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.

[MELEE]

Okay, I'm a week late jumping in but I was away.
In Acapulco, actually. I like Acapulco better than I thought I would, but it was the off season. So there weren't a lot of people around. We rented a furnished apartment, 300 meters from the beach and 15 min walk from the place I was attending a conference. 4 adults, 2 toddles, 600 pesos. The equiped kitchen was not as equiped as I would have liked, but we ate in 75% of the time and saved a lot of money that way.

I once took a 5 day trip in Oaxaca, from Pinotepa National to Huatulco, sleeping in a different place each night and visiting 12 different beaches! It was a wirl wind, but fun and interesting. I kind of agree with ls, 3 days at Mazunte if fab, but 4 days there is just too much. I love the sea there, but the sun and I do not get along. I can not lay in the sun, not even for like 10 minutes. A good guide book should give you the names and how to get there of all the little beaches. AND tell you which ones have dangerous rip tides! I think that Chacahua is well worth it. You get a boat to take you across the lagunas and they drop you off on the sliver of land between the lagunas and the sea. I really really liked that place.

[lozwich]

[MikeySaid]

Hmmm... Nobody is saying ANYTHING about the long bus rides. Strange. It's been a few years since I've taken a bus to Oaxaca so my memory may not be all too clear... But, as I recall, a bus ride from DF to Oaxaca's beaches can take what feels like forever. Although this may just be the exception and not the rule... I took a bus from DF to Oaxaca in 2003 and it took 13 hours. It was an ejecutivo, but it was still miserable. And... it must have cost 400 pesos. I can't even remember how long it took to get to Puerto Escondido from Oaxaca... but it was longer than I expected...

My point is this... I am capable of travelling light and rough, but the two young ladies I was travelling with did not appreciate the long windy journey. That said, we opted to take a flight from PE back to Mexico(aerocaribe i think). At the time it cost us around 1000 pesos. Which, in comparison to a 400 peso bus ride that would take the better part of a day... seemed like a bargain for a quick flight back to the city.

If you're doing things on a budget... this won't make much sense to you. But if you've got a bit of cash to spare and want to avoid starting or finishing your trip on the irritable side, That's an option.

Now I sound like a fresa. I'm not. I swear it.

[Guy Courchesne]

I don't complain about the busses because they are mostly far above in quality than what we have in Canada. Mind you, more than 5 hours and I go batty. Of course, you cand find some very cheap, very interesting milk runs through the Sierras.

I took one from DF to PE...12 hours long, but I slept through most of it. I was, however, woken by an army guy going through my bag at a checkpoint somewhere in the bush. No big deal, but a bit of a shock for newbie me at the time.

Internal flights have come down in price so much lately that the busses may be forced to follow suit to compete.

[delacosta]

If I could get flights from PE or Huatulco to DF for 1,000 that's how I'd travel. My holidays always fall during prime time vacation periods and fllights even on the new discount carrier Click are always over 2,500-one way!
Yes the DF Oaxaca coast trip is a long one, they say 12 hours but its closer to 14. Part of the reason is that somewhere on the costa chica the federales make the buses wait to escort them in convoy through the Guerrero part of the coast because of highway robberies. These are infrequent but they do happen, I know a couple of people at the uni here who were on buses that were held up. But don't worry they aren't violent, they're just looking for a quick cash donation and you're on your way.

I always take the overnighter so it's not that bad for me, I can sleep through most of it. And this past Christmas a new de-lux bus with only 25 or so seats on it started up. It's really comfortable, the seats lean way back and are huge, only 3 across a row.

Tickets are 630 pesos vs 500 in the regualr ejecutivo, well worth it I think, and I'm 'codo' when it comes to travelling.
If you're travelling outside of high season Click does have some great deals occasionally. My wife got a ticket to DF for 700 pesos this year.
They have seat sales on line on Tuesdays.
http://www.clickmx.com/