Huatulco is the planned resort that never quite became Cancun. The Mexican government developed nine bays along the Oaxacan coast in the 1980s, built an airport and a cruise port, and waited for the tourism boom. It came, but slowly, and Huatulco ended up as something more interesting — a beach resort with national park protection, clear water and relatively low density.
In This Article
The Bays
Nine bays spread along about 35 kilometers of coast. Santa Cruz is the main tourist bay with the pier, shops and restaurants. Tangolunda has the big resort hotels — Dreams, Secrets, Barcelo. Chahue is the everyday bay with the marina and local restaurants. The remaining bays — Cacaluta, Maguey, Organo, San Agustin, Chachacual, Conejos — are less developed and reached by boat or rough road.
The best snorkeling is at San Agustin and Cacaluta. Boat tours from Santa Cruz hit 3-5 bays in a day for around 300-500 pesos per person including a lunch stop.
Town vs. Resort
La Crucecita is the actual town, a few blocks inland from Santa Cruz bay. This is where the locals live and eat. Cheaper restaurants, a central plaza, markets. Staying in La Crucecita and taking taxis or walking to the beach saves money compared to the beachfront hotels.
Getting to the Coast From Huatulco
Huatulco airport (HUX) has direct flights from Mexico City. From the airport, the backpacker trail heads west along Highway 200 to Pochutla (1 hour), then to Zipolite (1.5 hours) or Puerto Escondido (2.5 hours). OCC and Sur buses run this route from the Huatulco bus station in La Crucecita.
If you are heading to Zipolite from Huatulco, the bus drops you in Pochutla where you catch a colectivo the rest of the way. The whole trip takes about 2 hours door to door.