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gypsysoulcindy
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Guerrero Negro report & more questions
I enjoyed reading all the posts on here while I prepared for my last trip, so I thought I'd follow-up with a quick report.
We traveled to Guerrero Negro with our kids (age 4 & 7) over New Year's weekend. We made it from San Diego to Guerrero Negro in one LONG day of
driving, and pulled in after driving the last hour in the dark. We crossed the border at 6:00am on New Year's day and Tijuana was a ghost town. The
immigration office looked deserted, so I told my husband that we could just get our touist cards in Ensenada. That turned out to be a more expensive
decision. They add on a fine if you don't get them at the border.
We stayed at Malarrimo's in GN. It was cheap (about $40ish) for a decent, but older room, with dust bunnies hiding in the corners. We ate at the
restaurant, which I know is well-loved, but we didn't enjoy too much. It was fine, but maybe we ordered the wrong thing. The whale tour that they
offered was booked, so the next morning, we drove on our own out to Ejido Benito Juarez. The drive was easy to make and well-signed. We payed our
$40 each at the very nice visitor center and went out with Leopoldo. It was very early in the season (Jan. 2nd) so they told us that there weren't
very many whales....what a wonderful experience for not having that many whales! We had LOTS of sightings and I even touched a whale that came up
and bumped into our boat. We camped out there by the lagoon that night and in the morning, we went back into town. We had a WONDERFUL lunch at Santo
Remedio's. What a beautiful restaurant too! The food was pretty, the waiter was friendly and helpful, and we really enjoyed the seafood. On our way
home we stayed at Los Jardines in San Quintin. It was really new and nice and again, cheap. It was $35 for a room with 2 double beds. Their
restaurant was also nice and had great food. The guy at the hotel warned us that since it was the weekend, we'd probably hear the music from the
restaurant until late into the night, but we didn't hear anything.
It was a great, but fast trip and now we're headed back and this time we're taking 2 other families with us!
We're headed out in 3 weeks and we're adjusting our plan a little. Let me know of any suggestions:
1. Cross border and drive to Catavina. Stay at Desert Inn.
2. AM - head to Guerrero Negro, shop for supplies, eat lunch at Santo Remedio, and head out to camp at Ejido Benito Juarez - camp for 2 nights there
3. AM - leave GN and drive to Los Jardines in San Quintin, explore out at the Old Mill in the afternoon
4. AM - head back to border and either stop for breakfast at Rey del Sol in Ensenada or eat lunch at one of the winery restaurants on way to Tecate
(any recommendations?)
I was wondering if anyone knows if they have an age limit for the boats? My brother & sister-in-law are coming and have a one year old. Will
they let her come on the boat too? or will one of the adults have to sit out with her?
Also, how late in the afternoon do they give tours in the pangas?
Thanks!!
Cindy
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DianaT
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Cindy,
Can't go wrong with Jardines or San Remedio and camping out at Ojo de Liebre is wonderful. Oh, do remember the restuarant at Jardines is closed on
Mondays.
The Desert Inn in Catavina is nice---quite pricey, but it is in the middle of nowhere. In the restuarant, you might want to ask for the menu in
Spanish if you want a little cheaper meal. Food is good, however, not great, but OK.
Don't know about the one year old. But we have gone out to whale watch in the late afternoon at that lagoon---whales were not as active and it was
quite windy, but we loved listening to their communication sounds and we were the only ones in the panga other than the two panga operators. The only
problem was they asked us to sit up front and then drove back in over the very rough water very fast which was really hard on the old backs.
We really like Ojo de Liebre, but sometime in the future, you might also try San Ignacio and Bahia de Magdelena---they are all different, and they are
all quite great.
Have a great time---
Diane
[Edited on 2-5-2009 by jdtrotter]
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Bajahowodd
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I second the idea of trying San Ignacio. Of course , if you are camping, any recomendations about where to stay is moot. There is a Desert Inn at San
Ignacio. Also, Ricardo's / Rice and Beans is a great alternative, with perhaps the best restaurant in town. I can say from personal experience that
the whale experience in Laguna San Ignacio is the best opportunity to pet the creatures.
