The La Pinta Hotels were constructed as the reasonably priced hotels for the early driver of the paved highway. In recent years they have become rather expensive ($65/night in '99) compared to the bargains they used to be. However, they are there and they are clean. Also, I often find it convenient to stop at one for breakfast.

This region is very well covered by readily available sources, for example, the AAA book on Baja California. Please refer to that source for hotel and restaurant information. I haven't stayed overnight in the area for many years, so there is nothing I could possibly add.

The hotels and motels are so numerous, a very large and separate page would be required just to list them. I consider this to be an "ordinary" tourist destination and, as such, it is not covered in these pages - where the focus is on traveling further south, away from the crowds of the border region, and where you may encounter a more "foreign" experience.

January 2003: We stayed at the San Nicolas for $51US. They were running a special of two nights for $98US. The rooms are excellent!

Excellent food may be had at the restaurant "Costa Azul" (near Motel Chavez - but on the east side of the highway). Also, the restaurant at the Cielito Lindo is known for outstanding seafood, especially the crab plate.

Villa de San Quintin
  On the left-hand side of the road driving south. We stayed there in November of 2005 and were very pleasantly surprised to find a new motel. The rooms were very comparable to a Comfort Inn that you'd find in the U.S.. For two people we paid 480 pesos. They have a new restaurant at which we enjoyed both a good dinner and a breakfast (on our return trip). This is owned and operated by a family which has operated a hotel in Tijuana for many years (Villa de Zaragoza). There were two "no"s posted: no smoking and no pets.

Hotel Maria Celeste
This is immediately south of the Villa de San Quintin mentioned above. It has been reported that this place has Internet connections to each room. When we stopped there in November of 2005, they were already full at 4 PM. The hotel is new an gives a very good appearance.

Motel Chavez
  On the right-hand side of the road driving south, just past the two motels listed above. In December 2004 we paid 285 pesos for a double room.

Hotel La Pinta
  58 rooms
  About 2 miles west of Hwy. 1
  On a beautiful and wide beach
  Restaurant and bar
  Phone: 6 165-2878
  U.S. reservations: (800) 262-4500
  Mexico reservations: 01-800-0263-605
  $70US in June '03
  Note: The rooms were being nicely renovated in 2003. One wing was finished in June.

Old Mill
  28 rooms, some suites and kitchenettes
  Located 4 miles west of Hwy. 1 - unpaved road
  On the inner bay
  Restaurant and bar
  U.S. Phone: (619) 271-1304 and (800) 479-7962 (Voice)
  U.S. Phone: (619) 271-0952 (FAX)

Cielito Lindo
  Located on the same road as the La Pinta
  Restaurant and bar
  405 pesos/night (about $44US) for two persons (May '00)
  (Notes: The rooms were a bit tired but clean. The water ran out after one short shower in the morning.)

Baja Cactus Motel
This motel is associated with the Pemex station as you first enter town from the north. It is quite new, and we stayed there in December of 2005. We had a very large room, two king beds, two sinks, several satellite TV channels, and a large, almost elegant, shower. The rooms are shielded from the highway noise by a large wall, and we had no complaints regarding road noise. The cost was 350 pesos for two people. The only lack might be AC and heating. (We usually carry a small electric heater for our winter travels.)

La Cabaña
This is also a rather new motel located immediately south of the Baja Cactus. It lack a wall in front, so road noise could be a problem. I've not stayed there, so can provide no details.

Motel Sinahi
Located east/south of the 90° curve as you enter town, this has been reported to be a simple and clean motel. It is past the point where trucks are using their exhaust breaks coming down the hill from the north, and so should be on the quiet side.

For food, Mama Espinosa's is renowned for the lobster and seafood dishes served in a classic Baja style. This restaurant is located immediately south of the La Cabaña motel cited above. It's also just a few steps from the Baja Cactus motel.

The La Pinta is the only regular hotel/motel for almost 200 miles. In June of 2003 we stayed at this La Pinta for the first time in over 12 years. The hotel had been recently renovated and the rooms were much improved. There was even water in the swimming pool!

Rough rooms and good food may also be found at Rancho Santa Inez about two miles south of Cataviña. The rooms are very crude and over-priced. They also used to sell aviation gas at the Rancho which could be used if other gas supplies in the area dried up. Fortunately, this is not as much of a problem as it used to be.

