For more information, visit: http://www.cerritosyurts.com/

Glamping or “glamorous camping” at Cerritos Eco Retreat in Baja California Sur, Mexico, offers vacationers and Los Cabos Locals alike an experience of a lifetime!  In today’s economy quality time is becoming hard to come by but relaxing, rejuvenating and reconnecting should still be a priority and shouldn’t cost a fortune.  Need a vacation for a week or just a weekend?  At Cerritos Eco Retreat our Yurt is your Yurt.  All you need to bring are your favorite foods, personal items and who you want to spend your quality time with, we provide the rest.  Our eco-friendly accommodations are completely equipped with all of your living and beaching necessities and the numerous amenities to be found entertain everyone from Grandpa to Jr.  Being easily accessible from Cabo San Lucas, San Jose del Cabo, Todos Santos and La Paz makes it even easier to get away from it all at Cerritos Eco Retreat, your home away from home!

For more information, visit: http://www.cerritosyurts.com/

For more information please visit: www.endlesssummerbeachandspa.com

Gone Glamping? A big part of traveling is that feeling of excitement you get while experiencing something for the very first time. Glamping? A new word for a new kind of travel defined as Glamorous Camping. What’s a Yurt? An eco-friendly structure that provides comfort, style and a light footprint.

Located just minutes from Todos Santos, Endless Summer Beach and Spa offers a variety of luxury beach and lagoon front Yurt bungalow’s surrounded by miles of breathtaking water meets desert vistas and unforgettable sunsets.

For more information please visit: www.endlesssummerbeachandspa.com

In aiming to protect Baja California, Mexico we pride ourselves in maintaining the majority of the property as green areas by providing sound, low impact structures in replace of permanent structures, using sand, gravel or stone instead of cement, utilizing solar and wind power, implementing fully sustainable water processing systems and engineering all road designs towards pedestrian and electric vehicle traffic. In keeping our promise to provide luxury and amenities all our accommodations are being comfortably designed as 1, 2 or 3 bedrooms with a fully equipped kitchenette, bathroom, living, dining and entertainment area. We are constantly striving to keep our Planet Green one sustainable community at a time while never sacrificing modern luxuries and always keeping it affordable!

For more information please visit: www.bajaecodevelopments.com

For more information please visit: www.bajaecodevelopments.com

TequilaSource.com provides information about tequila including history, categories (100% Agave Tequila and Tequila) and types (classes) of tequila and photographs of bottles. Our photo gallery has pictures from distilleries showing the processes used to make tequila. There are cocktail and drink recipes, and listings of tequila brands and distilleries.

Tequila is North America’s first distilled spirit, and has been produced in México since shortly after the Spanish conquered the country in the early 1500s.

To be classified as tequila, it must be made from no less than 51% Weber blue agave. Better and high-end tequilas are made from 100% Weber blue agave. Today’s fine tequilas are highly coveted by collectors worldwide—for both the smooth aromatic liquor and the handcrafted decorative bottle.

For more information visit TequilaSource.com

For more information visit TequilaSource.com

West Point, Virginia is a quiet Southern town, with some stunning 19th and early 20th Century architecture in the historic downtown district. The Town of West Point has a long history related to its location in Colonial Virginia and its American Indian heritage.

Once the site of an Indian village named Cinquoteck, the West Point area, in 1664, became part of a large land grant made to Captain John West. In 1691, an act by the General Assembly arranged the purchase from West Point Plantation of 50 acres of land for the development of Delaware Town.

Enjoy Fishing and Boating. The popular West Point facility of Glass Island Landing is owned and managed by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. Cyclists and walkers enjoy the Riverwalk Trail. Stop at Town Hall at 329 Sixth Street for a copy of the West Point Historic Walking Tour Map or call ahead for a copy to be mailed to you. The annual Crab Carnival is usually held the first weekend in October, is famous throughout Virginia. West Point, Virginia is located in King William County, 37 miles east of Richmond, Virginia (center to center) and 63 miles northwest of Virginia Beach, Virginia. West Point is situated where the Mattaponi and Pamunky Rivers join the York River. West Point is located at 37°32′ 37″N, 76°48′ 19″W (37.543733, -76.805366).

http://www.westpointguide.com/

Williamsburg Virginia Guide. Travel and Vacation Directory for Williamsburg, Virginia.

