mooose29
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Registered: 10-1-2008
Location: Encinitas/Punta Chivato, Rancho Partera
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Trip report Punta Chivato
We got back from a 10 day trip down to our place in Punta Chivato last week. The trip was a combo vacation and huricane repair trip.
We left around 11 on Saturday the 26th as my daughter had a soccer game in the morning that she didnt want to miss. We hit the border, got our
visa's, changed our money and were done in 30 minutes. The wait on the US side going south was only backed up a few minutes. Hit the toll road and
we were happy to be cruising south. The girls had driven down a few days prior to have some time without kids and husbands and so it was my Dad, Son,
Daughter and 2 labs in the car with us. All was great until about 2-3 kilometers north of the Ensenada toll booth and the traffic came to almost a
complete stop. At first we figured there was a bad accident that was closing the road however we soon learned that the back up was because of the
Rosarito to Ensenada bike ride. It took us almost 2 1/2 hours to go about 5 km it was brutal. South of Ensenada the road is still all torn up for a
couple of KM S of Manaderro but the check point was just a wave of the hand.
We had planned on going to Catavina the first night but with the delays decided on San Q. We knew Hotel Jardines was booked as we had tried to make a
reservation 3 weeks before but still decided to stop to see if there was a cancelation and at the very least have dinner. The kids were bummed when
we got there and Fernando told us everyone had checked in. However we had a great dinner and headed to the Desert Inn to get a room and good night
sleep. As a side note we have noticed that especially if you are traveling on a weekend that reservations are a must at Hotel Jardines, you can email
them or call them and they are always very quick to get back to you. The hotel is comfortable, clean, safe, affordable, and they allow dogs. If you
are just looking for a place to sleep and Jardines is booked the Desert Inn is not bad we had not gone there for many years and the last 2 trips we
tried it and were pleased with what we got. Funny story we got connecting rooms, my Dad sleeping in one and the 2 kids, 2 dogs and me in the other.
At about 3 am I got up to open the slider on the balcony to get some air. Well the dogs took this as time to get up so Max with his 10 pound tail
wagging stood up and his tail wagging full speed hits the hollow door to the connecting room hard about 6 times before I could grab him. It sounded
like someone was trying to break in to the room. Needless to say it about gave my Dad a heart attack as he is about the lightest sleeper I know. Not
funny then but pretty funny now.
We hit the road at 7:30 the next morning and didn't stop till Catavina were we like to get breakfast if we don't stop at Momma's. We have been
stopping at the place accross the street from the desert Inn. We all had Corizo and were on the road in about 30-40 minutes. The drive was
uneventful and smooth. The road is in good to fair shape the whole way down. We thought because of the hurricane there might be some rough spots but
all was good until we got to the gulf side. The 4 check points in the usual spots were quick with just wave throughs and the 20 peso bug spray at GN
was just that no fruit or visa inspection.
We got to Santa Rosalia around 2:00. The town still had a lot of mud and some road damage but it looked pretty good all things considered. Seeing
how big the arroyo's got with water was ammazing in some areas the water must have been 100 meters or more across. The new bridge construction south
of Santa Rosalia was still intact and still under construction although it looks like they are getting close to being done.
The dirt road out to Punta Chivato was in pretty bad shape but better then expected.
The family and I spent a week, cleanning up, swimming, riding motorcycles, playing games, raeding and generally just having a great relaxing time.
We went to Mulege on Thursday to drop off some donations at the hospital that I collected from my Rotary club in Carlsbad (high-noon club). Randy
from the Mulege Rotatay club has been doing a ton of work to help raise money and donations and we were gald we could help a little bit. It seemed
like the damage was worse this time then from John. There was a lot of damage but like Sanat Rosalia people were cleaning up and getting on with
there lives. The area south of the river just looked devastated.
I have found over the years and this trip simply cemented the thought in my mind that the people of southern Baja are very resilient people. They to
start the rebuilding process very quickly.
We had diner at La Serinidad because of the hurricane our choices were fish, lobster, scallops, or shrimp. It was great and we had a nice evening
diner toped off with a stop at the ice cream shop in Mulege.
