BajaNomad

Driving in Cape/La Paz; + question on CDW for rental car

jay045 - 8-19-2013 at 08:58 AM

Greetings all,

The Nomads have convinced me that we'll need a rental car, so I wanted to figure out a couple of things. I searched but didn't find these on the board.

- In practice, do credit cards like Visa really cover the rental car for collision/damages (CDW)? I know they claim to, but I wondered how that has worked out in practice - anyone have experience with that? (I know PLI is required; FYI, we're renting through Alamo at SJDC airport)

- How is Highway 1 in the Cape area? My wife gets a bit queasy with tons of hair-pin turns and really windy roads. Looking at the maps, it looks like the road winds quite a bit, but I wanted to hear first-hand about that.

- How easy is it to drive in La Paz (traffic, crazy drivers, etc.)? I'm guessing in the Cape area, it's fairly laid back. We're staying at Posada Luna Del Sol, near the Malecon, for four nights, so I wanted to get a sense of what to expect.

Thanks in advance for any info.

[Edited on 8-19-2013 by jay045]

A word of advice

bajaguy - 8-19-2013 at 09:05 AM

When you rent the car, do a complete damage inspection inside and out to include the trunk (spare tire and jack). Complete this inspection with an employee of the rental company.

During the inspection take photos of any damage, and overall photos of the car (in the event the rental firm claims damage)....also include the rental car company employee in the photos..........this will solve any problems when you turn in the car.

BFS - 8-19-2013 at 09:13 AM

the only really windy part of the road down here is from about 5 miles south of the La Paz- Todos Santos-San Jose bridge heading towards Los Barriles. The paved road winds over, throughand down the mountains for about 1 hour passing El Triunfo, San Antonio, San Bartolo then dropping down to Los Barriles finally. After Los Barriles its not that windy anymore. San Jose to Cabo is straight. Cabo to Todos Santos is paved, 4 lanes, mostly straight with a few twists here and there but not really full of curves. The dirt East Cape road from Cabo Pulmo to San Jose is mostly straight too.

bajajudy - 8-19-2013 at 09:15 AM

Are you still going to Todos Santos your first night?
If so, take the toll(cuota) road to the end. Take a right and you will be on your way to TS. Good road not too many turns.
Coming back from La Paz take #1...stop in El Triunfo, go to the piano museum. You can stop in Santiago(Blanca's suggestion). This is a windy road but by making some stops maybe your wife will be ok.
You might want to take the Las Ventanas road out of La Paz....you could stop there as well. This road will dump you out on #1 at San Antonio, another interesting little village.

jay045 - 8-19-2013 at 09:37 AM

Thanks all! That answered several of my questions. Thanks BFS and Judy, I have a better sense of the road and the conditions.

Judy, we are planning on going to TS and will take your suggestion about the toll road. And we'll take your suggestions on #1, El Triunfo and as many of the other towns. We are so looking forward to this and appreciate the guidance.

Lee - 8-19-2013 at 09:59 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by bajaguy
When you rent the car, do a complete damage inspection inside and out to include the trunk (spare tire and jack). Complete this inspection with an employee of the rental company.

During the inspection take photos of any damage, and overall photos of the car (in the event the rental firm claims damage)....also include the rental car company employee in the photos..........this will solve any problems when you turn in the car.


Only thing I would add is when you're doing the walk around with the rental person, have him/her make a note in writing of scratches, dents, anything that you could be charged for. And x2 for the photos.

Driving in La Paz: Mexicans, generally speaking, do NOT stop for Stop Signs. They roll through them slowly. They roll through Amber Lights. Tailgating is allowed in town. I always think there is lots of traffic in town and people drive too fast. Eventually, you get use to all this. Ignore traffic offenders and stop completely at Stop Signs, don't go through Amber lights.

If stopped by a traffic cop, plead ignorance.

RnR - 8-19-2013 at 10:01 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by jay045

- In practice, do credit cards like Visa really cover the rental car for collision/damages (CDW)? I know they claim to, but I wondered how that has worked out in practice - anyone have experience with that?


My Mastercard covered collision damages.

I declined CDW at the rental agency (Avis at SJD), found hit and run fender bender damage on the rental car a few days later, had to pay for the damage upon return of the rental car (via credit card), Mastercard reimbursed the damages in about four days after turning in the damage claim upon return to the US.

Read your individual Mastercard/Visa agreement for details PRIOR to renting the car.

jay045 - 8-19-2013 at 10:38 AM

Lee, thanks much - that really gets at what I was trying to understand about La Paz. Great advice on the rental car walk through.

RnR, thanks so much for the insight (and sorry for your experience). That gives me some piece of mind, and I'll check into the exact language on the agreement.