We also offer information about real estate, hotels, restaurants and more for Williamsburg, James City County, York County and other areas as we expand our coverage. Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown, known as Virginia’s Historic Triangle are some of America’s favorite vacation destinations. Centrally located between Virginia Beach and Richmond, the Williamsburg area offers something for everyone.

Visit our website at http://www.williamsburgvirginiaguide.com/ for more information.

 

San Diego California Guide.

Our growing directory is your information source with directories, links and resources for various areas of interest and things to do in and around San Diego, California. It includes local attractions, points of interest, accommodations, hotels and resorts.

We also offer information about real estate agents and brokers, dining and restaurants, attorneys, lawyers, services, vacation travel and more.

Visit our website at http://www.sandiegocaliforniaguide.com/ for more information.

 

San José del Cabo, Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, México

San Jose del Cabo was for hundreds of years, the only community here at the tip fo the Baja California Peninsula. With its natural fresh water oasis flowing into palm-lined lagoons at the oceans edge, the area supported Indian communities and hundreds of species of wildlife for thousands of years before colonization by the Spanish.

During the pre-colonial period it was a watering and provisioning stop for Spanish galleons. The heavy ships laden with treasure, silks and spices from the east were the ‘big game fish’ then for pirates like Sir Francis Drake who came looking for ‘donations’ to his favorite charity (himself) and his majesty the “Virgin” Queen Elizabeth. San Jose del Cabo was finally settled in 1730 with a Jesuit mission and fort to help stabilize the region against these marauders.

As the years went by, explorers like Cabrillo and Vizcaino, cannoned warships, whaling ships, and clipper traders running the West Coast all stopped and often left, leaving crew behind. Some of the old families in Todos Santos, La Paz and San Jose del Cabo have English and French derived surnames from ancestors who were buccaneers before jumping ship and becoming ranchers and fishermen.

Up until twenty years ago Cabo San Lucas was just a few farmhouses, some scrawny cattle roaming the dirt roads and a fish cannery. There was only an eighteen-mile dirt road connecting it to the only town nearby, San Jose del Cabo.

Visit our sister website www.sanjosedelcaboguide.com/ for more information.

Cabo San Lucas being only two beers away by commercial air travel from Southern California is fast replacing Hawaii as a preferred quick-trip exotic vacation destination for many Americans. Over two million tourists travel to Baja California Sur each year and visit towns and villages, bays, beaches, islands and golf courses each season for an average stay of 3.5 days. Some, like me, come for a visit and never go back. Truthfully, one late Spring, several years ago, I sailed from San Diego intent on traveling around the world in my sailboat. Six weeks later, after exploring the Baja coast, its islands and ports, I fell in love with La Paz, the capital of Baja California Sur and dropped anchor. Some would say swallowed it, for I fell for a local Mexicana and a year later got married. That’s the short version of the story.

Most folks who end up living in Baja California Sur, only get half as far as I did. First, they fall in love with Los Cabos, buy a time-share, then a condo or they build a house. And be forewarned! One out of three folks who endure a time-share presentation end up buying one. Those complimentary dinners, jet ski rentals and free golf rounds will set you back five to thirty thousand dollars for the cost of the Vacation Plan, or whatever euphemism they are using to disguise the time-share business that week.

Cabo San Lucas is the main tourist destination for people visiting the Los Cabos area for the first time. It sits on Cabo San Lucas Bay which is flanked on the west side by a series of monumental rock formations known as Land’s End. This outcropping of land being the end of the nearly one thousand mile Baja California Peninsula where the Pacific Ocean meets the Sea of Cortez. Here one can snorkel in crystal clear warm waters swarming with colorful tropical fish around underwater pinnacles off the cove known as Lover’s Beach. The fish will literally eat out of your hand as they’ve all heard the place is a game sanctuary.

