The Club Villas at The Quinta Real Huatulco

Getting There

Air - Continental flies direct to Huatulco from Houston. Connections from other US cities are through Mexico City (American or Mexicana). Westjet flies direct from Calgary.

Ground – The Hotel service can pick you up at the airport for a fee (I paid $30 + tip/trip). The towns of La Crucecita, Chahue and Santa Cruz are a short taxi drive away from the hotel. The hotel also provides taxi van service for about $5/trip. Local taxis charge about $3-4/trip.

Club Villa

Elite Alliance members will stay in the Club Villas which are much larger than the on-site hotel rooms. EA members also benefit from concierge, pre-arrival grocery and daily maid service.

There are 5 Club Villas – 3 two-bedroom and 2 three-bedroom. We stayed in the top unit (palapa roof) of the two-bedroom villa building.

Great Room

The front door opens into a large dining room (yellow). Beyond the dining room is a spacious, sunken great room (light orange).

Patio and Plunge Pool

The great room opens into the patio (green) and plunge pool (blue). From the entry you get excellent views of Tangolunda Bay.

Bedrooms and Kitchen

Open-air shower

The master bedroom (light pink) is a split level with a sitting area, king bed, large bath with dual sinks, Jacuzzi tub and open air shower. The 2nd bedroom (dark pink) has 2 double beds, large bath with Jacuzzi tub and open air shower. Both rooms have balconies facing the Bay.

The kitchen (dark orange) is spacious and stocked with serving ware and small appliances. There is a full-sized refrigerator, dishwasher and gas stove. There is also a washer and dryer in the villa. The appliances are older but functional.

Quinta Real Huatulco

This is an exclusive, private (only 28 rooms) boutique hotel situated at the center of Tangolunda Bay right next to a golf course. Hotel facilities include two restaurants, three bars, a gift shop, two pools and a private beach. Services include concierge, bell service, daily maid service, room service, poolside and beachside service and massage. Club members have access to all hotel amenities and services.

Orientation

• Dome Level - Restaurant, Bar, Sky Lounge, Reception, Concierge
• Mid Level - The level between domes and two white buildings towards the beach comprise the 28 hotel rooms.
• Lower Level - The two white buildings at the forefront house the club villas. The building to your right is the 3-bedroom building. To your left is the 2-bedroom.
• Pool and Beach - The yellow structure is the pool restaurant and pool. The palapas at the beach front are for lounging and hammocks.

Food and Drink

Restaurant and Pool Restaurant












The domes at the top of the hill house the restaurant and the bar. Both are large spaces that have indoor/outdoor seating and great views of the Bay. The restaurant serves the best food on site. The bar menu is less extensive than that of the restaurant’s, but you can request to be served from the full menu at the bar. There is also a hip night spot just outside the reception area called the Sky Lounge. It is an intimate, outdoor lounge with bed-like sofas gathered around a large tree. It has nice views of the town of Tangolunda. The pool area also has a restaurant and bar. It serves both the pool and beach.

Plunge Pool

The Villa's patio and plunge pool are perfect for private relaxation. The patio has lounge chairs and tables. It is covered (with long sticks) giving you some shade.

Pool

The pool is a scenic 2-minute downhill walk from the Villa. There are two, large infinity-edge pools. The area has lounge chairs and cabanas. Drinks (about $3-7 each) and food are served either at the restaurant or poolside.

Private Beach

A short, downhill walk from the pool will take you to the private beach. There are palapa umbrellas for shade and a small palapa hut houses the massage tables. At your request, hotel staff will set up hammocks and lounge chairs for you beachside. You may order drinks and food from the wait staff, or you may take a cooler of drinks to the beach with you. Vendors may approach you at the beach during the day. The beach itself has very soft, light brown sand. There are few shells, making it perfect for barefoot walking or running. A designated swimming zone is marked off by bouys. The water is a bit choppy beyond the buoys, and the beachhead is steep. There is no lifeguard on site.

Iguana Feeding

For a bit of unusual entertainment, catch the iguana feeding at the entrance. These large animals climb out of their homes in the trees for a lunch of lettuce leaves. See the concierge for the feeding schedule.

Work

There is internet access at the bar. There are two computers wired for access along with a wireless router. The bar is large and relatively empty affording privacy as you surf. The best part of surfing at the bar is that you can eat, drink and work at the same time.

Suggestions and Comments

• If bugs make you squeamish, request to be placed in the bottom or middle floor units. The palapa roof adds another 10+ feet of ceiling space making the great room even greater. However, although openings in the palapa are screened, some bugs may still enter. The top floor bedrooms have enclosed stucco ceilings, so insects will not be an issue there.
• Pack a soft-sided cooler if you want to tote drinks to the beach. We froze bowls of water to use as cooler ice.
• Bring plenty of $1 bills. We generally tipped $1 per drink, short drive, hammock or lounge chair set-up. Please note that your drink bill already includes a service charge.
• The hotel vans are spacious and air-conditioned, but they are a bit pricier than local taxis. One van driver, Mr. Bean, was fluent in English and had nice travel tips and stories.
• The Quinta Real is the most upscale and private resort in the area. Tangolunda Bay houses several other large, crowded hotels. A few are all-inclusive resorts. After visiting an overcrowded all-inclusive resort about ½ mile away, we were grateful for the serene luxury of the Quinta Real.

