Job Discussion Forums

[mike_r]

I don't know about the rest of you, but I can't wait for winter vacation! I know it's early, but I've never had to plan a long trip from within Mexico before and am looking for some advice from the veterans.

I have 16 days to relax and am thinking of hitting a few beaches on the Pacific Coast, specifically from around Acapulco to Oaxaca. Can anyone suggest some lesser known beaches in those areas to check out? Does anyone know of nice, inexpensive hotels in those areas? This might be a dumb question, but do all of the hotels fill up or is it possible to find rooms after arriving? Are bus tickets impossible to buy if you don't purchase them in advance? Is it better to rent a car? I was told I should have already booked my trip by now. I'm not too late, am I? Is it possible to have no plans in advance and still get on a bus to a destination or find reasonable accommodations? Any and all advice on this subject would be awesome!

Thanks! Paz.

[Guy Courchesne]

The busy season starts around the 16th of December and runs through to the first week of January. Hotel prices can quadruple.

I would only recommend Acapulco if you are into nightlife. For the beach, you have to get out of the city, either up or down the coast. One tip for Acapulco...it's chancey, but don't reserve a hotel room. Just go and walk the back streets about three blocks and on, away from the beach, and look for an apartment to rent. They'll give them out by the week during high season at better prices.

You'll always be able to get busses if leaving from a larger city and landing in a popular spot, though you might not be able to board within minutes of buying a ticket as is normal. If you can get to an Electra, you can buy your tickets before heading to the bus station, though I think that might only be for Grupo Estrella Blanca.

[thelmadatter]

Check out Zihuatanejo/Ixtapa. Its lesser-known just north of Acapulco. Zihua is quiet and clean and cheaper that Acapulco. Ixtapa has more upscale resorts and some nightlife so you can have the best of both. I second Guy about not worrying about hotels although you can check out youth hostels on the web and make reservations at those. (For Zihua, check for Angela's Hotel and Hostel at www.zihuatanejo.com.mx/angelas/)

I also recommend Puerto Escondido in Oaxaca. My private room with two beds (for my and my son) was $450 MXN a night during Xmas week. Not bad at all but I cant remember the name of the place. If you google youth hostels and Mexico you will be able to find a web page listing most, if not all the youth hostels in Mexico. Never made it to Huatulco or Puerto Angel in Oaxaca but they are generally recommended as well.

[Guy Courchesne]

hmm...I didn't quite say not to worry about hotels. Acapulco can easily hit 100% + occupancy during Xmas. The city is big enough though that someone will usually have an apartment for rent. The hostels are a good idea too.

I went to Puerto Escondido for New Year's 2001/2 and got really lucky finding just about the last hotel room without a reservation. Later that day, I saw dozens of people who were out of luck. Like you, I paid 450 pesos and was told the off-season rate was 125.

[ls650]

I take it that this holiday is during the Christmas-New Year's break. That complicates things considerably because that's when almost everyone else travels also.

1) There are about a half dozen beach areas between Puerto Escondido and Salina Cruz that I'm familiar with. For a quieter experience try Mazunte or Zipolite.
Now, personally I find both of those places a little small after a day or so. I'd prefer to base a long holiday in PE and travel out to these other locations.

2) There are zillions of hotels, but expect the prices to climb by about 50% to 100% during the Christmas break. A decent clean room near the beach might run you 500 pesos a night then.

3) At Christmas time it can be a bit difficult to find something both decent and affordable. And yes, 1st-class bus tickets can be a bit hard to obtain too.
You're not too late, but I think it might be a good idea to reserve a hotel room and bus ticket for the more popular spots in the near future.

[mike_r]

Thanks for all of the suggestions! Greatly appreciated!

[samizinha]

For a day trip, I recommend Pie de la Cuesta which is about 15km from Acapulco. It's great because it's not touristy. We went to a hotel and swam at the pool, drank delicious palomas and chilled on hammacks... sigh. Really peaceful.

[leslie]

Bye

[Guy Courchesne]

I've never had good luck getting the teacher discount for busses. First, I was told the discounts only apply during school vacation periods - which is ok if you use them during said periods, and second, that few busses were designated for the discounts.

Works for the museums though, even in Cuba.