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It's Huatulco Time!

pacific view Okay, so Huatulco, Mexico is one of those towns that was created just for tourists, but as Harvey Firerstein would say, is that so wrong? If you’ve had enough cold weather for one winter, a quick get-away to a nice beach where you can get a continuous supply of cerveza, margaritas or your choice of liquid refreshment, Huatulco starts to look like the perfect RX.

On the Pacific coast of Oaxaca, Huatulco is really a series of nine bays or bahias grouped around the invented town of La Crucecita. There are 36 distinct beaches along the coastline so it would be hard not to find one you liked. Not much more than farmland in the early 80s, the locals were snorkler + iguana moved to Santa Maria Huatulco and the road and resort building began in earnest. Big resorts such as Camino Real, Las Brisas, Gala and Barcelo are complimented by condo rentals, bed and breakfasts, and other small hotels, so there is a wide variety of potential accommodations. Some of the bahias have no development at all and have been preserved as National Park areas, so Huatulco doesn’t have the overbuilt sensation you get in Ixtapa. Height restrictions also make the resorts fit more appropriately into the landscape. With an average of 330 days of sunshine and an average temperature of 82°, this is one of the safer bets for a winter or early spring vacation. The rains don’t arrive until June. Plus, the airport is only 20 minutes from the beaches.

Oaxaca is the land of molés so there are foodies that would be happy to come to Huatulco just for the food. Ve el Mar in Santa marina Cruz offers great cuisine on the beach with the surf at your feet. Off the beaten path in Chahue is the French cuisine of L’échalote, and for the genuine Oaxacan experience there’s Savor de Oaxaca.

We stayed at the white cubed Camino Real Zaashila resort and were very happy with the wide beach and extensive pools. For a really deluxe experience the hilltop Quinta Real is the most expensive choice in Huatulco but always gets raves for the accommodations and the food.

If you need the buzz of activities, there’s golf, snorkeling, coffee plantation tours, sport fishing charters, jet ski rentals, tubing on the Copalita river, horseback riding, mud therapy baths, kayaking, sunset sailing tours, rock climbing and more.

Don’t overthink it -- just look for a Huatulco package and plan on gettng some well deserved warm sunny days this winter.

Jay Harrison is a graphic designer and writer whose work can be seen at DesignConcept. He's written a mystery novel, which therefore makes him a pre-published author.

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