Huatulco Activities

The List - Here is a list of activities in and around Huatulco provided by a Quinta Real club member. The concierge can make additional recommendations, tour arrangements and restaurant reservations for you.

Main Areas of Bahias de Huatulco

• Tangolunda - hotel district where Club villas are located
• La Crucecita - small town with most of the restaurants and shopping; short taxi ride from the villas.
• Santa Cruz - small town near La Crucecita with marina and bay front restaurants
• Santa Maria Huatulco – small, non-tourist town near airport
• La Bocana – beach where river meets the sea; good body surfing spot; take taxi from the Club

Restaurants

• L'Echalote (formerly Mambo Cafe) on Calle Zapoteco in Chahue– Chahue (taxi driver will know)
• La Boheme – Chahue; very good new restaurant (ask taxi driver)
• El Giardino del Papa / La Crucecita – Italian, a favorite of our kids but expensive for Huatulco
• Hotel Quinta Real – great views, good food, very nice but expensive for Huatulco
• Terracotta / La Crucecita – new in Mision de los Arcos hotel near the zocala
• La Crema / La Crucecita – funky, good pizza; a couple blocks off the main square; close to Café Dublin
• Café Dublin – small Irish pub atmosphere; very cold beer, good hamburgers and steak sandwiches
• Don Porfirio's - Tangolunda; outdoors, fun
• Sabor de Oxaca / La Crucecita - Oaxacan food; highly recommended for regional cuisine
• Tostado Grill – La Crucecita; good, reasonable, outdoors
• Oasis II / La Crucecita - just off the zocala (city plaza) (Oasis I is on the zocala)
• Casa del Mar – nice views; food and service somewhat sporadic
• Jardin del Arte – Marlin Hotel in Santa Cruz
• Best lunch in town is at the Quinta Real pool restaurant

Diving/Dive Lessons/Snorkeling
Hurricane Divers – Robert, very professional and safe; my daughter Hailey and I had a great lesson with them; they will take you on snorkeling trips also

Snorkeling
La India - small white sand beach with beautiful water; good snorkeling; need to rent a boat to get there (35 min.) very nice day outing; can fish on the way and see other bays if you want; highly recommended

La Entrega - funky beach bars; snorkel rentals; go by taxi rather by boat, much cheaper
Playa Cacalutilla - accessible by dirt road.

By boat:
Isla de Cacaluta (facing the coast)
Riscalillo
Playa Cacalutilla

Seven Bay Tour
Highly recommended - a variety of operators or by small private boats (do this in conjuntion with snorkeling trip to La India with Hurricane Divers)

ATV Tour/Horseback riding
Dusty (in late winter/spring) rides through the jungle to deserted beaches. Fun. Front desk will arrange.

Sailboat Charter
Luna Azul / Jack Hennessy (9)587-0945; Hotel Posada Chahue

Fishing
Valentino Garcia / The "Sailfish" - (9) 589-6716; has been recommended
Ventures – David Garcia and Laco; also recommened (met him but didn’t fish)

Private Guide / Coffee Plantation
8:30 am - 6 pm; La Gloria tour is recommended; nature walks, swim in waterfalls, good food; wear bathing suit under shorts and shoes that can get wet. A recommended guide is Carlos Rodriguez Portillo - "perfect English" (9)589-2114; Long, windy ride. Some think it’s great, others say the ride is too arduous. Never done it.

White Water Rafting
Explora Mexico

Authentic small Oaxacan town
Santa Maria Huatulco - not far from Bahias de Huatulco airport

Language School
Bahias de Huatulco Language School http://www.huatulco-oaxaca-tours.com/

Suggestions:

• Take lots of one dollar bills or get lots of 10 peso bills for taxis and tips
• Taxis - call hotel front desk and ask that they send a taxi to the Club villa cul de sac (as opposed to the hotel lobby)
• Taxis into town are 30 pesos / $3.
• Bring a soft cooler bag to take drinks to the beach; saves time and money (hotel will serve you on the beach)
• Pre-arrival groceries – if you drink beer, have hotel deliver to your villa before you arrive, same with tequila, limes, wine, etc.

Below are a few pictures from our day trip of the seven bays. For $100/person, we were given a private tour of the seven bays, snorkeling and a homemade lunch on an isolated beach.
Homemade Lunch on Isolated Beach












Scenes from Seven-Bay Tour

LINKS

Hotel and Club
http://www.quintareal.com/?idt=261&lmenu=2-11-16,16-4&opt=16-2-4 – Hotel website with pictures of hotel, pool and restaurant.
http://www.clubquintareal.com/solid.htm - Club website with basic information on the Club. Also includes floor plan of both 2 and 3-bedroom villas along with pictures. The website has not been updated, so for larger, clearer pictures, see the hotel’s website.

Oaxaca
http://oaxaca-travel.com/guide/index.php?&lang=us – Guide to Oaxaca.
http://www.sfu.ca/archaeology/museum/laarch/tour/monte/monte1.html - Information on Mayan ruins, Monte Alban.

Huatulco
http://www.tomzap.com/huatulco.html - Extensive information on the area.
http://www.hurricanedivers.com/ - Information on diving, weather, maps, and local activities and attractions.