My husband and I decided to plan a last minute trip to Mexico in December of 2014. We spent a week in La Paz and went out each day for different excursions. Our favorites were swimming with the whale sharks, snorkeling with sea lions at Espiritu Santo, and relaxing at Balandra beach.
Every time we go on vacation it takes a couple days to unwind and relax completely. We left Montana with a flurry of emails, check-ins with family, and "To Do" lists laid out on the kitchen table. I think I have thought of everything but undoubtedly something will arise outside of my contingency plans. "Which is OK!" I have to tell myself. We got to the airport at o'dark thirty and hopped on our plane, exchanged plans in Salt Lake and then arrived in Cabo that afternoon around 3pm. We flew into Los Cabos airport (SJD) outside of San Jose del Cabo not to be confused with Cabo San Lucas Airport (CSL) farther south. The atmosphere was very relaxed in the airport with a terminal full of gringos heading out on vacation. Customs was not a problem and we were quickly out the door and in the middle of a throng of taxi drivers. We walked directly to the National Car Rental shuttle which took us a on a 3 minute drive outside to the National office. We rented the basic compact car which was a nominal fee per day. The part that shocked me was the mandatory insurance by the Mexican government. Our rental fees for the week were under $50 but the cost of the insurance was listed at a couple hundred dollars. They also make you sign your life away to accept the basic insurance instead of the "standard" National insurance they recommend at double or triple the cost.
So after a short time at the rental car office, we hit the road in our Hyundia "mini mi amor" (picture above) and navigated our way up the coast to La Paz, the capital of Baja. We took the shorter but slightly slower route in order to check out the coast and avoid tolls along the other faster highway. It took us a little under three hours to get to our hotel and a few wrong turns but we made it! I hadn't factored in driving into the city at night (we arrived around 7pm) and also that my navigator couldn't keep his eyes open after after an hour in the car (he hadn't slept the night before). We arrived to our hotel Posada LunaSol and breathed a sigh of relief that we were there. I gave the desk attendant my name and reservation information but after about ten minutes of searching their database, he informed me that our reservation was not in the system. I showed him my email confirmation, he contacted his manager, and after some back and forth it was sorted out quickly. They had a new reservation system and our reservation had somehow not transferred over properly. Whew! We stayed that night in the family room for six and the following day they moved us to our balcony suite (which I highly recommend - room #12). I didn't think it would make that much of a difference having a balcony, but as you can see below we spent quite a bit of time in the hammock and rocking chairs outside for the next week.
It became a breakfast tradition to have coffee and cereal on the balcony.
After a long "hard" day at the beach, we'd return to chill out with margaritas on the balcony. The hotel had wifi so we were able to connect with family and friends at the end of the day too.
Matt soaks in the last of the sunset on the balcony. It took a few days but we finally slowed our pace to the rhythms of Mexico. We're on vacation!
Cruising around La Paz
Mar 14, 2016
We chose our hotel Posada LunaSol because of three main factors.
1) It was affordable.
2) They owners ran a tour company for day trips around Baja.
3) It was close to the Malecon, or the main waterfront of La Paz.
The Malecon was a short 5-10 minute walk down the road. Everyday we walked down the malecon which stretched a couple miles on the beach. There were several places to sit and people watch - which I enjoy immensely. My experiences in Mexico prior to our vacation had consisted of mission trips to the poor and more rural areas. It was surprising to see a similar scene to a beach in Miami or Los Angeles (on a much smaller scale).
One thing we noticed the first day in La Paz was the large number of military, police, and security forces out and about. We would be sipping cappuccinos along a serene coastal setting while families walked their poodles down the Malecon. All of a sudden you'd see an military truck drive by with a giant bazooka mounted in the bed and soldiers armed to the gills. It was unsettling at first until Matt explained that a large "show of force" might deflect any drug cartels from thinking they could hop across the Sea of Cortez and mess with the gringos on vacation.
