The Huatulco Sheraton & Camino Real Zaashila Resorts
Written: Oct 20 '00 (Updated Nov 16 '00)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Quiet beach atmosphere.
Cons: Not a lot to do; no night life.
|
|
|
| Suzi's Full Review: Oaxaca |
Review Topic: Accommodations
I have been to Huatulco five times, mainly for business, however I've come to vacation here three other times. Just south of Acapulco on the Pacific coast, Huatulco offers a quiet get away to anyone wanting great beaches. Once a "master planned" ecotourism resort area, not too long ago, the economy there went bust, and several large investors pulled out. For a long time, half built hotels and resorts dotted the coast line fronting the many bays, until two or three foreign investors pulled together and finished their projects. I was actually sorry to see the area develop, but more people in the US are learning of Huatulco, and coming to vacation here. Like a lot of resort areas in Mexico, you'll find hotels here in basically two price ranges. There is one luxury resort, in my opinion, that is quite affordable and a few moderately priced hotels, that offer good value and location. I don't have names for the several budget hotels, mainly condominiums, off of the beach. But I know they are there, and worth looking into via the internet if you are on a budget.
On my two business trips to Huatulco, my accommodations were booked at the Sheraton. The Sheraton Huatulco Resort is one of the older resorts in Huatulco. I had a large, king size bed unit each time, with a large marble bathroom and a small sitting area. The room came equipped with a minibar, satellite TV, air conditioning, and telephone. I had a rental car, which I obtained through the travel agency at the hotel. The pool area was nicely landscaped, and fronted a wide expanse of beach. The hotel offered daily activities including water aerobics and beach volleyball, lighted tennis courts and water sports, such as scuba diving and snorkeling excursions. There were a couple of restaurants and lounges, as well as my favorite, a swim-up bar. Prices seemed reasonable for hotel food and room service. I would rate this hotel a moderate property with lots of the amenities you'd find a better hotels; a good value for under $100 a day. Packages to the Huatulco Sheraton from California will run you about $1000 per person (with the bulk of the price going towards airfare). Additional nights, which I had to pay for, only ran me $60/night. Not bad considering how expensive Cancun can be.
Two or three hotels down from the Sheraton is the Camino Real Zaashila Resort. A week here spent celebrating our anniversary ran us about $1400pp (accommodations and airfare from CA). Hands down, the most luxurious hotel in Huatulco, the price, in my opinion is a bargain. The resort is one of the newest ones in Huatulco, and quite different in appearance to most. It was designed in a Moorish style on 27 acres. There's a long drive-way off the road to gain access, making the resort appear quite secluded, yet actually pretty close to the other resorts if you were to walk down the beach. Due to the curvy coastline, and the many bays in Huatulco, this resort is actually on it's own little bay. The only drawback to it's location is that it's quite far from the road, and away from public transportation. From the Sheraton, one had a short walk out to the road, where one could take a minibus. You won't want to walk all the way to the road from the Camino Real.
Our room at the Camino Real had a king size four poster bed (a first for us in Mexico) and a beautiful terrace. We only left the hotel's grounds twice, as cab fare was high. But for those of you looking to relax for a week, with a spa atmosphere, this might be the ticket for you. We found the restaurants and service here to be top notch, but plan to pay for the added luxury. We especially enjoyed the turn-down service in the evening.
Several hotels in Huatulco now offer all-inclusive options. Both the Camino Real and the Sheraton had meal plans, which we did not opt to purchase. However, the Club Med and the Maeva Resort both offer comparable programs. I found the accommodations at the Club Med to be quite simple, compared to those at the Maeva resort (which is next door to the Sheraton). The Maeva, at the time we vacationed there, cost substantially less than the Club Med, but appeared to offer most amenities that has made Club Med famous. For more detailed information on the Maeva Resort, please refer to my other review on Huatulco. Suffice it say, I found the food here to be excellent. The Cub Med offers accommodations in bungalows, spread out over many acres, accessible by golf carts. There you'll find excellent food and lots of activities, for both young and old. What the resort lacks in appearance (although on a great beach, with the best snorkeling off it's coast in Huatulco) it makes up for the many activities it includes in it's price. The Maeva's activities are similar to what we found at the Sheraton or at the Camino Real. What you pay for is the food and drinks. I really didn't stay anywhere in Huatulco that I found to be objectionable.
The Camino Real Zaashila had the nicest accommodations, the best food but cost the most. The Club Med had the better activities and superior kid's program. The Maeva (all-inclusive) and the Sheraton both offered a lot for the price. With that said, you might be wondering about Huatulco and what there is to do there.
I must be honest, I didn't find Huatulco with lots to do. That's exactly the reason we came here. Many people rent a car or hire a driver to take them to the Puerto Escondido area (up the coast) stopping at small towns along the way. We did this once, and had a great time. But once was enough. Lots of people fly to Oxaca, a Mexican colonial city. The Sierra Madre Mountains frame the area surrounding Huatulco, and if I remember correctly, there are day trips one can book with the on-site travel agencies. We went sailing and scuba diving each trip, but the ocean isn't the blue you see in the Caribbean, nor is the visibility as good. The prices for snorkeling and diving seemed a little less than what we pay on trips to Cancun or Cozumel. My husband went golfing a couple of times, and urges you to watch out for crocodiles on the greens. Food prices are what you see in Puerto Vallarta (still a good bargain). Prices have gone up considerably since my first visit in 1993. You'll find lots of well to do Mexican families here in the summer, and many Canadians and Europeans in the fall and winter. I have begun to see more and more US residents, but I was hoping I could keep Huatulco a secret. I hope for a while that development slows down here. I know lots of people who find what the government did in Huatulco to be just awful. But once development started, it's good to see they are finishing up. It was terrible to see all the half completed hotels, some taking more than five years to complete.
I really like Huatulco for what it isn't. It's still quiet and relatively in expensive. Hope it remains that way for a long time to come. Thanks for reading.
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
Suzi
|
 - Top 200 |
|
Location: California
Reviews written: 190
Trusted by: 147 members
About Me:
Suzi is an aspiring travel writer who enjoys scuba diving and volleyball.
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.