On the way home, if you plan breakfast in Ensenada, I have two favorites. You cannot go wrong for breakfast at Las Cazuelas on Sanguines. It is a
local favorite and has a welcoming atmosphere. They even have an appetizer with breakfast- choose between soup or quesedilla. It can be SRO on
weekends. Also, Mi Kaza, which has little ambience, serves the heartiest breakfast in town.
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gypsysoulcindy
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Thanks for the advice. I'd love to go to San Ignacio sometime, but I think it'll have to be on a longer trip. We have a 6 hour drive before we even
get to the border, so with my little guys, we're really really pushing it to get to Guerrero Negro. I think that little extra bit just pushes it over
the edge and is just not feasible. Maybe sometime when we can break it up more and take a week off, but not this trip! 
Thanks for the breakfast recommendation too! I've always loved Rey del Sol, both the food and ambience. It's probably a good idea to try something
new.
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shari
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Mood: there is no reality except the one contained within us "Herman Hesse"
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hey soul sister...no problema with 1 year olds...whale moms like to look at our babies too...so hold her out over the panga...one time a lady held out
her baby so she could pee over the edge of the panga and a whale came up right under here and well...it was kinda like a bidet...cleaned her
bottom...sure was funny.
You may want to bring her own life jacket though so it fits her well. Hey, a bunch of nomads will be camping the last weekend of february there for my
birthday extravaganza...maybe we'll see ya there! Dinner at Santo Remedio of course.
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KurtG
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| Quote: | Originally posted by shari
hey soul sister...no problema with 1 year olds...whale moms like to look at our babies too...so hold her out over the panga...one time a lady held out
her baby so she could pee over the edge of the panga and a whale came up right under here and well...it was kinda like a bidet...cleaned her
bottom...sure was funny.
You may want to bring her own life jacket though so it fits her well. Hey, a bunch of nomads will be camping the last weekend of february there for my
birthday extravaganza...maybe we'll see ya there! Dinner at Santo Remedio of course. |
Shari,
Kathy and I are planning to be there that weekend. We're leaving home early AM on 2/26 and should be in GN by midday Friday/27th. Planning on a day
of whale watching and then have to head home Sunday. This will be my shortest Baja trip ever but Kathy hasn't been whale watching before and we have
to work around her schedule. I'll be visiting Asuncion on a Moto trip in March and then we will be doing a driving trip after Semana Santa. We look
forward to seeing you and Juan again and using the new campground.
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pacside
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SoulSeesta,
thanks for the trip report. We're headed down to GN to go whale watching as well in a week. Glad to hear you had a nice experience with El Capitan.
That is who I'm hoping to get...so based on your experience you think it is best to just make the drive in yourself and book it once you get to the
lagoon?
Wow so you drove 6 hours to get to the border then another what 11-12 hours to to GN? with two young kids? Not sure we're going to be able to do that.
Glad you had fun.
pacside
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schwlind
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Bajahowodd
I second the idea of trying San Ignacio. Of course , if you are camping, any recomendations about where to stay is moot. There is a Desert Inn at San
Ignacio. Also, Ricardo's / Rice and Beans is a great alternative, with perhaps the best restaurant in town. I can say from personal experience that
the whale experience in Laguna San Ignacio is the best opportunity to pet the creatures.
On the way home, if you plan breakfast in Ensenada, I have two favorites. You cannot go wrong for breakfast at Las Cazuelas on Sanguines. It is a
local favorite and has a welcoming atmosphere. They even have an appetizer with breakfast- choose between soup or quesedilla. It can be SRO on
weekends. Also, Mi Kaza, which has little ambience, serves the heartiest breakfast in town. |
I agree about Las Cazuelas. Another place we really enjoy for breakfast is the Mission. Sometimes the service is a little slow, but we've never been
disappointed with the food and depending upon how busy they are, you may even be able to get a table that will give you a view toward the harbor.
Enjoy!
Linda
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Fred
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A place I like for breakfast on the way back is Cafe Jalisco in Maneadero
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shari
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oh cool...maybe see ya pacside on saturday at the lagoon then! I like breakfast after whale watching right at the lagoon restaurant there....get to
watch whales while eating chilaquiles!
If you want a certain captain...it depends how the roll goes...they have a roll list and take turns taking trips out and also depends on the team
working that week...Flacco rocks! (leopoldo) or if you can get a guy named Pelo Bello...he's the bomb.
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BajaNuts
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Maybe pacside is reading a wrong on the time line???
