Puebla de los Angeles Travel Guide

Getting There

By Plane -- Click Mexicana flights (tel. 01-800/112-5425 toll-free in Mexico; www.click.com.mx) connect Huatulco with Mexico City.

From Huatulco's international airport (airport code: HUX; tel. 958/581-9004 or -9005), about 20km (12 miles) northwest of the Bahías de Huatulco, private taxis charge $49 (£27) to Crucecita, $44 to Santa Cruz, and $49 (£27) to Tangolunda. Transportes Terrestres (tel. 958/581-9014) colectivos fares are about $10 (£5.50) per person. When returning, make sure to ask for a taxi, unless you have a lot of luggage. Taxis to the airport run $42 (£23), but unless specifically requested, you'll get a Suburban, which costs $56 (£31).

Budget (tel. 800/527-0700 in the U.S., or 958/587-0010 or 958/581-9000) has an office at the airport that is open for flight arrivals. Dollar (tel. 958/587-1381) also has rental offices downtown and offers one-way drop service for about $50 additional if you're traveling to Puerto Escondido. Because Huatulco is so spread out and has excellent roads, you may want to consider a rental car, at least for 1 or 2 days, to explore the area.

By Car -- Coastal Highway 200 leads to Huatulco (via Pochutla) from the north and is generally in good condition. The drive from Puerto Escondido takes just under 2 hours. The road is well maintained, but it's windy and doesn't have lights, so avoid travel after sunset. Allow at least 6 hours for the trip from Oaxaca City on mountainous Highway 175.

By Bus -- There are three bus stations in Crucecita, all within a few blocks, but none in Santa Cruz or Tangolunda. The Gacela and Estrella Blanca station, at the corner of Gardenia and Palma Real, handles service to Acapulco, Mexico City, Puerto Escondido, and Pochutla. The Cristóbal Colón station (tel. 958/587-0261) is at the corner of Gardenia and Ocotillo, 4 blocks from the Plaza Principal. It serves destinations throughout Mexico, including Oaxaca, Puerto Escondido, and Pochutla. The Estrella del Valle station, on Jasmin between Sabali and Carrizal, serves Oaxaca.

Visitor Information

The State Tourism Office, or Oficina del Turismo (tel. 958/581-0176; fax 958/581-0177; www.baysofhuatulco.com.mx), has an information module in Tangolunda Bay, near the Grand Pacific hotel. It's open Monday to Friday from 8am to 5pm.

City Layout

The overall resort area is called Bahías de Huatulco and includes nine bays. The town of Santa María de Huatulco, the original settlement in this area, is 27km (17 miles) inland. Santa Cruz Huatulco, usually called Santa Cruz, was the first developed area on the coast. It has a central plaza with a bandstand kiosk, which has been converted into a cafe that serves regionally grown coffee. It also has an artisans' market on the edge of the plaza that borders the main road, a few hotels and restaurants, and a marina where bay tours and fishing trips set sail. Juárez is Santa Cruz's 4-block-long main street, anchored at one end by the Hotel Castillo Huatulco and at the other by the Meigas Binniguenda hotel. Opposite the Hotel Castillo is the marina, and beyond it are restaurants in new colonial-style buildings facing the beach. The area's banks are on Juárez. It's impossible to get lost and you can take in almost everything at a glance. This bay is the site of Huatulco's cruise-ship dock.

About 3km (2 miles) inland from Santa Cruz is Crucecita, a planned city that sprang up in 1985. It centers on a lovely grassy plaza. This is the residential area for the resorts, with neighborhoods of new stucco homes mixed with small apartment complexes. Crucecita has evolved into a lovely, traditional town where you'll find the area's best, and most reasonably priced, restaurants, plus some shopping and several less-expensive hotels.

Until other bays are developed, Tangolunda Bay, 5km (3 miles) east, is the focal point of development. Over time, half the bays will have resorts. For now, Tangolunda has an 18-hole golf course, as well as the Las Brisas, Quinta Real, Barceló Huatulco, Royal, Casa del Mar, and Camino Real Zaashila hotels, among others. Small strip centers with a few restaurants occupy each end of Tangolunda Bay. Chahué Bay, between Tangolunda and Santa Cruz, is a small bay with a beach club and other facilities under construction along with houses and a few small hotels.

Getting Around

Crucecita, Santa Cruz, and Tangolunda are too far apart to walk, but taxis are inexpensive and readily available. Crucecita has taxi stands opposite the Hotel Grifer and on the Plaza Principal. Taxis are readily available through hotels in Santa Cruz and Tangolunda. The fare between Santa Cruz and Tangolunda is roughly $2.50 (£1.40); between Santa Cruz and Crucecita, $2; between Crucecita and Tangolunda, $2.50(£1.40). To explore the area, you can hire a taxi by the hour (about $15/£8.25 per hr.) or for the day.

There is minibus service between towns; the fare is 50¢ (30p). In Santa Cruz, catch the bus across the street from Castillo Huatulco; in Tangolunda, in front of the Grand Pacific; and in Crucecita, cater-cornered from the Hotel Grifer.