Three vacation-altering day trips out of Cabo San Lucas
Story and photos by Joyce Hadley Copeland
After poking his head into a restaurant recommended by a local
shopkeeper, my husband whispered, “I’m in the mood for something more
romantic.” Who was I to argue? And in the next block of San Jose del Cabo’s
charming historic district, we found something truly magical. Stepping
through an arched doorway into the candlelit courtyard, we accepted a “no
pressure” invitation to climb an elegant curved staircase for a look at the
restaurant’s rooftop dining area. We found a strip of candlelit tables, a fire
dancing in the brick fireplace, and a breeze, soft as a caress. If we hadn’t
returned with friends on the last night of our vacation, I’d be convinced I
dreamed the whole thing up.
This trip, we’d made a pact to venture beyond the gringo-style luxury of
Cabo San Lucas and experience the “real” Baja—an area that has changed
very little since its discovery by Hernando Cortez in 1535. Traveling
highways paved only 30 years ago, we met fellow Americans who’d chucked
the fast lane for the rutted roads of Todos Santos. We walked deserted
beaches that would look familiar to Cortez, and downed “chocolate clams” at
a roadside palapa. Each adventure took us no more than an hour or so
away from the action—but closer to the traditional soul of Baja than we’d
ever been.
San Jose: Cabo, hold the Wabo
We’d been browsing the charming shops and galleries around Boulevard
Mijares for several hours when it struck us: Not a single street vendor had
approached selling trinkets. We felt like a couple of celebrities who’d
successfully ditched the paparazzi.
At opposite ends of the 32-mile Los Cabos tourist corridor—a swath of high-
rise hotels and glitzy resorts—the cities of San Jose del Cabo and Cabo San
Lucas are as different as night and day. Cabo San Lucas is where
Americans go to party, shop in American stores, and eat in American
restaurants. At legendary hotspots such as rock star Sammy Hagar’s Cabo
Wabo, the music is loud and shots of tequila are plentiful. All well and good,
until you’ve blown off some steam and/or passed the age of 35.
Then, San Jose del Cabo starts looking pretty good. Its clean, tree-shaded
streets are made for strolling. The traditional plaza twinkles with a necklace
of white lights. Sidewalk cafes are made for lingering. Low-key shopkeepers
are more eager to share stories about individual artisans than to ring up a
quick sale. Within a few blocks, you’ll find glasswork from Tlaquepaque,
woodcarvings from Oaxaca, Huichol bead art from Guadalajara, and natural
colored onyx from Puebla—not to mention Mexican fire opals flashing with 28
different shades of red and orange.
Of course, progress has made its mark here—but gently, in keeping with the
character with the town. Half a dozen restaurants with sophisticated menus
and prodigious wine lists are tucked away in old-world courtyards in the
compact historic district. It’s the real Mexico you crossed the border for.
The East Cape: Deserted beaches and buzzard’s breath
From San Jose’s main shopping street, we followed signs to La Playita. A
short drive through the desert landed us on the doorstep of Buzzard’s.
Named for the ubiquitous turkey vulture, this laid-back open-air restaurant
has a view of the beach and a menu you won’t soon forget. Over a Buzzard’s
Breath Salad (lettuce, chicken, blue cheese, and bacon), a Bulimic Buzzard
(quarter-pound burger) and a couple of Coronas, we considered the owner’s
bumper-sticker-assertion: “It doesn’t get any better than this” and decided
there is a certain logic there. After all, the only footsteps following us down
Playa La Laguna before we scrambled onto a rocky moonscape cupping
dozens of tidal pools were our own.
La Playita is the jumping-off point for a string of remote fishing villages to the
east and north along the Sea of Cortez. Known as the East Cape, this area
was accessible only by private plane or boat before Highway 1 opened in
1973. John Wayne lived aboard his yacht, The Wild Goose. It’s still a bumpy
ride much of the way to Los Barriles (now a windsurfing hotspot).
Tour companies such as Baja Wild offer day trips to Cabo Pulmo National
Marine Park. The government-protected live coral reef is remote enough to
discourage the tourist masses. You won’t see more than a dozen divers at a
time, even during peak season. In fact, the coral grows so close to shore,
you can almost see the fish from the white-sand beach. Even novices can
stay well within their comfort zones, snorkeling in shallow, 87-degree water.
With visibility of up to 100 feet, you’ll see a mind-blowing kaleidoscope of
reef fish and marine animals, some found nowhere else in the world.
Todos Santos: “Such a lovely place”
“From the bar—don’t make a mess.” With an ironic half-smile, Lourdes
Campos set a bowl full of peanuts and an empty one for the shells in front of
us. Looking down at the dirt floor, we had to smile.
