Crown Pacific Deluxe Suite Resort Hotel

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We have just returned from 2 wonderful weeks at the Crown Pacific Huatulco 15th – 29th May 2007. We got a bargain late deal at half price (£479 each) with First Choice, which for 2 weeks all-inclusive is great value. The flight was barely half full so we could all spread out. My only criticism is that I wish First Choice would provide soft drinks free of charge on longhaul, as it is important to keep up your fluid intake while flying.
We arrived at the hotel and were welcomed with a face towel and drink. The check in was quick and efficient. There were only about 14 of us staying at this hotel, so only needed roughly 7 rooms. We were taken to our rooms by the shuttle bus and our suitcases followed quickly. Our suites were very large and comfortable. Us Brits were all very conveniently put in suites on the 7th level which meant it was only a few steps from back door to swimming pool, bar, and Cielito Lindo restaurant serving continental breakfast, snack lunches and light dinners. We didn’t have a fridge, but we could always get an ice bucket from the bar and a cold drink when we wanted one and sit on our terrace with it. In the morning we could get tea or coffee from the restaurant and bring it back to our room or terrace.
It’s the best-looking hotel out of the 3 at Tangolunda Beach. It’s 3-star, so don’t expect luxury, but it has a lovely atmosphere and the staff are so friendly. The grounds have beautiful trees and plants and you can see many iguanas.
There is a shuttle bus running all day round the different levels and on to reception, and also onto the beach club. We never had to wait long and the hotel staff will call for one if you ask. There is also a funicular which although slow does save the walk if it is hot.
Breakfast was always in Restaurant Tamayo on the 2nd level and some nights the buffet dinners were here too. Breakfasts and dinners here are big buffets and lovely food with lots of choice and some food cooked to order. Mexican breakfasts are something else! We also had a la carte here on arrival, which we found to be beautifully presented and lovely food, and service was good and friendly. Lunches every day and dinners most of the week, are at the Beach Club restaurant by the beach. Both are big buffets with loads of choice and some food cooked to order, different food themes each evening and I would like to point out, that all cold food was left on ice. I don’t know of anyone that got ill. I have to say that we couldn’t fault the service anywhere. The staff was the friendliest I have met anywhere, they were attentive asking if we wanted more drinks every time they passed by, and clearing away our plates whenever necessary, and they like a joke! In fact, we became so friendly with the waiters and waitresses that they hugged us when we left. The entertainment is in the Beach Club restaurant whilst you are eating and the entertainment staff worked very hard. I am not a big fan of entertainment whilst eating, as it is very loud and it was the same shows 2 weeks running, but I think they did their best.
We had 2 problems in our room and both times we told reception and they sent someone immediately to fix it. In fact our blocked toilet got fixed by the time we had breakfast and went back to our suite. Very good service as far as I’m concerned and the reception staff were polite, friendly, and efficient and understood us well.
Lucero runs the bar on the 7th level by the swimming pool. She is excellent and prepares the most wonderful cocktails, speaks good English and is good fun. She actually went to a class to learn how to make different Bacardi cocktails while we were there.
There is free internet access in reception – only one computer – but we never had any problem getting on it to send our emails.
The hotel was practically empty so we had no trouble getting drinks, service, etc. However, the Mexican families all come down from Friday to Sunday for a weekend break and then the hotel fills up. There is no problem with this, after all it is their country and they are allowed to go on holiday too. They are the friendliest people with lovely polite children, and if you bother to talk to them and say hola, they love to respond. They like to have a good time and party, but were not overloud in any way.
We never had any trouble getting sun loungers on the beach. However, the sea is rough and the red flag was up most days and one day the black flag too. It is disappointing if you want to go swimming in the sea. My husband likes to snorkel. You have to walk along the beach to the left, to the Gala hotel, where you can go in the water easily and it’s not too rough to snorkel. You can also see the fish swimming there and can feed them with bread to see them jump.
