VM on ESXi host - How does one make externally accessible?

One step I would take is to see if the packets are getting to your guest at all. On your linux host, run

tcpdump -i eth0 tcp dst port 80

substituting "eth0" for whatever your interface is called. With that running, try and access your page (I would suggest using an "outside of your network" host like a cellphone using the carriers internet and not your wifi). When you request the page, you should see the packets being spit out by tcpdump if your guest OS is receiving them. If it is, try checking the firewall or your webserver configuration. If you don't see any output from tcpdump, then I'd start looking at router or the Host.