It was one of those trips where everything felt new. A man in a vintage mechanics uniform stood at our door, introduced himself as Alex and called me Lisa. It didn’t matter.

Alex was our next door neighbor during our week in Loreto, and he quickly won me over with his wide smile and salt and pepper curls. It was Alex who told us about Vista Al Mar, a no-frills beach bar serving ceviche and seafood tacos.

Alex and his girlfriend sat close to the bar, with a heap of baby octopus dangling out of a ramekin in a last ditch effort to escape to the sea. Raising their spoons by way of hello, Alex pointed us toward the “reserved” sign, before gobbling down the octopus who never stood a chance.

We sat under the wide palapa with sweeping views of Loreto Bay. Reuben ran straight for the sand where a variety of ride-on toys sat sunken, wheel-deep in the hot sand. This is where Reu played, slathered twice-over with sunscreen, wearing a hat that swallowed his whole head. We sipped modelos and noshed on fresh seafood, taking turns to push Reu around the sand under the hot sun.

We ordered a round of shrimp, fish, and pulpo (octopus) tacos and chocolate clams (named for their color not their flavor, and probably for the best). The meal was fantastic and we had our neighbor to thank for letting us in on this local gem. Alex was one of a cast of locals who made our trip to Loreto truly memorable.

Hello, Loreto

My memories of past trips to Mexico were soiled by ghosts of boyfriends past, tear-soaked bev naps, and too many pina coladas aboard a massive cruise liner. To the bartenders at Señor Frogs in Cozumel 14 years ago, lo siento!

This trip to Loreto couldn’t be more different. I was married now with a husband, a toddler, a stepdaughter who’d just turned 25, and two grandparents we invited to come along. We’d stay in one place, spend time with each other, and get to know the neighborhood.

We chose Loreto for its location on the east side of the Baja peninsula. Loreto is a quiet, coastal town with a population of 20,000. We’d stay right up against the Sea of Cortez, eight hours away from the bustle and big waves of Cabo San Lucas. The calm sea and uncrowded Loreto suited us better. 

The Founders Neighborhood, Nopolo

We lucked out on a vacation rental a short walk from the sea in Loreto Bay, a planned community about 10 minutes’ drive from the town of Loreto. I found the vacation rental on Airbnb—if you’d like to stay here, search Casa Buena Vista and enjoy $30 off your first Airbnb booking.

The neighborhood featured 24/7 security, a main street with shops and restaurants, and manicured paths to community pools and the beach. It was home to a few hundred expats from western Canada and the Pacific Northwest, many who rent out their vacation rentals for part of the year. The grounds were immaculate.

6:30am Sunrise

During our weeklong stay, I rose early to catch the sunrise from our third floor viewing tower, looking out over the colorful rooftops at the sea, mountains, and colorful skies. One morning, we even threw a sleeping Reu in the carrier for a walk along the beach for one of the most spectacular sunrises in memory. We walked about a mile along the beach, then headed across the golf course and along a trail that led up jagged cliffs where the views kept getting better.

8:00am Breakfast

The shops began to open along the main street, a block from our vacation rental, and we’d typically wind up at La Sirena for lattes, breakfast burritos, and fresh cut fruit. Gabby and Raul greeted me by name each day and were the real reason for my daily stop in. Pan Que Pan was another option for breakfast pastries, a small Nopolo stall was serviced by the larger, downtown location. The stall was a 5-minute bike ride or 10-minute walk from our vacation rental.

9:00am Beach, Please

It was off to the beach through the Founder’s Neighborhood. We’d pass the glistening lap pool and stop to dip our toes in before continuing through the neighborhood to the beach entrance.

The beach was uncrowded during our stay (in late October), so we had our choice of palapas and chairs from the 10 or so options and we brought our own snacks and drinks. Service was also available via the adjacent hotel and hotel bar that serviced the beach.

We spent most of the morning right here on the beach, letting the sun warm our skin, swimming into the calm, shallow waters of the Sea of Cortez, and occasionally renting gear to explore the water.

We loved snorkeling around the cove—and spotted hundreds of fish and sea creatures, including a sea snake. We rented kayaks one day and stand up paddle boards another, everything readily available from a beach shack steps from our chosen palapa.

