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la paz, baja sur california
most people have heard of “cabo” as it most commonly is known. in mexico it is known as “los cabos” and is an area bordered by two cities, cabo san lucas and san josé del cabo, at the tip of baja california. in between the two cities is a now extremely developed stretch of coast line with beach resort after beach resort after beach resort. in cabo san lucas is a big party zone including the well known clubs cabo wabo and señor frog etc.
less known is la paz, a city on the “other” side of the peninsula from los cabos on what many people call “the sea of cortez” but maps have long referred to as “the gulf of california” (presumably to get away from the name of the colonial oppressor).
la paz, unlike los cabos, is a city of about 400,000 people that feels like a real place, not a tourist town. the zona central is located on a 5 mile stretch of harbor with a “malecon” which we could roughly translate as boardwalk except that it’s not boards; it’s one of the most beautiful, long and pristine walking paths (with biking alongside it but separate) that i’ve ever experienced. on the city side of the street there are restaurants, clubs and shops. on the beautiful harbor side there are sculptures, children’s play areas, volleyball nets, benches etc.
this was an exceptionally cool winter on the west coast of the us including la paz. yet there were gorgeous warm days where we enjoyed our establishment’s beach and other pristine beaches we could drive to nearby like playa balandra. the city itself is about the size of sacramento and sprawls for miles in an unplanned chaotic way but care has been taken to preserve nearby jewels like balandra and espiritu sanctu island which are nature preserves that restrict the number of humans and prevent us from carrying away rocks or sand or even touching much of it.
the water is gorgeous and clear. there are lots of small excursion tours to go on to see whales, snorkel with sea lions or other sea life, depending on migration patterns. we opted for the snorkeling with sea lions tour. went on a small boat with a large family from california. they were fun to talk to (in a mixture of spanish and english) and we had a great day with them. the tour company prepared and served an affirmatively delicious lunch on the beach with the lowest environmental impact one could imagine. the whole experience (including singing in spanish with the family to whales we unexpectedly saw close up on the way back) was delightful.
another day we drove about 45 minutes to a cactus sanctuary adjacent to el triunfo (a tiny otherwise unremarkable town). to our surprise, the sanctuary was both beautifully laid out, and curated at a high level with signs in both english and spanish, but also completely unstaffed (an unusual combination to say the least). for the first 1/2 hour or so we had the whole place to our self. many of the cacti are so tall that they generate shade and the sanctuary is inland so it the experience is doubly pleasant in that its warmer than the coast but without unpleasant exposure. we absolutely loved it.
while tourism is undoubtedly the main industry of la paz, it’s also clear that most (80% i was told) of the tourists who visit are mexican (mostly from mexico city) not american or canadian. this gives it a different vibe than los cabos, puerta vallarta or cancun where you can walk down the street and just see mobs of anglo americans. (and everyone is speaking english).
in la paz most but not all of those at the front desk or tour level are speaking english pretty well. however unlike los cabos, i found many waiters and others to seem relieved that i speak spanish and would just switch to that. in other tourist areas in mexico i have trouble even finding someone to speak spanish with.
oh i should add that we found tourists in la paz who were mexican american families and blended families of mexican and anglo who live in mexico but are partly from the us.
on this trip we learned that the long thin peninsula, particularly at the tip, creates an island effect where there is a “leeward” side and a “windward” side. the “leeward” side (where there is very little wind) is los cabos and the “windward” side where there can be a lot of wind is la paz. last time we were in la paz it was very warm and not windy but this time we did have a couple of windy days. the water and the air is definitely warmer in los cabos, so can be a downside in choosing la paz for a winter vacation. however it was still much warmer than northern or southern “alta” california is in january.
last trip (in pre pandemic 2020) we stayed in airbnbs in both cabo san lucas and la paz, both cost around $100 a night. this time we found that the gringo prices had soared and we couldn’t find anything affordable on airbnb in either city that wasn’t a tiny condo several stories above street level in a complex. those would probably be perfectly fine but we were spoiled because last time in la paz we paid $100 a night to stay right on the beach in our own private gorgeous large house with a private pool and kayak.
after seeing the market, this time i searched for actual “bed and breakfasts” spelled out so as not to bring up “bnb” and found an amazing place to stay in la paz – casa kootenay.
this property and experience is literally exceptional—meaning you might not find something else even close in la paz (and perhaps elsewhere). where else will you find a 4 guest room stunning house right on the water with a delightful beach, view, free kayaks, paddle boards, bikes, you name it? the roof deck is a dream place to hang out, watch the sunset, do yoga, and stargaze.
at casa kootenay breakfasts were consistently huge and delicious—different little treats, smoothies, juices, coffee and cereals every day plus a hot breakfast tailored to your food preferences and allergies to the very extent possible. but the special sauce in all of this is the hostess leeanne, a british columbia world traveled spirit whose warm and generous personality (along with her 2 beautifully behaved dogs) permeates the whole experience. i found her to be present the perfect mixture of great restaurant, tour and visit suggestions that you couldn’t find online, to chatting and visiting, to letting you have your own space. she is receptive and available without being the slightest bit intrusive—which is tough to pull off! it’s also fun to have the option of getting to know the other guests or not. pro tip: if you stay in casa kootenay (named after someplace in british columbia) don’t bring sunscreen, so many guests have left their 3/4 full bottles.
all in all, it was a great trip. we’ll be back. highly recommend it.
