Gala Resort Huatulco Hotel

If you have not traveled to Gala Resort you are missing out in a big way. I travel 4 times per year on vacations and this is the only place I go back to every year. It is small, it is cool, it is party time!! Ask for Raymond and he will take you on his boat anywere you want to go, cheep! Tell him Chris sent you. The young satff is great, small towns close by, several bays and empty beaches close by as well. I don't know what it is about this place, but I have a group of 30 to 40 people going there for 11 years. Also they all speek English, not like in DR which I am researching now. Chris

I just returned from 7 nights in Huatulco. (May 2003). We stayed at the Gala Beach Resort. It was THE best week EVER. My husband and I have traveled many places before, e.g. cruises, hawaii, but Huatulco was the BEST way for us to experience Mexico. We were the only Americanos there (80 arrived the day we left though..), The people of Mexico were so friendly to us. The guests and hotel staff treated us so wonderfully. The people in the small towns were so friendly too. They are not jaded by tourism. They don't try to sell you stuff or bother you. They are just very friendly, family oriented people and we are so happy we chose Huatulco to experience Mexico. Cancun or something else would have felt like America and we wouldn't have met the wonderful, unjaded people that we did meet.The BEST day there, we met Valentino on the beach and he's a local Huatulco man who owns a boat and belongs to a fishing co-op formed by local fishermen with tourism on the rise. (Valentino spoke good English by the way and I was very rusty, my husband got along GREAT and he didn't know ANY spanish.) Valentino took us out deep sea fishing in his small boat. It was just my husband and I and it was so personalized and incredible. He spent 10 hours with us. He charged us only 120 bucks (Excursions thru Apple, etc will be double that and you'll be with many people.) We caught so many fish, but the best one (A Spanish Macrole), we took to a local restaurant and they cooked it for us for lunch. It was by far, the best sea food I have EVER eaten. (We didn't get sick at all with what people get nervous about in Mexico. We avoided letus and water at the local shops and did fine!) Valentino was the best experience of the week. We saw a 30 foot shark when we were out on his boat. I wasn't even scared because the shark just came up to us to check us out. (And the movie Jaws scared the heck out of me in the 70's.) We saw 20 or so turtles, it was incredible!!The staff and the performers at the Gala were so incredible too. They're all s was out of this world. The hotel itself was beautiful and very clean and relaxing. I'd LOVE to go back really soon, but I'm scared that it will become a Cancun quickly because they just put in a port for cruise ships. BUMMER!!!! Hopefully the wonderful people will never change down there.

I was at the Gala Resort in Playa del Carmen about 5 years ago and was a superb experience. But my last visit was to his twin resort in Huatulco. The hotel is very very nice, The people involved for animation "Galavants" were simply "Excellent", Kind, 100% serviceable and most of all very funny.The hotel count with 2 pools for adults only, 1 general and 1 for chidrens. Also you can send your kids to the Galaxy Club, Is very cool. In the nights you have buffets, and 3 restaurants a la carte "Mexican" "Italian" and "Mediterranean" food is served everyday. You have to do a reservation to use it. 1 bar at the lobby, 2 at the pool, and 1 at the beach. At 10.00 p.m. you can enjoy a very good show, Wich change everyday and have the chance to participate in some of them. Then you can have a beer or national and international drinks in the main bar and finish in the Dance-On disco to 2.00 a.m. Close only in mondays.The food is very good, You have a lot of diversity.I`ll come back next October and I wan`t to recommend you to live the experience if you have the chance.Simply the best hotel in Huatulco "Gala Resort"

