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Reviewed 1 January 2017

Booked a last minute trip to Huatulco all inclusive package from Toronto. The hotel is very near the waterfront in an area built for tourists. You can walk to the nearest bay/beaches in 5 minutes or talk a shuttle to the hotel beach club that takes about 10 minutes. Everything in the area is clean and felt safe. Lots of stores that all sold the same stuff. The hotel is very clean and the staff are terrific. Food was good enough and lots of variety. Coffee was not what I expected. Very disappointing. Weak. the room in the front had a large deck and it was not noisy when the doors were closed. This hotel is family oriented and there were lots of Mexican families. Watching the children is the pool was our entertainment. The older town is a 15 minute walk away and more interesting. Lots and lots of restaurants and different shops. Still the same stuff in most places but the weaving was the most interesting and the prices were good. There are several other bays/beaches nearby that looked less crowded and calmer. The beach at the Club has a strong undercurrent. Not suitable for children or weak swimmers. All and all a good place for an easy vacation.

Room tip: Room in the back are quieter but no balcony.
Date of stay: December 2016
  • Trip type: Travelled as a couple
    • Sleep Quality
    • Rooms
    • Service
3  Thank W8526JNpatl
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
castillohuatulco, Director Comercial at Hotel Castillo Huatulco Hotel & Beach Club, responded to this reviewResponded 5 January 2017

We appreciate you have stayed at this home on Hotel Castillo Huatulco, your comments make us every day we give them the best service you deserve.

We look forward to your next visit to the Bays of Huatulco.

Best regards

Raul Vallin
Sales Manager

Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Reviewed 24 December 2016

The Hotel Castillo is a wonderful place to stay if you are looking for a relaxing vacation. I’ll try not to repeat what others have written as their reviews are very accurate.

My husband and I had not travelled to Huatulco and had always heard such wonderful things about the town. We wanted a vacation where we could have easy access to the town & restaurants and the opportunity to explore the area. We did not want to stay in an all-inclusive that was located 15 – 20 minutes out of town. After reading many reviews, we picked the Hotel Castillo and we were so glad that we did.

What we liked best about the hotel;

1. Old world Mexican charm – an older hotel but very clean
2. Many locals stay here – it was really enjoyable seeing 3 generations of family travelling together and having a good time
3. The staff are genuinely friendly and provide exceptional service
4. Food was basic, very good… you will not go hungry. The fruit & vegetables were fresh, ripe and had amazing flavor, I could have eaten that alone all week (and I am not a vegetarian)! Eggs cooked to order and bacon were offered for breakfast every day (as well as other fare), the guacamole & salsa at the beach club was excellent as well as the fresh fish & clubhouse sandwiches. An evening barbeque was held in the backyard of the hotel on Monday night. Staff put a lot of work into creating a wonderful evening with linen covered tables & chairs and live music provided by a jazz duo. The food was a mix of Mexican and Canadian and the barbeque steak was really good. There was also an Oaxaca night held at the beach club one evening. Again, the staff put so much work into creating this special dinner & entertainment.
5. Beach Club – In my opinion, this was the best part of staying at the Hotel Castillo. The beach club is situated 2- 3 minutes away from the hotel when you use the shuttle bus. We had a leisurely breakfast at the hotel each morning and would arrive at the beach club between 10:00 am – 11:00 am and we never had any trouble getting a palapa on the beach…… and we were there for 10 days. The view of the water in the bay was amazing. Staff were super friendly in the restaurant and also provided drink service at the beach. There is also a large pool at the beach club. Lunch, either a buffet or an alacarte menu was available in the large palapa restaurant. There are other hotels in Santa Cruz that offered beach club services but in my opinion, this one was the best in town.
6. Hotel is located in downtown Santa Cruz and a short cab ride away to La Crucecita (30 pescos = $2.00 Canadian?). Excellent location.

The only down side to our vacation is that I came down with an infected tooth. The hotel concierge directed us to a dentist at the medical clinic in La Crucecita – which was a 5 minute cab ride from the hotel. Dr. Jorge Arturo Blanco Cordova was the name of the dentist and he was fabulous. He spoke very good English so that provided me a huge level of comfort. I visited Dr. Cordova three days in a row and he removed my filling to get the infection out, cleaned out the infection and put in a temporary filling until I got home. He also wrote out a prescription for antibiotics and Motrin which I filled at the pharmacy around the corner. The total cost for his services was less than half of what I would pay for one visit to a dentist in Canada. If you are in need of a dentist while in Huatulco, I highly recommend him. Here is his contact information: (located by the Town Square/Church)

Dr. Jorge Arturo Blanco Cordova
Central Medica Huatulco
Flabmoyant No. 205
Centro CP 70987
Bahias de Huatulco, Oax, Mex

Tel (958) 587-01-04, 587-07-43

All in all we really enjoyed this vacation because were weren’t constantly dealing with time restrictions (ie. Getting up early to get a chair by the beach or getting to a restaurant by a certain time for your seating). As far as I am concerned, the Hotel Castillo is a new favorite – a true gem – and we can’t wait to go back.

