No Room At The Inn

We had a great day of travel and not far to go to our next stop, San Ignacio!!  Lots of pretty scenery along the way!!

It was fun looking down into beautiful coves as we drove along!

I had tried to book a reservation at this recommended place where you stay in a yurt, but again, couldn't make the connection with the deposit!  As we pulled into San Ignacio, we realized it was a true oasis with palm trees and lots of greenery - it was gorgeous!!  Since we had another recommendation from some bikers the day before, we found that hotel and it was pretty large so we figured no problem getting a room - WRONG!  It was all booked! (And discovered that reservations are a must in this town due to the whale watching tours this time of year!!)

So we headed back to the yurt place to see if by chance they had a room and they didn't either!  (we did see one other hotel but it wasn't one I would have stayed at!!)  But the gal there was nice enough to visit with me and try to figure out another room in the next big town, Santa Rosalia!  At least we had the name of a place and its' location!

So another hour to Santa Rosalia and I wasn't impressed with the town but the hotel was out of town along the ocean!  The rates were posted on a sheet - $75 for 2 people - and we wanted an ocean front room but they were all booked so we had to settle for just a partial view!  The guy asked us 3 times if the price was OK - was I supposed to bargain?????  No idea - each time I replied yes, the price was fine!   So I handed him $80 - he handed me one $20 back along with some pesos!!  I had no idea what had just happened but who am I to question?

BUT we weren't done with the money yet - in order to get the key for the room and the remote, you had to leave 200 pesos (no American, just pesos!!) and you would get it back the next day when you returned both items!! 

The room wasn't great - it really needed to be updated and redecorated but it was clean and the shower had water pressure!!!  The restaurant attached was very nice with a lot of people eating there - our meal was fine but nothing special - guess I was comparing it to the meal the night before!!

We did have a coupon for a continental breakfast which was fruit, toast and juice or coffee so we enjoyed that the next morning before taking off!  (and of course collecting our 200 pesos back!!)

Did I mention that the Baja has mountains?  I was totally surprised at this!  Between the narrowness of the highway and the "s" curves, the mountain driving was worse than Colorado!!  You certainly don't make any time as you have to drive so slow!!

Our final night's stay was to be in Ciudad Constitucion - a  larger town which neither of us were real thrilled with but while I had internet the night before, I had booked a room on the recommendation from some  people we talked to in the restaurant!  I was somewhat hesitant about booking it since the price was only $40!  Not sure what kind of a room it would be!  But when we pulled in it looked just fine and was on a side street with a great courtyard so you could park right in front of your room!

The hotel clerk spoke no English but since I had a reservation at a specific amount, that's all he wanted me to pay!!  We walked to our room which was on the first floor and WOW, I was completely surprised!!  There was a nice king bed, a desk, lots of hot water and even a hair dryer and washcloths!!!!!  Cheapest price and more amenities!!  The room was small but we didn't care at all!

Dinner that night was interesting as the restaurant help didn't speak English but I had grilled chicken with a salad and fries and it was all delicious!

Unfortunately, this was the noisiest hotel because of the close parking quarters and the fact that the door to the outside was actually an inside door (so no insulation) but we still slept good!

We headed out at 6:30am (with no breakfast places open) but were greeted outside of town with this  beautiful sunrise!!

We didn't have far to go and actually pulled into Los Barriles at 11:00am!!!  HOORAY - WE MADE IT!!!

Since we weren't to check in till 3:00 or after, we stopped at one of our favorite breakfast restaurants and ate, headed down to our place and parked and walked over to where we knew friends were staying and visited with them for quite a while!

Our place was actually ready by 1:30 - gosh it felt good to unload that truck and settle in!!  Sunshine and beach time, here we come!!