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Nicole
Junior Nomad
Posts: 34
Registered: 1-22-2006
Location: Kitimat, BC, Canada
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Mood: Dreaming of sun!
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Your top picks for must-see villages and family-friendly beaches!
Hola Nomads,
I very much value the insight and opinions expressed through this forum so I thought I would share my latest puzzlings with you all and see what comes
back...
Firstly, I love to travel and am drawn to the artistic beauty of the buildings in Todos Santos and the farmland which surrounds it... Are there other
similar colonial artsy farm villages anywhere in Baja...or elsewhere in Mexico that you would recommend checking out???
Secondly, do you know of anywhere with a similar feeling that has safe swimming beaches??? Riptides tugging at my ankles make the mother in me nervous
but we sooo love the ocean! As an aside, I have heard mention of "safe" beaches south of Todos but what does that really mean? Would you take a
toddler there???
Also, I wonder how safe the waters on the Sea of Cortez are for swimming... When I visited Los Barriles the winds were blowing and I had a 6 month old
at the time so I didn't get a really good feel for how deep things got and how quickly/close to shore. Please post your suggestions for Baja's best
(relatively) safe shallower beaches or lagoons. This kind of knowledge is sure to be appreciated by any parent itching to introduce their young ones
to the awesome beauty of Baja!!!
Thanks in advance for sharing your top picks for the must-see villages and family-friendly beaches of Baja and even farther afield if you like!!
Cheers, Nicole
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aquaholic
Nomad
Posts: 119
Registered: 9-2-2006
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...the best beaches for taking a toddler into the water are in Conception Bay. There are no currents and most of the beaches are very protected and
easily accessible. Tide change is very small, and the beaches have a very long, gradual incline. It was where my young daughter played and I never had
any worries. Getting to the Bay will take you by some very interesting villages. San Ignacio has a great square with the old church and a lush lagoon.
Santa Rosalia has many wood buildings with a French Colonial archetecture, plus the famous Eifel steel church. Mulege is a quaint village on a river
that gives it a tropical feeling in the midst of the desert. Have fun exploring!!!
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craiggers
Junior Nomad
Posts: 42
Registered: 3-2-2007
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None
I'd say no beach is safe for a toddler without close and I mean very close constant attention of an adult. I was once at Estero Beach with a bunch of
friends and one had a toddler along. We were across the lagoon from the hotel where there is no surf. The kid was down by the water playing with other
friends dogs.
I noticed one of the dogs try to lap up some seawater so I brought them some water as they were tethered to a boat by long cables. The kid then
decided to waddle of down the beach parallel to the water. All this time momma is no more than 50ft away but she didn't notice junior's sudden desire
to go beach combing. I was still giving the dogs water when I saw the kid trip out of the corner of my eye; my good eye that is. I figure no big deal,
kids fall all the time and sand is soft. I glanced back at the dogs and back at junior and he was gone!
I ran down the beach while yelling and keeping my eye on the spot where I last saw him. When I got there I looked into the water and there he was in
about 4ft of water rolling down the incline to deeper water. I waded in and just reached down, grabbed him by the back of his little Farmer Johns and
plucked him out. He came up crying and coughing but otherwise ok. I would have been a perfect rescue, without even getting my hair wet, but I forgot
about the dogs. As soon as I got within range of thier cables one came up and took us both down again I just sat there in about two feet of water
until someone came and took him.
Oh well, it was almost a perfect rescue and I got to be the hero for the rest of the weekend. Momma felt horrible but it all happend in about 30
seconds and all seemed pretty safe and tranquil before then. Maybe she felt so bad because she realized it took the drunkest guy on the beach to save
her child!
But seriously, no beach is safe for a toddler. If they are off your beach towel you need to be holding their hand.
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fdt
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4059
Registered: 9-7-2003
Location: Tijuana, Baja California
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Mood: Yeah, what if it all goes right
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Totaly agree
A well informed Baja California traveler is a smart Baja California traveler!
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Diver
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4729
Registered: 11-15-2004
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Our kids both toddled at El Requeson on Bahia Conception.
There are NO drop-offs.
You can walk out 100' and still have the water below your knees !
