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latina
Nomad
Posts: 210
Registered: 3-19-2011
Location: La Paz
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I would definitely rent a car if you are flying into San Jose. Although you said that you have already booked a hotel in Todos Santos, if it were me,
and I only had 8 days, I would fly Aeromexico to La Paz and get a hotel or B&B in the el centro/malecon area. There you can walk everywhere,
kayak, paddle board, take a panga trip to some gorgeous islands, sample the local fare, shop.... After a few days you could rent a car and make easy
day trips to Todos Santos, El Triunfo, La Ventana and other cool places. Also, it can downright cool that time of year, especially in Todos Santos
and the locals will be so bundled up you will think you are in Canada!
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jay045
Junior Nomad
Posts: 33
Registered: 8-17-2013
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Fabulous ideas! We may try to do that, or at least schedule that for another visit. (and thanks to BajaBlanca for similar suggestions).
| Quote: | Originally posted by soulpatch
I kinda like SJdC. Low key enough and the gateway to a lot of awesome East Cape stuff.
Water might be a bit chilly, though! I'd bring some neoprene!
I'd stay as south as you could.....8 days would be easy to fill just popping around the end of the peninsula.
La Paz is pretty cool but East cape, to me, is more vacation like.... especially for only 8 days.
There are a lot of cool rentals on the cheap if you call a few RE agents down there.... lot of places have guest houses and there are a lot of places
just sitting empty. |
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BFS
Senior Nomad
Posts: 520
Registered: 9-28-2006
Location: Todos Santos
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Day 1 rental car drive to Todos Santos. Margarita, sunset (maybe), whales, sleep.
Day 2 Stay in TS 2nd night. hike from La Poza to Old port. Swim, beautiful walk (more whales), you are now starting to decompress.
Day 3 Night in La Paz. Morning walk on insane white sand beach (more whales), swim al Las Palmas then drive to La Paz, explore town, book boat trip
for next day. Sunset stroll on malecon.
Day 4 Night in La Paz. breakkie on malecon then head to dock for boat trip to Espiritu Santo, swim/snorkel with whale sharks and/or sea lions. Sunset
back on the malecon.
Day 5 Night in La Paz. Drive to La Paz area beaches and enjoy town. Sunset on Malecon. You are now totally decompressed and worried about having to
return home.
Day 6 Night on East Cape somewhere. Drive to El Triunfo for breakkie then out to Sol de Mayo for short walk to the waterfall.
Time permitting then head to the hot springs too. Stay the night in Santiago (really cool) or Cabo Pulmo, or wherever night gets ya'.
Day 7 Night in Cabo Pulmo. Head to Arbolitos and rent a kayak. Swim, snorkel, explore.
Day 8 Night in San Jose. Head back to Arbolitos for morning swim. Drive the East Cape road to San Jose stopping enroute for swims, and beach walks.
Nap under a palapa? Yes. More whales!
Check in to Casa Natalia on the square in San Jose. Perfect ending, big celebration dinner.
Day 9. Last minute shopping. Catch yourself perusing advertisements on windows of real estate offices. Easy jaunt to the airport.
Car rental. Yes, you need one to make your very short stay as amazing as possible and get to that palapa for a nap!
Loreto. Skip it. Not enough time.
ps. If your flight lands early into SJD, drive into Cabo (I know), head towards Pedregal above the marina. Find that last road through the residential
area. Park at the end. Hike to the Arch (yes, hike). Bring 2 Pacificos. Epic way to start your trip. Welcome to Mexico.
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jay045
Junior Nomad
Posts: 33
Registered: 8-17-2013
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Thanks everyone for the great suggestions!!!!
Latina kind of nailed it pretty well - really like yoursuggestions! This kind of sounds like our kind of trip. We're reconsidering, and potentially
flying to La Paz (or into La Paz, and out of Cabo) (thanks danaeb for the reminder about the TJ airport shuttle from downtown SD, I had read about
that but forgotten). And thanks for the suggestions, Latina and Michael on El Triunfo / waterfall, exactly the kind of side trip we like.
Still contemplating just taking buses. I think Curt's input reflects kind of how we feel - it seems like more hassle to rent a car (cost, insurance,
etc.), have the stress of actually having to use it  than using the nonstop van
shuttle from EcoTours, hiring taxis, and picking one or two side trips accessible by Aguila (i.e. El Triunfo, about an hour bus ride out of La Paz).
Of course, I may be cursing myself at the side of the road, waiting for a bus, saying that the Nomads were right, we should have rented a car.
By the way, this is probably just dipping our toes in the water; we'll likely return when we can stay longer.
| Quote: | Originally posted by latina
I would definitely rent a car if you are flying into San Jose. Although you said that you have already booked a hotel in Todos Santos, if it were me,
and I only had 8 days, I would fly Aeromexico to La Paz and get a hotel or B&B in the el centro/malecon area. There you can walk everywhere,
kayak, paddle board, take a panga trip to some gorgeous islands, sample the local fare, shop.... After a few days you could rent a car and make easy
day trips to Todos Santos, El Triunfo, La Ventana and other cool places. Also, it can downright cool that time of year, especially in Todos Santos
and the locals will be so bundled up you will think you are in Canada! |
[Edited on 8-18-2013 by jay045]
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jay045
Junior Nomad
Posts: 33
Registered: 8-17-2013
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Wow, BFS! This is a fabulous itinerary, makes me reconsider my last post...Kind of what we were thinking for the first two days in TS - relax,
hike, orient, then go to La Paz
| Quote: | Originally posted by BFS
Day 1 rental car drive to Todos Santos. Margarita, sunset (maybe), whales, sleep.
