Bahia de Los Angeles
Bahia de Los Angeles
4.5
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This beautiful, island-studded bay is a prime spot for all kinds of aquatic activities, including windsurfing, kayaking and whale-watching.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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Ppoupore
Clyde, Texas688 contributions
Feb 2020 • Friends
We were totally impressed with Bahia de Los Angeles! It is isolated and splendidly magnificent in so many ways. The water is so beautiful and the area kept natural. We did not get to see the museum but will on our next trip. We do want to return to this amazing place.
Written February 6, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Explorer18242
Grand Junction, CO1 contribution
I read about this place in the Baja handbook and decided to take off with my wife on a low budget quick trip from LA back in 1994. I couldn't make telephone contact, and got response from a letter, so we just winged it as far as a place to stay was concerned. I asked about Bahia in the last town before the cutoff and the man told me all I had to do when I got to town was ask for "El Choboso" (the big wind!). Well, I did, and I was directed to Casa Diaz. Back then it was about the only place in town to stay. We negotiated a rate and when I asked for a key he smiled and pointed to a plywood board with little hooks and magic marker room numbers and no keys. OK, no keys. The room was primitive, but had a functioning bathroom, and was cheap. We ate at taco stands and drank Pacifico from the big bottles from the grocery store. We met an American couple at Guillermo's (a great bar/restaurant) who invited us back to their house - a blue bus on the beach. We drank their Ouzo, danced on the beach and swam. The guy still sends my wife letters every so often. I guess he fell in love with her. You could get a guy to take drop you off at a deserted island in the morning and pick you up in the afternoon for about $30 (in 1994). No one else on the whole island. Bring some food, run around au natural, etc. Great deal. I'm going back next month. Bahia is about 40 miles off the main Baja highway and the road back then could be a real car wrecker. Just when you think it's OK to go over 30 WHAM! horrible potholes. Also, no power after 6 or 7pm back then. Enjoy.
Written February 25, 2003
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Voyager18307
Los Angeles6 contributions
Just got back from a trip to Bahia de Los Angeles. I just wanted to add an update to the earlier review of the 'Los Vientos Spa and Resort'. It has a lot of potential that it is not living up to right now. The decor is attractive and the beach is very nice. The room was air-conditioned and it was right on the beach. The pool is lovely but the pump was broken the entire time (6 days) that we were there. I don't know if the restaurant was open or not because, although the doors were open, there was never anyone around. The website claimed that the rooms had microwaves and refrigerators. They didn't, which was really annoying as I had brought a whole ice-chest full of microwaveable food so that we wouldn't have to eat out for every meal. I would never have taken up so much space in my car if they had told the truth on the website. We did not have hot water ever. At one point, we had no water. It came back on about an hour later. Our friends found a scorpion in their room. Oh, and one more thing: take note of the name of the hotel. "Los Vientos" translates to "The Winds". For the first 5 days of our stay, the winds were incredibly intense, probably at least 70 miles an hour. They would howl all night, shaking the entire building and sitting on the beach during the day was unpleasant because the sand would blow in your eyes. Curiously, while the winds howled at Los Vientos, they were completely still in town. It must be because of their location on the bay. I understand that it is not that windy year around but be aware.
We LOVED Bahia de Los Angeles. The water is the most beautiful blue-green, though it was a bit cold while we were there. (61 degrees at the end of May) There were a lot of wonderful, secluded beaches. It is not touristy at all. The fishing is fantastic. We loved the town and the people. We ate at Guillermo's many times. Great margaritas. There is a store there with lovely pottery. We loved it so much that we are going back in a month. (But we are not staying at Los Vientos this time. We are staying at Villa Bahia. It seems like a very nice place. We checked it out while we were there. Hopefully, the water will be a little warmer this time but I am bringing a wetsuit just in case. Unfortunately, I can not remember the name of our favorite restaurant right now. Once we ate there, we ONLY ate there. The breakfast burritos with chorizo and cheese were unbelievably good. I'm a chef and I appreciated their care with ingredients. The tacos were excellent. It was a little palapa at the end of town right next to the Lizeth Mercado. The people who run it are wonderful and they have lovely blankets for sale. When we go back next month, I will make sure to take note of the name and post it here. Everything we had there was truly delicious. They will also cook your fish for you. Just bring them your catch of the day. One of the fisherman told us about it. He kept raving about the fish-in-foil. He was right. It was delicious and moist. The salsa was very fresh and well-seasoned. The quesadillas were awesome.
