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Baja windsurfing vacation with non windsurfing wife
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peter19u



Joined: 11 Jun 2012
Posts: 27

PostPosted: Wed May 07, 2014 4:03 pm    Post subject: Baja windsurfing vacation with non windsurfing wife Reply with quote

I really want to head down to Baja this upcoming winter to windsurf and mountain bike. I will be going with my wife who does not windsurf. Can anyone recommend a resort that my wife would enjoy while I windsurf. Something with a nice pool and bar would be ideal. I want her to enjoy her time there while I am windsurfing. Does something like this even exist in Baja or am I better off going to Maui or possibly somewhere else. Been to Maui quite a few time and would like to try a different place.
Thanks
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airwave



Joined: 29 Jun 2000
Posts: 386

PostPosted: Wed May 07, 2014 4:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Vela in Los Barriles should fit the bill.
http://www.velawindsurf.com/html/pages/destinations/baja.php
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windsrf



Joined: 01 May 1998
Posts: 464

PostPosted: Wed May 07, 2014 4:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Peter,

That is precisely the conundrum I've faced almost every year since 1996. Have been going to Baja in January regularly for 2 weeks +/- with non-windsurfing spouse who "hates the wind". I've settled with Vela/Los Barriles/Playa del Sol Hotel. We've stayed there at least 10 times. For four years we rented casitas in Cabo Pulmo to hang with a windsurfing family we met at Vela/LB who bought property at CP. Then they sold out due to maintenance and hurricane issues.

Anyway, the main draw for my spouse is that LB is walkable from our hotel, with by now many interesting restaurants. She will not drive in Mexico and rental cars are basically not needed and with outrageous insurance pricing. We drove down from Berkeley in 2001. I'd do it again, but she won't.

The palapa bar at Playa del Sol is also an attraction and we feel welcomed by many locals who also congregate there. There is some nightlife in LB, music etc, but Baja Midnight (9 PM) precludes most of that for us, especially after several WS sessions each day for me - and several Baja Margaritas.....

The frosting on this cake is 3-4 nights at the end of each trip staying in a cute boutique hotel in San Jose del Cabo (NOT Cabo San Jose). Casa Natalia is right in the Art District and a definite treat for both of us after the more spartan Playa del Sol.

The main problem with our Vela hotel is that the dinners served there pale compared to anything available in town. We usually skip PdS pre-paid dinners, considering it a sunk cost. However, the breakfasts are great. Also, in spite of years of false ads, the pool is NOT heated in January. However, it can be nice to hang out by in the sun.

Mountain biking is a serious component of Vela there. Many trail rides led by an expert. Equipment looks promising, but I'm not at all interested, nor knowledgeable.

A final enticement is the fairly regular PM croquet tournaments held at PdS. But I'll caution that the Vela staff are viscious experts. Smile

Finally, I've considered La Ventana as alternative, and even drove rental car up there to check it out several years ago. My impression, backed up by buddy who also has nonWS spouse, is that Los Barriles is more attractive/interesting for nonWS'ers. Los Barriles is also somewhat more easily accessed by plane/van than LV. However, I am fairly convinced the winds are somewhat stronger in LV, if not always.

Hope this helps - if you desire more info just ask.

Cheers, David
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allen



Joined: 13 Aug 1996
Posts: 237

PostPosted: Wed May 07, 2014 4:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The only way a nw spouse will be happy in Baja is if you leave her in a nice hotel/resort in Cabo and drive the 1.5 hrs to sail in LB or rent one of the nicer houses in LB. LB and LV have very sparse amenities; even the Palmas de Cortez, the best hotel in LB, which has a hot tub and decent pool has very spartan rooms that any women would hate.

If your wife doesn't sail, it is not a good a idea to bring her to Los Barriles or LV or even La Paz.
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windfind



Joined: 18 Mar 1997
Posts: 1899

PostPosted: Wed May 07, 2014 5:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi Peter 19u,

As the author of the Baja Guide ( http://blog.weatherflow.com/baja-guide-by-mike-godsey/ ) I have some thoughts about where to take your non windsurfing wife on a Baja vacation..

The decision really hinges on the interests of your wife. If she interested in kayaking, hiking, mountain biking etc. La Ventana would be an option. But if those are not her interests forget La Ventana unless you rent a house with a pool. Even though there are lots of good restaurants now there is not a lot for a non windsurfing spouse to do if she is not into outdoor activities so Los Barriles is a better option.