I can't imagine a better beach scene for kids.
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bajadogs
Super Nomad
Posts: 1066
Registered: 8-28-2006
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Good advice all around. Bahia Concepcion is ideal, but remember - a toddler can drown in a bucket when unsupervised.
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rogerj1
Nomad
Posts: 265
Registered: 4-29-2004
Location: Gig Harbor, WA
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As far as other places in Mexico, there's a small village south of Zihuatanejo called Barra de Potosi. The beach is sheltered by a large promontory
keeping the waves small and there's a fresh water lagoon beside the village that kids can wade in. There are several enramadas on the beach where you
can get great food, lay in a hammock and drink Victoria's the local beer.
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Bajagypsy
Super Nomad
Posts: 1416
Registered: 8-31-2006
Location: Bahía Asuncion BCS
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Mood: Living the dream
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I know with our four kids, at concepcion bay, they do not have to wear life jackets, on the pacific side, even the 10 year oldhas to wear a life
jacket, and they are all pretty good swimmers. Of course, they aren't alowed in the water even at concepcion if me or mr bajagypsy isn't around.
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Martyman
Super Nomad
Posts: 1904
Registered: 9-10-2004
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Are there sting rays in Bahia Conception?
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Bajagypsy
Super Nomad
Posts: 1416
Registered: 8-31-2006
Location: Bahía Asuncion BCS
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Mood: Living the dream
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Yes there are, just ask my foot! Always Always shuffle your feet!
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toneart
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4901
Registered: 7-23-2006
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Mood: Skeptical
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Martyman
Are there sting rays in Bahia Conception? |
Yes! There are stingrays. An adult friend was actually stung while swimming over one. Until then, I always thought that you had to
step on one to get stung.
Regarding children...you can't take your eye off them for a second. They can get into trouble very quickly.
Now, having said all that, teach the children how to play in the water and respect it at the same time. Like the ongoing discussion regarding fear
and safety: take heed, be observant and then relax and enjoy yourselves. Live life with gusto and don't be preoccupied with fear.
The Sea of Conception is one of the most beautiful bodies of water in the world, and safe for children while under vigilant supervision.   
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Ken Bondy
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3326
Registered: 12-13-2002
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Mood: Mellow
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| Quote: | Originally posted by toneart
Yes! There are stingrays. An adult friend was actually stung while swimming over one. Until then, I always thought that you had to
step on one to get stung. |
I think that's what Steve Irwin thought also.
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oldhippie
Banned
Posts: 742
Registered: 6-25-2006
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Mood: muted
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I got cut on the foot by a stingray at Santispac. All sorts of people offered advice for relieving the pain, hot water, peeing on it, WD-40, alcohol
(what a waste). Then there was guy with his arm in a sling after surgery and asked me if I wanted a couple of his pain pills.
Duh....OK.
Washed them down with a couple of Pacificos.
Certainly the best remedy.
I can't imagine a little guy getting sliced by one of those things. Probably hear the screams in Tijuana.
Get some rubber booties, like surfers wear, at a surf shop. They have them for little feet. Stingrays hurt and the wounds can be full of very nasty
bacteria.
If it's a deep puncture wound, it can lead to very dangerous blood poisoning.
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Skipjack Joe
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8084
Registered: 7-12-2004
Location: Bahia Asuncion
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A good beach on the pacific side
Below is a map of the abreojos area. To the left of the Pacific Ocean label is a beach labeled 'camping and launching' with a picture of a tent.
That's a very nice beach for toddlers. That's a gently sloping beach with no drop offs and surf that breaks waaaay out there. The water is crystal
clean and there are no stingrays (probably some but I've never seen any). There are no sea urchins to step on either. We camped there once for a month
and my 2 year old was in the water constantly. The water is a bit colder than the cortez side and Abreojos doesn't have the restaurants and amenities
of mulege. I wish I had pictures of the beach to show you. It's a great place if you like to get away from it all.
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Packoderm
Super Nomad
Posts: 2116
Registered: 11-7-2002
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I took my son to Baja since he was 2 1/2. My first rule was that he had to wear a life jacket. His first trip to Baja was at Camp Gecko. That worked
out pretty well because the shore is rocky in front of the house we stayed in, so he wasn't tempted to go in the water there. There were sandy areas
elsewhere and I watched him like a hawk because it was just me and him, and there were no other people around to distract me.
