This marks my first trip of 2023 and my fourth visit to Huatulco. I traveled with my friend who accompanied me on my first two trips. We scored direct return flights on WestJet for $494 CAD each and rented a 2 bedroom condo ($1100 total for the week) . It was close to playa Santa Cruz (3 blocks away) located at 137 Acatlán. Pic below is from booking.com which is where I reserved it.
I knew we would be there Easter Sunday and all I thought about it was I wouldn't have to cook a big meal! BUT, a couple months prior to leaving I discovered the week we were visiting was called "Semana Santa" which translates to "Holy Week" in English. I also learned that this one of the busiest times in Huatulco and hotels/resorts are usually fully booked. 😨 I guessed that would mean the beaches were congested as well... While the thought stressed me out, I just reminded myself there was nothing we could do about it so we'd have to deal with it and figure it out while we were there but I can't lie; my Disney days with packed wall to wall hoards of people are over. I don't like crowds anymore (even more so since covid)...and our week also included two cruise ships as well 😩. There's a reason I always visit in November before the tourists pile in...
Monday, April 3, 2023:
Our flight was a decent 9 am departure time and my friend picked me up in a taxi on the way to the airport. Everything was painless even after departing a half hour late on WestJet. We arrived at the same time we were originally supposed to. The walk off the plane is usually a hot one but wasn't too bad this time other than being very humid. We were soon off to condo in a taxi ($580 pesos, pre tip).
Jorje was waiting for us upon arrival as I had messaged him from airport. The condo is gated so no entry without a key. We were on the second floor. The condo was quite lovely, huge with big tall ceilings. We tried to get a little unpacked and to get a taxi we walked over to the Castillo. We enjoyed a "Sangrita" drink to reminisce past memories there. Then off to Super Che grocery store which was extremely busy. There was a fairly substantial earthquake while we were standing in the check out line, everything rattled and trembled but no one even flinched an eye but us. I found the info about it on the Huatulco forum later that evening.
As we were so tired we did a minimal shop of water, wine, snacks and returned back to the condo to hike it all up 2 flights of stairs. (28 bottles of water almost killed me!) I also bought a sim card from TelCel with a plan which was a good deal ($20 or $30 CAD I think and would have lasted a month). It was a real chore to get it when you don't speak Spanish though but I managed. Anyway, it was a smart choice for the trip and I'd do it if I visit again, for sure.
We ended up heading out for a bite to eat about 9:00-ish and then found the restaurant by our condo was closed. It was dark and there were HUGE pot holes (some so deep you could fall in!), uneven broken pavement everywhere so it was a lesson to pay attention to the ground, not the surroundings.
We ended up seeing an outdoor taco stand that was busy and full with locals so we decided to stop there once we saw they had pozole which is a favorite of ours. The offered pork or chicken and we got pork.
It was really tasty and hit the spot. It was better when we found the garnishes hiding under the tostadas! With that we returned to the condo to retire for the evening. Below we discovered a banana tree that we were enamored with only to later find out it was fake, all the plants in the condo were. 😄
Tuesday, April 4, 2023:
We woke bright and early and Playa Maguey was on the agenda. From here on in, the report will be less detailed than usual as I'm writing it a month later after we returned home. I've tried to forget most of our visit; I truly didn't want to write this report but I had to, well..., because I always do...
I ordered the garlic shrimp (I enjoyed it!) and my friend ordered the tuna salad, forgetting that they serve it like "tuna salad", not like the sliced Ahi tuna she was expecting. She didn't like it swimming in the mayo either.
When in Mexico...
After a few more drinks my friend decided to go on a banana boat ride. I kept looking for her on it, but I never did find her, lol. She was gone for quite a while too, but eventually she came back saying it was fun.
We headed back to the condo to meet my son's girl friend he met last trip. He had a used iPhone in perfect condition which he purchased a new battery for. I brought it for her as she was in need of a new mobile. My friend gave her some clothing and I gave her some earrings and chocolate, etc. We were headed to Rocoto for dinner and my friend thought we should invite her so I did, though I really didn't want to.
Anyway when we asked she said yes, so we had three for our meal. I always find three people awkward and the language barrier made it worse. She also ordered one of the most expensive entrees on the menu and did a good job of helping polish off our wine as well. She was almost chugging it. I was not inviting her to the next place we went!
My friend and I split the tortilla shrimp soup and they put it in two bowls which was very kind. Always delicious and I will always order it whenever I'm here. Chef Claudia was not in this evening so we did not get to say hello but her partner Barbara was just as fun and really lovely. Below is the filet steak my friend ordered:
Below is what the girl ordered, the most expensive fish dish on the menu which I believe was "dorado"?
