regent voyager

Huatulco - Santa Cruz Bay

This morning we've arrived in Huatulco - one of the newest resort areas in Mexico. Taking what they have learned about "growing" resort areas such as Cozumel and Acapulco, the Mexican government is building Huatulco into a model of eco-friendliness, winning awards not just in Mexico but worldwide. Set on 22 miles of coastline, the 9 bays of Huatulco offer beautiful sandy beaches, lush vegetation and rugged rock formations with fascinating caves and blow holes.

We've scheduled a late excursion "Huatulco by Land and Sea" and expect to get some work done and have a relaxed breakfast before departing the ship. But, attempting to access the internet proves futile, with an explanation of only "no service until we leave port". We're not sure if they simply switched off the satellite service, or have a problem in this particular ship position. Regardless, the internet service aboard the Regent Voyager is losing points - they have slipped behind what is currently available on other cruise lines both in terms of connection speed and reliability. With an investment of over $200, we expect better than this.

Our excursion departs from the pier at 11:45. After a short walk through town we board motor coaches for our land part of the tour. Our onboard guide is very knowledgeable about the government plans for this area after having moved here from the Yucatan 2 years prior. He explains the height limits that are imposed on building (5 stories), the environmentally secure water and sewage systems, recycling plans as well as pointing out the various resorts that are completed or under construction around the bays. After a few stops, the final one on a beautiful overlook to the marina and cruise ship pier, we return to the marina area to transfer to a catamaran for our "sea" portion of the trip.

After leaving the marina and passing by the cruise ship pier, everyone is excited to spot two humpback whales off the bow of our boat. Continuing the tour to the northern bays, our onboard hosts offer Coronas and margaritas while explaining the various development plans for the bays that we pass by. Returning toward the ship we again see a couple far-away sightings of the whales before entering the busy marina area. We're the last tour to have departed and our Regent escort asks us to proceed directly to the ship. We're already about 10 minutes later then the "all-aboard" time, but know with her along, we'll never be left behind.

Our sail-away from Huatulco is before sunset, but still provides great views of the bays that we had explored close-up. As the ship turns to the north in route to Acapulco, we watch as the beautiful bays of Huatulco slip into the evening darkness. More tomorrow from Acapulco!