Puerto Chiapas & Huatulco

We are at both in Nov on NCL cruise. We have a pretty good idea for other ports but nothing jumped out at us here to do. If we just go solo what is there close to the port or would we need to travel somewhere? What would people recommend to do?

Cheers

:D We were in both places in April. In Puerto Chiapas we just stayed at the port, there is a large pyramid shaped building that has some vendors and music. In another area is a restaurant/bar with a swimming pool. It was being used as a "private party" venue, but we were allowed to take part in the festivities. We checked into a taxi for a tour but without a specific place to go they weren't willing to take us anywhere. There was a tour offered on our HAL trip to some ruins that most people enjoyed.

Huatulco....I love this port. There is plenty of shopping in the port area, a nice beach area with lots of restaurants. I have been there once before but this time we actually played in the water, it was so much fun. There are banana boats and other water activities available. Our first time there a man had a 4ft iguana that I was able to hold and take a picture with for a small donation. This time an 8ft albino boa constrictor was available, but luckily I wasn't around for that one.

These are just my experiences, I hope it gave you some input. ENJOY!!! :D

My husband and I were in Huatulco in October. We booked a private tour with Pilo Vazquez and had a FABULOUS time. He took us out on his boat and took us to different locations to go snorkeling. We did a little fishing. We visited different beaches. He even offered to take us on a driving tour once we got finished with our water-related activities. He was one of the kindest guides we have ever used. Anyway, if you google his name, you can find him on tripadvisor.

For Puerto Chiapas, we did the Argovia Coffee Plantation and botanical gardens tour which was offered through the ship. That was also a lovely excursion (although expensive). The actual coffee tour itself was a little long, but we had a great guide and really enjoyed the drive to the plantation and also viewing the beautiful garden setting.

You can take a taxi from the port to Playa la Entrega for $5 or $6 for the taxi, not per person. This is the beach where many of the ship snorkeling trips go. Snorkeling is quite good in the roped off area. The coral is in plates which is unusual, lots of fish. There are plenty of restaurants to choose from if you want to eat there. There are a couple of trees for shade if you get there early.

At Puerto Chiapas you can take a shuttle to Tapachula for $10 each. The market there is quite interesting. If you want, you can take a taxi from there to some minor ruins for around $25/taxi, not per person.

I'm also wondering what to do in Hualtuco. Most people in our group are not interested in snorkeling or really even swimming. Are there enough different taxis/tour companies at the port to take you around?

It also sounds like there are lots of beautiful bays and maybe a boat cruise/tour would be nice - is something like that available at the port, that doesn't include snorkeling (or fishing)? We're just hoping to find something that's a little cheaper than the cruise excursions! ;)

We were just in those 2 ports (about 10 days ago) and agree with Pepsigirl's assessment. Puerto Chiapas is a lousy port although many cruisers will opt for excursions to the Chocolate Factory or some other places (often more then an hour from the port). But Huatulco is a wonderful port and we are even considering returning to that area for an extended vacation. In that port you can simply take a taxi into the city or perhaps spend a nice beach day. There is actually a decent beach within easy walking distance of the pier where there are some decent bars/restaurants where you can drink cheap beer and enjoy some Mexican cuisine. This is a very popular port with the crew since they can quickly get from the ship to the beach :). DW and I spent about $40 (total) at this port which was the total cost of fulfilling our beer habit plus a nice lunch of fajitas and nachos. We managed to negotiate getting some nice beach lounge chairs for free (they wanted $10). Without lunch the entire day would have cost us about $15!

Hank

In Huatulco we found the beach in town by where the ship docked to be rather nice.

We got a full sized table with an umbrella right on the edge of the water (less 6 feet away). It was January and the water was warm and the beach area nice ... not real blue like the Caribbean ... but nice. We enjoyed chatting and playing around in the water with others there. :)

A couple the met on the cruise (became friends) took a snorkel catamaran excursion which they booked from an independent offering it at the pier ... and they had a very good time.

LuLu

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At Puerto Chiapas you can take a shuttle to Tapachula for $10 each. The market there is quite interesting. If you want, you can take a taxi from there to some minor ruins for around $25/taxi, not per person.

Is that $25 round trip? And is that $10 round trip for the shuttle? This is the one port we don't have anything to do yet....and don't like any of the excursions offered by the ship.

I have a desire to go into Guatemala but do not have the huevos to try.