Lastly I had the Short Ribs Surf & Turf (Shrimp):
Everything was terrific as it always is there. The girl did ask me if I wanted any money but I knew that was just a gesture, she knew she wasn't paying and we weren't expecting her to. As we walked over to Lartilleria for a drink down the block, I insisted she get a cab and we would wait with her. When she left we continued to the restaurant. We stayed for a margarita at the bar, waited for a cab and went back to the condo to sleep.
Wednesday, April 5, 2023:
We were up early and planned to go to Niru Beach Club for the day buying a pass. As food wasn't served till 1 pm, we walked over to Cafe Huatulco and had breakfast first. The club didn't open till 10am anyway. This tufty beggar below sat at our table our whole breakfast, eyeing our food and waiting for some that we did not give...
Friend had Chicken Chilaquiles but I guess she didn't get the huevos as they seem to be missing in the picture below, lol!
I got Huevos Rancheros with chorizo and we got a fruit plate as well that came with our breakfast.
There was too much food to finish but everything tasted good and service was on point. We decided we should walk it off and head to the Binniguenda hotel. A couple of days before we arrived in Huatulco I was quoted $600 MXN in WhatsApp for the day pass. After arriving at the hotel, it was now $850 MXN or $65 CAD. We also learned that the club was back from where we just walked from so we waited in the hotel lobby for the shuttle back. I wasn't really thinking as I knew it was on Playa Santa Cruz... Anyway, we took the shuttle over and got dropped off at the club. We paid, got towels and wristband and headed to the pools. I realize I hardly took any pictures this trip too, other than my usual food shots there were barely any... Below was from the infinity pool looking left and the next one was looking right.
Near closing time (5 pm) we left and walked (staggered?) back to our condo. We found a shop selling this liqueur and my friend bought some taster bottles and one to bring home. Very good, or at least it tasted good at that drunk moment in time...
We showered and got ready for dinner at Lechalote. We had a hard time flagging taxis so learned to go to the Holiday Inn and they always got us one right away. We dined here for our birthdays on our first trip back in 2017 and had fondue. Tonight the restaurant was DEAD. I mean only one other table occupied. I asked the waiter why as it used to be quite popular and busy and he said that a new owner from Texas had bought it and lost the clientele. I learned my camera was also dead with no battery life My friend took the pictures of our food and msg'd me later with them. Thankfully the menu is online so I can guess at what we ate. I just have to interject here and say that the steak tartar below looks absolutely dreadful, YUCK! She had:
Steak Tartar: ( Beefsteak with shallot seasoning, with onion, capers,
cornichons, Dijon mustard and parsley, roast garlic sauce,
chili powder and crispy rice)
Goat Cheese with Figs Salad: (Lettuce mix seasoned with fig vinaigrette , Serrano ham, green seed and balsamic)
I had:
Nicoise Salad: Lettuce mix, eureka lemon vinaigrette seasoning and seared tuna fish
Lasagna Bolognese: ( Pasta served with tomato sauce, bechamel sauce, mix of cheese and filled to choice (meat or seafood))
With that we were done! Stuffed with dinner, drunk, too much sun and skin crispy we headed back to the condo. You'd hope that would be the end of the evening but NO...about 3 am, we both fought for the bathroom spewing from both ends until nothing more would come out! Nothing would stay down either, water went out as fast as it went in!
Thursday, April 6, 2023:
By 8 am that morning I scrounged up some expired "Gravol" pills from my travel medical kit. That worked for us both on the nausea. I at least stopped vomiting, so one port closed at least...UGH. Horrible food poisoning we had. The only thing we ate in common was the potato salad from the beach club buffet... I've had a rough time in Huatulco the last couple of trips with Montezuma's Revenge...so thankfully I still had "Treda" so I used that till we left. When my friend went to buy some the pharmacy by our condo said they had none, had sold 10 packages the day before! Our itinerary had plans to get a day pass at the Quinta Bella pool but that was not going to happen!
We slept until I had to go see a condo in La Crucecita I was maybe going to rent for the month of November. Our appointment was 6 pm.
We were early so we decided to attempt some food at Serenas which was right beside the condo we were going to view. We both needed to try and eat something as we were like zombies now.
I had a Fanta orange and it was so good! I ordered Spaghetti Bolognese which was also delicious though hard to get down in the tummy. I could taste the passion in their food though. My stomach was not as happy as my taste buds were. Anyway a few bites was better than none. I never even tried the bread they brought us.
Below, I don't remember what my friend ate but obviously some sort of fettucine...
Friday, April 7, 2023:
Today we were going to take the bus to San Agustin from "Habanero Loko" restaurant but we never pre-bought the tickets so didn't go. My friend was feeling better and was back at the Tito's vodka but I couldn't drink still. We went for breakfast at "Niko's" coffee bar which was right by our condo.