Alamo takes a $700 deposit as part of the rental, and I feel more confident knowing that credit card processors with CDW protection do follow through (plus, I'll definitely do a careful walk through, take photos of damage, etc.).

jay045 - 8-19-2013 at 11:37 AM

We have a late flight on a Monday (4:55pm). Is it feasible to spend the night at Los Barriles, and go directly to the SJD airport (we'd probably start heading in that direction no later than noon)? Or are there variables that make staying at a hotel in San Jose Del Cabo the smartest thing to do? I can imagine it's an easier piece of mind, but it didn't look like a particularly hard drive between LB and SJD.

danaeb - 8-19-2013 at 11:39 AM

Here's a link for some fun maps of the areas you'll be visiting. La Paz can be confusing for the first-timer. Many downtown streets don't have street signs and to add to the confusion, they are mostly one-way.

http://www.gotbaja.mx/destinos.html

Lee - 8-19-2013 at 06:11 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by jay045
We have a late flight on a Monday (4:55pm). Is it feasible to spend the night at Los Barriles, and go directly to the SJD airport (we'd probably start heading in that direction no later than noon)? Or are there variables that make staying at a hotel in San Jose Del Cabo the smartest thing to do? I can imagine it's an easier piece of mind, but it didn't look like a particularly hard drive between LB and SJD.


Personally, I would stay here first night. If arriving on a later flight, you've been up and traveling awhile. On arrival, think margs, great MX food and a pool.

http://www.hotels.com/ho417039/best-western-aeropuerto-los-c...

Next to the airport, get's good reviews and read somewhere the food is good.

If you can err on taking more time, or pushing on, take the time. Relax, have fun, and don't hurry.

jay045 - 8-19-2013 at 09:04 PM

Thanks Lee, totally makes sense.

Loretana - 8-19-2013 at 10:25 PM

Posada Luna Sol

Very nice property, clean, decent beds and centrally located. Say Hola to Ricardo, the charming owner....safe enclosed parking, and very near the Chedraui superstore...I use Luna Sol for my La Paz pit stop when I travel down from Loreto to deal with my fideicomiso and other banking....love it!

So easy to find, on a side street

nice view from the upper patio

a relaxing quiet corner

Don Ricardo, the charming owner

volcano - 8-20-2013 at 06:14 AM

the road section El Triunfo, San Bartolo, though mountainous and windy, is one of the most special, cultural, and unique areas of Baja Sur.

Rental Car damage experience: I had gotten an american express card just for the purpose of car rental damage protection..if needed. On my trip last year.. a young woman backed into my car in a tienda parking lot, on my entry day into my area. She had a borrowed truck, and no coverage. Headlight and fender damage. When I had the chance, I called am.xpress...and asked the process of filing claim, and I exchanged the car with the rental co. they of course took photos, had me write a report, etc. Am.xpress gives you unlimited time to file the claim (months).....in my case they reimbursed my card with costs the rental car co charged at the end of my contract. they do however require total documentation.....so you or the rental co. must provide copies of everything..including estimates etc. flat, damaged, or unfixable tires are not included.

RnR - 8-20-2013 at 08:22 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by jay045
We have a late flight on a Monday (4:55pm). Is it feasible to spend the night at Los Barriles, and go directly to the SJD airport (we'd probably start heading in that direction no later than noon)? Or are there variables that make staying at a hotel in San Jose Del Cabo the smartest thing to do? I can imagine it's an easier piece of mind, but it didn't look like a particularly hard drive between LB and SJD.


Los Barriles or San Jose are both good choices.

Barriles is less than an hour from the SJD airport. Hwy 1 is a very good road, 60+ mph, essentially straight and flat with just a few curves thrown in.

From downtown San Jose, it may take you 30 min to get to SJD even though it is only about ten miles. Depends how far into San Jose you stay. Lots of stop lights and city traffic.

The Best Western at the airport is very nice, with a very good restaurant, and about $80 USD. Walking distance to your terminal. A good choice if you have an early morning departure.

With a late afternoon departure, stay somewhere offsite and experience one more night/day of the Baja experience.

For the Baja experience, I'd choose the Los Barriles area. San Jose is beginning to tend more towards the Cabo experience. :biggrin:

jay045 - 8-20-2013 at 09:49 AM

Awesome, thanks for the photos!

Quote:
Originally posted by Loretana
Posada Luna Sol

Very nice property, clean, decent beds and centrally located. Say Hola to Ricardo, the charming owner....safe enclosed parking, and very near the Chedraui superstore...I use Luna Sol for my La Paz pit stop when I travel down from Loreto to deal with my fideicomiso and other banking....love it!

So easy to find, on a side street

nice view from the upper patio

a relaxing quiet corner

Don Ricardo, the charming owner

jay045 - 8-20-2013 at 09:56 AM

Thanks! We switched up our itinerary a bit and decided to stay in San Jose (we'll have plenty of time on the East Cape prior to that). We're planning to stay at the Marisol in town; since we leave later in the day, it just seemed like a better bet. But I might flip on that and switch to LB, since it might be a culture shock going to SJ after being on the East Cape (Cabo Pulmo).
Quote:
Originally posted by RnR


Los Barriles or San Jose are both good choices.

