Short trip report on La Paz and Todos Santos
Mar 11th, 2007, 04:31 PM
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Short trip report on La Paz and Todos Santos
We've been home about a week after spending a week in La Paz and 2 nights near Todos Santos. I planned the trip with the excellent help and advice of Suze and Bill H. and a couple other people on this forum. We stayed at Club El Moro in La Paz and were delighted with it. Our room was a junior suite: huge with a full kitchen and wonderful terrace with views of their beautiful garden, palms trees and a fountain. We spent a lot of time out there reading and basking in the warm, perfect weather. Their cafe had excellent Huevos Rancheros for breakfast, but also serves American style pancakes, waffles and French toast.
El Moro is about a mile's walk from the central area of town and is very pleasant as you stroll down the paved malecon next to the sea. We ate splendid meals, from cheap fish tacos to fancy lobster dinners, all very reasonably priced. Beer was about $3 a bottle, gigantic margaritas about $4 each.
We were a stone's throw from B.O.A., a very well run kayak outfitter. We arranged 2 excursions with them: a kayak trip up the coast, just DH, me and a guide. It was beautiful scenery and we saw zillions of birds and sea lions. They did a bit of snorkeling in a snug little cove, and we had lunch on a gorgeous bay with white sandy beaches.
Our other trip with B.O.A. was a boat trip to Isla Spiritu Sanctus, a large island that is a protected wildlife habitat. We went on a small motor boat with 6 other people and 2 guides. It was supposed to include snorkeling with sea lion pups, but the water was too rough and we couldn't go to that area. However, we did see a school of dolphin swimming next to the boat, which was pretty thrilling.
We also went whale watching with another outfitter and that was an extraordinary experience. It was a long 3 hour drive to get there, but worth it. We were in a small panga boat, holding about 10 people, and we played with several mother gray whales and their babies for a couple of hours. We didn't actually get to pet them, but we were close enough to touch them several times.
Towards the end of our trip, we drove south along the Pacific side to Todos Santos. Our vacation bungalow was 10 k. from the town and another 2 k. on a dirt road. The place was right on the beach in a very isolated spot with about half a dozen other houses nearby. Our room was on the second floor, with shower and toilet downstairs, but only cost $85 a night! We ate dinner both nights in the bar of the Hotel California and it was quite good. I wish I'd made more of an effort to book a room there, but I never could find a website, only a phone number. We'd tried to stay at the Todos Santos Inn, but it was booked up. We found the town a little too Americanized for our tastes, with more expensive restaurants and higher priced crafts, but it was very charming. We actually made a reservation to eat at the Sante Fe restaurant, which gets stellar reviews from Bill and our cousins, who used to have a vacation place in San Jose Del Cabo. At the last minute, though, we just weren't in the mood for expensive, Italian-based cuisine and cancelled. Might have been a mistake, but we can always go back next time.
Overall, we really fell in love with La Paz, much as Suze did when she visited years ago. It's a large town, not a tourist destination, and once you leave the waterfront and go just one block, it becomes very Mexican, with a very vibrant shopping area and fascinating houses, yards and businesses. We found the grocery store with the cow on top of the entrance, and bought all our snacks, beer and wine there. I picked up a huge bottle of Kahlua there for $8.50, the cheapest I saw anywhere.
I highly recommend La Paz if you want an authentic Mexican experience, good, cheap food and fantastic water
activities. And El Moro is a magical hotel.
El Moro is about a mile's walk from the central area of town and is very pleasant as you stroll down the paved malecon next to the sea. We ate splendid meals, from cheap fish tacos to fancy lobster dinners, all very reasonably priced. Beer was about $3 a bottle, gigantic margaritas about $4 each.
We were a stone's throw from B.O.A., a very well run kayak outfitter. We arranged 2 excursions with them: a kayak trip up the coast, just DH, me and a guide. It was beautiful scenery and we saw zillions of birds and sea lions. They did a bit of snorkeling in a snug little cove, and we had lunch on a gorgeous bay with white sandy beaches.
Our other trip with B.O.A. was a boat trip to Isla Spiritu Sanctus, a large island that is a protected wildlife habitat. We went on a small motor boat with 6 other people and 2 guides. It was supposed to include snorkeling with sea lion pups, but the water was too rough and we couldn't go to that area. However, we did see a school of dolphin swimming next to the boat, which was pretty thrilling.