Day 2 Stay in TS 2nd night. hike from La Poza to Old port. Swim, beautiful walk (more whales), you are now starting to decompress.
Day 3 Night in La Paz. Morning walk on insane white sand beach (more whales), swim al Las Palmas then drive to La Paz, explore town, book boat trip
for next day. Sunset stroll on malecon.
Day 4 Night in La Paz. breakkie on malecon then head to dock for boat trip to Espiritu Santo, swim/snorkel with whale sharks and/or sea lions. Sunset
back on the malecon.
Day 5 Night in La Paz. Drive to La Paz area beaches and enjoy town. Sunset on Malecon. You are now totally decompressed and worried about having to
return home.
Day 6 Night on East Cape somewhere. Drive to El Triunfo for breakkie then out to Sol de Mayo for short walk to the waterfall.
Time permitting then head to the hot springs too. Stay the night in Santiago (really cool) or Cabo Pulmo, or wherever night gets ya'.
Day 7 Night in Cabo Pulmo. Head to Arbolitos and rent a kayak. Swim, snorkel, explore.
Day 8 Night in San Jose. Head back to Arbolitos for morning swim. Drive the East Cape road to San Jose stopping enroute for swims, and beach walks.
Nap under a palapa? Yes. More whales!
Check in to Casa Natalia on the square in San Jose. Perfect ending, big celebration dinner.
Day 9. Last minute shopping. Catch yourself perusing advertisements on windows of real estate offices. Easy jaunt to the airport.
Car rental. Yes, you need one to make your very short stay as amazing as possible and get to that palapa for a nap!
Loreto. Skip it. Not enough time.
ps. If your flight lands early into SJD, drive into Cabo (I know), head towards Pedregal above the marina. Find that last road through the residential
area. Park at the end. Hike to the Arch (yes, hike). Bring 2 Pacificos. Epic way to start your trip. Welcome to Mexico. |
[Edited on 8-18-2013 by jay045]
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mtnpop
Senior Nomad
Posts: 597
Registered: 9-8-2009
Location: Colorado/mulege
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I have not seen it mentioned in the thread but if you really want to visit Loreto the drive is 4+ hours from LaPaz on a good day... pretty much kills
a bunch of time out of your trip..
Main airports for BCS are Loreto, LaPaz, and SJDL . My last experience most of the highways from Loreto south are or were very good condition to
travel on.
If you make it to Loreto then Mulege is about 1 1/2 hours north.. one of the 5 mission towns and a prison museum that is open sometimes. But again
that would really stretch your time... Plenty to do as earlier posted around the south loop.... and warmer than heading north in Dec..
Have fun and enjoy the locals......
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monoloco
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6667
Registered: 7-13-2009
Location: Pescadero BCS
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| Quote: | Originally posted by latina
I would definitely rent a car if you are flying into San Jose. Although you said that you have already booked a hotel in Todos Santos, if it were me,
and I only had 8 days, I would fly Aeromexico to La Paz and get a hotel or B&B in the el centro/malecon area. There you can walk everywhere,
kayak, paddle board, take a panga trip to some gorgeous islands, sample the local fare, shop.... After a few days you could rent a car and make easy
day trips to Todos Santos, El Triunfo, La Ventana and other cool places. Also, it can downright cool that time of year, especially in Todos Santos
and the locals will be so bundled up you will think you are in Canada! |
Actually,mid- December is some of
the calmest, nicest weather of the year in Todos Santos, the water temps will still be in the mid to upper 70's. The cold weather here is generally
from February until June. La Paz and the Sea of Cortez are likely to be quite windy in December.
[Edited on 8-18-2013 by monoloco]
"The future ain't what it used to be"
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danaeb
Senior Nomad
Posts: 991
Registered: 11-13-2006
Location: San Diego; El Centenario
Member Is Offline
Mood: groovy
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| Quote: | Originally posted by jay045
Thanks everyone for the great suggestions!!!!
By the way, this is probably just dipping our toes in the water; we'll likely return when we can stay longer.
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I have a theory. When the Baja bug bites you, it bites hard. If you're like many of us who visit as often as we can, you'll probably be looking at
your photos when you get home and planning your next trip back. Keep us posted on your adventure.
Experience enables you to recognize a mistake every time you repeat it.
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jay045
Junior Nomad
Posts: 33
Registered: 8-17-2013
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We booked our trip to SJD...we came within a couple of mouse clicks of booking our flight to La Paz via Tijuana. But the hassle, uncertainty (border
wait) and extra time to get there (we are minutes from the SAN airport) led us to decide to work our way to La Paz via Todos Santos. And then we'll
work our way back the night before our flight.