We rented bikes from our hotel for the day - about $5-$10 a piece depending on the type. The morning was the best for running or biking down the malecon. In the afternoon it felt like you could fry an egg on the sideway. So we took advantage of one beautiful morning to see how far down we could make it. It only took about fifteen minutes or so before we ran out of sidewalk and were funneled into the four lane traffic. It was at this point that we were able to stop and walk down the pier. We stashed our bikes in a safe spot (next to a security guard at the old waterpark) and walked down to the beach. We spent a little time splashing in the water and watching some of the local high schoolers play a diving game to spot different fish hanging out around the pier. After a short time of relaxing and cooling off in the water we headed back down the malecon on our bikes.
One of the things I enjoyed the most about La Paz was the "walkability" of the Malecon district. We only needed our car for driving outside the city and down the coasts. Every night we would walk to dinner and enjoy the lights along the waterfront. About half the time, we chose restaurants right on the malecon. They were a little more expensive but we could watch the nightlife and people as they passed by. One of our favorite restaurants for people watching and fish tacos was the Rancho Viejo. We sat upstairs on the balcony and enjoyed the sights and sounds of Mexico.
Fish Taco Foodies
Mar 28, 2016
My best friend from college lived in Mexico for a few years and every time she would visit, I'd request her fish tacos and empanadas. Those two were on my mind while we booked our flights the months before. So I found a way to have fish tacos at least once every day. Living in landlocked Montana we don't have easy access to fresh seafood. La Paz was my sea-foodie dream!
One evening we found a great treat along the waterfront. Stella restaurant was normally a place out of our budget but they had a great happy hour. We ordered the calamari and balsamic salad appetizer.
Their pizzas were incredible as well for the happy hour menu so we ordered a pepperoni and hawaiian speciality. It was so much food but we were happy to take a to-go box back to the hotel with us. There was a communal kitchen to store food for later and it worked out wonderfully to have that option during our stay in La Paz.
Our next food adventure was a couple days later on our return from Balandra beach. We had heard of McFisher's Restaurant from a friend before traveling to Mexico and had seen several great reviews on Yelp. It did not disappoint us. We had a bit of trouble finding the right crossroads in the beginning but we ended up in the right spot. The service was great and the fish tacos were authentic and tasty. I appreciated the open-air setting of the restaurant as it made you feel like you were dining on the beach even if we were a few blocks shy of it. The tortillas were freshly made and there was an abundance of salsas to pick from. Altogether we didn't break the bank with our dinner and felt more than full walking out the door.
From former travels in Latin America I was not surprised to find that every main cuisine around the world was represented in La Paz - Italian, Chinese, Indian, Caribbean, French, American, etc. And we happened to stumble upon a gem on our last evening in La Paz. We had a Greek dinner at Astropholi just a few blocks off the malecon. I was hoping to get one last meal in with seafood and the chef did not disappoint us. He came out to our table and chatted with us a bit before suggesting a wonderful shrimp pasta dish that was not on the menu but he would make special for us. It was delectable and the personal service was a nice touch!
Snorkeling with Whale Sharks
Mar 28, 2016
As I mentioned before one of the main reasons we chose Posada LunaSol was for the convenience of going on day tours. One morning we met our group in front of the hotel and our guides outfitted us with snorkels, fins, and life jackets from their gear room. Then we walked a short way down to the pier and hopped in a boat. Half the group spoke Spanish and the other half English so he always translated his instructions and descriptions in both. Exhausting! I have so much respect for the guides and all that they do logistically while making sure everyone is having a good time.
We motored out just a brief way from the Malecon and La Paz when our driver cut the motor to search for whale sharks in the sound. After only a few minutes we were in luck! He spotted some a hundred meters away and we were off after them. I'm kicking myself now for not bringing an underwater camera but in all truthfulness we most likely would not have gotten a good photo in all the chaos. The sharks are very shy (I would be too). So after a few moments of us in the water snorkeling around them, they would dive off to find another feeding place. The astounding fact that our guide shared with us was that these were juvenile whale sharks. The whale sharks can be anywhere from 15-30 feet long on average.