We also went whale watching with another outfitter and that was an extraordinary experience. It was a long 3 hour drive to get there, but worth it. We were in a small panga boat, holding about 10 people, and we played with several mother gray whales and their babies for a couple of hours. We didn't actually get to pet them, but we were close enough to touch them several times.
Towards the end of our trip, we drove south along the Pacific side to Todos Santos. Our vacation bungalow was 10 k. from the town and another 2 k. on a dirt road. The place was right on the beach in a very isolated spot with about half a dozen other houses nearby. Our room was on the second floor, with shower and toilet downstairs, but only cost $85 a night! We ate dinner both nights in the bar of the Hotel California and it was quite good. I wish I'd made more of an effort to book a room there, but I never could find a website, only a phone number. We'd tried to stay at the Todos Santos Inn, but it was booked up. We found the town a little too Americanized for our tastes, with more expensive restaurants and higher priced crafts, but it was very charming. We actually made a reservation to eat at the Sante Fe restaurant, which gets stellar reviews from Bill and our cousins, who used to have a vacation place in San Jose Del Cabo. At the last minute, though, we just weren't in the mood for expensive, Italian-based cuisine and cancelled. Might have been a mistake, but we can always go back next time.
Overall, we really fell in love with La Paz, much as Suze did when she visited years ago. It's a large town, not a tourist destination, and once you leave the waterfront and go just one block, it becomes very Mexican, with a very vibrant shopping area and fascinating houses, yards and businesses. We found the grocery store with the cow on top of the entrance, and bought all our snacks, beer and wine there. I picked up a huge bottle of Kahlua there for $8.50, the cheapest I saw anywhere.
I highly recommend La Paz if you want an authentic Mexican experience, good, cheap food and fantastic water
activities. And El Moro is a magical hotel.
Mar 12th, 2007, 04:38 AM
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Thanks so much for posting. Glad to hear you had such a good time. La Paz is still "on our list" of places to visit for kayaking and diving. We are aiming for fall when the water temperatures should be warmer.
Mar 13th, 2007, 11:19 AM
#4
yeah! hurray!! so happy to read your post and hear about the trip. i am thrilled you enjoyed La Paz. and isn't El Moro a real gem? (i am forever friends with a poster over on LP's Thorn Tree who gave me the recommendation... i swear i'd go down just to be able to stay at that hotel again for a few weeks of R&R.
so many people are always asking for that "authentic Mexican town"... i don't know why more people don't go to La Paz.
so many people are always asking for that "authentic Mexican town"... i don't know why more people don't go to La Paz.
Mar 13th, 2007, 04:21 PM
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Hey Suze! I was hoping you'd see this thread! Yes, we loved El Moro, but did have a couple of small complaints. Although there was a coffee maker, there were no filters! I asked one of the maids if she had any and she just shrugged and said we had to get our own. I also ended up buying 2 wine glasses and some salt. Also we never had any napkins - had to use Kleenex. Oh well, not a big deal. On our last night, we had a visit from a very tiny mouse. When we checked out, I mentioned it to the girl at the front desk and she seemed genuinely shocked. We didn't really care, but did feel that they would want to know about it. The place was very clean and I loved the daily maid service and fresh towels every day. We usually stay in apartments when we travel, so that seems like such a luxury. For the price, you can't beat this place, that's for sure.
If you ever go back, the absolute best fish tacos we had were in a place called Hermanos Gonzales. It's a couple of blocks up the hill from the Burger King (don't know if that was there when you visited). It was an open-air "shack" on top of a building, shaded by blue tarps with picnic tables and plastic chairs. You could get any kind of seafood imaginable, cooked in any style you wanted, and then there was a covered buffet where you could choose any kind of condiment to put on top. We stuffed ourselves for $8. Fantastico!
If you ever go back, the absolute best fish tacos we had were in a place called Hermanos Gonzales. It's a couple of blocks up the hill from the Burger King (don't know if that was there when you visited). It was an open-air "shack" on top of a building, shaded by blue tarps with picnic tables and plastic chairs. You could get any kind of seafood imaginable, cooked in any style you wanted, and then there was a covered buffet where you could choose any kind of condiment to put on top. We stuffed ourselves for $8. Fantastico!
