Exploring on a motorcycle puts you up close and personal to the communities you travel through. I had yet to go on a long ride, and I had wanted to travel Baja California top to bottom. Thus, a road trip was born! We slapped the Bushtec Trailer onto our Harley and off we went. We started in San Felipe, traveled west to Ensenada, then south to Los Cabos and back – in two weeks.
Since our trip several people have asked about the details – daily distances traveled, where we stayed to break up the trip since it is essentially one road in and out. It took us quite some time to map out our plan so what follows is our carefully crafted road trip, following Highway 3 from San Felipe to Ensenada, and Highway 1 south to Los Cabos. And Back.
The first day we traveled from San Felipe to Baja’s west coast, then south to San Quintin. The 296-mile ride took 6 hours due to poor road conditions; pot holes and sections of windy mountain roads. We stayed at Maria Celeste Hotel, which had a security gate across the parking lot which they closed at night. We dined next door at Hotel La Villa de San Quintin. Here we enjoyed the most delicious meal of the entire trip! We both ordered Salmon Wellington and it was an unexpected celebration.
On day 2 we traveled 260 miles from San Quintin to Guerrero Negro. Again the road was dangerously pot holed. We spent the night at Hotel Terra Sal. The hotel was clean and adequate, except that our mattress and pillows were wrapped in plastic. Really? We dined in the hotel’s restaurant, which I do not recommend. There are many good restaurant choices in Guerro Negro almost within walking distance.
We left Guerrero Negro by 8 a.m. the next morning and traveled in heavy coastal fog necessitating a stop to don rain gear. From Guerro Negro the road improves tremendously with far fewer pot holes.
A stop in Catavina is highly recommended to fuel up. Catavina is only 91 miles from Guerro Negro, but the next town with fuel is a distance. We traveled 260 miles that day to Loreto and the Hotel Oasis. It is located on the beach and at the end of the malecon, and is acclaimed to be the first hotel in Loreto. The Hotel Oasis features a Friday night clam bake for $10 per person, offering all-you-can-eat fresh (cooked and raw) clams and oysters, meat, salad and more.
We had decided to spend two nights in Loreto since we knew friends there. I am so glad we did! We loved Loreto with its beautiful Mision Nuestra Senora de Loreto, charming malecon, golf course, shops and boutique restaurants. While we were happy with the Hotel Oasis, I also recommend the Posada de las Flores Loreto, across the street from the Mission, it offers old world Mexican elegance. From the hotel lobby, look up to the ceiling and you’ll see the underside of the roof-top swimming pool through large glass blocks. Simply Magic!
Day 4 we rode our greatest distance: 354 miles from Loreto to Cabo San Lucas. Just outside of La Paz, construction was underway on Mexico Highway 1 – the primary route that traverses east and west several times but eventually gets you to the southern tip of Baja. At one point traffic was diverted onto a sandy temporary frontage road. The sand was so deep we went down on the bike, but fortunately we were traveling slow and fell into sand. Some damage was done to the bike and my ankle got bruised, but we were lucky it wasn’t worse.
When we finally pulled into the Pueblo Bonita Rose Resort in Los Cabos, we were worn out, banged up, and happy to get off the bike and quench our thirst with a frosty cocktail, or two!
We spent a week in Cabo relaxing at the resort, strolling around the marina, had dinner at the The Office, and caught the local bus for an hour-long ride to Todos Santos. There we had lunch at the Hotel California. The venue was braggadocios about being the inspiration for the Eagles’ Hotel California, selling tee shirts and tons of Hotel California/Eagles tchotchkes. Meanwhile, Don Henley denies any affiliation of the song to any hotel, and is currently suing the Todos Santos restaurant.
We had a great time in Cabo. The beaches are beautiful, the harbor and marina gorgeous. Dining and shopping options plentiful… After 6 days, we decided to leave a day early and pick up a day in La Paz, where we’d only planned to stop for lunch.
We traveled 136 miles to La Paz and stayed at Hotel Perla, the first hotel in La Paz. It happened to be Children’s Day (a very big day in Mexico for families). Kids were out in costume and face paint – lots of fun to watch! La Paz has the longest malecon I’ve ever seen. The Mission, Mision de Nuestra Senora del Pilar de La Paz Airapi, was a disappointment as it appeared to be in process of being refurbished, but little was done to maintain the original integrity of the old Mission.
From La Paz we rode to Ciudad Constitucion, 130 miles away. We spent the night at yet another ‘Hotel Oasis,’ which offered a small pool, outdoor gazebo, and was located off the main street yet walking distance to dining, affording a nice, quiet respite.
Next came San Ignacio, 239 miles later. We stayed at the Ignacio Springs Bed & Breakfast, a quaint campground with 11 yurts of varying sizes built along a fresh water river. You can swim or kayak in the river, and in the a.m. enjoy a scrumptious home-made breakfast (included).
From San Ignacio we traveled 224 miles to Catavina and stayed at the Hotel Mision Catavina. A beautiful hotel truly in the middle of know where. But, the hotel itself makes Catavina somewhere. Great bar, restaurant, pool, nice rooms. All was good at Hotel Mision Catavina.
We left Catavina for Estero Beach, which is located just south of Ensenada. The journey was 224 miles to the Estero Beach Hotel & Resort. While we didn’t take time to enjoy all the amenities, there are many at this isolated, amenity-rich resort; pool, spas, restaurant, bar, golf, tennis, etc.
From Estero Beach we travel 165 miles home to San Felipe – To the slurpy embrace of our much-missed dogs!
In all, we journeyed over 2,300 miles – a long ride in just two weeks, but we saw intimately the beauty and remoteness of Baja, met delightful locals, enjoyed real street tacos – all in a way we wouldn’t have otherwise. So if you’ve thought about making a trip down Baja, use this framework to build your own exploration of this incredibly magic place, which I dare say won’t stay so pristine forever.
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