There are four distinct locales with a legitimate claim to the name Huatulco: Santa María, Tangolunda, Santa Cruz and La Crucecita. First is the original, Santa María Huatulco. Santa María is a quiet, predominately Indian town in the foothills of the Sierra Madre near the Huatulco International Airport.
It is described as a charming, historic, scenic village. However, if you are like 95% of the visitors to the area, you will never see it. The other three Huatulcos are clustered in an area called the Bahías de Huatulco.
The five-star hotels are all in a section called Tangolunda, which is also the name for the bay on which they are located. The marina, banks, and four-star hotels are located in Santa Cruz Huatulco.
The final area of Huatulco under discussion is known as La Crucecita, which can best be described as the business district. It is in La Crucecita that you find the largest number and greatest variety of nightspots.
Tangolunda is the most developed of the bays, with six ultra-modern resorts (including the largest Club Med in the western hemisphere). It has an 18-hole golf course, a shopping area as well as several restaurants. Five lovely beaches round out the attractions. This is the grandest of Huatulco's bays and most suited to upscale visitors.
Chahue (CHAH-way), the bay next to Tangolunda, is the area's largest. A marina is under construction that will soon receive cruise ships. There are currently no hotels open on this beach; however, about a mile inland is the city of Crucecita (population 7,000) with several tourist class restaurants, a disco, a good municipal market, a four star hotel, and an attractive main square.
The bay of Santa Cruz and the city of Santa Cruz Huatulco were the area's principal settlement when development began in the early 1980's. Here are two beautiful central plazas, each surrounded by shops, restaurants and bars.
These plazas face a marina. At busy Santa Cruz Bay, the Marina has about 200 slips as well as areas for cruise ships to depart. The newly constructed cruise ship dock is receiving on the average of 80 cruise ships per year. Playa Santa Cruz is one of the more popular beaches for sunbathing and water sports. |
