BajaNomad - Santiago Accommodations

Santiago Accommodations

motoged - 10-2-2013 at 04:05 PM

I understand that there is a small hotel in Santiago (South Cape) with a restaurant in front. Is there more than the one hotel there?

Just asking for this town...not any other locations....gracias.

monoloco - 10-2-2013 at 04:20 PM

The Palomar Hotel.

David K - 10-2-2013 at 04:21 PM

Palomar hotel was reported closed in 2010... It used to get high reviews... Hollywood celebs stayed there...

Here is the last post about it closing: http://forums.bajanomad.com/viewthread.php?tid=43978

cliffh - 10-2-2013 at 04:24 PM

Great place for lunch and a few cuba's, as of last june

Santiago - 10-2-2013 at 04:52 PM

I have no idea what you're talking about. But stop on by anytime.

Bajahowodd - 10-2-2013 at 04:57 PM

This? http://www.loscabosguide.com/santiago/index.html

Bajahowodd - 10-2-2013 at 04:59 PM

and this. http://www.10best.com/destinations/mexico/cabo-san-lucas/art...

tripledigitken - 10-2-2013 at 05:13 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Santiago
I have no idea what you're talking about. But stop on by anytime.

motoged - 10-2-2013 at 10:59 PM

What a bunch of payasos :biggrin:

bajabuddha - 10-2-2013 at 11:44 PM

Had a wonderful meal, and 3 hours of wandering the courtyard at El Palomar Restaurante y Hotel in the first week of January, 1996. Not a day goes by without wishing for another visit. Every kind of tree (mostly one of a kind) from avacado to almonds to limon y lemones adorned the grounds with tables surrounding the flora, both frutas y semillas, flores y pimientos. My (now weathered) guide book said it was a haunt of Errol Flynn and of course, Hemmingway (who called Mulege a mosquito infested swamp i think).

With the flood of humanity from Los Barriles southwards, especially south cape, i doubt i will ever return (personal reasons) but the romanticism of that off-the-path place will be indellibly branded into my heart. Hope you find it well and still rustic, romantic, and funcitoning. Buena Suerte.

vandy - 10-3-2013 at 05:20 AM

Holy Moses!

Sergio would be shocked to gear he's closed.

The Hotel Palomar was open and running last time I was in town August this year.
Still the best and only place to stay in Santiago unless you know someone.
Restaurant still good and ambiance superb.

Sergio will pick you up at the airport too.
Of course I can't find his number, but I'll check my Mexican phones when I'm back in Phoenix.
Don't hold your breath, though.
I'm driving down there again in a couple of days.

bajajudy - 10-3-2013 at 10:07 AM

I love to go to the restaurant on a cool day and sit in front of the fire while having lunch.

motoged - 10-3-2013 at 10:20 AM

Thanks folks....I just heard from a fellow moto guy that he stayed there in the past month....it seems that there are about six rooms behind the more apparent restaurant....

His comments about finding the place (from a ride report that you ALL will enjoy...good pics of some places you all want to see....and some of you have...):

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=922187

"I rode as far as La Vinorama and said goodbye to the Sea of Cortez as I cruzed up some windy dirt roads through the hills and to the hwy and turned back north towards Mira Flores. As I was buzzing up the hwy a huge hive of honey filled bees flew into me (or me into them). I thought I was going to be a pin cushion for their stingers but not a single sting! I had honey on everything though and I couldn’t even see out of my goggles.
I arrived in the pretty and quiet little town of Mira Flores and stopped for a cold soda but there was no hotels here so I took some little dirt back roads up to Santiago where I found the little gem El Palomar Hotel. I was the only customer so I got a lot of attentive service from the manager (Lenny). Yup, another Lenny. This place is in the mtns so it stays much cooler. There are trees and many cooing doves and other birds here, a piece of paradise. This was perfect."

with the owner/manager ?:

And the rooms:

[Edited on 10-3-2013 by motoged]

monoloco - 10-3-2013 at 10:32 AM

Doesn't look like it's changed much in the 25 years since I was last there.

motoged - 10-3-2013 at 10:42 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by monoloco
Doesn't look like it's changed much in the 25 years since I was last there.