Hotel La Pinta
  28 rooms
  June, 2003: 750 pesos + 12% tax (two people)
  Restaurant and bar
  U.S. reservations: (800) 262-4500
  Mexico reservations: 01-800-0263-605

While not directly on route 1, Bahía de Los Angeles ("LA Bay") is a common destination about 45 miles off the main highway. This is the first (heading south) easily accessible of the exceptionally beautiful areas on the Sea of Cortez. Since I haven't driven into the area since the early 80's, I'll pass on some comments from a recent traveler.

Note (November '99): Following receipt of the following recommendation we made a point of stopping at Larry and Raquel's. I can confirm Ray Orkwis' report on the great cooking and pleasant surroundings. One difference to note is that we did not stay during the heat of the summer, so the lack of an air conditioner at night did not matter to us (there is electicity available at night, it just is not enough to power an AC unit). The cost of the motel was $35US for two, and the dinner was about $7US, plus $1.50US for a Margarita.

Their daughter handles reservations from San Diego for those interested.
Phone: (619) 429-7935 and Email: BahiaTours@yahoo.com

In September '99, Ray Orkwis reported on a very positve experience staying at "Larry and Raquel's" in LA Bay:

You can hardly beat the location: north of town, adjacent to Daggett's, near the turtle project, and right on the beach.

We had a large, sparsely furnished but comfortable room - or it would have been comfortable, except that it was very hot in LA Bay the nights we stayed and Larry only ran his generator from 7 - 11 PM. It only cost us $55/night for the four of us.

What made the visit so pleasant was the friendliness of our hosts: Larry is chatty and makes killer margaritas, and Raquel is very maternal. Her meals - which consisted of whatever Larry or his friends caught that day, along with a bucket of fresh clams - were very inventive and tasty (cheap, too, about $4-5 a person).

We were traveling with our daughter who is a vegan, and that means not only no meat or fish, but no dairy products or eggs either. Raquel hadn't been prepared for that radical a diet, but she whipped up very tasty meals with whatever seemed good to her. For my wife and I, who love fish, it was heaven, and for Selena, it was a great change from just beans and rice on tortillas, her typical meal on the peninsula.

Being on the beach, Larry and Raquel's gave us access to the sea. They lent us snorkels and rented us sea kayaks, and we spent as long as we could just lounging (which, given the intense heat and sun, wasn't too long). Ah, it was beautiful there. I should say that they also have a house for rent, which I think is about $100/night, and some young people from California were staying there. They were intending to dive off Guardian Angel but mostly I just saw them snorkeling.

Quite a few hotels and restaurants in LA Bay, especially for such a small place, but we spent all of our time around Larry and Raquel's. My wife even took her jog from there, north to the landing strip and up another dirt road. Larry really knows the area, having lived there for about seven years. He directed us to some out-of-the-way cave paintings near Mision San Borge.

Oh, I almost forgot Reno. He's Larry's son and a fixture at the place. Very friendly and always asking to be mentioned, which is what I'm doing for him here. Reno helped in lots of ways, including waiting table for us, chatting and joking, and spotting whales in the main channel.

All of us want to go back to that beautiful location, and we'd definitely want to stay at Larry and Raquel's. If people want to get in touch with them, they can only do it by email through their daughter, Pam, at BahiaTours@yahoo.com.

There are a number of motels in town for which I have no information. Also, there are some comfortable cabins and two motel rooms for rent at the Malarimmo restaurant. (May '00: Cabins $25 for a single; Motel rooms $40)

There are several excellent restaurants in town. Coming from the north, the first is La Espinita, just north of the Eagle Monument. Driving into town you will encounter the Puerto Viejo. This is followed by the slightly more expensive Malarimmo. The Don Gus motel also has a good restaurant associated with it.

In February, 2003 I stayed in one of the rooms at the La Espinita Restaurant. While Francisco operates the restaurant, as he's done for a number of years, his sister operates the renting of the rooms. My room was simple and clean. There was hot water in the shower, but no soap. The price was right: $13US. (This is to be compared with a similar room, with falling blinds, at the Rice and Beans in San Ignacio, where the price was $46US.)