So we went through the process a few times of motoring up to a group, hopping in the water near the whale sharks and catching a quick glance at them. The last time we hoped into the water I felt Matt grab my arm abruptly. I turned around to see a giant mouth heading my direction. I swam as fast as I could out of the way and watched the beast glide by me serenely. Whale sharks are not aggressive but my brain would not process that quick enough as I saw that it was about to eat me. Our entire time with the whale sharks was about a half and hour but the memory will last a lifetime.
We continued on to Espiritu Santo Island which was about another hour or so from La Paz. It held a colony of sea lions nearby on Los Islotes which we stopped at first. The boats drop anchor outside this little island and you spend an hour or so swimming with the sea lions. Our guide took our group through a tunnel on the side of the island that held an abundance of marine life below. Then after instructions on how to steer clear of the males, we had time to explore the rocks on our own. Until recently in the last few years, I've had a significant fear of fish. So snorkeling is always a bit challenging for me but worth the effort! I was swimming along with Matt and watching a few young sea lion pups play. One of them came up behind me and put its nose on the back of my neck and in my ear. I was so shocked I couldn't move. It just sat there for a few moments "cuddling" into my neck. It was oddest sensation with its whiskers tickling my neck. Then all of a sudden it flipped around and swam off in a hurry.
I was laughing to Matt when I saw his eyes go wide and he looked behind me. When I turned around I was face-to-face with one of the largest males in the colony. He bared his teeth at me and I was sure he was going to bite me. I grabbed Matt and pulled him in front of me as a shield (a very heroic move on my part which I apologized for later). It was apparently just a warning from the male to not get too comfortable with his pups because he flipped around and disappeared. I decided to do the same and not press my luck!
Back at the boat, we climbed in and waited for the rest of the group. We motored a short distance away to a beach on Espiritu Santo Island where we had a picturesque setting for our lunch. (One note about the island - there wasn't a bathroom facility or even a corner to put one in. The entire beach is exposed and we didn't have permits to walk around the island. In an emergency, the crew is available to set up a camp toilet but there wasn't a tent or anything to cover yourself from other boats docking on the beach.)
We all had a chance to snorkel around the bay and relax on the beach that afternoon before heading back to La Paz. It took us roughly an hour or so to get back to La Paz. Halfway there our guide spotted humpback whales breaching along the coast. He cut the motor and we spent time drifting and watching them in peaceful silence. That was the cherry on the top of a wonderful wildlife day - whale sharks, frigate birds, sea lions, tons of marine life, and humpback whales!
Balandra Beach
Mar 28, 2016
We spent a couple days relaxing in La Paz, exploring the town, and getting our bearings. Then we set out to find a beach we'd heard about from our friends - Balandra Beach. It's about a 30-40 minute drive on the point north of La Paz. We had also saw that there was a Tecolote Beach further north and on the point between the mainland and Espiritu Santo. This was the jumping off point for some kayaking and day tours to Espiritu. We arrived to see a large sand parking lot with a few run down bars and restaurants. We decided to walk down the beach to check it out. The surf was very strong and not easy enough for us to wade around at that time of day. On the way back to our car we came dangerously close to a pack of wild dogs that can taken up residence behind one of the dunes. Not quite what we had expected from of Mexico beach visions so we hopped in the car and drove back to Balandra.
This is what we had been waiting for! Crystal clear waters and beautiful sandy beaches. We packed all of our valuables in our daypacks and set on the beach to explore. The tide was very low so we walk all the way around the point and onto the next beach and next beach.
It was a weekday so there weren't many people out and about. We diverted up the rocks to the top of the hill (It took about 30 minutes to get all the way on top) and looked out over the Sea of Cortes.
It was quite windy on top of the hill and I had to remind myself to continue applying sunscreen even if it was a bit chilly. The chill didn't last long as it reached midday and the rocks smoldered below us. We returned to these beaches on the point a couple times during our stay in La Paz and I liked how we could always take a different trail each time. The trails spidered over the mountains and were marked with rock towers to keep you on track.