Barriles is less than an hour from the SJD airport. Hwy 1 is a very good road, 60+ mph, essentially straight and flat with just a few curves thrown in.

From downtown San Jose, it may take you 30 min to get to SJD even though it is only about ten miles. Depends how far into San Jose you stay. Lots of stop lights and city traffic.

The Best Western at the airport is very nice, with a very good restaurant, and about $80 USD. Walking distance to your terminal. A good choice if you have an early morning departure.

With a late afternoon departure, stay somewhere offsite and experience one more night/day of the Baja experience.

For the Baja experience, I'd choose the Los Barriles area. San Jose is beginning to tend more towards the Cabo experience. :biggrin:

BFS - 8-20-2013 at 01:57 PM

"We enjoy cultural activities, history, and local flavor..." "We're both intermediate level Spanish speakers, and our travel Spanish is pretty good."

Based on this statement you might want to avoid Los Barriles altogether...

jay045 - 8-20-2013 at 06:19 PM

Thanks BFS. We actually decided not to stay at Los Barriles; we'll be at Cabo Pulmo for two nights instead, and then one night in San Jose.

We actually are going to do the itinerary you suggested almost verbatim - I am so appreciative of the guidance, and great detail you provided!

Quote:
Originally posted by BFS
"We enjoy cultural activities, history, and local flavor..." "We're both intermediate level Spanish speakers, and our travel Spanish is pretty good."

Based on this statement you might want to avoid Los Barriles altogether...

David K - 8-20-2013 at 07:17 PM

Stop for dried mangos or mango candy in San Bartolo. If pitayas are being sold along the highway, try them!

In Mexico, the green traffic light blinks before turning amber the red is much sooner to come. So consider a green blinking signal the way we in CA consider an amber... stop if you can safely, pass through if you are too close to the intersection to stop smoothly.

jay045 - 8-21-2013 at 12:17 PM

Awesome suggestions. And thanks for the heads up on driving - will definitely be looking for that.

David K - 8-21-2013 at 03:21 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by jay045
Awesome suggestions. And thanks for the heads up on driving - will definitely be looking for that.


De nada... I am not sure about most other U.S. states, but the flashing green is something I have only seen in Mexico.

While it is a large photo trip report... much of it is the La Paz to Cabo area,

Day 6 (Thursday): To El Triunfo, Real de Santa Ana, San Bartolo, Los Barriles, Punta Pescadero, San Juan de los Planes, La Paz.

Day 7 (Friday): La Paz Museums, La Balandra, El Tecolote.

Day 8 (Saturday): To Todos Santos, El Pedrito, Cabo San Lucas, El Tule, San Jose del Cabo, Santiago, Las Cuevas, La Paz.

Day 9 (Sunday): To: Isla Espirito Santo, Isla Partida, Las Tres Virgenes Restaurant.


and you may see some places we visited last summer (2012) that look interesting to check out... the link is in my list of links just below...

Here too: 15 Days of Baja adventures, July, 2012: http://forums.bajanomad.com/viewthread.php?tid=61576





[Edited on 8-21-2013 by David K]

jay045 - 8-21-2013 at 04:28 PM

Wow, David, amazing write up. Not to mention much more bold of an adventure than I would plan, especially for that short amount of time. Love it!

mtnpop - 8-23-2013 at 12:46 PM

our experience, short story maybe...
several years ago got into SJDL and rented the typical 2 door Spec... Drove to CSL nice hiway,, then headed to TS not so good hiway then now nice new 4 lane.. then,,, 60Km speed limit and we go 100Km and think we are going to get pushed out of the way,,, then on to LaPaz,, nice new hiway... get into LaPaz and holy cow... we got inot the older part of the city,,, alternating streets one way the other direction... alto signs almost visible and the locals almost make the stops and want to go FAST or faster than us... as we didn't have a clue... finally got out of town and headed south thru Los Barriles a nice road with good scenery and back to SJDC... that was enough for us...
Made a deal that we would never go to LaPaz again... ever... WELL... better said than done... last winter 5 trips to LaPaz and all over town... this time with a 3/4 ton extended cab truck... Dentist, shopping etc etc,,, and the all time eatery excursions... which are plentiful... Still a little stressful at times but not like the first time.... we stay at a nice B&B named Casa Buena and if you get a chance try Tamarindo restaurant once for dinner.... we loved it...as many of our friends will attest to...also....
Just some of our thoughts for whatever it means... Plenty of places to go and enjoy yourselves... have fun

David K - 8-23-2013 at 01:35 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by jay045
Wow, David, amazing write up. Not to mention much more bold of an adventure than I would plan, especially for that short amount of time. Love it!


Thank you! 15 days is a long vacation for us... and having a few days at La Paz was great because we were with BajaTripper and Zully, who really were outstanding hosts. The couple of nights at Juan and Shari's Bed & Breakfast at Bahia Asuncion really helped us to relax on the way home... A day of fossil hunting there was super relaxing!