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Bajagypsy
Super Nomad
Posts: 1416
Registered: 8-31-2006
Location: Bahía Asuncion BCS
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Mood: Living the dream
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| Quote: | Originally posted by oldhippie
I got cut on the foot by a stingray at Santispac. All sorts of people offered advice for relieving the pain, hot water, peeing on it, WD-40, alcohol
(what a waste). Then there was guy with his arm in a sling after surgery and asked me if I wanted a couple of his pain pills.
Duh....OK.
Washed them down with a couple of Pacificos.
Certainly the best remedy.
I can't imagine a little guy getting sliced by one of those things. Probably hear the screams in Tijuana.
Get some rubber booties, like surfers wear, at a surf shop. They have them for little feet. Stingrays hurt and the wounds can be full of very nasty
bacteria.
If it's a deep puncture wound, it can lead to very dangerous blood poisoning. |
I did the morphine tequila route and the only thing that really helped was the hot water.
I also went to the doc in Mulege got antibiotics and STILL managed to get blood poisoning on the way home to Canada.
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vacaenbaja
Senior Nomad
Posts: 640
Registered: 4-4-2006
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It is a sad fact that many a child left unattended has managed to drown even in less than knee deep water.
We had such an incedent not too long ago in the southland.
Happens even to toddlers in bathtubs. Beaches that are Safe from riptides,
holes and dropoffs are a good start. but remember It does not take much to drown.
People do it on their own vomit. All it takes is asperation of
fluid into the lungs ,a glassfull will do. A child in a panic can
breath in a mouthfull, someone should be there to hear them
choking. Do not leave children on auto pilot.
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Bob and jane
Nomad
Posts: 272
Registered: 3-25-2004
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Wow! Glad we survived all those years camping in remote areas of Baja with our sons, without this scary advice. Yes, kids should be watched at all
times at the edge of the water. Sometimes, I guess, we just get lucky. I pulled my 2 year old from a retreating wave east of San Jose del Cabo 20
years ago. We were securing our inflatable after it rode in on the incoming waves. Our son went out on the outgoing. He came up laughing. And that
wasn't his first time............Later we let them beachcomb far from camp while we had c-cktails and watched them from afar. Once on Bahia Concepcion
when they were in grade school we set up camp and collapsed in exhaustion inside the tent trailer only to emerge an hour later to severely sunburned
sons. Hey, we weren't perfect. We all learned a lot. And boy, did we have fun. We can sit around and tell stories for hours. They introduced us to
so many things under our feet that we had never noticed! I still miss them everytime we are out on the water. One has become a diehard fisherman and
the other has majored in Spanish. We coudn't be happier. Our favorite spots, after our spot east of San Jose became developed, were Punta Mechudo,
Ligui, San Bruno and San Lucas Cove. Hey, have fun with your kids. You'll never regret a moment.
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Nicole
Junior Nomad
Posts: 34
Registered: 1-22-2006
Location: Kitimat, BC, Canada
Member Is Offline
Mood: Dreaming of sun!
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Wow! Such amazing responses! Thank you all for your wonderful insight and I will definitely continue to nurture and protect Maya - the world is
unpredictable and don't I know it!!!
I am just so happy for all the wonderful ideas you all have given to me and would like to thank you and let you know that we now plan to explore
Mulege/Concepcion on our migration south this coming winter. In the past we have always flown direct to Los Cabos and then taken the bus or a rental
car to either Todos or Los Barriles... I am very much looking forward to our family experiencing the rest of Baja!!!
Cheers,
Nicole.
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Diver
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4729
Registered: 11-15-2004
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Nicole,
If you are heading that far south, definitely stop at La Ventana if you've never been.
The scene is much more kid friendly than Barilles, especially in the morning.
The beach is more gentle and you will find lots of kids in the campground.
Check out Casa Verde B&B, their american daughter is awsome and BABYSITS !
Almost everything is in walking distance, restaurants, mercado, etc..
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