Loreto, BCS Feb/March 2013
Mar 5th, 2013, 05:39 AM
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Loreto, BCS Feb/March 2013
This is our second visit to the sleepy, fishing village of Loreto. Although we stay outside of the town in a small development called Nopolo, it is without a doubt, the prettiest spot to relax and enjoy nature.
One thing I must say about Loreto, I haven't had a bad meal. The freshest ingredients are used and if you enjoy seafood, this is where you will get some of the best. From the little taco stands to the pricier small restaurants - shrimp, scallops, fish, clams, octopus - is amazing. Even the dirt floor restaurants are clean and their meals prepared for your enjoyment.
We decided to take a weekend and head towards La Paz - about a 4.5 hour drive from Loreto. Not for the feint of heart, driving is an adventure. As you leave Loreto, you go through the curvy mountainous range. The number of crosses along this route, makes you want to slow down. The road is the road - no sides to pull off. I would advise any driving in the Baja is done during daylight hours! After going through the mountains, you have about an hour of nothing - cactus, brush - pretty boring - except watching the crazy drivers passing at the crest of hills or on corners. Two towns await you - Insurgenes and Constitution. We drove through and headed towards Puerto San Carlos to find the grey whales.
Puerto San Carlos is a beautiful fishing village. Mostly dirt roads, but the beaches are pure white sand. We found the harbour master and asked about hiring a boat to take us out to see the grey whales. Captain Crispin was called, and he arrived at the office to take us to his boat. Four hours later, we managed to see about 30 whales. A small panga with four comfortable seats, was our vehicle that provided amazing entertainment for our small group. Crispin recommends calling ahead to check on the weather as the winds had been quite high for the last couple of weeks. We were lucky we arrived early enough that the sea didn't get too rough until our return around lunchtime. After docking, Crispin led us to a small, clean restaurant that served us the freshest shrimp and scallop dinner with tortillas and beans/rice. His english was excellent even though one of our party spoke Spanish. Crispin joined us for lunch and shared stories about the town and his life. The entire trip, including lunch and tip, cost us about $4000 pesos or under $400 for four of us. I would have stayed an extra day here, just to explore the beaches. If you are looking for a Four Seasons here, not the place to come.
Onwards we travelled to La Paz for the weekend. We stayed on the Malecon at a small, clean hotel called El Moro. We had a two bedroom suite overlooking the small pool area. It is about a ten minute walk to the busy section of the Malecon. I don't think wherever you stay along the beach, you will find peace and quiet - lots of noise! Again, if you are looking for a Four Seasons, I wouldn't recommend El Moro but I would probably stay there again. They do allow dogs, but to the owners of the yappy dog that barked all night and day, I wish they had left it home! Our suite also overlooked the small bar which seemed to be the happening spot on Saturday night. The bartender isn't the fastest, but he was lovely and encouraged me to try what he said was the best margarita in la Paz. Not sure about that one, but I drank it!
The Malecon in La Paz is littered all times of the day with bikers, runners and people exercising. It was good to see so much activity. Sunday morning seems to be the time they all come out to exercise - at 7:30 am it was packed with people. We strolled down the Malecon to the Perla hotel for our morning coffee and fresh juice. We also shared an excellent omelet. It was perfect, comfortable outside seating with a view to die for! We watched the boats prepare to take out tourists and the National Geographic boat unload his passengers and prepare for another excursion.
La Paz is now the capital of the Baja, so lots of people and big box stores - but the charm is still there! We certainly enjoyed our stay and again, can't say we had a bad meal at any of the restaurants we visited. One small bar close to the Perla even made us a special dish that wasn't on the menu - raw scallops with red onions and lime juice. I didn't really want to look at the bill when I got it, but for 70 pesos, I was amazed! We actually couldn't finish the plate there was so much on it.
We have a few more weeks here in the Baja, so will post more about our trip. The sun and surf are calling my name!
One thing I must say about Loreto, I haven't had a bad meal. The freshest ingredients are used and if you enjoy seafood, this is where you will get some of the best. From the little taco stands to the pricier small restaurants - shrimp, scallops, fish, clams, octopus - is amazing. Even the dirt floor restaurants are clean and their meals prepared for your enjoyment.