The weather all week was nice until the last few days. The first several days were hot hot upper 90's and just a slight breeze. The sea must have
been in the mid 80's which is were we spent most of our time. About half way through the week the wind picked up and blew strong the reat of the week
and the temp's lowered to the 80 and even one day were I don't think we got out of the 70's. We even got 2 days of light rain off and on and about 3
days of grey skys. This posed a slight problem as the hurricane destroyed our wind power generators and the grey skys made for not great solar panel
weather. We were fine and we always had enough power to keep the beers cold.
For those out there wondering camping beach is still closed and they even have a guy that sits there most of the day making sure you are not campping.
You can go there and snorkel, picnic, beach comb etc... as we did 3 days you just can't stay over night. The fish life was awesome and my kids and
I would have contests to see who could find the most unique sealife. My 9 year old son has gotten really good at spotting the stone fish, we saw
several. I think he likes them because they are poisionous and my 12 year old daughter spends her time looking in cracks for eels (found 4 or 5) and
stuff. They would stay in the water so long that we would actually start to get cold
The kids helped their Grandma and Mom with projects like building a fence out of old cactus wood, doing a tile mosaic on the palapa, and generaly just
having a great time being kids and doing what kids do. While Dad and I spent 1-3 hours a day on our projects, fixing leaks, fans, doors, plumbing,
Solar, etc...
The week came to an end and we were all very bummed to be leaving. As usual the inspections going north were a little more through, about 5-10
minutes per car of which there were 3 in our group. We drove to Jardines and had a great dinner and a good night rest and then headed to the border
the next morning. However not before changing a flat tire that I got on the dirt road on the way in the night before. I must have hit a big rock
because there was a big gash right in the middle of the tred. Thankfully we had bought the tires from discount tires with the $19 insurance so when I
got back to Encinitas they replaced the $200 tire for nothing.
Both coming and going we saw very little American and Canadian traffic in fact on the way down we only had one camper pass us on the way north and we
only had to pass maybe a half a dozen trucks. On the way north we saw maybe a dozen campers heading south.
To end the trip in a nice way we only had a 45 minute border wait at 1:00 on Sunday afternoon and we were back home 45 minutes after that. All in all
a great October trip which is always one of our favorite times of the year to go down.
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David K
Honored Nomad
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Thanks for that!
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Bajahowodd
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Moose- Great trip. Great report. Just a couple of observations. I'm assuming that you stayed at the Desert Inn in San Quintin. Always wondered why
they didn't "trick" the place out a bit, as it is, or should be considered a great destination resort type place. Second, it appears you ate across
the street from the Desert Inn at Catavina. It's probably just me, but in off the grid places like that I just tend to go with the folks that I know
have 24 hour power. Just think it would be awful to get sick there, with so much trip ahead. Finally, I'm not sure what Guillermo and Carmen's plans
are, but it would seem to me that they really could do with more rooms. I know they had plans for more. But, given this slow economy, if they still
sell out many nights, it should be a no-brainer to build more rooms to be ready for the crowds after the recession.
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mulegemichael
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Registered: 12-24-2007
Location: sequim,wa. and mulege
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isnt it fernando and carmen?...no sey...at las jardines es verdad..
dyslexia is never having to say you\'re yrros.
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DianaT
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Registered: 12-17-2004
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| Quote: | Originally posted by mulegemichael
isnt it fernando and carmen?...no sey...at las jardines es verdad.. |
The owner's I believe are Guillermo and Carmen, but there was a young man working there the last time we were there and I do not remember his name.
Fernando could also be the name of one of the sons.
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bajario
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Great report! I'd love to get a trip like that in w/ the kids and my Pops sooner than later.
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mulegemichael
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whatever the name; our favorite hotel in all of baja...they are just so gracious hosts
dyslexia is never having to say you\'re yrros.
