BajaNomad - hacienda santa veronica hotel

hacienda santa veronica hotel

amigobaja - 11-8-2021 at 06:08 PM

Do you have any stories about this old place ?
I'm a day early to meet up with a small group to do a rip to the tip the next 3-4 weeks. This place is huge and no one here. I ate dinner at 4 since they kept two people here waiting to take care of me.
My search only brought up one result some kind of GPS event that David K put on or was involved in back in 06.
Although the grounds and rooms are very clean its sad to see how tired the place has become. With the beautiful bar, restaurant pool, spas and tennis courts i'll bet this place rocked in its day.

geraldalexander7 - 11-9-2021 at 08:28 AM

Can you give more info? Where is it? Rates? etc...

David K - 11-9-2021 at 08:39 AM

Quote: Originally posted by amigobaja

Do you have any stories about this old place ?
I'm a day early to meet up with a small group to do a rip to the tip the next 3-4 weeks. This place is huge and no one here. I ate dinner at 4 since they kept two people here waiting to take care of me.
My search only brought up one result some kind of GPS event that David K put on or was involved in back in 06.
Although the grounds and rooms are very clean its sad to see how tired the place has become. With the beautiful bar, restaurant pool, spas and tennis courts i'll bet this place rocked in its day.

Hmmm... I don't recall putting on any GPS event? But, maybe I mentioned one hosted by Kacey Smith (aka The Lizard Lady), author of the Baja GPS Guide. She did rides out from Santa Veronica.

Gerald, it is east of Tecate, and south of the El Hongo toll booth, on the AAA map from 2010:

[Edited on 11-9-2021 by David K]

John Harper - 11-9-2021 at 09:47 AM

Can you post up some photos as well?

John

David K - 11-9-2021 at 10:42 AM

I have not been there, but they have a Facebook page and here is the photo section: https://www.facebook.com/SantaVeronicaHacienda/photos/

Here is a slide show showing the hotel grounds, rooms, pool, etc: https://www.traveloka.com/en-au/hotel/mexico/hotel-hacienda-...

John Harper - 11-9-2021 at 10:56 AM

Cool looking place, resembles MSR a bit with the pool.

John

David K - 11-9-2021 at 11:10 AM

Quote: Originally posted by lencho

Quote: Originally posted by David K

I have not been there, but they have a Facebook page and here is the photo section: https://www.facebook.com/SantaVeronicaHacienda/photos/

Or, you could skip Facebook and just go to their actual website

Yes indeed... thanks for participating! I like websites over FB pages, too. So many Mexican places only have FB pages, it seems. Easier to edit them, I guess and get replies?

cactuspete1970 - 11-9-2021 at 04:32 PM

Back in the day they would have amateur bullfights. A place where gringos could go and get their a$$ kicked by baby bulls. Made for a great sunday afternoon in the sun.

BajaNomad - 11-9-2021 at 07:44 PM

Quote: Originally posted by David K

So many Mexican places only have FB pages, it seems. Easier to edit them, I guess and get replies?

Or the fact they're free perhaps??

mtgoat666 - 11-9-2021 at 08:31 PM

Quote: Originally posted by David K

Quote: Originally posted by lencho

Quote: Originally posted by David K

I have not been there, but they have a Facebook page and here is the photo section: https://www.facebook.com/SantaVeronicaHacienda/photos/

Or, you could skip Facebook and just go to their actual website

Yes indeed... thanks for participating! I like websites over FB pages, too. So many Mexican places only have FB pages, it seems. Easier to edit them, I guess and get replies?

And then go to TripAdvisor for the unvarnished truth.

It’s a nice looking hotel, someone needs to buy it, spruce it up, and hire good staff.

ehall - 11-10-2021 at 04:50 AM

Stayed there many times. Summer weekend can get crowded around the pool with locals. Winter is slow. I occasionally seen moto events staged there. Lots of singletrack in the area.