Don’t book any trips with First Choice because they are too expensive. Also, you can get exactly the same trips with the locals at a fraction of the price and I prefer giving the money to local people. We went into La Crucecita (only £1 in a taxi to the beautiful town) and in the square, or plaza, there is a tourist information booth. The man in the booth sent us to Teresa Lorenzano to book our trips. If you stand in front of the square facing the church, Teresa is down the right hand side of the square, situated in a booth in the front of a shop with tins of paint. She is a lovely lady and we booked all of our trips with her. She made sure that we had an English guide each time and even picked us up one morning to take us to the bay cruise. If you can’t find her, ask the Tourist Information man. When some of the others saw that we were going on the same trips but much cheaper, they also went into La Crucecita and booked trips with other agents. They were also very pleased with their trips and service and mostly the lower costs.
We did 4 trips with Teresa. Four of us went on the Crocodiles and Turtles trip. We had a private car with Teresa’s brother as our guide, and the trip also included a visit to Zipolite beach and Puerto Angel beach where we had lunch. We passed the First Choice crowd on the lagoon looking for crocs, and they had paid around £40 each including lunch, whereas we paid £50 for 4 of us in our own air conditioning car with guide. This did not include lunch, but it wasn’t expensive anyway. We saw lots of crocs and beautiful birds, and then went onto Mazunte to the turtle aquarium. They have big open tank laboratories at the back where they breed the turtles to preserve them and return them to the sea.
We also did the Waterfalls and Coffee plantation trip, and again we passed the First Choice crowd on the way. We went with a few Mexican people in a car with a guide who translated into English for us. He even made us sit in front so that he could talk to us. This trip was £15 each whereas First Choice was around £38. Also, it was really nice for us having our authentic Mex lunch at the plantation with the Mexican people, who showed us how to eat the food. We also got to visit the Butterfly House, which was really interesting, whereas First Choice people did not.
We went on the 7 bays cruise with snorkelling and a visit to Maguey beach for lunch (not included) at a cost of £7.50 and had a great day out. (First Choice £28!) We were the only English people on the catamaran, but one of the boat staff came and translated everything into English for us. The Mexican people love to party and they were line dancing on the boat to the music. It was great fun.
And Teresa arranged for us to go bird watching one morning with a guide (£12.50 each, First Choice £25 each). He spoke excellent English and took us to a jungle area near La Bocana at 7 am, and we spent a few hours looking at wonderful birds. He provided binoculars, charts and fruit for breakfast, which we ate at a high point overlooking 2 wonderful bays and the Copalita River.
We visited La Entrega beach ourselves by taxi. This is a lovely beach, great for snorkelling, but try to go in the week when it’s quieter. The Mexicans descend on it at the weekend. While we were there we met GilbertoAlegria who told us about his boat for fishing and bay trips. We hired him to take us fishing one morning. It was £50 for 4 hours for just my husband and myself. This was the cheapest price as most of the locals were quoting £80-£100. He was very good and picked us up at our hotel in his brother’s old banger and took us to Santa Cruz where we picked up his boat. He provided the rods and bait, and he had a young lad to help him. I just went for the ride, and my husband caught bonita and mahimahi. Gilbert filleted the fish for us and dropped us off right on Tangolunda beach in front of our hotel. We took it straight to the restaurant and they agreed to cook our fish for us for lunch on that day and the next day free of charge. The kitchen not only cooked it to perfection but also presented it on the plate with vegetable flowers and small mounds of rice and it looked wonderful. Needless to say we tipped the cook who had really put a lot of effort into it. She did the same the next day too with a different presentation and it was delicious.
All in all we’ve had a wonderful holiday. Huatulco is a beautiful place, very safe, wonderful people, and lovely beaches. The Crown Pacific is a really good 3 star hotel. The food was very good and plentiful and drinks were always available. We were well looked after by extremely friendly staff. The other British people that stayed at our hotel were the loveliest bunch and we all got on extremely well. We would definitely recommend this hotel, as it’s a lovely place to stay in a beautiful country.