a trip that would take several hours. We agreed to pay about $65.

There are a few coral reef areas for snorkeling. A store in Santa Cruz a few blocks from the harbor rents equipment.

Enrique’s boat, a simple launch with a blue plastic canopy, seated eight. We set out into the bay and headed west. It was up to us where we wanted to stop, but Enrique offered to suggest the best spots.

As we cruised the waters, we passed pelicans perched on jagged rock formations. We stopped at Playa Maguey to swim. There, a few industrious entrepreneurs had brought umbrellas to rent and cold beer and soft drinks to sell. We stayed a while and swam, but were eager to see what lay ahead.

Our next stop was Playa la India, a calm bay with a coral reef. Two couples on another boat had stopped to walk and swim, and when they left, the beach was completely deserted. There is no road to this beach; the only way to get there is by boat. A few hawks flew overhead, and we explored the beach and sunned.

We reluctantly set out to finish our cruise, making the last stop in time for a late lunch at San Agustin Bay. A string of restaurants built with simple palapas, palm-thatched structures, lined the horseshoe-shaped beach. We chose the one at the far end of the beach and were soon received by a waiter carrying a tray of fresh fish, including octopus, two immense lobsters, a conch and a large huachinango , red snapper. We chose the red snapper, and it was broiled with garlic and served on a bed of rice and avocados. It was a superb Thanksgiving lunch and cost about $17.

After lunch we walked along the beach, where fishermen were sorting out nets to cast out later that night for pompano, red snapper and pulpo (octopus). The catch from nets set the previous night hadn’t been good because the water was rough, and the men were hopeful they’d do better that night.

A large resort complex is planned here, and we were glad to see the area before that happens.

We set off for the ride back to Santa Cruz and wondered aloud what Huatulco would look like in a few years.

GUIDEBOOK

Mexico’s Bays of Huatulco

Getting there: Mexicana and Aeromexico fly from Los Angeles to Mexico City and connect to Huatulco. Round-trip air fare on Mexicana is $424. American, Delta and Continental also fly from LAX to Mexico City. Mexicana, Delta and Aeromexico are offering round-trip fares for $326. Mexicana (800-531-7921) offers a hotel and air-fare package within Mexico that can be reserved through a travel agent or the airline’s offices in Mexico City, Monterey, Guadalajara and others.

Accommodations: The Sheraton Resort Hotel is at Bahia Tangolunda, next door to Club Med. Rooms are about $100-$145 double. Reservations can be made from the United States; call Sheraton at (800) 325-3535. Staying there as part of a Mexicana Airlines package is much cheaper and includes round-trip air fare from Mexico City and other major cities, but can only be arranged within the country. In Santa Cruz, the Hotel Castillo Huatulco is small and moderately priced.

Restaurants: The Sheraton has an excellent breakfast buffet serving a large variety of fresh tropical fruit and several Mexican dishes, as well as omelets and eggs made to order, for less than $10. There are three restaurants within the hotel compound, including one outdoors as well as an indoor and outdoor bar. In front of the hotel there are a series of restaurants along a stretch of a few blocks next to two grocery stores that sell snacks, soft drinks, bottled water and liquor.

Along the beach in Santa Cruz there are a number of seafood restaurants with ocean views.

There are also several simple restaurants on the beach at Bahia San Agustin that serve fresh fish.

For more information: Contact the Mexican Government Tourism Office, 10100 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite 224, Los Angeles 90067, (213) 203-8191.