There was plenty of bird watching, too: pelicans, herons, and frigate birds. Then there were the pods of dolphins, doing tricks along the horizon for hours at a time, entertaining the small crowd on shore.

2:00pm Siesta

Reu had it pretty good in Mexico. Long sunny mornings gave way to deep afternoon naps. Sometimes on a lap in the car, sometimes in a carrier, and sometimes in his cozy twin-sized bed (we fortified it with a wall of chairs and pillows). Occasionally, I’d even put my head down to rest for a while.

4:00pm Loreto

Later in the day, we’d often head into town to shop, wander the plaza, admire the alleys and storefronts, and pop into a clothing store or two. We did most of our grocery shopping here as well, and managed to eat a meal in our vacation rental at least once a day thanks to Steven. Have I mentioned that traveling with a chef is kind of cool? There was no shortage of fresh guacamole, salsa, and margaritas at our place.

Loreto was also home to the malecon, a scenic waterfront where fisherman brought back their daily catch, pelicans hunted in full display, and the waves came crashing to the shore. The malecon, also known as Calle de la Playa, was easy to find from the town’s main plaza. A short walk along the tree-lined pedestrian-friendly street took us there. The malecon was lined with restaurants and opened up to a beach.

The most important order of business while in Loreto? Find the ice cream shop. Loreto’s local heladeria did not disappoint. The toughest decision we had to make was which flavor to choose. Thankfully, with Papa nearby, Reuben was able to try three flavors—coconut, chocolate, and pistachio. Overall, Reu loved the food in Mexico, from chips and guac, to beans and rice, fresh shrimp from the Sea of Cortez, and even the occasional pasta dish mixed in for our big boy.

6:00pm Dinner

There were a handful of restaurants to choose from in Nopolo, and many more in Loreto proper. Since we organized the trip with our family, we’d earned ourselves a coveted date night and Gastroteca Azul was the clear choice. We walked over to the restaurant on a gorgeous, balmy evening.

Gastroteca Azul is the only restaurant in town sourcing as much as they can locally, working with local farmers to cultivate a variety of crops and seafood that stay here instead of being shipped to the US. It’s also the only restaurant with a complete water filtration system—every bit of water used in cooking, cleaning, and of course ice and water for drinking, is purified. The restaurant offers a lively bar and indoor/outdoor dining.

We sat at a table next to the windows and ate our way through some incredible dishes. Highlights were definitely the pulpo—grilled octopus served over risotto with a verde sauce that sent my head spinning, and a celery juice-tequila cocktail served with a buffalo chicken skewer. The entrees were perfectly prepared and the chef spent a while at our table talking shop with Steven about the restaurant business in Loreto. I could see the wheels in my husband’s head turning.

Each night we found another place to dine out—other favorites in Nopolo included Pedro’s Place for it’s great service, excellent food, and of course, that it was close to home. We also had a fun night at Pepegina’s, where the staff put on a fire-show table side while preparing a dessert martini.

In Loreto, we had a great meal and chatted with the owner of Mediterraneo along the malecon, and another lovely meal at Mi Loreto, tucked in the main plaza, complete with live music and plenty of breaks for Reu to run around the cobblestone streets.

8:00pm Night-Night

We were typically home, as a family, around 8pm—all of us exhausted from a day of sun, sand, and exploring—most of all Reuben (and maybe me if I’m being honest). I’d put Reu to bed by 9pm, then join the family downstairs, typically halfway through both a pitcher of “house” margaritas and a game of cribbage. Yes, it was cribbage that kept us busy at night. We tried occasionally to find some nightlife around Nopolo, but it was pretty quiet after dark, aside from Dia de Los Muertos, when the streets were filled with children trick-or-treating at dusk, and vacation homes lit up late into the evening with house parties. Looked like fun, if only…

The Real MVP

Although we booked our vacation rental through Airbnb, the unit was one of several offered by Loreto Retreats, and included a local concierge to help us make the most of our stay, plan excursions, tune up anything in the home that needed attention, and give us advice about activities, dining, and the area. Julio greeted us with a big smile and hugs and wanted to make sure everything was perfect.