Here is some information from the phone book:

Hotel La Pinta
  29 rooms
  At the Eagle Monument - state line
  Restaurant and bar
  Phone: 1 157-1301 (Voice)
  U.S. reservations: (800) 262-4500
  Mexico reservations: 01-800-0263-605

Motel Don Gus
  Turn left at the radio tower entering town
  Hot water - 24 hours
  TV with remote control
  Parking with watchman
  Restaurant/Bar
  Phone: 1-157-1611
  Prices (ftm - Dec '04): Single $250 pesos; Double $350 pesos (ask for one of the new rooms)

Motel Gamez
  12 rooms
  Laundry and cafeteria
  TV
  Parking
  Phone: 1-157-0370

Motel El Morro
  32 rooms
  TV
  Parking in an enclosed area
  Phone: 1-157-0414

Hotel La Pinta
  28 rooms
  About 1 mile off the highway heading into town
  Apartado Postal No. 37, San Ignacio, B.C.S. 23943
  Restaurant, bar and pool
  Phone: 1 154-0300 (Voice)
  U.S. reservations: (800) 262-4500
  Mexico reservations: 01-800-0263-605
  Typically priced around $70US

Motel Baja Oasis
  6 rooms
  1/4 mile south of the turnoff to San Ignacio
  On the right-hand side driving south
  Restaurant next door
  $15US in November '98 (Richard and Mary Lou Adcock)

Rice and Beans Motel/RV Park/Restaurant
  8 rooms
  1/2 mile SW from Highway 1 (well signed)
  Restaurant, RV park and an 8-unit motel
  $46US in January '03 (clean but spare rooms - ours had seriously broken blinds)

There are numerous small motels in the town proper. I've stayed at a couple of them and found them adequate. They're convenient to the restaurants of the town which, in turn, are rather ordinary. Note that the motels in Santa Rosalia tend to fill up on those nights when the ferry from Guaymas arrives.

The Hotel Frances on the hill to the north is especially interesting as an old wooden building, and for the photographs displayed on the walls (it was built when this was still a French mining town). This has sometimes been informally known as the "French Hotel." The rooms are very simple and old.

Hotel Frances
  Phone: 1 152 2052 (Voice and FAX)    Col. Mesa Francia, No. 15

The El Morro overlooks the water south of town. When I stayed there in September, 1992, the rooms were large and clean, but had lots of resident bugs ($35/night - for the tourist, that is - the bugs stay free). The restaurant provided about the worst service I've encountered in Baja California - I've never gone back.

Hotel El Morro
  Phone: 1 152 0414
  Restaurant/Bar
  Parking
  Color TV

There are a few restaurants along the highway as you pass through town. For years I've had breakfast at the yellow restaurant on the water side just south of the Pemex station (where you don't want to stop!). I've also tried the newer "El Mirador" at the south end of town and found the food good, but the over-charging irritating.

Several motels in the area. On the south side of the river is the Serenidad (655 pesos/night (about $70US) for two persons in November 2000). The restaurant and bar at the Serenidad are exceptional (closed during September). There is a newer motel on the left just after entering town, the "Hotel Mulege." In December 2005 we paid $380 pesos for a double. (Personal note: while I like the Serenidad, at times the bar gets overinfested with noisy Americans, and we are now tending to stop at the Hotel Mulege.)

For meals I would first recommend the Serenidad, and secondly the Equipales Restaurant (enter town, take the one-way street to the right, turn left at the Pemex station, and after a second left look for the Equipales on the second floor).

Hotel Serenidad
  50 rooms, some two-bedroom cottages
  South side of river, 1/4 mile off Highway 1
  Phone: 1 153-0111 (Voice) 1 153-0311 (FAX)
  Internet: http://www.serenidad.com
  Restaurant (excellent!), bar and pool
  Airstrip

Hotel Las Casitas
  8 air conditioned rooms
  Phone: 1 153-0019 (Voice)
  Restaurant, bar

Hotel San Buenaventura
  20 rooms
  Located about 25 miles south of Mulegé along Bahia Concepción
  Restaurant, bar
  Boat ramp

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Traveler Comments . . .

Uzelle Williams (uzelle@aol.com) offers the following comments about a place between Mulegé and Loreto (April '97):

George's Ole - Located in a tiny cove near the highway. Multi-level: suites ($65), nice clean rooms ($55), cabañas on the beach with a hot shower nearby (150 pesos), or palapas.

Several hotels in town. The Mision de Loreto has been closed for some years, and shows no sign of reopening. Some others are ...

Hotel La Pinta
  49 rooms
  Apartado Postal N0. 28, Loreto, B.C.S.
  Located on the beach towards the north end of town
  Air conditioned with color TV
  Restaurant, bar and pool
  Phone: (613) 135-0025 and (613) 135-0690 (Voice)
  Phone: (613) 135-0026 and (613) 135-0842 (FAX)
  U.S. reservations: (800) 262-4500
  Mexico reservations: 01-800-0263-605
In February of 2002 we paid 780 pesos a night for two people. The rooms are quite large and face the beach. There are two groups of rooms - the "Villas" are larger and more expensive, and the "Hacienda" has less expensive rooms (I've not seen these as we like the "Villas" so well).