San Diego to GN shouldn't be more than 10-12 hours and SD is right on the border?
I drove from north of LA (little town at the top of the pass, south of Lebec, starts with a "G", don't remember the name) to GN in one LONG day.
Left the top of the pass at 4am, hit the border at 8am, sailed through and arrived in GN around 6:30pm
Don't recommend that long of a drive, but I was by myself. You'd never make it that long with kids.
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Bajahowodd
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Exactly. The kids aren't able to handle being confined that long. I've driven from Cabo to Orange County with one stopover in San Ignacio. I was a
zombie arriving at home.
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tripledigitken
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Bajahowodd
Exactly. The kids aren't able to handle being confined that long. I've driven from Cabo to Orange County with one stopover in San Ignacio. I was a
zombie arriving at home. |
If you took the bus you could have slept the whole way!
Ken
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pacside
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shari - we are planning on ww at gn on sat feb 14th. is that when you will be there? would be way cool if we were there at same time. mi esposo's bday
is feb 15th. thanks for the heads up on the great panga drivers. so i guess we'll just drive out there and hope for the best without reservations.
bajanuts - i think i have the time right...at the tijuana border it takes about 10-11 hours to get to gn right? we are leaving the bay area, ca 9pm
and crossing border in the early a.m. and i think trying to get to gn the next day would be quite a stretch with a 5 year old. so was planning on
staying el rosario (bajacactus never returned my email re reservations) but then it is quite a drive the next day to gn right? i wanted to do the ww
in the morning as i get sea sick and want to do it before the winds kick in. also to top matters off san ignacio b&b at the last minute didn't
have a room for us so we'll stay somewhere else i guess. maybe we'll just wing it the whole way and figger it out as we go. sometimes the freedom of
not having reservations anywhere is nice.
pacside
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Diver
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With a 5 year old, do not get the "loft" rooms at Bajacactus, 206/208
I did it with my 7 year old and the ladder will drive you nuts !
DO stay in one of the newer rooms if possible; there is a big difference !
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DianaT
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| Quote: | Originally posted by pacside
but then it is quite a drive the next day to gn right?
pacside |
It takes us approx. 4-5 hours to get to GN from El Rosario--depending on how many times we stop.
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pacside
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Diver
With a 5 year old, do not get the "loft" rooms at Bajacactus, 206/208
I did it with my 7 year old and the ladder will drive you nuts !
DO stay in one of the newer rooms if possible; there is a big difference ! |
Thanks Diver for the VERY important recommendation. My 5 year old would drive me bonkers with that ladder...I can just picture it. He climbs on
everything regardless of the fear factor.
I would like to stay in one of the newer rooms IF they would confirm reservations with me. Maybe I should pick up the phone and call...email isn't
working.
Someone recommended Baja best as well. So maybe that as a back up.
pacside
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Diver
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Mama's is next door to Bajacactus and is another back-up.
Cactus seems to fill up with walk-ins between 4 and 6pm each day.
They were only booked full on the weekends last month; after 4pm.
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Bajaboy
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| Quote: | Originally posted by BajaNuts
I drove from north of LA (little town at the top of the pass, south of Lebec, starts with a "G", don't remember the name) to GN in one LONG day.
Left the top of the pass at 4am, hit the border at 8am, sailed through and arrived in GN around 6:30pm
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gypsysoulcindy
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Thanks for all the info!
Pacside, yes, it was too much driving for one day with the kiddos, so that's why we're stopping in Catavina this trip. We had driven from the San
Luis Obispo area south to San Diego (about 6 hours) and spent the night there. Then we left in the am, crossed the border at 6am at San Ysidro in
Tijuana and got into GN at 6pm. That was with an hour and a half stop in Ensenada to get our tourist cards and an hour stop in San Quintin at the
taco shacks for lunch and a leg wiggle.
We didn't have reservations for anything and just winged it, but then again, it wasn't high whale season yet. Leopoldo told me that in February, the
beach out there is "puro gente" because so many people come to see the whales. That made me nervous and so this time I made a reservation for the
morning on Saturday.
Shari - I'll look for the nomad group around town or out at benito juarez's. We'll be easy to spot. We use sign language with our little one and
there will be 3 other kids running wild at our site.
How full does it get anyhow? Will we be able to find somewhere to camp on a Friday afternoon?
Thanks!
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