We decided to take a weekend and head towards La Paz - about a 4.5 hour drive from Loreto. Not for the feint of heart, driving is an adventure. As you leave Loreto, you go through the curvy mountainous range. The number of crosses along this route, makes you want to slow down. The road is the road - no sides to pull off. I would advise any driving in the Baja is done during daylight hours! After going through the mountains, you have about an hour of nothing - cactus, brush - pretty boring - except watching the crazy drivers passing at the crest of hills or on corners. Two towns await you - Insurgenes and Constitution. We drove through and headed towards Puerto San Carlos to find the grey whales.
Puerto San Carlos is a beautiful fishing village. Mostly dirt roads, but the beaches are pure white sand. We found the harbour master and asked about hiring a boat to take us out to see the grey whales. Captain Crispin was called, and he arrived at the office to take us to his boat. Four hours later, we managed to see about 30 whales. A small panga with four comfortable seats, was our vehicle that provided amazing entertainment for our small group. Crispin recommends calling ahead to check on the weather as the winds had been quite high for the last couple of weeks. We were lucky we arrived early enough that the sea didn't get too rough until our return around lunchtime. After docking, Crispin led us to a small, clean restaurant that served us the freshest shrimp and scallop dinner with tortillas and beans/rice. His english was excellent even though one of our party spoke Spanish. Crispin joined us for lunch and shared stories about the town and his life. The entire trip, including lunch and tip, cost us about $4000 pesos or under $400 for four of us. I would have stayed an extra day here, just to explore the beaches. If you are looking for a Four Seasons here, not the place to come.
Onwards we travelled to La Paz for the weekend. We stayed on the Malecon at a small, clean hotel called El Moro. We had a two bedroom suite overlooking the small pool area. It is about a ten minute walk to the busy section of the Malecon. I don't think wherever you stay along the beach, you will find peace and quiet - lots of noise! Again, if you are looking for a Four Seasons, I wouldn't recommend El Moro but I would probably stay there again. They do allow dogs, but to the owners of the yappy dog that barked all night and day, I wish they had left it home! Our suite also overlooked the small bar which seemed to be the happening spot on Saturday night. The bartender isn't the fastest, but he was lovely and encouraged me to try what he said was the best margarita in la Paz. Not sure about that one, but I drank it!
The Malecon in La Paz is littered all times of the day with bikers, runners and people exercising. It was good to see so much activity. Sunday morning seems to be the time they all come out to exercise - at 7:30 am it was packed with people. We strolled down the Malecon to the Perla hotel for our morning coffee and fresh juice. We also shared an excellent omelet. It was perfect, comfortable outside seating with a view to die for! We watched the boats prepare to take out tourists and the National Geographic boat unload his passengers and prepare for another excursion.
La Paz is now the capital of the Baja, so lots of people and big box stores - but the charm is still there! We certainly enjoyed our stay and again, can't say we had a bad meal at any of the restaurants we visited. One small bar close to the Perla even made us a special dish that wasn't on the menu - raw scallops with red onions and lime juice. I didn't really want to look at the bill when I got it, but for 70 pesos, I was amazed! We actually couldn't finish the plate there was so much on it.
We have a few more weeks here in the Baja, so will post more about our trip. The sun and surf are calling my name!
Mar 5th, 2013, 05:45 AM
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I forgot to mention, we thought about renting a car while we were here in Loreto. My recommendation would be to do it prior to arriving. The internet rate was half of what the same company quoted me on site. We spoke at length to the guy at the rental place in Nopolo and he explained the various insurances. He also mentioned if you didn't buy full coverage, your credit card must be able to cover the cost of replacing the vehicle should something happen.
Mar 5th, 2013, 10:49 AM
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Thanks for the report. I think you also wrote a report on your trip last year? We were in Nopolo a little over a year ago and had a great time. We got to see the whales out of Lopez Matteo. A highlight of the trip. Looking forward to more!
Mar 8th, 2013, 05:08 AM
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Yes Michelle, we were here one year ago. We are going to go back to see the greys before we leave. The babies are all in Lopez Matteo, so hope we aren't too late to see them.