We hiked down to the beach to swim and eat a snack. You could see out forever in the water and we spotted several different fish. I took a moment to swim around in a small cove and look at the fish below. That was enough excitement for the moment and I returned to the beach to grab a Pacifico beer and relax. It was after noon already so I figured a beer was in order. I spent the next hour watching the surf for feeding fish and also following the crabs as they scuffled to and from their holes in the sand. They are very sensitive to movement, so you typically only see them up close when you sit quietly and they emerge from their holes.
Even on vacation Matt couldn't sit still for long. He decided to go look for artifacts (he's an archeologist) and walked up the hill to a cave set back in the rocks. It was clear that looters had taken much from the site, but there were still remnants of shells and rocks used by prehistoric peoples. We sat in the cave for a bit, cooling off from the hot sun. I was thankful that we'd brought a couple liters in our packs, but I would have brought even a couple more for the entire day.
So our days on the beaches were spent exploring, swimming, and relaxing. It was nice to be on our own time schedule. We came back early afternoon some days and others we stayed out the entire day exploring. The beautiful landscape and peaceful sound of the tide was enough to lull us into vacation and relaxation mode.
Todas Santos
Mar 28, 2016
Todos Santos is located about an hour drive south of La Paz on the freeway. Navigating the highways on the Baja was relatively easy. The one we took down the coast was the main freeway and the other we had taken up the coast from Cabo was a smaller two-lane highway. The highway was maintained well and it was a smooth drive down to Todos Santos. My best friend from college had lived in Todos Santos for many years after graduation doing mission work. I was kicking myself for not visiting her more! It is a relatively inexpensive flight and easy drive up the coast to get there. After we explored around the town for a bit, I told Matt that we should stay here in the future if we come back to the Baja.
The town had a very laid back surfing vibe to it. There were a lot of expats who had settled in around the town and build large homes to retire in. We chose to have breakfast at La Esquina which was of course located on "the corner" across a small valley in the town. We parked in the main center of town where the church was located and walked down and over to this other part of town. In retrospect, we probably should have just driven and parked by La Esquina but the map looked like it was going to be just a short walk.
The restaurant was filled with expats and they had a lengthy list of espresso and tea drinks to order from. The breakfast menu made my mouth water as well. We decided eventually on a couple lattes and omelettes. The bathrooms were very clean and the entire place was well decorated and included wifi! We hopped online to checkin with friends and family briefly and then set out to explore more.
We cruised down the freeway south a little farther to an exit marked "Cerritos Beach Club & Surf". We were trying to find a good access to the beach which was surprisingly challenging. Most of it was private or the roads into the beach were on private land so you couldn't get through. At Cerritos, we found a parking lot but you had to pay to access the beach which seemed ridiculous to me. We drove up the hill instead to have lunch at huge manor on the top called Hacienda Cerritos. After a look at their prices we decided to head back to Todos Santos but not before hightailing it up the cliffs to grab a couple photos.
Back in town we walked around looking for some handicrafts and gifts to take back for family and friends. We were at the end of our trip and it had flown by without us realizing it. We stopped in at the Hotel California to have a margarita or two and hum the Eagles song as we sat in the back courtyard.
Livin' it up at the Hotel California!
Feliz Navidad y Hasta Luego Mexico!
Mar 28, 2016
It was interesting to experience the Christmas atmosphere in Mexico around the holidays. It was an odd combination of somber tradition and flamboyant fiesta. We noticed the bright decorations along the malecon when we arrived - which is similar to any city in the US of course with a decorated tree, stars, and christmas lights everywhere.
On our fourth night in La Paz we walked up from our hotel into a new neighborhood and ran across a celebration at the Santuario de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe. At first I didn't realize it was a church from the vendors outside. They were selling all kinds of stuffed animals and glow-in-the-dark toys and noisemakers. Alongside these where figures of saints and other religious icons. The sidewalks were packed with people and the noise from everything was deafening. We decided to take a quick peek into the catholic church and discovered that it too was packed with a mass in session. The chaos outside was magnified by the organization of the mass and solemn procession. We stepped back outside and into the circus on the street to head onward. I wish we could have stayed to watch the service because I was fascinated by the families and how everyone was celebrating the Advent season.
