We flew from Oaxaca City to Huatulco on a tiny 14-seater plane. The cost of the Aerotucan flight was $249 for two of us (one way only). There was no co-pilot on our flight and Dimitri asked the pilot if he could sit up with the pilot. The pilot said "sure" and Dimitri had a ball snapping pictures the whole way.
| The snap Dimitri took from the co-pilot's seat when we were landing in Huatulco |
We reserved a Master Suite (Mex$2499 per day/$153.31 without breakfast) for one week at Quinta Real (P. Benito Juarez, lote 2, Bahia de Tangolunda, Bahias de Huatulco, Oaxaca, Mexico 70989, tel. 958-581-0429). We telephoned reception during the week before our arrival. Audre talked to Luis and told him that we could not see any photos of a Master Suite on the hotel’s website (actually the website is poor and contains very little information). The Grand Suite looked very nice on the website. It had a separate area with a table and chairs as well as a sofa and coffee table. Luis talked to his supervisor and said that he might be able to provide us with a complimentary upgrade us upon our arrival. And he did! The Grand Suite #7 was magnificent and we thanked Luis heartily at check in (when we were given very good coconut ice cream). We had a complete, unobstructed view of the Bay of Tangolunda in the distance; below us was all green. We saw part of the golf course, as well as the other large hotels in the bay. There were a moderate number of hotels in the bay and even though they were huge, they were not too tall. The Quinta Real was a small hotel, only 28 rooms plus a handful of timeshare villas. Compared to the other hotels on our bay, it seemed exclusive and it was quiet. Audre described the architectural style as “Spanish colonial goes to the tropics” with heavy, cream-colored walls, curves, arches, columns, copulas, tiled floors and thatched roofs.
Our Grand Suite (rack rate about Mex$7000 per day) was on
two levels. It was perfectly air conditioned with a modern control that
functioned well. It was kept very clean and, amazingly, we saw no bugs while we
were there. The entry was on the sitting area level and off of it was a large
veranda with a table and chairs, a large built-in, bed-like sofa/seat sitting
area (uncomfortable), a hammock big enough for 2 and a huge wide-open view that
was shaded by a tropical thatched roof.
| Our veranda at the Quinta Real, Tangolunda Bay |
In the sitting area, there was a table with 2 barrel chairs. The table would have been perfect for the laptop computer. Unfortunately, there was no electrical plug remotely close to the table (and we had even brought an extension cord with us for such an eventuality). The sofa was built-in, bed-like and very uncomfortable to sit on. We asked for and were brought more pillows for our backs and then it was more acceptable for sitting. It had two lamps next to it and a coffee table in front of it. We could not watch the TV from our sitting area—the TV was positioned in the minibar area on the same side of the room facing the bed. We could bring our barrel chairs up a couple of stairs and put them in front of the TV. The mini-fridge was filled with stuff we would never use; there was little room for some of our fruit. There was no coffee maker, no microwave, nothing we wanted. There was a router in the room and the wi-fi worked fine. Having to re-connect to the wi-fi every morning annoyed Audre. The computer sat on the built-in end table next to the bed-like sofa/seat where there was one electrical plug. We had brought an extender, fortunately. We asked for another extender and we were brought one—there were not enough plugs in the room.
The area where the bed was 2 steps up. There was a large
closet with only 2 shelves so we hung most of our clothes. There were only two
drawers but it was enough storage. Our suitcases were put into the luggage room
so everything was put away. We had 2 bedside tables with lamps. There was a
ihome docking station with a clock on one bedside table.
The bathroom was large and had a good view of the ocean from
the large Jacuzzi tub (in an alcove under a copula). There was a shower area
with warm water (never hot but with enough pressure), a large vanity area with
a magnifying mirror, a hairdryer, and a separate toilet with only a curtain for
privacy.
We were happy with the room although we agree with the
comments that everything needs updating. The room was in better condition than
the common areas. With the exception of the lobby and the dining room and bar
off of the lobby, the hotel is showing its age and its lack of devoted
maintenance. The swimming pools were being re-surfaced during our stay and they
really needed it. Even so, the noise of the work made it unpleasant to sit in
that area. One day we sat on chaise lounges in the lowest area of the pool
decks and it was quieter. We were at tree level and watching the beautiful
birds was fun. There were birds with yellow breasts (Great Kiskadee), a black
bird with yellow on its back (Yellow Winged Cacique), magpies with crowns; even
the black vultures were fun to watch.
The beach and pool access was far enough and steep enough that we always
took the shuttle. Sitting on the beach was pleasant. We were given two free
drink tickets for the Sky Lounge. We went on our first night and had two
delicious Margaritas. The seating is so uncomfortable there that we would not
return.
The hotel is not equipped for people with physical
disabilities—there were stairs everywhere, even in our room. Being high above
the sea has its advantages though. We had magnificent ocean views. The number
of staff members was impressive; many more than the number of guests while we
were staying there. The staff was friendly and helpful, although the service in
the restaurants was slow and sometimes inattentive. We decided to have
breakfasts “on a package” because the prices looked like we’d be spending more
than the Mex$418 per day/about $25 a day, that Luis offered us. At our first
breakfast, our bill was Mex$388. Oh well; we learned we had been over-tipping
because the Mex$418 included a tip. One day Ruven made us animals out of towels
and put them on our bed. They were elephants and they looked like elephants
with flowers on them. We liked having the night service that the hotel
provided.
| Another day Ruven outdid himself again making swans out of towels |
We arranged with Luis to have a van pick us up at the
airport (round trip cost Mex$1150). Carlos was waiting for us with a big sign.
The hotel has an impressive gate with impressive security. The hill from the
road to the hotel lobby was steep. We knew we wouldn’t walk it! Audre had a
look at the original Master Suite (#24) we had booked. It would have been okay
although the storage was inadequate and the view was a partial sea view.
One night when there was a full moon we ate at Las Cupulas.
It was magical.
| Us under the moonlight at Las Cupulas |
We wanted a light dinner and we had a very good one. There were four tables at the restaurant that night and there were four servers.
| Us at Las Cupulas having dinner |
We enjoyed our meal very much.
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