Room tip: We had a large balcony facing the street on the second floor. Great for people watching.
Date of stay: December 2016
  • Trip type: Travelled as a couple
    • Sleep Quality
    • Rooms
    • Service
11  Thank Irene S
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
castillohuatulco, Director Comercial at Hotel Castillo Huatulco Hotel & Beach Club, responded to this reviewResponded 26 December 2016

Miss Irene, thanks for visiting the Hotel Castillo Huatulco, are taking note of every detail that makes reference to us, also informed him that a meeting with the heads of each area and conducted to make the necessary changes. We hope that in your next visit back to the home Hotel Castillo Huatulco.

Best Regards

Raul Vallin
Sales Manager

Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Reviewed 16 December 2016

Castillo Huatulco Hotel and Beach Club

November 22 to 29, 2016

This is an older resort hotel located on the main boulevard in Santa Cruz. It is central to many things of interest. The resort is tired in places with older fixtures showing years of wear. Generally, it is clean and kept tidy.

This Resort has a drive-in entry, with a general area that is open air; the Reception, the Lobby Bar, Washrooms, the Elevator to four floors, access to the main Buffet, and at the back of resort where the pool open air eating area is located. Also at the back area, is a second building for guests and a staircase leading to conference dinning room.
At times during our stay the cigarette smoke in the open bar area would fill the lobby and drift up to the second-floor guest rooms. The week we stayed at this resort, was busy with Mexican families which may have been due to: The American Thanksgiving on Nov.24 as well the Mexican Revolution Day on Nov. 20. Over all it is a busy hotel and one is challenged in getting a quiet rest.

Our room had a king bed, a small closet with key safe, sink/toilet/shower, chair/desk, chest of draws w/TV on top, 2 nights stand. We found the room on the fourth floor to be more quiet and a very basic bed-chamber.

We ate our breakfast and dinner meals at the Hotel and our lunches were always done at the Beach Club. I found that there was variety of both fresh and prepared dishes, including salads, fresh fruit and a grill where one could order at breakfast from the cook; eggs done in several ways, as well Mexican style items. At dinner, there was always a main meat item or pasta being served. One will not go hungry unless they choose to. I really enjoyed having many Mexican style items to eat during our stay. The resort put on a very big spread Friday Nov. 25 in the Buffet, then on Saturday Nov. 26 a Mexican food festival in the conference dinning area with music/space to dance, and then Monday Nov.28 a big spread out in the open-air eating area with music/a place to dance. On this vacation, we got up, walked, danced, laughed and enjoy ourselves.

One may walk to most places, getting around is quite easy. The hotel runs a shuttle to their Beach Club located on the Playa Chahue. Please note: Guests will need to pickup their beach towels/exchange them at the hotel reception counter.

One may choose to walk to the Beach Club as the distance is less than a ½ hour walk. The Beach Club lunch included several prepared dishes, salads, salsas & corn chips, also items are available from a menu should one want to order their meal made in the kitchen. A couple of times there was a bar-b-que for fresh cooked meats. We really enjoyed the fresh made guacamole dip with chips. The club bar also runs a beach service for those sitting out on the beach loungers, one can order a drink of your choice, they also collect the used glasses. There was live entertainment several days. On Saturday, a large kid’s birthday party with presents, games and kids marvel action figure dominated the open eating/beach area. Really a very crazy experience watching a group take over one’s vacation, we left the beach club early that day.

Any person may attend this beach club from off the street, and use all the fixtures available to their staying guests. A non-guest will pay 50 to 100 pesos depending high/low season, and can order items from the menu for a cost.

We left our rings at home thinking of our safety on this vacation but in retrospect we really didn’t need to do that as it is very safe here. We felt safe at all time, during our visit and enjoyed the friendly people from the Huatulco area. One may want to bring along a small soft foldable insulated beverage carrier for times when walking and for your beach time. Also, do bring yoga mats for the loungers at the beach club, as these poor pieces of beach furniture are in very bad condition; with rotted fiber covers and repair screws holding the plastic units together. An extra margarita may help one ignore their poor condition while using them.

There is allot to see and enjoy in this area with good markets in both Santa Cruz and La Crucecita. We enjoyed walking, looking and shopping in both places. During your stay check out the Super Chedraul warehouse store. There is a walkway (5Th Avenue) between Santa Cruz over to La Crucecita, a project that has taken several years to get to where it is today. This plan includes shops and restaurants which have not yet been built but it is a safe walk with rest areas along the way and great views.