Throughout our stay, Julio checked in through WhatsApp, coming by to fix our water cooler, replace propane, and help us plan a few activities. Julio set us up with Erick who would take us out on his boat, Tres Chiles later in the week.

In the meantime, Steven’s birthday was fast approaching, and I wanted to do something special. It was also Reuben’s grandma Liz’s birthday, who was with us on the trip. I figured we should do something big to celebrate their shared day, so naturally I reached out to Julio.

“Amy,” he assured me, “We can do ANYTHING you want to do."

“Anything?”

“Yes, anything.”

“What about live music?”

“Yes, I can get you a 4-person band, they sing romantic music.”

My mouth dropped.

“We can set it up upstairs on your patio. We’ll do margaritas, dinner, cake, the band can play, you can dance.”

I was speechless. Steven would absolutely love this, and Grandma Liz would, too. We’d bring the party to our house, we’d have dinner, drinks, dancing, live music, and…

“Can it be a surprise?”

“Yes, of course!”

We finalized the menu—shrimp and steak, rice, beans, but not before fresh margaritas, chips, salsa, guac, and of course the band, who would start the music right on queue, when we’d arrive and shout “Surprise!”

The Surprise

The beaches of Loreto were incredible. The Sea of Cortez offered some of the best snorkeling and swimming we’ve ever experienced. The accommodations were perfect for our family. The neighborhood…we could see ourselves living there for part of the year. But this night, this surprise birthday party night? Hands down the highlight of the entire week in Loreto for all of us, including Reu. It was even better than ice cream.

As it turned out, it was Julio and his family who cooked for us that night, his friend made an elaborate cake, complete with a screen print that read “Happy birthday Steven and Liz,” the margaritas were flowing, the food was fantastic, the band was incredible, and the service was impeccable. We hope that one day we can return the favor to Julio and his family.

The Boat Trip

As if Julio hadn't earned himself the prize of best concierge in the world, he’d arranged our boat trip the next morning, all we needed to do was walk our normal route to the beach to meet our captain. Erick greeted us with a warm smile and welcomed us onto Tres Chiles, his boat.

I’d been on my fair share of boats—from snorkeling trips to islands off the coast of Belize, sea kayaking in the Dominican, to chartering a boat in Sardinia—this was by far the smoothest ride. It didn’t hurt that the Sea of Cortez was so calm. The Sea of Cortez sparkled in the morning light. The ride quickly put Reu to sleep for an early nap which was fine, he’d be well rested to enjoy our time on Isla Coronado, our destination for the day.

Along the way, Erick took us around the side of the island where we spotted, to Grandma Liz’s delight, blue-footed boobies, plenty of seals, a heron or two, flying mantas, and dolphins. Erick knew exactly where to stop and pointed out wildlife we wouldn’t have noticed on our own, like crabs and sea stars.

When we arrived at the powdery, blissful white sand beach on Isla Coronado, Erick hopped out of the boat and set us up with a shade tent and coolers filled with shredded beef burritos, soft drinks, water, and snacks.

Erick provided snorkel gear and we swam out to explore a little rocky outcropping in the otherwise crystal-clear water. Grandma Liz, who recently traveled to the Galapagos, said this was the best snorkeling she’d done in her whole life. I only wish I had an underwater camera to share some of these fish with you, but here’s a guide to what we likely saw. The cornetfish was probably the most unexpected.

Family Trips Don’t Get Better Than This

Looking back on our family trip to Loreto, I can’t help but think it couldn’t have been better. Loreto really exceeded our expectations. It was a combination of perfect weather, wide-open beaches, the calm Sea of Cortez, a safe community, a spacious vacation home, and of course the people—Julio, Alex, Gabby, Raul, Erick, and the band!—who made it truly memorable.

If you’re inspired to plan your own trip, be sure to read my Loreto FAQs blog post next, for answers to many of the questions that will inevitably come up as you begin planning your own adventure.

If You Go…

Stay: Loreto Retreats (we booked through Airbnb)

Dine: Vista Al Mar, Gastroteca Azul, Pedro’s Place, Mi Loreto, Mediterraneo, La Sirena

Activities: Boat excursions, dinner & dancing, ATVing, tours into the mountains, and more.

Read next: Loreto FAQs.

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