We LOVED Bahia de Los Angeles. The water is the most beautiful blue-green, though it was a bit cold while we were there. (61 degrees at the end of May) There were a lot of wonderful, secluded beaches. It is not touristy at all. The fishing is fantastic. We loved the town and the people. We ate at Guillermo's many times. Great margaritas. There is a store there with lovely pottery. We loved it so much that we are going back in a month. (But we are not staying at Los Vientos this time. We are staying at Villa Bahia. It seems like a very nice place. We checked it out while we were there. Hopefully, the water will be a little warmer this time but I am bringing a wetsuit just in case. Unfortunately, I can not remember the name of our favorite restaurant right now. Once we ate there, we ONLY ate there. The breakfast burritos with chorizo and cheese were unbelievably good. I'm a chef and I appreciated their care with ingredients. The tacos were excellent. It was a little palapa at the end of town right next to the Lizeth Mercado. The people who run it are wonderful and they have lovely blankets for sale. When we go back next month, I will make sure to take note of the name and post it here. Everything we had there was truly delicious. They will also cook your fish for you. Just bring them your catch of the day. One of the fisherman told us about it. He kept raving about the fish-in-foil. He was right. It was delicious and moist. The salsa was very fresh and well-seasoned. The quesadillas were awesome.
Written May 31, 2006
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Zygmorf
11 contributions
May 2015 • Solo
Don't go to Ensenada thinking you will find Bahia de Los Angeles, this is in a totally different location. TripAdvisor, I would advise you allow travelers to suggest a new CITY as well. There was no other way I could find to tell you this. Feel free to DELETE this once this correction has been made. Love you TripAdvisor :)
Written May 23, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
runnersSlc
Cottonwood Heights, UT145 contributions
Oct 2016 • Family
I first heard of this little fishing village last year when I started researching where we could take our family to swim with the Whale Sharks. My husband thought I was slightly crazy when I told him I wanted to road trip down the Mexican Baja 10 hours with our 5 kids through the desert to do this. Hind sight, we were for sure crazy! But, it was worth it and such an amazing experience for us all. We drove from Tijuana after flying from SLC to San Diego. We really enjoyed the road trip down stopping in Ensenada for lunch at El Trailero (yummy) the views of that part of the country were gorgeous! We also took our kids to Los Campinos Zipline park $25 pp outside of Ensenada and spent a couple hours. This was such a great place too. The road trip after Campinos was rough... road construction, traffic. We slept in a cute little hotel in Parrita that was fine. Then the next morning drove onward through San Quintin which is the last place with grocery stores and ATM's so get your big amounts of cash here-- you'll need it later! Then onward to El Rosaria and ate lunch at Mama Espinoza's which was fun. The drive from there took a long time and it was very desolate and not a lot of services so just be full on gas and snacks. By the time we rolled into Bahis De Los Angeles, we were pooped and our drivers tired because the road takes a lot of concentration- (very narrow from San quintin on).
We stayed in Los Vientos outside of town. It was nice enough.. but pricey. We ate one day at Guilermos and I think maybe we'd stay there if we came back. The highlight of course was getting out on the bay and swimming with the Whale sharks. It took us a little time to locate them but we did and we all got in to swim with them. The visibility wasn't too great so sometimes you wouldn't know if they were right below you. We also loved swimming near the island covered in Seals and saw hundreds near us and swimming with us. What an amazing experience! We need to figure out an easier way to get there! We returned back the other way taking the dirt road to Gonzaga Bay and onto San Felipe then crossed back at Mexicali. The dirt road was a little bit of a hesitation for us in a mini van but it went okay. It did take us 2 plus hours and at some points you are all alone! Although a lot of sections there are construction workers working on the road. Good luck and please feel free to contact me for any questions! We rented a boat/and driver for the day on the bay for around $240 and it turned out great. We were traveling w/ 5 kids ages 6-13 and my parents in a different car. I think the whale sharks would leave area around first of November. We were there October 21st and they were still around.