We had a terrific vacation at the Gala Resort in February 2003. My husband and I are in our 30s. We have one son who celebrated his first birthday in Huatulco at this resort. At first, we were reluctant to try an all-inclusive, worried about feeling trapped or getting bad food. In the past, we have always preferred to explore the sites and restaurants on our own during vacations to Mexico. We viewed an all-inclusive as very restrictive. But we knew this vacation would be different with a one-year-old. And we certainly made the right choice in choosing the Gala in Huatulco. We had so much fun! And the baby loved it! The grounds and landscaping at the resort are beautiful and immaculate. Our son could play and practice walking. The children's pool was large and interesting to explore. The staff was extremely attentive. They made special arrangements in our room, washed baby bottles, and rushed to meet all of our needs. Everyone was more than friendly and attentive. For our son's birthday, the staff arrived with a cake, balloons and room decor. We spent two weeks at the Gala with plenty to do. The time flew by. Especially enjoyed the water aerobics, water sports, early morning jogs and wonderful staff. The entertainment staff are energetic and fun. They seem to really enjoy themselves and the enthusiasm carries over to the guests. Our room was comforable and always clean. We were also very pleased with the food, especially the local cuisine. Huatulco is such a beautiful, unspoiled location. It is unlike any other destination we have experienced in Mexico. Exploring the area gave us a sense that we were discovering something very special.

My wife and I and our 11-year old daughter just returned from our one week stay in Bahias de Huatulco. We stayed at the Gala Resort Hotel. Booked sort of last minute and got great deal with Signature Vacations out of Montreal. Huatulco weather is great ! It's always sunny and warm with very few clouds and a nice breeze which makes it quite tolerable. Water temperature is warm and very pleasant. As mentioned earlier in this forum, Tangolunda Beach has soft sand but the undertow can be strong. The flag is "yellow" most of the time and we saw it red one day. Special care should be taken with young children or inexperienced swimmers. Snorkelling can be enjoyed a little East of the Gala near the rocks. The Gala is a first-class hotel. The staff is courteous and friendly. The site is kept absolutely clean and spotless. We never encountered problems finding beach or pool chairs at any time of day even though the hotel seemed full. The rooms are very nice and most have some type of ocean view especially 3rd floor or upwards. The east side wing is quieter as it is further away from main pool area, evening theater and disco. There is some noise however from time to time from food or delivery carts (only when balcony door is open). We found the food VERY good compared to many other AI resorts we've stayed at in various places in recent years. There is a great variety of choices including meat, poultry, fish and a wonderful selections of local Oaxaca cuisine. Each night, the buffet has a different theme. The salad bar and dessert section are also plentiful.We tried the a la carte Italian and Mexican restaurants (just need to reserve earlier in the day at the hospitality desk) and enjoyed them a lot too. We never encountered "turista"-type of digestive problems.As we were there to mainly rest, we missed most of the evening shows presented by the "Galavantes" team but hear they were fun. We did take the 7-bay Fiesta Catamaran cruise and thought it was worth it. You get to see most of the Bays with incredible almost deserted beaches and get to do some snorkeling on the coral reef at St. Augustrine Bay. We spotted many dolphins alongide our boat but unfortunately no whales as some people did spot a few weeks ago. The lunch at Maguey was OK but a bit overpriced. We also booked a half day horseback riding excursion which was nice.We went three times to La Crucecita for some shopping and just walking around to get a feeling for the local daily life (Ten-minute trip for flat rate of 20 pesos to or from Tangolunda). Do venture beyond the Zocalo area and peak into some of the smaller shops and courtyards. The people are very friendly. We loved the church and its famous Guadalupe painted ceiling and even attended a mass (the Sunday 7 pm service is very popular with local families and includes nice singing).So, all in all, we LOVED our first visit to Huatulco. We had been to Oaxaca, the State capital last May and loved it as well. We definitely plan to come back ti the Gala Hotel next year and discover more (like Restaurants and bars in La Crucecita and Santa Cruz and perhaps differents tours etc.) Muchos gracias to the friendly people of Bahias de Huatulco, Oaxaca !Yves in Montreal

Just returned (Feb 15, 2003) after a great week at the Gala. Weather was incredible, 90's sunny with no clouds and slight breeze. This was part of an "Apple Vacation" package that included air from O'Hara. Overall:- Nice resort, decent rooms, very tidy. - Excellent location and Views (Try to get an upper floor)- Excellent Staff and attention to Service- Decent Food. Italian Restaurant for Dinner and Ohla-la for Breakfast and lunch was a good combo.- Great Place for Relaxing. More of a relaxed quiet crowd. Enough activities to get you off your butt occassionally.- People who brought kids liked their Kids Club.Issues:- Shower temps go from cold to scald.- Mexican Resort Telephone Racket... Get an international calling plan from Home and have people call you at the Hotel. Calling from Hotel is not recommended. Can buy phone cards across the street for about $.50 per minute, but you have to use the street phone. My Nextel International cell didn't work here. An incredibly high number of people at the resort were there for there nth time. I see why, it's an overall great location for a beautiful and relaxing holiday in the sun. I'm definitely coming back.