If she does not mind a less than 4 star restaurant and a unheated windy pool consider Los Barriles. Lots of great restaurants and shops and other wives to socialize with and you save big money on a car and just walk to the beach and rig.

However if her interests are more along the lines of NO wind and all day sunbathing and swimming in a warm pool with a bar. And she loves malls, shops and night life forget even Los Barriles

Instead consider these 2 options:

1. Check out some of the impressive new resorts just east of La Paz. These have great views and are a short distance from historic downtown La Paz and endless shops etc. And you can check out our free La Ventana sensor and free Human Forecast and be rigging after the 60 minute drive.

2. Our consider some of the many resort hotels near San Jose del Cabo. Your wallet is the limit on resort quality and there are shuttles to take her anywhere. Then check out the Human Forecast and if it looks promising make the drive to Los Barriles. (there is a good chance we will have a sensor in Los Barriles by next season.)

Incidentally Los Barriles has stronger El Norte winds and bigger swell than La Ventana. But the with the more common combo winds consisting of a local thermal + a weak El Norte wind La Ventana is stronger and more reliable.

Hope this helps,
Mike Godsey
iwindsurf.com



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peter19u



Joined: 11 Jun 2012
Posts: 27

PostPosted: Wed May 07, 2014 6:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks guys. I really appreciate all the info. Maybe I am just better off doing a guys trip down there. I took her to the Gorge and she didn't have that much fun because it was always windy. We have been to Cabo and she did like that so maybe I am better off staying there and just driving the Los B. Can anyone recommend a nice tropical place that has good windsurfing. Maui is always an option but we have been there a bunch of times and I'd like to try something else. Maybe I'll just book a hotel in Rio Vista, I bet she'd love that!!
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dvCali



Joined: 23 Aug 2007
Posts: 1314

PostPosted: Wed May 07, 2014 6:41 pm    Post subject: Re: Baja windsurfing vacation with non windsurfing wife Reply with quote

peter19u wrote:
I really want to head down to Baja this upcoming winter to windsurf and mountain bike. ... Something with a nice pool and bar would be ideal. I want her to enjoy her time there while I am windsurfing. Does something like this even exist in Baja or am I better off going to Maui or possibly somewhere else. Been to Maui quite a few time and would like to try a different place.
Thanks


Maybe a different wife? (they might have an offer at WalMart, heard of a 25% discount on 2013 model). Smile

My wife and I have been going to Baja for about 14 years. She does not do any sport but she loves the silence, isolation, remoteness of the place. Reading, taking walks in the desert or the beach, maybe some SUP in the morning, swimming in winter is too cold. We found Los Barriles way too busy and "gringo", and loved La Ventana because it was so empty, although now it is much less so. Resort with pool and bar? Might find some at LB, otherwise La Paz (but no windsurf) and Maui might be best.


Last edited by dvCali on Wed May 07, 2014 10:09 pm; edited 4 times in total
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airwave



Joined: 29 Jun 2000
Posts: 386

PostPosted: Wed May 07, 2014 8:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Priorities, priorities, life's short,
I'm sure she'll be happy just being with you, where ever you go : - )

Mine windsurfs, a lot, and I loves it.
Before she took up sailing we did a windsurf vacation one winter to Barbados. We picked a time that is usually pretty windy and stayed at the Silver Sands where the gear rental was at the time. But there was zero wind for 7 days. The food, the dives, the bars and the other type of dives, the rum punches, and exploring the towns made it one of the very best windsurfing vacations I have ever had. Never got on the water though.

As they say "It's somewhat, not all, just somewhat, about the attitude".

I'd recommend Barbados.
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pacspeed



Joined: 14 Sep 2000
Posts: 627

PostPosted: Wed May 07, 2014 11:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I was gonna say Barbados too! Funny you beat me to it. It has everything one thinks of when conjuring "tropical vacation". Steel drums playing while the little lady wriggles her toes in sugar white sand. It does NOT have the wind strength or consistency of Baja, but you'll get time on the water and your wife will be happy.

It's also 12 hours of travel from the W coast: (your city) to Dallas, Dallas to San Juan, San Juan to Barbados. Or get the red-eye through Miami, it's just as bad.

These are the kind of problems you want to have.
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peter19u



Joined: 11 Jun 2012
Posts: 27

PostPosted: Wed May 07, 2014 11:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for all the info. Sounds like Barbedos may be the ticket. Are there resorts that rent gear on site. It would be great to stay at a resort when you can launch right from the beach.
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