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Pacifico
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Registered: 5-26-2008
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Bajahowodd
Moose- Great trip. Great report. Just a couple of observations. I'm assuming that you stayed at the Desert Inn in San Quintin. Always wondered why
they didn't "trick" the place out a bit, as it is, or should be considered a great destination resort type place. Second, it appears you ate across
the street from the Desert Inn at Catavina. It's probably just me, but in off the grid places like that I just tend to go with the folks that I know
have 24 hour power. Just think it would be awful to get sick there, with so much trip ahead. Finally, I'm not sure what Guillermo and Carmen's plans
are, but it would seem to me that they really could do with more rooms. I know they had plans for more. But, given this slow economy, if they still
sell out many nights, it should be a no-brainer to build more rooms to be ready for the crowds after the recession. |
Guillermo gave us a little tour when we were just there and they are adding rooms as we speak. He is currently finishing the old kitchen area right
now. He said he will have many rooms when complete. He also has plans for moving the office out to the front of the parking area and then securing the
parking area with a wall (I think he said.) He is a super nice guy....I don't know if Fernando is their son or not, but he is usually the young guy at
the front desk.
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mooose29
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Posts: 201
Registered: 10-1-2008
Location: Encinitas/Punta Chivato, Rancho Partera
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Fernando
Is the young guy that works the desk many nights. Carmen has told us that they do plan on adding rooms as they often have to turn people away.
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Russ
Elite Nomad
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Registered: 7-4-2004
Location: Punta Chivato
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I'm heading back Saturday. I really miss it but don't realize how much until I've been in the States for awhile.
Bahia Concepcion where life starts...given a chance!
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DianaT
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Pacifico
Guillermo gave us a little tour when we were just there and they are adding rooms as we speak. He is currently finishing the old kitchen area right
now. He said he will have many rooms when complete. He also has plans for moving the office out to the front of the parking area and then securing the
parking area with a wall (I think he said.) He is a super nice guy....I don't know if Fernando is their son or not, but he is usually the young guy at
the front desk. |
One tour Guillermo really loves to give is one of all his plants and he does have a variety of absolutely beautiful plants.
If they move the office, I sure hope they keep the coffee pot in the patio. 
Besides being a beautiful setting and really nice rooms, I think one of the things that has made this hotel such a word of mouth success is the fact
that the owners are there on the property.
Not only do they make everyone feel welcome, they are there most of the time keeping an eye on all that is done. Absentee ownership never works quite
as well. Was not very long ago when reservations were not needed----
Their success is well deserved.
Moose, enjoyed reading your trip report---thanks
[Edited on 10-14-2009 by DianaT]
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Posada-BushPilot
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Moose,
Thanks for a great report. Sorry I missed you when you were here but thanks for bringing your donations including the generous financial one from
your Rotary Club in Carlsbad!
Hope you can return sometime this fall or winter.
Randy
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SunnyDay
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Registered: 9-4-2009
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No hope for camping (as in parked camper van, self-contained vs. tent) at Punta Chivato at all? Ever? Why did they close it off? With all the big
beautiful homes I'm not surprised, but it sure took a while.
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Bajahowodd
Elite Nomad
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Registered: 12-15-2008
Location: Disneyland Adjacent and anywhere in Baja
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The Jardines hotel was originally the home of Guillermo and Carmen. They have been gradually building it out as a hotel. The last time we stayed
there, Carmen mentioned that the room we were in was originally her livingroom. Yes, Nomads, these are genuinely sweet people who deserve our
business.
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ncampion
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Great report, we're heading down to Loreto next week. One question about the border crossing going South. Were you stopped at all? Any inspection
of the cars etc. We heard that they are stopping a lot more cars than they used to. Thanks
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mooose29
Nomad
Posts: 201
Registered: 10-1-2008
Location: Encinitas/Punta Chivato, Rancho Partera
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On the US side they did not check us but were spot checking some cars. On the Mexican side we were in the declare area and it was the usual red light
green light thing. We got the Green light 
With the no campping on campping beach question it is because a large corporation KRCC (I think was the name) bought the land at the point that the
beach sits in front of and has plans to build a mega resort any day now  So far they
have a fence up and a guard hut with a worker in it that writes down licnese plate numbers when you go in to use the beach.
Who knows what the future has in store for the point???
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