I would say "That's a good thing !" :saint:

monoloco - 10-3-2013 at 11:10 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by motoged

Quote:

Originally posted by monoloco
Doesn't look like it's changed much in the 25 years since I was last there.

I would say "That's a good thing !" :saint:

I remember it as a beautiful and peaceful spot. We used to go there frequently for breakfast when we camped in Los Barriles.

mulegemichael - 10-3-2013 at 12:19 PM

we would go there for lunch, pick oranges in the orange grove there and they would make our drinks with them...they always always told us to take whatever fruit we wanted...we'd then usually wander down to the local zoo for a stroll with the animals then head for the hot springs at agua caliente...a great full day!

motoged - 10-3-2013 at 12:27 PM

Yep....sounds like a good place to be for a few days....good base to explore from. Last time I was at the swimming hole, there were lots of black snakes around the dam and the water's edge....aside from that, the whole area was begging for more time to look around :yes:

Is the zoo still operating?

mulegemichael - 10-3-2013 at 12:42 PM

i don't think the zoo is now open...the poor animals were in bad shape last time we were there.....if you go back to the hot springs take the easy hike up to the waterfalls upstream...there's one spot where you might have to swim/wade a bit to get all the way up but believe me, it's worth it...there have always been a lot of snakes there but i've never seen a rattler...we have seen bullfrogs the size of a small dog fighting sumo wrestling style...quite a sight!

tripledigitken - 10-3-2013 at 01:09 PM

Does anyone remember the Nomad who posted frequently about the Zoo?

Try this link

bajajudy - 10-3-2013 at 01:30 PM

http://www.bajaquest.com/sidetrips/sidetrip32.htm

David K - 10-3-2013 at 04:19 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by tripledigitken
Does anyone remember the Nomad who posted frequently about the Zoo?

It was 'jeans'.
We visited the zoo in December, 2001... and she was so moved by the sad looking animals, she made a mission to get them into better homes (zoos with larger spaces and proper food). Jeans raised funds to help the animals and made many trips back to work with a local vet to help them.

Here is 'Leo' who can barely move a couple paces in this tiny cage. We hope to help move Leo into a proper enclosure suitable for him. The zoo is at of the end of the paved Santiago side road, south of Los Barriles.
Help Leo: http://www.landsendanimalfund.org

tripledigitken - 10-3-2013 at 04:29 PM

Thanks David!

Bajahowodd - 10-3-2013 at 04:47 PM

I have to confess that since they basically completed the four lane from La Paz through Todos to Cabo, I have found myself more motivated to just get to the end of the line, so to speak. I've been through Santiago numerous times, including taking kids to the zoo.. It was two years ago when I last drove Mex 1 from Cabo to La Paz, and that was because the West route was under heavy construction.

That said, I had no idea that this wonderful Inn and restaurant was there.

I learned something. I will make certain that we take a trip there in a couple of months.

daveB - 10-4-2013 at 12:09 AM

We drove up to the hot springs, called Agua Caliente like so many dozens by the name in Mexico, and camped overnight in a small motor home. It was a tricky road, a bicycle ride was taken to confirm we had a roadway to get us there. This was 1999. The canyon's watercourse is interupted by a dam that held about 15 to 18 feet of water, each day two visits were being made by a man who would use a long rod to open and close a valve at the bottom that supplied either irrigation or town water to the Santiago arrea and as it turned out, the valve was pretty well worn out and difficult to use. My older brother volunteered to dive down to see if there was a solution, as he had a full range of diving gear with us, but using just mask and fins found that some aspects required replacing. The workers difficulty would likely remain until a dryer season.

