Loreto, Mexico – The Undiscovered Gem of Mexico
Growing up travel wasn’t something my family did, in fact no one in my family had a passport. We grew up just trying to get by, but since my grandfather grew up in Cuba and came to live in the United States when he was 17, he always took my dad and his siblings to Baja Mexico for family vacations. They always went down to San Felipe to camp on the beach and the tradition lived on. My dad’s family took our cousins and us down to the same little beach once or twice a year throughout our whole childhood. I know I said we didn’t travel, but when you live in Southern California, Mexico doesn’t feel like a new place. It was our weekend trips that we looked forward to all year.
Because Baja was like a second home, I never felt the need to experience more of Mexico and to be honest; Mexico isn’t a place California’s prefer to go. As Americans, we seem to think that Mexico isn’t safe, however Mexico is a large country and there are so many beautiful and safe places to visit. So when I got the opportunity to go this year I was delighted. I was finally able to go experience a new side of Mexico and rediscover this stigmatized country and have the oppertunity to show you a beautiful place full of wonderful people. Once again I’d be traveling to Baja, but this time to Loreto, a small town in Baja California Sur.
Since I had always driven to Mexico as a kid, it was exciting to fly. Alaskan Airlines has a direct flight from LAX to Loreto, which was great. It was such a short flight, but the airline was so kind and efficient. Plus they had really taste craft beer on board from Portland, Oregon. The flight was only a few hours and we were there in no time! The tiny airport, which was clean and looked like it had a brand new terminal, was simple and everyone was friendly.
I was looking forward to this trip for a while, after traveling with Jeff for six months straight, I was excited to have a girls weekend in Mexico so I invited my friend Cris to come along with me. We didn’t want the summer to end so going down to Baja was perfect!
Cris and I were so excited when we arrived. The weather was perfect and the water was so blue. As soon as we saw our resort we were both speechless, it was just too beautiful for words! We were staying at The Villa del Palmar at the Islands of Loreto, which is quite the resort. Our one bedroom villa overlooked the whole resort and ocean. The great thing about The Villa del Palmar at the Islands of Loreto is that every room faces the ocean. The buildings of rooms are all arranged to create a cove with the resort on the inside and the ocean as a prefect backdrop. There truly is no bad view. The other great thing is that there are no other resorts in site and you feel as though our on our own private island.
Although we were mainly just at the resort there was so much to do! We could go hiking and do yoga over the beautiful ocean, go to the spa, swim in one of the many pools, go kayaking or paddle boarding and we could even go out and search for the famous chocolate clams! We even spend a day out in the water on a boat to go snorkeling and have lunch on a tiny little beach not too far from the hotel, it was a perfect day! If you’re interested in exploring the city, the hotel has a shuttle to get you into town. There is a lot to walk around and explore even though Loreto is a small city. It has a very small town charm and the people are so friendly and welcoming. There are many mom and pop shops to explore and buy some souvenirs.
There are many places in Baja that are perfect for a getaway, but in my opinion, Loreto was just perfect! Whether you are looking for a couple’s getaway or a family vacation, The Villa del Palmar at the Islands of Loreto is the perfect place to relax and have a great time.
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As a maturing women, Marina has dedicated her life to travel and new experiences. After working a 9-5 cubical lifestyle, Marina sold everything she owned, left her job and begun a new life with her best friend and travel companion, Jeff Johns. Together they relocated to Phuket, Thailand and founded Latitude 34 in which they seek to share their alternative lifestyle with the world.
Marina is a Visual Journalism graduate of Brooks Institute of Photography where she studied photography, videography and ultimately caught the travel bug. Through creating several international documentaries, Marina realized there was more to the world than work and wanted something more.