Mar 13th, 2007, 04:44 PM
#6
Yes I'm glad you topped this post! Thanks for the tidbits and details.
I'm thinking you must stay at nicer places than I do normally (haha) since I wouldn't expect napkins, salt, or coffee filters to be provided
That seafood shack sounds divine!!!
I'm thinking you must stay at nicer places than I do normally (haha) since I wouldn't expect napkins, salt, or coffee filters to be provided
That seafood shack sounds divine!!!
Mar 14th, 2007, 06:56 AM
#8
I understand ;-)
It's just I've seen some pretty wild things in Mexico in apartment kitchens -lol. We had one "stove" in Vallarta that we were afraid to put a match to, for example.
I'm glad you found all the different activities and adventures you were seeking (since I was no good at all helping with that part).
Hopefully Bill will see your thank you too. And that others people reading here & thinking about La Paz will be intrigued and give it a go.
I was also interested in your take on Todos Santos. Only because I have not been, and it sounds different than what I would have been expecting (more spiffed up).
muchas gracias, Susana
It's just I've seen some pretty wild things in Mexico in apartment kitchens -lol. We had one "stove" in Vallarta that we were afraid to put a match to, for example.
I'm glad you found all the different activities and adventures you were seeking (since I was no good at all helping with that part).
Hopefully Bill will see your thank you too. And that others people reading here & thinking about La Paz will be intrigued and give it a go.
I was also interested in your take on Todos Santos. Only because I have not been, and it sounds different than what I would have been expecting (more spiffed up).
muchas gracias, Susana
Mar 14th, 2007, 07:18 AM
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Actually, the stove in our room at El Moro was fueled by propane, I think. It looked like a regular stove but we never used it. There was a slight smell of fuel and it kind of scared me!
I think Bill does not agree with us that La Paz is a wonderful town and feels that Todos Santos has more to offer. It is a lot more quaint and laid back, and there were a lot of Mexican shops and businesses. Plus, we only saw the 3 or 4 main streets in the core area so I can hardly say that we got a comprehensive view of the entire town. We didn't go to the beach there, for instance, which is supposed to be lovely. It's just that we saw mainly U.S. gringos everywhere we walked and ate, and the restaurants seemed to cater exclusively to tourists, whereas in La Paz, we saw fewer U.S. tourists, even in the touristy area, and I never saw one in the Mexican parts of town! It sounds like I'm really down on U.S. citizens and I'm not! But the point of travel in a foreign country to us is to experience a little of the way of life of the natives. If your point is to get away and relax, then a place that feels more like home is going to appeal to you more. Sometimes that's what I want, too. And frankly, I could have been pretty happy staying in Todos Santos and getting into the hippy-dippy feeling of the place, but my DH just couldn't wait to leave. To each his own, right?
I also hope that more people will discover La Paz, but maybe not too many? Our wonderful B.O.A. guide says that it is changing, and some resorts are going to go up on the Northern edge of town, but because it is a capital city, there's a lot of bureaucracy and it is harder for developers to get a foothold there (unlike Cabo where there are no rules or limits).
I think Bill does not agree with us that La Paz is a wonderful town and feels that Todos Santos has more to offer. It is a lot more quaint and laid back, and there were a lot of Mexican shops and businesses. Plus, we only saw the 3 or 4 main streets in the core area so I can hardly say that we got a comprehensive view of the entire town. We didn't go to the beach there, for instance, which is supposed to be lovely. It's just that we saw mainly U.S. gringos everywhere we walked and ate, and the restaurants seemed to cater exclusively to tourists, whereas in La Paz, we saw fewer U.S. tourists, even in the touristy area, and I never saw one in the Mexican parts of town! It sounds like I'm really down on U.S. citizens and I'm not! But the point of travel in a foreign country to us is to experience a little of the way of life of the natives. If your point is to get away and relax, then a place that feels more like home is going to appeal to you more. Sometimes that's what I want, too. And frankly, I could have been pretty happy staying in Todos Santos and getting into the hippy-dippy feeling of the place, but my DH just couldn't wait to leave. To each his own, right?
I also hope that more people will discover La Paz, but maybe not too many? Our wonderful B.O.A. guide says that it is changing, and some resorts are going to go up on the Northern edge of town, but because it is a capital city, there's a lot of bureaucracy and it is harder for developers to get a foothold there (unlike Cabo where there are no rules or limits).