Later, we did the hike up the canyon, the rocks portrayed amazing colours; several pools still held plenty of water. We saw no snakes this trip, done in late January. But we did see the amazing flight of the bats that seemed to live in the piping from the dam's outlet. Other campers had advised us that each day just before the sun went down that thousands of bats would emerge, and they were right! I brought out my video camera, sat on a log, and they whizzed back and forth, sometimes grazing me with a very light touch. Some got caught in bushes and we worked diligently to cut those free. An owl swooped down and collected one bat, right before our eyes. As the frenzy subsided we realized they did not return home, but simply attached themself to large boulders, maybe waiting for darker conditions. I think that maybe it was the warmup for the day, before the actual hunt for food.

We fould the hot springs at that time, a bit small and disappointing, but the area, amazing. We met people from our small town there, and others who we had freinds in common with.

On a later return trip to the Santiago area we looked for, and found, the hot springs of Santa Rita. This was a lovely spring, quite expansive, and four or five feet deep with about 90 degree water. We payed to park and see it, after a long hill climb, and the landowner showed us the way, though we could easily have found it ourselves. We hiked the canyon here, too and enjoyed our picnic lunch.

On our way back to the highway we visited the Zoo. The grounds were well maintained but it was not looking like a going concern. The animals seemed lathargic and yes, later I read about their problems here, on Baja Nomads.

motoged - 10-4-2013 at 12:16 AM

Dave,
Nice story :saint:

dtbushpilot - 10-4-2013 at 07:42 AM

If you can't get a room in Santiago I know of a cheap place close by in Buena Vista where you could probably find a spot to sleep.

BajaBlanca - 10-4-2013 at 09:20 AM

The Palomar hotel and restaurant is open and booming. The zoo is open too, we were there some months ago. Whe. In Santiago, if you have sometime, look for a big natural spring pool at a place called Sol de Mayo. Costs like 50 pesos to go in, take a picnic lunch, it is a great spot!

Leo - 10-4-2013 at 09:32 AM

Nope, can't help you there. But about Palomar; great little place for lunch if you have time. very peaceful courtyard and reasonable prices. Yes and they have a few rooms. never stayed overnight, but if you don't mind 'rustic', I guess you will love it.

David K - 10-4-2013 at 03:12 PM

It is great to have so much be posted on the Palomar Hotel... Nothing for the past 3 years on Nomad (since it was reported closed) then this good news! :bounce:

It looks like a rustic, quiet place... Baja style! :yes:

motoged - 10-4-2013 at 03:45 PM

David,
Any time my posts start a discussion that helps you learn more about Baja (news or updates), I feel all warm inside. :biggrin:

Now, I am going to get my crayons out and draw map....how do I post a crayon drawing?

David K - 10-4-2013 at 03:46 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by motoged
David,
Any time my posts start a discussion that helps you learn more about Baja (news or updates), I feel all warm inside. :biggrin:

Now, I am going to get my crayons out and draw map....how do I post a crayon drawing?

Any way you want to Ged, any way you want to! :light:

motoged - 10-4-2013 at 06:04 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by dtbushpilot
If you can't get a room in Santiago I know of a cheap place close by in Buena Vista where you could probably find a spot to sleep.

David,
Ya, but what is the neighbourhood like?

Check your U2U :coolup:

motoged - 2-11-2014 at 02:14 PM

I spent 4 sleeps at La Palomar....the rooms are simple but I would not describe them as "rustic". To me, "rustic" describes the rooms at Rancho Santa Inez in Catavina or the cabinas at Bahia San Francisquito

The rooms are clean, have hot water, and beds that are not too hard (standard Mexican cement mattresses

).

Sergio is the gracious owner who is very proud of his business, its history (he brags more about Bing Crosby and Susan Sarandon being patrons than John Wayne [an embarrassing drunk by most accounts]), and his town and area.

Their food is very good, the service is good and muy amable.

Looking for roads to explore? East Cape road from San Jose up to Los Planes is a good day drive.....as is the road up into San Francisco mountains north of San Ignacio.....also through the Cactus Sanctuary between Todos Santos and El Triunfo....

Your jeep is NOT insured for off-road, I bet.

apple - 2-11-2014 at 10:33 PM

You can camp for like 50 pesos near Agua Caliente 10 minutes from town...