The following morning we walked to the main square and saw the Catedral de Nuestra Señora de La Paz - the main cathedral in La Paz. The vendors were nowhere in site so it must have been a special celebration the evening before. We peaked inside but there wasn't a service going on just yet. It was the serene setting inside that I was used to from visiting other churches in Spain and around Europe. My friend explained the traditions to me a bit when I returned from Mexico. From her experience living on the Baja, she saw that the Mexican's motto was typically "Go big or go home!" when it came to celebrations or festivals. If you're going to have a religious party, treat it like a party - duh!
During our stay in La Paz we enjoyed seeing the passion and celebration of the Mexican people and as some of them celebrated Advent. I knew we were heading home to zero-degree weather and snow so we soaked in all the sunshine we could get in our final hours. Cruising down the Malecon we ran into this display in front of a family fun center.
I wasn't sure if they had poinsettias in Mexico or not but the decorations looked so fitting among the palm trees. Mexico we have enjoyed your people, your beaches and your wildlife so much this week. We hope to return someday soon to continue the explorations. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good Flight!
I am travelling alone on Bordeaux river cruise. Very prompt and informative responses. No issues.
Cliff Jones
1 day ago
We had the most incredible trip to Antarctica! Plus, we got a fantastic deal (especially considering how expensive expeditions are) and a free cabin upgrade. Prior to our trip, Michelle and Erin took great care of us and made sure we were good to go. Every element of the trip went smoothly with no surprises. Our ship, Ocean Albatross, was beautiful. The cabin was spacious and had everything we needed. The laundry service was cheap and fast (so there was no need to overpack). The food was great. The atmosphere was comfortable and casual (our style). And best of all, the staff and crew were so kind, accommodating and friendly. The guides and expedition leader were all amazing. We did so many shore landings and zodiac cruises, each one unique. There was no shortage of wildlife! We traveled with our 10 year-old son who had the time of his life. There were several other tweens/teens onboard. The guests were mostly a combination of families and solo travelers, mostly from the US. Overall, our trip was spectacular, a truly unforgettable trip of a lifetime!
Chrissy Howard
2 days ago
Tilly has been quickly responsive to my texts and emails.
Paula Thompson
3 days ago
I love working with the travel coordinators as they are helpful, friendly, and provide the information with the committed timeframe.
Mary Klaus
4 days ago
I have been working with the wonderful professionals at Adventure Life for many years and keep coming back because of the friendly, courteous, professional expertise I always receive. I've looked for travel agencies here at home but nothing compares to the service I receive with Adventure Life.
Chris Robinson
5 days ago
I am travelling alone on Bordeaux river cruise. Very prompt and informative responses. No issues.
Cliff Jones
1 day ago
We had the most incredible trip to Antarctica! Plus, we got a fantastic deal (especially considering how expensive expeditions are) and a free cabin upgrade. Prior to our trip, Michelle and Erin took great care of us and made sure we were good to go. Every element of the trip went smoothly with no surprises. Our ship, Ocean Albatross, was beautiful. The cabin was spacious and had everything we needed. The laundry service was cheap and fast (so there was no need to overpack). The food was great. The atmosphere was comfortable and casual (our style). And best of all, the staff and crew were so kind, accommodating and friendly. The guides and expedition leader were all amazing. We did so many shore landings and zodiac cruises, each one unique. There was no shortage of wildlife! We traveled with our 10 year-old son who had the time of his life. There were several other tweens/teens onboard. The guests were mostly a combination of families and solo travelers, mostly from the US. Overall, our trip was spectacular, a truly unforgettable trip of a lifetime!
Chrissy Howard
2 days ago
Tilly has been quickly responsive to my texts and emails.
Paula Thompson
3 days ago
I love working with the travel coordinators as they are helpful, friendly, and provide the information with the committed timeframe.
Mary Klaus
4 days ago
I have been working with the wonderful professionals at Adventure Life for many years and keep coming back because of the friendly, courteous, professional expertise I always receive. I've looked for travel agencies here at home but nothing compares to the service I receive with Adventure Life.
Chris Robinson
5 days ago
I am travelling alone on Bordeaux river cruise. Very prompt and informative responses. No issues.
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