One month at the Marina Hotel & Resort, located at the Bahia Santa Cruz. There are seven Bahias (beach areas within secluded bays). [ https://www.lonelyplanet.com/mexico/oaxaca-state/bahias-de-huatulco ]. The sand here is nice and yellow and the water of the Pacific clean and clear. Despite, that this is also an area for local fishing boats.
This entire area referred to as Huatulco lies along the Pacific Ocean within the Mexican state of Oaxaca. Meaning this is a highly touristy area with its seven bays of beaches and therefore frequented by many Mexican families, as Mexico City is only one and a half hours flight from any of the Bays. Because of its decent pricing, the Marina Hotel Resort is one of the largest attracting many Mexican families. Use ear plugs to sleep. Everybody is very friendly, especially if you make the effort of speaking Spanish.
Coming from Canada, British Columbia Pacific Coast, the temperature difference feels enormous on arrival. I had booked a difficult connection between Vancouver Airport and Huatulco, with stops at Los Angeles, CA, where I had to take an overnight hotel, then on the next day via Mexico City to the final destination Huatulco Airport. We do have direct flights from Vancouver, Canada. The flying did not bother me that much. I only had a small suitcase with me, quick in and quick out.
This is my fourth vacation to various locations in Mexico. However this area is different as it has been developed on the basis of an extended resort and beach area. Not offering cultural and historical sights.
I have to admit that I do not favour Mexican food. But at Santa Cruz Bay there were so many hotels and restaurants that one could always find something good and delicious. In fact I dined mostly at the Holiday Inn across the road. They even take – besides Pesos, also MC or American dollars. Which means that a meal could become quite cheap. I also bought fresh fruits and vegetables at the little grocery stores, plus there are weekly markets where produce is cheaper.
Throughout this month the weather was always hot with very high humidity. The little town La Crucecita. is a short 1km walk uphill along beautiful landscaping including natural stone steps and walls. Delightful. If it were not for the constant irrigation, there would be desert instead of those beautiful plants and trees.
The best yet is the high level of safety everywhere. I always travel alone and walk alone. I could walk at night up that hill in safety. With the number and levels of security personnel and guards, from hotel, beach, municipal, State and Federal. I never witnessed one altercation or problem anywhere.
Friday the 16th February we had a 7.2m earthquake nearby in the State of Oaxaca, direction of Puerto Escondido. I could feel the building shake in my hotel. [ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_Oaxaca_earthquake ] . Of course this happens often particularly along that stretch of Pacific Ocean from all the way down south up to Alaska.
Santa Cruz being the heart of the Marina, many tourist boats are leaving from here to any of the other bays. While most of the restaurants are along the beaches. Taxis are plentiful, most operating on fixed prices, 30 Pesos.
We did a nice day tour to the Hagia Sofia Sabiduria Sagrada, a large 130ha Botanical Park. Its a unique agro-ecological development with many different plants and flowers, fruit trees, and butter flies and birds. As well as wildlife [not to be seen during the day]. All food is grown on the property, and visitors are invited to delicious organic breakfast and lunch, all included. The setup is amazing, somewhere is the Santa Magdalena River and an opportunity to take a dip and go behind the little water fall. Change cabins are there and a naturally constructed shower facility as well as WCs. Cost was MXN800.
My next trip will be to the other side of Mexico.
Los Angeles Adventurer All Suite Hotel Inglewood
Los Angeles Adventurer Hotel – passing through
[ http://www.laadventurerhotel.com/ ]. Address: 4200 W Century Blvd, Inglewood, CA 90304.
In summary, this hotel is at best a backpackers inn, it is awful.
My recent experiences summarized. On my way down south to Mexico I needed to stay overnight in Los Angeles, CA. I had booked this hotel using http://www.booking.com. It is near LAX, L.A. Airport and advertised a number of included FREE services, such as BF, free Airport Shuttle to and from, free popcorn, free glass champagne on arrival, and whatnot. When entering the small messy lobby, there is a list on the wall listing all of these free included services and extras. These are included in the room price.
I have not seen any of this FREE stuff. I arrived late L.A., called shuttle service at this hotel from the airport outside an area which is reserved for shuttle buses from all L.A. hotels. We waited 40 minutes till a large black van arrived at the Airport, to pick me up.
This hotel is noisy, smelly (cannabis smoking), and the reception on my first arrival there was unacceptably rude with another guest, a Chinese man. Yelling and insulting this man, making nasty discriminatory comments on his being Chinese, and threatening to call the police. Just because he had requested another room. His room did not have a workable shower. Was scary this situation. In all my travels, this was a first for me.
I spent a few hours, getup early and got the hotel shuttle alright, to bring me to the airport. On my return back to Canada, I needed again to stay overnight at this same hotel.
Calling the hotel shuttle service from the airport, no response, a different company responded. I took a taxi to the hotel, cost US$25. The room I got was nice, I must say, with a nice clean renovated bathroom. The TV was on, the remote belonged to a different machine, no way to turn this off. So I pulled the plug to shut down this noise.
Got up early again, again no BF.
How they charge beats me. On arrival they take again a credit card for so called incidentals, although my cost for this room is already charged by booking.com on my MasterCard. The incidentals referred to apparently are a number of little bottles inside the rooms, sample liquor bottles, in case a guest actually uses them. I would not touch any of this with a pitch fork. On departure a guest will then be asked if they took any of this. Nobody does. Then the reception make out another receipt with another charge US$35, and on same receipt a refund of -US$35. Checked my MC account online, if in fact all of this has been charged correctly. Between the (incidentals) amount the night before and the refund the night after, there is a difference in US to C$ conversion. For many guests this seems beneficial to this hotel. Credit card charges are to Crown Airport Hotel Inglewood. Check it out: [ https://www.tripadvisor.ca/Hotel_Review-g32525-d77998-Reviews-Crown_Airport_Hotel-Inglewood_California.html ].