Cabo San Lucas is actually a part of the municipality of Los Cabos which includes San Jose del Cabo located eighteen miles to the east, and in some ways, a hundred years in the past. For all the millions of dollars in tourist hotel development in Cabo San Lucas and in the Tourist Corridor in between the two towns, San Jose del Cabo still evokes the roots and spirit of Mexico as opposed to Cabo San Lucas, with its faster paced, more commercial and touristy atmosphere.

In Cabo San Lucas, one can party nearly twenty-four hours a day at the clubs, on the beaches, around the pools and on the yachts. Cabo San Lucas boasts a marina with booming world-class big game sportfishing fleets, luxury yachts and more hotels and golf courses per capita than just about anywhere in the world!

Those wanting a more authentic Mexican experience on their vacation may want to consider staying in San Jose del Cabo eighteen miles to the East and eighteen miles closer to the airport. (Cab fares can be usurious). Hint: Rent a car or take the shuttle.

Downtown San Jose del Cabo has a traditional plaza dominated by a Church, a Victorian bandstand in a quaint plaza with a Municipal Palace (city hall) around the corner. There are fine restaurants in the city center (also known as the Colonial District) to experience such as Morgans, La Dolce, El Chilar, and La Tulipan. Shoppers will enjoy the low-key galleries, silver shops, boutiques and absence of time-share sales people every ten steps along the sidewalks.

There are also some fine boutique hotels to be found in downtown San Jose del Cabo, including the El Encanto Inn, Casa Natalia and the Tropicana along with a few night clubs. Room prices at the El Encanto start around sixty-five and range upwards to three hundred a night at Casa Natalia.

A jungle of palms and bougainvillea line Mijares Boulevard in downtown San Jose adding grace to the colonial architecture. Here, one can mingle with un-tethered horses, cows, dogs, chickens and local families gamboling about, all as in a slow motion film on old Mexico. San Jose del Cabo is a little town trying hard not to grow up. There are five-star hotels on the nearby oceanfront as well as a horse rodeo stadium, and palenque (arena) for cockfights. Locals raise fighting cocks at home. Dogs and iguanas can be seen on rooftops, chickens do cross the road and horses from the ranches along the estuary come to town to munch on local gardens.

Drive slowly through town and on the highways at night. The front end of our car has been totaled thrice. By a cow, a goat and an unlicensed, uninsured, Mexicana driving a borrowed car. Up until last year, drivers license testing was unheard of here. Now there is a written test, but with half the people barely literate, little has changed.

The famous Estero de San Jose (estuary) runs along the east side of downtown San Jose del Cabo emptying into the ocean, forming a perfect break for surfers. The estuary is home to over three hundred species of wildlife and its freshwater lagoon, supplied by upstream natural acquafiers, has been known as a watering hole for migrating wildlife, Indians and pirates for centuries.

Activities around the estuary include bird watching, horseback riding, ATV excursions, mountain bike and motorbike rentals, surfing, surf fishing and swimming. Leatherback turtles lay their eggs on the beaches and the little ones can sometimes be found crawling their way back to the sea when hatched. Pangas can be rented for sportfishing in the tiny fishing village of La Playita located a mile away from town across the estuary. La Playita is twenty miles closer to the famous Gorda Banks fishing spot for big game fish than Cabo San Lucas. Larger boats can be rented departing the hotel Palmilla also located in San Jose del Cabo. But for luxury sportfishing charter boats or other game fishing locations, Cabo San Lucas may be the best point of departure.

West San Jose del Cabo features the famous Costa Azul beach with its world-renowned surf breaks. Many retired Gringos reside in the hills in this area including some surf legends from the early days of California surfing. Check out La Jolla de Los Cabos and Cabo Surf Hotel on the web, both located on the beach. For a surfer, it doesn’t get any better.

Other sportfishing destinations include the East Cape an hour north of San Jose del Cabo and includes the (formerly) secret sportfishing grounds of the rich and famous and include the villages of Los Barrilles, La Ribera, and Buena Vista. The East Cape area is also terrific for wind and kite surfing enthusiasts. Closer to San Jose on the East Cape is Cabo Pulmo, a fantasy destination for SCUBA divers as it has one of the largest coral reefs in Mexico to explore.