The hotel is really across the street from the marina, located on the Playa Santa Cruz. There are serval bars, shops and restaurants located along this beach area. This was a great place to walk around and shop. On the street in this area is a vender selling coconuts, a very enjoyable treat.

Honor Roll: the following people were very helpful during our stay: Raquel, Vicente, Alberto, Federico, Miguel and cook Daniel. At the Beach Club: Marco and Jose. A special thank you to Raque for the guacamole dip with chips and to Vicente for his efforts and the special after-dinner coffees.

We enjoyed Huatulco and could see ourselves living here. I hope you enjoy your stay in the Huatulco area.

Room tip: For Quiet: Get a room on the fourth floor over looking pool .
Date of stay: November 2016
  • Trip type: Travelled as a couple
    • Location
    • Rooms
    • Service
8  Thank Neil J
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
castillohuatulco, Director Comercial at Hotel Castillo Huatulco Hotel & Beach Club, responded to this reviewResponded 19 December 2016

Thanks for visiting the Hotel Castillo Huatulco, are taking note of every detail that makes reference to us, also informed him that a meeting with the heads of each area and conducted to make the necessary changes. We hope that in your next visit back to the home Hotel Castillo Huatulco.

Best Regards

Raul Vallin
Sales Manager

Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Reviewed 7 December 2016

My wife and I had a great time at the Castillo. We stayed on the second floor with a street-side balcony. Some liked it while others moved due to the street noise.
Buffet with menu service. Lobby bar. Pool. Sat night Oaxaca food in the huge room by the pool. Mon night BBQ poolside.
Beach Club, take the bus or the 10-15 min walk (shaded on one side) Here there is another pool. Beach with Palapays and drink service. Buffet after 1PM. Volleyball court, kids Soccer pitch, Hammock area. The bus driver rings a bell when he's about to leave each trip.
What is great here is the easy access to town, shopping, and the mexican culture. People couldn't be any friendlier than here.

Room tip: Poolside rooms are quieter than Streetside ones.
Date of stay: November 2016
  • Trip type: Travelled as a couple
    • Location
    • Cleanliness
    • Service
3  Thank CalTravelBug
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
castillohuatulco, Director Comercial at Hotel Castillo Huatulco Hotel & Beach Club, responded to this reviewResponded 8 December 2016

We appreciate you have stayed at this home on Hotel Castillo Huatulco, your comments make us every day we give them the best service you deserve.

We look forward to your next visit to the Bays of Huatulco.

Best regards

Raul Vallin
Sales Manager

Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Reviewed 7 December 2016

November 22nd to 29th 2016

The Huatulco airport is very small. Clearing Customs was a breeze and in no time at all we were on our way to the Castillo Huatulco Hotel & Beach Club (17 min. ride by van).
The majority of the Guests are Mexicans and then primarily older Canadians and those of us who want to enjoy the real Mexico and embrace the beautiful culture.

My Husband and I were warmly greeted by Edwin, at the reception desk and were given a nice cool punch to sip on. We got a kick out of the life-sized pirate statue with a treasure chest.

The Castillo is an older hotel and it is very tired in some places. Do not come here on a high horse or, with big expectations or, you will be very disappointed. The Castillo is a great jump off point to discovering Huatulco; it is close to the Marina, Santa Cruz and La Crucecita. Because of the location it is not the type of hotel where you can really rest and relax, lots of young Families and traffic noise.

The open-air lobby is very small, with the small bar a spit away and definitely a haven for smokers.

Our first room 222 was perfectly located, close to stairs; elevator and it had a walk out veranda with chairs, table and umbrella, which faced the noisy street. Unfortunately there is no privacy division on the veranda so you could step over the railings and gawk into all the other rooms.
Our room had a nice fruit plate and lovely flowers, which was a beautiful touch. The hotel also provides plenty of bottle water.
The room had a king sized bed, very small closet with key access safe and TV and small chest of drawers (no fridge or, coffee maker). Unfortunately the TV had only two English speaking channels and no codes for English subtitles, even on their movie channels. First time we have experienced this in fifteen visits to Mexico.
I recommend bringing your own shampoo, conditioner, body wash etc. There is a store called the “Chedaui” which is comparable to Costo and Walmart Superstore. Here we found the best prices for alcohol, better than at the small duty free store at the airport and in town. You can walk to the store or, time a ride with the hotel shuttle or, take a bus or, cab.

I do recommend bringing a strong scented candle and or, putting aromatherapy oils in a spray bottle with water, because the cigarette smoke does drift up from the lobby and some guests do smoke in their rooms, despite this being against the law in Mexico. The rooms really do have a strong mildew odour, which can be typical in older hotels at tropical destinations.
Between the noise from the street and hallway, after three days we ended up moving to 407 (pool side), which was much quieter and had no heavy smell of cigarette smoke in the hallway. We had no problems with our toilet flushing, getting hot water and decent pressure in the shower or, air-conditioning issues, in either room.