We'd love to get to Loreto one day, but I agree with all of those warning us about the commute (and mtnpop's comment is well taken about
unpredictability).
So our plan is tentatively this:
Dec 15: Arrive, transit to Todos Santos
Dec 16: Todos Santos, hiking/snorkle
Dec 17: Transit Todos Santos to La Paz
Dec 17-22: La Paz and surroundings, with day trips via bus/tour operator to mountains/East Cape/Espiritu Santo/Triunfo/snorkle/bicycle/kayak, etc,
etc.
Dec 22: La Paz to Todos Santos or SJD (any suggestions on a place close to SJD airport for staying on our last night?)
Dec 23: Return home
I went ahead and put in a reservation for Posada Luna Sol in La Paz, and for Serendipity in Todos Santos. Thanks Monoloco for the info about weather
in December down there, sounds great.
We haven't booked the last night just yet, still deciding on that.
We've decided to not initially rent a car, but to possibly rent a car for a day or two in La Paz (thanks Latina for the idea!). Any
suggestions on where to rent in La Paz?
I like the fact that the EcoTours van goes nonstop, point-to-point, and looks pretty comfortable. We'll taxi/bus/walk in Todos Santos. This may all
change though, with all of your comments playing into this.
I didn't used to plan this far ahead - guess I've got burned by procrastination before.
[Edited on 8-18-2013 by jay045]
[Edited on 8-18-2013 by jay045]
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bajajudy
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6886
Registered: 10-4-2004
Location: San Jose del Cabo,BCS
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There is a Best Western right at the airport.
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jay045
Junior Nomad
Posts: 33
Registered: 8-17-2013
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Thanks for that! We booked Marisol in town; just realized that it's not that far to the airport, and a $12 taxi ride.
| Quote: | Originally posted by bajajudy
There is a Best Western right at the airport. |
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jay045
Junior Nomad
Posts: 33
Registered: 8-17-2013
Member Is Offline
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Latest update: we're renting a car, and I think we'll probably follow BFS' itinerary recommendation almost verbatim. Thanks so much (check is in the
mail!)
[Edited on 8-20-2013 by jay045]
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jay045
Junior Nomad
Posts: 33
Registered: 8-17-2013
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Our Final (I think) Itinerary
We pretty much went with the itinerary BFS suggested, that was so perfect.
Dec 15: Arrive, transit to Todos Santos (Serendipity Hotel)
Dec 16: Todos Santos, hiking/snorkel/kayak
Dec 17: Transit Todos Santos to La Paz (Posada Luna Del Sol)
Dec 17-20: La Paz and surroundings, snorkel/bicycle/kayak, malecon, etc, etc.
Dec 20-21: Cabo Pulmo, snorkel, kayak, hike
Dec 22: Cabo Pulmo to SJDC, stay at Marisol or El Encanto
Dec 23: Return home in afternoon
December 24: Plan return visit; ask Santa for more time off for next trip (and dog-sitting).
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monoloco
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6667
Registered: 7-13-2009
Location: Pescadero BCS
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Be careful with the car rental, Thrifty is particularly bad for giving a low ball quote, then not allowing you to have the car unless you pay for
their over-priced insurance that ends up tripling the cost. Check Trip Advisor for recommendations or maybe someone here can suggest an agency that
doesn't jerk you around.
"The future ain't what it used to be"
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jay045
Junior Nomad
Posts: 33
Registered: 8-17-2013
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Thanks! I noticed that. We went with Alamo, and I directly emailed Luis at the location to get an exact quote with the PLI included. I may contact
CactusCar just for comparison to get their rate.
Thanks for looking out for us!
| Quote: | Originally posted by monoloco
Be careful with the car rental, Thrifty is particularly bad for giving a low ball quote, then not allowing you to have the car unless you pay for
their over-priced insurance that ends up tripling the cost. Check Trip Advisor for recommendations or maybe someone here can suggest an agency that
doesn't jerk you around. |
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bajacalifornian
Super Nomad
Posts: 1117
Registered: 9-4-2010
Location: Loreto/Lopez Mateos/Rosarito
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Careful with the tires, if one blows they'll make you buy it . . . 
American by birth, Mexican by choice.
Signature addendum: Danish physicist — Niels Bohr — who said, “The opposite of one profound truth may very well be another profound truth.
Jeff Petersen
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volcano
Nomad
Posts: 348
Registered: 3-5-2007
Location: Cave Junction, Oregon and Boca Del Salado area, Ea
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Mood: always pining to be there
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I used to stay in Cabo Pulmo on fly in and fly out days.with a flight in the afternoon. Its a 1 1/2 hour drive...various places to stay....Cabo
Pulmo resort, Reinhard's Rentals, Baja Bungalos
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jay045
Junior Nomad
Posts: 33
Registered: 8-17-2013
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Volcano, I love that! We are staying in CP two nights before we leave, but I'm not sure we're brave enough yet to stay there on getaway day. But
probably by our second visit we'll be doing that!!!
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