On the waterfront in the Hotel Zone of San Jose del Cabo, can be found first class hotels including the Presidente Inter-Continental Los Cabos, the Royal Solaris Los Cabos Resort and the newest the Crown Plaza Los Cabos Beach Resort with its landmark lighthouse tower. The older Fiesta Inn on the water is for the budget minded and at Las Mananitas one can rent a condo, the size of a villa for very reasonable prices. Take time to visit the lighthouse tower at the Crown Plaza Los Cabos Beach Resort, have a drink and enjoy the sunset over the beautiful Sierra de la Laguna mountains.

These above hotels and resorts (except Las Mananitas) are All-Inclusive resorts as in the cost of the room includes meals, drinks and entertainment at the hotel. Indeed, some tourists confuse their taxi ride to and from the airport and three-day stay at the hotel, with meals and all, as a trip to Mexico. These tourists often never, visit the town of San Jose del Cabo a mile away from their all-inclusive resort and are discouraged by the outrageous fares quoted by the cab drivers for the eighteen mile drive for a visit to Cabo San Lucas. Hint: the local bus to Cabo San Lucas takes fifteen minutes longer than the cab and costs about $1.50. Take a cab to San Jose for three dollars, see the town, then the bus to Cabo San Lucas. Or rent a car, jeep, motorcycle, horse or donkey. The taxi guys need a lesson.

Cabo San Lucas is the primary vacation destination for tourists visiting the Los Cabos area for the first time. Here you will find a beautiful Marina loaded with sportfishing charter boats, luxury private yachts and the ubiquitous pangas, those 20 foot long, open, nearly indestructible, fishing boats favored by local Mexican fishermen.

Surrounding the Cabo San Lucas Marina on the boardwalk is a plethora of clubs, bars, restaurants and a newly completed Puerto Paraiso Entertainment Plaza with more shops, restaurants, multi-cinema (try the VIP theatre with leather recliners) and a Boliche (bowling alley). The mall interior with its marble tiled floors, granite columns, waterfalls, balconies, terraces overlooking the marina, and fine architectural details, sets a new standard for shopping ambience.

World-class golf is found at many golf courses, most of which are built along the tourist corridor oceanfront. Signature courses range the gamut from Jack Nicklaus to Robert Trent Jones and others with green fees ranging from under $40.00, at the city run courses, to over two hundred fifty dollars at the fancier courses. Discounts are often available to guests staying at nearby hotels and resorts such as Westin Regina Resort Los Cabos, Melia Los Cabos All Suites Resort, Las Ventanas al Paraiso, Melia Cabo Real Beach & Golf Resort and Sheraton Hacienda del Mar.

Nice hotel rooms can be found at the vintage Mar de Cortez in Cabo San Lucas, for around $50.00, a few blocks off the harbor waterfront. Other economical hotels in the area include Bungalows Breakfast Inn, Cabo Inn Hotel, Casa Rafael’s, and Siesta Suites. First class hotels and resorts along the beaches include the Solmar Suites Hotel, Hotel Finnistera, Melia San Lucas, Pueblo Bonito Los Cabos, Pueblo Bonito Rosé, Club Cascadas de Baja, Villa del Palmar Beach Resort and Hotel Hacienda Beach. For a marina harbor side room try the Plaza Las Glorias. On the upper end, Las Ventanas al Paraiso, noted as being the most exclusive hotel in Latin America is found on the cliffs overlooking the Sea of Cortez, east of downtown Cabo San Lucas several miles, at Cabo del Sol. Prices start at $400.00 per night and range upwards to $3,500.00US dollars. That’s for a room for a night. Not a down payment to purchase.