I just got back from a cruise on NCL that stopped in both of these ports. In Puerto Chiapas, as others mentioned, there are 2 huts right at the port - one w/ a restaurant/bar & a pool (although, our ship recommended NOT swimming in it b/c they didn't know their safety/cleaning standards), and then another hut w/ a bunch of shops. Outside of there are 2 stands - one offering a shuttle to Tapachula for $10/person round trip & another offering a trip to the ruins & then Tapachula (not sure of the price). We opted to just go to Tapachula & that was a mistake. It's crowded & dirty & smelly. There are tons of vendors there, but you can pretty much get the same stuff in the port area (or even at other ports/towns in Mexico). There are also many poor people begging for money. If you want to see any of the area, I would suggest doing an excursion with the ship, or just hang out at the port area. I will say the prices in Puerto Chiapas were cheaper than in Puerto Vallerta or Cabo - so if you want some souvenirs, it's probably a good place to get them (I don't know what the prices were in Tapachula b/c we just wanted to get out of there).

Huatulco though is completely different. It's very clean & beautiful. We paid $20/person for a tour by van that took us to see some different sites (including a fancy resort, a tequilla store where we did some taste testing & a textile "factory" where we saw people making items that were sold in a store behind, plus some overviews from the tops of bays). Then we paid an additional $20/person for a boat tour of the bays - and our driver even stopped at a beach where a few people in our group got margaritas delivered right to the boat. You might be able to find a little better deal, but we thought it was worth it - definitely cheaper than what the cruise ship offered!

I just got back from a cruise on NCL that stopped in both of these ports. In Puerto Chiapas, as others mentioned, there are 2 huts right at the port - one w/ a restaurant/bar & a pool (although, our ship recommended NOT swimming in it b/c they didn't know their safety/cleaning standards), and then another hut w/ a bunch of shops. Outside of there are 2 stands - one offering a shuttle to Tapachula for $10/person round trip & another offering a trip to the ruins & then Tapachula (not sure of the price). We opted to just go to Tapachula & that was a mistake. It's crowded & dirty & smelly. There are tons of vendors there, but you can pretty much get the same stuff in the port area (or even at other ports/towns in Mexico). There are also many poor people begging for money. If you want to see any of the area, I would suggest doing an excursion with the ship, or just hang out at the port area. I will say the prices in Puerto Chiapas were cheaper than in Puerto Vallerta or Cabo - so if you want some souvenirs, it's probably a good place to get them (I don't know what the prices were in Tapachula b/c we just wanted to get out of there).

Huatulco though is completely different. It's very clean & beautiful. We paid $20/person for a tour by van that took us to see some different sites (including a fancy resort, a tequilla store where we did some taste testing & a textile "factory" where we saw people making items that were sold in a store behind, plus some overviews from the tops of bays). Then we paid an additional $20/person for a boat tour of the bays - and our driver even stopped at a beach where a few people in our group got margaritas delivered right to the boat. You might be able to find a little better deal, but we thought it was worth it - definitely cheaper than what the cruise ship offered!

Thanks for your reviews; there are not many for these two ports. About how long, timewise, was your van tour in Huatulco? We wanted to spend time at the beach at port or one of the bays--enough time for both? We will be at these ports in April, I think we'll pass on the taxi to Tapachula. :) Thank you. Sue

In Huatulco, even doing both the land & sea tour (privately) we would have had plenty of time to spend at the beach. (My parent's did the tour through the ship & just got back in time!) In fact, someone we were with got back on the ship after our tours, had some lunch and still had time to go back to the beach for a while! There is a beach right at the end of the port, so it's VERY convenient. A lot of the cruise entertainers spent their day there! Of course, if you want to go to a beach in one of the bays, you will need some more time. But you could probably hire a boat to take you there & in essence skip a "bay tour" b/c you would get it on the way to & from the beach! (Our boat guide actually told us he had dropped someone off and was going back after our tour to pick them up.)

In Huatulco, even doing both the land & sea tour (privately) we would have had plenty of time to spend at the beach. (My parent's did the tour through the ship & just got back in time!) In fact, someone we were with got back on the ship after our tours, had some lunch and still had time to go back to the beach for a while! There is a beach right at the end of the port, so it's VERY convenient. A lot of the cruise entertainers spent their day there! Of course, if you want to go to a beach in one of the bays, you will need some more time. But you could probably hire a boat to take you there & in essence skip a "bay tour" b/c you would get it on the way to & from the beach! (Our boat guide actually told us he had dropped someone off and was going back after our tour to pick them up.)

Thank you. I may consider a water taxi to Playa Entegra or San Agustin Bay, reportedly less crowds, and enjoying the scenery along the way as you suggested. A land tour to the town of Las Crucecitas sounds appealing as well. I can't wait, this sounds like it may be one of my favorite ports :)