On the advice of the executive chef at elegant Morgan’s Encore in San Jose,
we pulled into this blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cluster of palapas on our way to
Todos Santos. Run by Lourdes and her partner Alfredo Ruiz, the simply
named Art & Beer is known for its “chocolate clams”—marinated in 17
ingredients and served raw in their Hershey-brown shells. We washed them
down with a mug of tres jugos (“three juices”—four that day, because key
limes were in season). More food—mermaid (seafood) soup and a steamed
version of the clams—appeared on our open-air ledge. We rolled into our
destination, the artists’ community of Todos Santos, well-fed and prepared
for more irony.
Christened the “next Santa Fe” by major travel magazines, Todos Santos
(“All Saints”) is indeed home to 14 high-end galleries—most housed in faded
colonial-style adobes along still-unpaved roads. The longer you stay, the
more difficult Todos Santos is to pigeonhole.
Some even it call it a state of mind. Browsing “El Calendario,” a free guide
available at the bookstore, I found an ode to stepping off the fast track,
along with scheduled yoga classes and meditation sessions. Expatriate
Americans and Canadians have imported DSL. A handful of restaurants are
lauded in the likes of Bon Appetit.
Hard to believe that Todos Santos was a 12-hour, teeth-rattling drive to
Los Cabos (now only an hour and a half away) before Highway 19 was
paved in the mid-1980s. That unique incubator bred a cast of characters
right out of a Gabriel Garcia Marquez novel. At Casa de Cultura, an eclectic
museum on the main street, you can read charmingly translated stories—of
Catalina, for example, who fell hard for the leading men in her turn-of-the-
century romance novels. “She died of love, for sure,” dreaming of the hero
of the novel resting on her breast.
Current residents like to remind visitors of their own “la Coronela,” a
celebrated heroine of the Mexican Revolution. Others remember the day a
regional governor wooed a legendary beauty by hiring a plane to scatter
flowers into her courtyard.
Then, of course, there’s the legend surrounding the Hotel California.
Sometime in the 1980s, a rumor caught fire that this Hotel California (one of
dozens throughout the world) was the inspiration for the Eagles’ hit song by
the same name. Despite vigorous denials by band members, believers
continued to make the pilgrimage to this hotel, even during the four years it
was abandoned and for sale.
“I didn’t believe it was true when we bought the place, but now I do,” the new
owner, John Stewart, told me. True or not, he acknowledges that the legend
has a life of its own. That morning, a group of middle-aged lawyers and
accountants—in leathers—had roared in on their motorcycles and talked
John out of his personal copy of “The Eagles’ Greatest Hits.”
0 The newly remodeled hotel is a stop on all day trips. You can glimpse the
lushly colored cascade of patios from the lobby, and if you’re lucky, hear the
mission bell of the church next door echoing through its hacienda-style
arches.
There may also be truth to another line from the song: “You can check out
any time you like, but you can never leave.” Most day-trippers return to
Todos Santos to stay for several days. The temperatures are cooler and the
surrounding beaches secluded—most are at the end of sandy, single-track
roads radiating from Highway 19.
Just be careful. If you fall under its spell, you may find yourself shopping for
real estate, like the couple we met over a creamy latte at Caffe Todos
Santos. Sales took off after the 9/11 tragedy. But this couple admitted, “We
need a change.”
Then again, maybe the change you need lies in venturing off the beaten the
path on vacation.
Sacramento-based writer Joyce Hadley Copeland has been replaying her original vinyl
version of “Hotel California” ever since her return from Los Cabos.
Good To Know
Getting around. Many day trips from Los Cabos combine Todos Santos
and La Paz. If you want to stay longer than an hour or two in Todos Santos,
rent a car. Despite the reference to the “dark, desert highway” in the song
“Hotel California,” don’t drive after dark. Livestock frequently wanders onto
the highway.
Language. You can get by with English and a smattering of travel-Spanish
in most places. Guides for reputable tour companies speak English.
Money. American dollars and major credit cards are widely accepted close
to Los Cabos. You may need pesos off the beaten path. ATM withdrawals
are always in pesos.
Food. Most restaurant food and water is safe. When in doubt, order bottled
water and unpeeled fruit. Never order food from street vendors. That said,
be adventurous when it comes to native flavors such as jamaica (hibiscus
flower), huitlacoche (Mexican truffle) and tamarind (sweet fruit from the pods
of a tamarind tree).
Web Resources
Mexican Government Tourism Office
San Jose del Cabo
Todos Santos
Cabo Pulmo National Marine Park
Baja Wild
Originally Published, ATA Journey Magazine March 2005
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