The café con leche was very good so I bought some coffee for my son to take home for him.
My friend had a mango smoothie, I think? If she ate breakfast I have no pictures of it...
I ordered "NIKO´S SLAM" : Chilaquiles, sausage, waffle and eggs. Unfortunately I often forget that "sausage" means wiener there. 🤨
We got a taxi and went back to Playa Maguey. It was quiet being early and while I was feeling okay, I wasn't 100% and was grumpy and irritable. I went for a walk along the beach all the way to each end.
Jose came by but we weren't chatty so he disappeared. We decided to try another place for a while so got the bill and left. Plus there was a table with a boom box at full volume and it was irritating beyond belief.
We had lunch but it was underwhelming. I had tacos and she had quesadillas, I think.
Saw a parrot there as we departed early afternoon. We returned to the condo. That evening I thought I had made reservations at Don Porfirio Lobster and Steak House in Tangolunda. But actually I had made the reservation at Don Crudelio in La Crucecita. We flagged a taxi by our condo and I tried to show him my itinerary which had the address and restaurant name. However, I don't think he could read. He spoke zero English so eventually we had to have him pull over and get out of the taxi. He dropped us at some hotel in Crucecita but taxi's were not easy to come by as it was super busy in town with Easter weekend. The hotel said they couldn't even call us one because it was too busy. We walked and got lucky at someone exiting a cab at a restaurant so he took us to Don Crudelio which was only a few blocks away. Of course I was surprised as I was expecting to go to Tangolunda!
We were seated and there was a duo playing. I asked for the fan to be put on but our server said she couldn't because of the band playing. That made me absolutely miserable when I already didn't want to be there. My friend was happy and merrily drinking but I couldn't even stand the sip of whatever drink I ordered.
I did enjoy the soup, below which was "Shrimp & Fish broth with cucumber, red onion and coriander. I could only drink the broth though and not eat the tasty bits in the cup:
My entrée only had one bite taken out of it, it was packed to go but it never got touched again. I'm sure it was lovely. What a waste of money!
16 hour slow cooked BBQ Ribs with Mashed Potatoes and Roasted Sweet Corn
My friend had a salad. I don't see any on the menu and didn't take a picture so don't know what it was. Below was the live muzak. She was bopping, I was DONE. Kindly she agreed to depart.
That night I heard my friend make several trips to the toilet ralphing her lungs out. I warned her not to eat the salad! I'm sure the drinks didn't help matters either...
Saturday, April 8, 2023:
I felt better today and pretty much back to my usual self. My friend on the other hand was not going to be doing anything. I went for a walk down to the marina and bought us electrolyte drinks, a 4-pack of them!
I went through the organic market as well.
I went to get us breakfast. We always walked by this cute busy brunch place called "Itoó" so that's where I went. It was very close to our condo.
I sat down and ate there, I was starving! I had barely eaten in a couple days now. When I was done, I ordered hers to go. She had been craving pancakes but they only had waffles so that's what I got her.
I devoured my omelette and toast. It was perfect and just what my body needed. When I got back to the condo I finally went and took a gander at the pool. To me, it was very uninviting looking...
Back inside we both guzzled down an electrolyte drink. We should have had them when we first got sick! My friend seemed comfy watching bad movies on the one English channel so I went to have lunch at my son's girl friends restaurant, Santa Clara. I had been meaning to try the "Chiles en nogada" since last trip so it was time. It is the specialty of the restaurant.
Well, this was arguably the best bite of food I've eaten in Huatulco over all 4 visits there. I swooned at how freaking delicious it was. I love picadillo anyway, but the walnut sauce and the crispy caramelized poblano ends were just out of this world. This whole trip report was worth writing if only to remember this one dish...
Unfortunately I could only manage to eat half and didn't take it with me as I knew it would never get touched. When I got back my friend said she didn't want to go to dinner at "La Chicatana" that I had made reservations at. I really wanted to go as I love this restaurant. So I told her I'd invite the girl friend then as it would give us a chance to talk about my son and any questions she was stewing over... I messaged her and she agreed to meet me there.
Then my friend said she'd come so that was fine though it was back to the awkward trio I don't like again. We were seated and below is the view from our table:
Things were fine, we all ordered a drink. My friend only ordered an appetizer of mushrooms and I ordered a beef dip (which I ended up taking to go). The girl had come wearing a dress my friend had given her and the earrings I gave her. She looked fabulous.
However, after she ordered, I asked what she was having. And AGAIN, she ordered the most expensive item on the menu which was ribeye steak ($40 CAD). I told her in the translator that I wasn't rich and felt like she was taking advantage of me. She laughed in my face and translated back that she would pay her own way (I'm paraphrasing). Anyway, when she did pay, she was short on cash. What she gave me only covered her steak, not her drink or tip and I knew she wasn't expecting to pay again. Anyway, this made the whole evening uncomfortable. In hindsight I should have stated before we ate that she was on her own for her meal, but the truth is, I was going to pay for it, if she had been reasonable. I was pissed off and DONE with her.