Stayed at the Gala 4 years ago and loved every minute of it. The Gala is situated between two quaint towns, so it makes an off resort visit worth it. Take the local tranist - it's cheap and a heck-of a-lot of fun to ride (get in and hold on!)My husband and I loved the atmosphere at the Gala, and the Staff were OUTSTANDING!!! Very, Very clean, and the food was Excellent! The night shows were not as good as what we experienced at some other resorts, but who cares - they tried and we laughed! (this also may have changed since it was 4 years ago that we went). They have a great Disco in the resort as well and we had soooo much fun in there, that we could only do it every other night! The staff join in to make sure everyone has a good time! The Gala resort is smaller then others which made it nice, as a person did not have a 10 minute walk to get to thier room if they forgot something! The beach was beautiful and uncrowded, as there is only 4 resorts in the Bay itself. There is an Adult pool (where we stayed most of the time) but the others pools are nice as well, with built in loungers in the pools to keep you cool. (It was extremly hot there in March) I had to keep a sunhat on while in the water to keep my head from burning! When we would retire to our room at night, we would check off choices on a Continental Breakfast menu that we left on our door knob (they get picked up at 3:00 am). We ordered a selection of fruit, coffee, juice and pastries that would arrive at our door in the morning at a time we specified. This was great, as we had a room facing the ocean, and would sit out on our balcony in the morning having our continental breakfast and soaking up the beauty of the area. After that my husband went and played Tennis with a Gala tennis pro, and loved it! That would follow with a buffet beakfast with made to order omlettes etc. on the outdoor covered patio overlooking the ocean. This was paradise! We would go back in a heartbeat, but there are no longer charters flying out of Calgary! Again, this is a smaller resort than others, which in our opinion made it all the more special and intimate. Go there before Huatulco really gets discovered, you'll be glad you did.

We stayed at the Gala in March 2002. My husband and I had a amazing time, the place is absolutely beautiful. We stayed in one of the Jr Suites with the jacuzzi on the patio, the room was great, spotlessly clean (Great Maid Service). There is no hustle and bustle just peace and tranquility. A perfect vacation spot.We spent most days on the beach just relaxing, the guys on the beach terrific, the waiters were always ready to take your drink orders and were really friendly and spoke quite a bit of English.The food was great great I think we ate ourselves to a larger size. This was by far the best all inclusive food we've had in Mexico. They also have 24 hour room service, so we had coffee and sweet rolls delivered to our room every morning and enjoyed them on our patio.We are in our fifties and have actually thought about going back with our kids and grandkids. This place is really kid friendly, they have this great club for the kids and it's really safe. Even though there are alot of kids staying there you never see them running around or getting in the way of the adults. So don't be afraid to take your little ones.They also have two adults only pools so you can just stand around in the water and cool off alittle.The management staff was excellent, they do a wonderful job keeping the place running very smoothly.I did get sick, in a sense, I always get too much sun and so I got sun poisoning. I saw the doctor there who is always on call, he took really good care of me and I was back on the beach the next day, He gave me three medications and his office call was only $65.00 ( American) and gave me a receipt to submitt to my insurance at home. The doctor spoke excellent english, a real plus.We plan on going back in the next 2 years.It's definitely a awesome resort.Thanks Gala!!!!!!

My first experience out of the country was to Huatulco and I stayed at the Royal Maeva. It was the most beautiful resort I have ever seen. The people there were extremely nice and very helpful and it was an experience I will never forget. I am hoping to return to that resort soon and I am sure I will have just as much fun as I did the last time. The pool, beach, buffet, people: Absolutely Awesome!

Just came back from a week vacation here with my kids and it was the best vacation ever. The staff is the friendliest, thorough and the management always made sure things went well. Great weather, food and amazing entertainment. No question about it we will be booking for same place same time next year. The best kids club I've ever seen..running from 10am till 11pm and a set agenda for the whole day. Now I know why it was rated a 5 star.