TMW - 11-10-2021 at 11:24 AM

Back in the late 80s and early 90s I spent a lot of time there both camping and in the hotel part. Back then you either got an electric heater or the room had a fire place with a stack of wood. On Sunday the restaurant would have a buffet in the morning, not bad.

During this same time period Lou Peralta ran Baja Promotion races out of there. I think he ran about three a year along with maybe two in San Felipe

One time my brother and I stopped by for lunch and the lady said they just got some New York steaks that were great. So we ordered them. They were like eating shoe leather, toughest meat I ever tried to eat. About a month later same thing and I thought maybe now they would be OK. Nope same same. I never ordered a steak again at that place.

They still run the Tecate Enduro race and I think it may be out of there. I know it was a couple of times I was down for it. Also I think Kacey Smith did her GPS ride out of there.

John Harper - 11-10-2021 at 11:52 AM

Quote: Originally posted by lencho

Quote: Originally posted by cactuspete1970

A place where gringos could go and get their a$$ kicked by baby bulls

You recall whether they did anything about the bulls' horns before turning them loose on a bunch of amatures? (I.e. to avoid a goring).

Maderita - 11-10-2021 at 12:07 PM

Quote: Originally posted by cactuspete1970

Back in the day they would have amateur bullfights. A place where gringos could go and get their a$$ kicked by baby bulls. Made for a great sunday afternoon in the sun.

In the late 1960s, I watched Peter Rombold bullfight somewhere near Tecate. It may have been Santa Veronica?
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sdut-amateur-matador-se...
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-03-18-sp-874-st...

bent-rim - 11-10-2021 at 04:10 PM

I haven't been there in a while, but it was a great place to stage a dirt bike trip from. You could leave your vehicles there for $5/day. It has rooms, restaurant and a bar. No one I know has ever gotten ripped off there. It was about as tired as most stuff in Baja is.

amigobaja - 11-12-2021 at 04:32 PM

Even tho the place is tired it has a large staff that were very friendly and helpful. The website says to call to get the best room rates. When I called the person said I had to call someone else so instead I went on a booking site and booked my room for 57 bucks per night. Naturally when I showed up the front desk had no idea about the booking so after a short wait while they confirmed my room all was good. The next day one of my traveling partners showed up and I met him in the lobby. He did not have a reservation and was quoted over 90 bucks. After a little back and forth plus pulling up the online site he received his room for the 57 bucks. They said they still will arrange bloodless bullfights for group events. How about a Bajanomads bull fight event. But I'd per to see some blood. Nomads not bulls.

advrider - 11-12-2021 at 06:53 PM

Quote: Originally posted by John Harper

Quote: Originally posted by lencho

Quote: Originally posted by cactuspete1970

A place where gringos could go and get their a$$ kicked by baby bulls

You recall whether they did anything about the bulls' horns before turning them loose on a bunch of amatures? (I.e. to avoid a goring).

Probably got dehorned, and neutered, making them into a steer, not a bull. Dehorning relatively easy with a conical branding iron, burn the budding horn, then break off stub with your boot. Relatively painless, maybe not so much for the newly minted "steer."

Nothing like the smell of burning horns and flesh when branding. Fresh calf fries in the corral for lunch, a little fire with the good old cast iron skillet.. Go wash up in the horse trough before lunch!

John

RFClark - 11-13-2021 at 01:35 PM

When we had cattle my wife did the steers! She enjoyed it! Most of our’s were polled so we didn't have to dehorn them.

bajajoaquin - 11-15-2021 at 05:50 PM

Quote: Originally posted by bent-rim

I haven't been there in a while, but it was a great place to stage a dirt bike trip from. You could leave your vehicles there for $5/day. It has rooms, restaurant and a bar. No one I know has ever gotten ripped off there. It was about as tired as most stuff in Baja is.

This is how I know the place. We used to leave our trucks there while we went on dirt bike rides. Mostly day trips, but we did do a 3-dayer to Mike's once.

BajaBlanca - 11-15-2021 at 07:03 PM

Wow, the website photos are so beautiful!