She got a taxi and my friend and I walked over to Alfredo's. My friend wasn't too happy as I struggled to get us there with google maps on that humid evening, but we made it. As soon as we were seated, her friend from work called us over. My friend had given her our itinerary and Alfredo's was where we were going to watch live music tonight originally. Anyway, she was there with her daughter and mom, and the mood lightened and I felt a LOT better. We had a drink and went back to the condo.
Sunday, April 9, 2023:
We went for breakfast at Santa Clara. I wanted my friend to try the Chiles en nogada which we split in half. Unfortunately she did NOT love them as I did which made me sad. The girl served us and this time I tipped her the normal 20% I usually do, not the 50% I've been giving her. Frankly, she hurt my feelings and I was disappointed in her. We said good-bye and got a taxi to Playa Arrocito. I think we paid $200 MXN for our front row table? It was busy there, lots of local families.
One family sitting beside us (the daughter) asked if she could interview my friend in English for school. Her mom recorded it. She did fantastic in English! Very cute. On the other side a family sat down and started blaring their boom box. We both rolled our eyes at each other. We found that so odd as every beach had the same thing. It seemed so impolite to us but fine in their culture, I guess. Anyway, it was extremely annoying and enough to make us get up and leave a few times...
We basically just drank a couple of beers though I did order some pico de gallo but that went mostly untouched. It came with all these weird mayonnaise type dips and neither of us were going to touch it. The waves were crashing up to our feet and eventually the water was so rough and forceful it was overturning tables and items in the waves. We had enough sun anyway and hailed a taxi home.
Our last dinner was booked at "Otto" at the Quinta Bella hotel. This was my son and I's favorite meal last trip. Below is what we ate:
WELLINGTON STEAK AND ASPARAGUS
Served with cheese foam, sautéed asparagus and beef reduction.
STEAK AU POIVRE AND PAPAS BRAVAS (SPICY POTATOES)
Beef fillet (180 gr.) with pepper sauce and parsley served with potatoes bravas (fries).
DRY FIDEO
Served with avocado, cotija, serrano, and cilantro.
Dinner was good... not as exceptional as the last time, but overall enjoyable. That ended our evening.
Monday, April 10, 2023:
Jorje had kindly let us check out at 2:30 pm as he had no one booked. That was great so we could just leave directly from the condo to the airport. We went to Playa La Bocana for brunch first.
We ate at Restaurante Casa Bocana. I was wanting lunch but they were only serving a brunch menu so I ordered this ($12.50 CAD). I can honestly say I remember nothing at all about the taste of the dish:
She had something that looked like a beautiful salad on a bubble waffle but I have no idea what it was now:
After, we went for a drink on the beachfront but the people there were loud (we could hear and understand every word they said) and we didn't want to listen to them. Also they were playing music from their cell (tourists like us), so we just went back to the condo. It was clear we both just wanted to go home and end this trip. 😥
Jorje met us at 2:30. We had cleaned the place up pretty well and he seemed happy enough. He was a nice guy and I liked him. He called us a taxi and we departed. The driver undercharged us - only $200 pesos, and I'm not sure why so I just tipped him the difference. I only have one picture left. It's of my airport meal which I thought was an appetizer. It was described much like a crostini. I was shocked when I saw what arrived, lol. My friend had tortilla soup and she said it was pretty good.
Before our flight departed, some seemingly intoxicated LOUD man began acting very rude to the flight attendants. Belligerent and belittling them, demanding water and such. Not too long after the National Guard came on and removed him with him yelling out, "Only in Mexico!". I fully expected everyone to clap but they didn't. Flight was uneventful except I would find out two days later that I most likely caught covid on it. It was my first time, my worst fear came true but fortunately for me I was eligible for the anti-viral and that cured it up very, very quickly.
Wow...what a shitty vacation, literally and figuratively! 💩 🤮 It was so bad that I'm not going back in November. I need a break from it. My son goes with me on an annual trip and we were going to go to Huatulco but he asked if we could go to Vegas instead? I didn't really want to. I tried to talk him into Charleston, SC and Savannah, GA splitting our time between the two places, but he wasn't going for it. So...Vegas it is; my last trip there was 2019 and I also said I needed a break from Sin City after that time... Anyway, we're booked! Now, I have to hope our lousy Canadian dollar can improve against the US greenback! Until next trip, I bid this awful vacation memory a non-fond adieu...🤬 One good thing was that I lost 4 lbs on this vacation, that's a first!
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