Hotel Oasis
  40 rooms
  On the beach - 1/2 mile south of the plaza
  Apartado Postal N0. 17, Loreto, B.C.S. 23880
  Restaurant, bar, pool, tennis courts
  Phone: (613) 135-0211, (613) 135-0112 and 1 800 497-3923 (Voice) 1 135-0795 (FAX)
  Email: loreto.oasis@lapaz.cromwell.com.mx

Hotel Posada de las flores
  On Loreto's main square
  Phone: (613) 135-1162 (Voice) and (619) 297-1621 (U.S.)

Hotel Plaza Loreto
  32 rooms, 2 suites
  Hidalgo No. 2 ("Located in the center of historic Loreto")
  Satellite TV
  Restaurant and bar
  Phone: (613) 135-0280 (Voice) and (613) 135-0855 (FAX)

Motel Salvatierra
  "Remodeled, central, comfortable and economical"
  Salvatierra 123
  Satellite TV
  Phone: (613) 135-0021 (Voice)

Villas de Loreto
  Turn right at the stoplight just past the mission - 1/2 mile south
  November '99: Room for two 725 pesos
  Phone: (613) 135-0586
  Internet: www.villasdeloreto.com
I found the rooms to be very clean and well-appointed when I stayed there in 1999. They are advertising this more as a "destination resort" than as an overnight stop for the traveler, although I did get a room for one night in '99.

From the owners (February 2002):
There is now a restaurant/bar on the premises, and a pet-friendly and non-smoking environment is provided. There is an on site PADI certified dive shop, kayak rentals, and unlimited golf available for $83.00US for one month. The hotel now has 13 rooms and we are building and selling vacation homes in the RV park portion of the establishment.

Eden Loreto Resort
  A full resort catering to adults only
  Nopolo, about 9 miles south of Loreto
  236 units on beautiful grounds, on the beach
  Phone: 1 133-0700 (Voice) 1 113-0377 (FAX)
  U.S. Phone: (800) 524-9191
Formerly an "El Presidente," and a few other intermediate incarnations, this hotel seems to have finally found a way to stay alive.
Note (January 2002): It has been reported that this hotel is once again closed.

I've never stayed in Cd. Constitución, but here is some information from the phone book:

Hotel Conchita
  50 rooms - located in the city center
  Blvd. Olachea and Miguel Hidalgo
  Air conditioned with TV
  Phone: 1 132-0266 (Voice) and 1 132-3663 (FAX)

Hotel "El Conquistador"
  35 rooms
  Nicolas Bravo 161 Sur
  Air conditioned with color TV
  Restaurant
  Phone: 1 132-1555 (Voice) and 1 132-1443 (FAX)

Hotel Maribel
  50 rooms
  Blvd. Olachea and G. Victoria No. 156
  Air conditioned with color TV
  Private parking
  Restaurant/Bar - "Sancho Panza"
  Phone: 1 132-0155 (Voice)

Hotel Casino
  36 rooms
  Guadalupe Victoria S/N
  Air conditioned with color TV (satellite)
  Phone: 1 132-1415 (Voice and FAX)

Hotel Oasis
  Air conditioned with color TV (satellite)
  Phone: 1 132-4458 (Voice and FAX)
  Parking

See the separate page on Hotels in La Paz.

Hotel Buena Vista Beach Resort - Buena Vista
  A short distance east of Highway 1
  Dining room, bar and pools
  Phone: 1 141-0033 (Voice) 1 141-0133 FAX)
  U.S. Phone (reservations): (800) 752-3555 and (619) 425-1551
  A "classic" Baja fishing resort. Also great for those seeking a quiet stay in a beautiful location.

Hotel California - Todos Santos
  On the right-hand side driving south into the town area
  Dining room, small pool (as I recall)
  The name was changed to Hotel California at the time when the song of the same name became popular (by The Eagles).

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Traveler Comments . . .

Uzelle Williams (uzelle@aol.com) offers the following comments about a place on the East Cape (April '97):

Maxey's Guest House: About 14 miles north of San José del Cabo. Nearly outside living, but with a roof over your head. Very quiet and beautiful. $15 per night with the option of excellent $5 dinners. You need a car.

See the separate page on Hotels in the Los Cabos area.