Many Hollywood, and Dot-Com rich-and-famous, own mansions in the hills overlooking Cabo San Lucas. They frequent and entertain at the many clubs in Cabo. In fact, rock muscian Sammy Hagar often plays at his club Cabo Wabo&Mac226; when in town. El Squid Roe, The Giggling Marlin Bar & Grill, Las Varitas and Kaboo are a few of the more popular places to hang, dance and drink. There are at least ten Gentlemen’s Clubs (read strip joints) where a beer may cost six bucks and a lap dance twenty, and your wife if she finds out. There is a classy sports-book club where you can place bets on sporting events around the world at Caliente Casino Real on Marina Boulevard.
I
n the harbor one can choose from SCUBA diving and snorkeling expeditions, glass bottom boats tours, harbor excursions on large catamarans, and a cruise on the pirate ship used in the movie Time Bandits. All with giant speakers booming rock n roll music. Hint: avoid mixed drinks on the party boats. Stick with national beers and sodas. They could run the boat engines on the alcohol served in some of these inexpensive all-you-can-drink booze cruises. For a great time in the evening consider a harbor, Land’s End and bay cruise complete with dinner, floorshow and dancing on the Caborey Dinner Cruiser, a 110 foot catamaran.

In Cabo San Lucas there are wave runners, small sailboats and kayaks to rent. For the truly brave (or insane) you can get towed behind a fast boat hanging from a parachute. Back on land many have fun riding ATVs on desert trails at Cabo Real, riding horses in the desert, paint balling, rock climbing, mountain biking, and renting off road racing cars and blasting around a large course a few miles out of town in the desert.

A day trip fifty miles up the scenic desert and coastal highway from Cabo San Lucas to the sleepy artist colony of Todos Santos is worth renting a car for. This day trip is only about one hour travel time by car. Or take the Aguila motorcoach bus for six bucks from San Jose or Cabo San Lucas. There, in this ancient sugar mill town of 4,000 on the Pacific coast, you find a dozen or so galleries and studios of Mexican and Gringo expatriate artists. Some say this place is fast becoming another Santa Fe or Laguna Beach, but that’s another fifty or so years away as time moves in Mexico.

The only real hotel in town is the Hotel California. The hotel the Eagles Band made famous. They never slept there. But that fact doesn’t deter the thousands of folks who make yearly pilgrimages there, wanting to believe they did. They buy t-shirts, coffee mugs, dine, stay there, and tell their friends all about it back home. Go figure. Recently remodeled, it is worth a stop for a drink, dinner or an overnight stay. The room prices are moderate. There are a few Mexican owned budget motels in town as well as a new boutique hotel on the beach with a gourmet restaurant owned by a Swiss Chef called Las Posas. Check our web site for Todos Santos Hotels.

Built around a lush river valley oasis on the coast, the town is located in a micro climate, always ten to fifteen degrees cooler than La Paz or San Jose del Cabo. And the colonial town is full of charm. The little children, the shopkeepers and the cops are always smiling because life here is relatively stress free. Many of the men work in the nearby chile fields or fish from pangas for a living. Some build casas for gringos who imagine they have rediscovered life as it was one hundred years ago.

On Saturdays there are sports events in the nearby stadium including soccer, baseball and an occasional motorcross. On Sundays the men folk gather under mango trees or around the back of someone’s pickup, to discuss important things and drink all day while the women and children go to church. Life is simple here. I like it. I live, write, and paint in Todos Santos. Drop by for a visit at my Galeria La Coronela, east of the Cathedral one block, on Legaspi Street.

Travel to Cabo San Lucas and the Los Cabos area is easy with several options available. Details on how to get here for your next vacation can be found on our Los Cabos Travel web page or our airlines page. Basically, you can fly via Alaska, American, Delta, Mexicana and other commercial airlines, or you can drive, sail, kayak or donkey ride down the peninsula. As has been done recently. Just fly. Fares range from $225 to $600 USD, round trip from the United States depending on season and distance. Best to check the web for specials, especially Alaska Airlines from time to time. The Los Cabos area is closer than ever.

About the author: Travel writer / artist, former Westin chef, David Mandich lives, writes, paints
and dines often in Cabo San Lucas, Los Cabos Mexico

E-mail: yachtdorado@yahoo.com

By David Mandich (2,636 words) – October 07, 2003