We went out on Loreto Bay to see the blue whales yesterday. It was overcast with the sun trying to come out. We had a private boat and headed out to where the blues were spotted the day before. Our captain said they were somewhere past Carman and before the point. We were so disappointed, no sightings. We turned around and headed back to the wharf when I spotted a spray off in the distance. We were blessed to see three of the huge whales. They weren't diving deep, so no tails, but just to hear them on the quiet, still water is enough to make me happy! A pod of dolphins also joined in the fun, swimming alongside our boat and then swimming with the whales. We managed to see a lot of fish and a large ray.
We also were fortunate to have a "Loreto" rain yesterday. The forecast called for showers. When I told our hostess she laughed and said I must have had the wrong Loreto up on my computer screen. Well we did get showers - about 10 drops! Theh climate here is amazing. It is cooler than La Paz, but perfect for those who don't like intense heat. The residents here say September is unbearable, but I think probably past April, you are getting in the high temps.
We went out on Loreto Bay to see the blue whales yesterday. It was overcast with the sun trying to come out. We had a private boat and headed out to where the blues were spotted the day before. Our captain said they were somewhere past Carman and before the point. We were so disappointed, no sightings. We turned around and headed back to the wharf when I spotted a spray off in the distance. We were blessed to see three of the huge whales. They weren't diving deep, so no tails, but just to hear them on the quiet, still water is enough to make me happy! A pod of dolphins also joined in the fun, swimming alongside our boat and then swimming with the whales. We managed to see a lot of fish and a large ray.
We also were fortunate to have a "Loreto" rain yesterday. The forecast called for showers. When I told our hostess she laughed and said I must have had the wrong Loreto up on my computer screen. Well we did get showers - about 10 drops! Theh climate here is amazing. It is cooler than La Paz, but perfect for those who don't like intense heat. The residents here say September is unbearable, but I think probably past April, you are getting in the high temps.
Apr 1st, 2013, 09:02 AM
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MichelleY, we also visited San Javier. For a 36 mile drive, it isn't the fastest. We chose to have Oscar, a taxicab driver from Loreto, drive our vehicle so we could enjoy the trip. Oscar's wife is from San Javier. We stopped at a few spots to see some ancient wall paintings and also on the riverbed to see a huge fig tree that had grown into the rocks. The best part of our trip ... Oscar dediced he would take us to his mother-in-laws for lunch. With no cell service or power, she did not know we were coming. Oscar and packed some provisions, so when we arrived, she smiled widely and said of course she would cook for us. The small farm was outside of San Javier (Santo Domingo?). A very rough road took us there. Because of the recent rains, a lot of the roads were literally gone. The farmhouse was quaint, rough but extremely clean. It consisted of a few outbuildings, the main house with bedrooms/bathroom and kitchen, and an outdoor kitchen where her tortilla stove was located. Oscar showed us around the farm, along with a group of dogs and one siamese cat, and we petted the goats, looked at the new piglets and were amazed at the large garden. While Loreto is basically in the desert, this is certainly farming country. Lunch consisted of fresh goat cheese, quesadilla and two beef enchiladas. Fresh avacado, limes and the hotest salsa I have ever had in my life. Even Oscar choked! Margarita, the hostess, sat with us after lunch and brought out her little poodle "Donkey" that danced while she sang. We left her with 500 pesos and tears came to her eyes. She said she had prayed to San Javier the day before for money as they had none. Her prayers came true!
We then went to the mission and Oscar gave us a tour of the church along with local stories. We also bought a bottle of the mission wine - however for $200 pesos, vinegar would have been better
If you happen to be in Loreto and looking for a guide, call Nellie at Loreto Bay Homes or Baja Boss and ask her how to get in touch with Oscar. I would highly recommend him as one of the safest drivers!!!!
We then went to the mission and Oscar gave us a tour of the church along with local stories. We also bought a bottle of the mission wine - however for $200 pesos, vinegar would have been better
If you happen to be in Loreto and looking for a guide, call Nellie at Loreto Bay Homes or Baja Boss and ask her how to get in touch with Oscar. I would highly recommend him as one of the safest drivers!!!!
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