We ate Breakfast and Supper at the hotel and Lunch at the Beach Club; we enjoyed the freshly made orange and vegetable juices and most all of the food. I did go out of my comfort zone and tried new dishes, even the grasshopper salad. The freshly made to order guacamole and salsa were to die for and the barbecue ribs were melt in your mouth outstanding; over all the food was delicious.

I cannot say enough good things about ALL of the Staff at this hotel; they literally turn themselves inside out to please you. If you ask for something the Staff will do their very best to get it or, a good substitute. I was impressed that the Staff in the Buffet wore hairnets and at how diligent they kept the hotel and beach club clean. Their work ethic is exceptional and this is why I have given this hotel a 4 star rating. I could fill this page up with Staff names, but will stick to the following Staff who were consistent and went the extra mile. Our maid in 222, Racquel, Vincente, Frederico, Gloria, Miguel, Alberto-Luis, Marco, Jose-Manuel, Jemny and the wonderful Luis Sanchez.
I would recommend purchasing a fresh coconut from the street vendors, not only is the coconut water refreshing, the fresh coconut meat mixed with lemon juice, hot sauce and spices is a real treat and for 35 peso’s you just can’t go wrong.

The Castillo is not beachfront, but the hotel does provide a free shuttle to their beach club that runs every thirty minuets on Mexican time LOL! When the shuttle arrives at the beach club the driver will ring a bell to indicate that it is departing back to the hotel.
We did hotel hop and can honestly say the beach club at the Castillo is the best in the area.
The beach club is not exclusive only to the Castillo guests and there is no section set apart for their guests; so it is first come, first serve. Anyone can walk off the street or, beach and use the chairs and limited shade for fifty pesos during low season and one hundred pesos during high season (Food and booze is extra). It really surprised me the poor condition of the beach lounge chairs and disgusted at how many plastic chairs were cracked and repaired with screws (safely issue). The fabric on the lounge chairs is in the worst condition that I have witnessed in Forty-one All inclusive vacations (badly stretched, faded, sweat stained, bird poop was well embedded and torn in places). On the back of the lounger chairs some of the plastic backings were broken, so you could not elevate the chair.

Despite the claims from property reps in Mexico City, on the TA question and answer page that state otherwise; there are NO cushions for the beach lounge chairs. You can ask the bartender, reception and even have a representative from the hotel come down to the beach club, but trust me at this time, there are no cushions. If you like to spend allot of time like we do at the beach, I strongly recommend bringing yoga mats or, some kind of padding. Extra beach towels do not help at all.
The hotel also books private parties at the beach club. During our stay there was a birthday party for a little girl and it dominated a good part of the day; even the games branched out onto the beach. I felt bad for the Guests with Children who were obviously excluded from the games.

The beach is beautiful here and kept spotless by the Staff. We were so fortunate to have great weather and the ocean was calm. At first I could not understand why the red flags are never changed, but after being in the Ocean several times during the day we could well understand how the currents are ever changing especially when the tide goes in and out. Also there is a steep incline going into the ocean and there are times when you drop in and have no footing. You could be just zoning out in calm water for about thirty minutes and then you can feel the pull of the current, so you need to be aware and vigilant. I would not recommend young children or, people with mobility issues going into the ocean at this beach.
There are no problems or, issues with being harassed by the beach vendors, if anything we had to make eye contact and look interested, other than that they just walk by and leave you alone.

I highly recommend Huatulco and getting out and exploring the area. We did allot of walking, got lost a few times and felt totally safe. This is the cleanest and friendliest area of Mexico that we have experienced; we would love to retire here. You can shop to your hearts content and the vendors in the store are not pushy at all. Not once were we approached to purchase drugs. We found the best deals at La Crucecita, that town appears to be older and more real Mexico than Santa Cruz.

Huatulco airport accepts Mexican pesos, Canadian and American dollars for purchases and will give change according to currency used. I hope you enjoy as much as we did.
Any questions feel free to send me a PM.

Room tip: Highest level on pool side
Date of stay: November 2016
  • Trip type: Travelled as a couple
    • Location
    • Rooms
    • Service
15  Thank Loraine J
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
castillohuatulco, Director Comercial at Hotel Castillo Huatulco Hotel & Beach Club, responded to this reviewResponded 8 December 2016

Thanks for visiting the Hotel Castillo Huatulco, are taking note of every detail that makes reference to us, also informed him that a meeting with the heads of each area and conducted to make the necessary changes. We hope that in your next visit back to the home Hotel Castillo Huatulco.

Best Regards

Raul Vallin
Sales Manager

Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC
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