Loreto locals like to boast about what their Baja Peninsula town is not.
It is not the more-popular Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta. It’s not a party town or a place where bars stay open ‘til the wee hours of the morning. Spring-breakers need not apply.
“Visitors come here because of the tranquility, the clean air and clean town, the food, the culture and our traditions,” says Ivette Granados, Loreto resident, marine geologist and operations manager for the Loreto Region of the Baja California Sur Tourism Board. “We want people to connect with the locals and live the Mexican-town feeling.”
On a recent four-day visit to Mexico’s newest of 31 states, it was easy to understand what Granados was selling: a comfortable, friendly retreat; stunning scenery; challenging hikes; easy seaside strolls; pristine beaches; water sports in crystalline waters; locally sourced fish, meats and produce; and reasonable prices.
Also think convenience.
North County residents can fly American Airlines from McClellan-Palomar Airport (CLD) to Phoenix (PHX), where flights go directly to Loretto (LTO). Flying time: barely two hours. From the airport, it’s a 10-minute drive to the town’s center, where visitors learn the strong connection between Loreto and California.
Walk through the cooling ficus-tree arbor at the end of the main street and find the etching in the pavement that marks the spot where, in 1769, Gaspar de Portola began his long walk north to Alta California, today’s Golden State. The goal of the expedition: to establish a route north that would expand Spain’s foothold in the New World.
This site also is notable for the familiar roadside bell that Californians recognize as the symbol for El Camino Real (The Royal Road), the route heading north through California that Spanish padres took to establish missions in the then-New World.
Loreto also served as the capital of the Californias until 1777.
Sixty percent of Loreto’s visitors come from the United States, the remaining mostly from Mexico’s mainland and Western Canada; some stay the winter. With Loreto’s popularity growing, though, the town of 16,000 faces a challenge: how to maintain balance between the desire for visitors and the need to preserve the reasons they come.
“We want (visitors) to love and respect nature and the culture,” Granados says. “We want them to both enjoy and protect what we have here.”
That includes perhaps their greatest resource — the pristine waters of the Loreto Bay National Marine Park and the five islands within it. The preserve was established in 1996 and later declared a World Heritage Site. The sea life-rich area draws diving, snorkeling, kayaking and boating enthusiasts.
I stayed at Hacienda Suites, a boutique, quintessentially Mexican-motif hotel that offers clean, spacious rooms with air-conditioning; a garden patio and bird-friendly fountain; a pool; and breakfast on the patio (included in price). It’s an easy walk into historic Loreto with its colonial architecture, new and old plazas, shops, hotels and restaurants. A bit farther will take visitors to the Malecon and pristine public beach — both great places for morning and evening walks.
Evening also brings the ocean breezes and local families into the expansive plazas.
Bonus: Loreto’s City Hall with its art gallery and stunning murals.
Eats: Baja Mar! — Ceviche to die for and piled-high tostadas. Ultra-casual close to the water. Zopilote Brewery & Cocina — Al fresco dining with live music several days a week and craft beer. Superb pizza. Raiz at Posada de las Flores — Gorgeous, colonial-style property with rooftop pool where rooms are designated by native flowers, not numbers. Serrano Wine, Seafood & Grill — This high-end, second-floor restaurant is an excellent perch at sunset. Scrumptious appetizers and elaborate entrée presentations of meats and fish cooked over an open-fire mesquite grill.
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