We stayed in Los Vientos outside of town. It was nice enough.. but pricey. We ate one day at Guilermos and I think maybe we'd stay there if we came back. The highlight of course was getting out on the bay and swimming with the Whale sharks. It took us a little time to locate them but we did and we all got in to swim with them. The visibility wasn't too great so sometimes you wouldn't know if they were right below you. We also loved swimming near the island covered in Seals and saw hundreds near us and swimming with us. What an amazing experience! We need to figure out an easier way to get there! We returned back the other way taking the dirt road to Gonzaga Bay and onto San Felipe then crossed back at Mexicali. The dirt road was a little bit of a hesitation for us in a mini van but it went okay. It did take us 2 plus hours and at some points you are all alone! Although a lot of sections there are construction workers working on the road. Good luck and please feel free to contact me for any questions! We rented a boat/and driver for the day on the bay for around $240 and it turned out great. We were traveling w/ 5 kids ages 6-13 and my parents in a different car. I think the whale sharks would leave area around first of November. We were there October 21st and they were still around.
Written March 12, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
OkJustjeff
ok92 contributions
May 2015 • Solo
Tripadvisor keeps this as things to do near Ensenada, its not near Ensenada, not even close. Not even a days drive - well maybe - a hard days drive. It very nice, but not really something to associate with Ensenada.
Written July 16, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Canoso
California71 contributions
Bahía de los Ángeles is on the Sea of Cortez side of the Baja California penninsula. Not on the main highway, but the side road is well-paved, or was in July, 2006. The area is very thinly populated, but the town has a grocery store and several abarrotes, as well as several restaurants. There's even an Internet café. You'll want to bring a lot of cash; dollars are fine, but they tend not to take credit cards.
We stayed at a nice hotel in Bahía de los Ángeles called Larry and Raquel's. It wasn't actually attractive, but it was cheap and clean, and they have 3 to 4 beds in each room. Raquel is a good cook, and they have a nice balcony on the second floor with a TELESCOPIC pair of binoculars. Raquel will show you ospreys. You can't miss the frigate birds. You will see them constantly. Larry and Raquel's is just a little bit off the paved road, just north of town. There are other decent hotels. We stayed in a very pretty one in the town proper the first night, but it smelled of sewage. Besides, the town was noisy, and you couldn't see the sky well at night.
A mile down the beach we had a splendid panoramic view of the Milky Way at night.
There are several businesses that will let you rent a "camping" space in a palapa (a thatched roof with no walls).
The water is great for swimming, BUT, there are little sting-rays in there. It's best to have sandals or water shoes and shuffle your feet. None of us got stung. I chased several with my goggles on.
You should defiinitely bring along $75 dollars or so for the boat tour of the bay. Joel who in back of the nature museum runs a great tour. We saw whales, sea lions, jumping manta rays, and huge numbers of birds.
Slather on the sun screen, folks, especially for the boat trip. Don't forget your binoculars.
The drive is very long. You can stop at Cataviña. The big hotel in Cataviña is very nice. Bring lots of bottled water. You can buy it pretty much everywhere, but why run out? There is a gas station in Bahía de Los Ángeles, but not presently in Cataviña. Fill up before Cataviña.
This is not a luxury area. If that's what you want, go to Cabo San Lucas or Ensenada.
We stayed at a nice hotel in Bahía de los Ángeles called Larry and Raquel's. It wasn't actually attractive, but it was cheap and clean, and they have 3 to 4 beds in each room. Raquel is a good cook, and they have a nice balcony on the second floor with a TELESCOPIC pair of binoculars. Raquel will show you ospreys. You can't miss the frigate birds. You will see them constantly. Larry and Raquel's is just a little bit off the paved road, just north of town. There are other decent hotels. We stayed in a very pretty one in the town proper the first night, but it smelled of sewage. Besides, the town was noisy, and you couldn't see the sky well at night.
A mile down the beach we had a splendid panoramic view of the Milky Way at night.
There are several businesses that will let you rent a "camping" space in a palapa (a thatched roof with no walls).
The water is great for swimming, BUT, there are little sting-rays in there. It's best to have sandals or water shoes and shuffle your feet. None of us got stung. I chased several with my goggles on.
You should defiinitely bring along $75 dollars or so for the boat tour of the bay. Joel who in back of the nature museum runs a great tour. We saw whales, sea lions, jumping manta rays, and huge numbers of birds.
Slather on the sun screen, folks, especially for the boat trip. Don't forget your binoculars.
The drive is very long. You can stop at Cataviña. The big hotel in Cataviña is very nice. Bring lots of bottled water. You can buy it pretty much everywhere, but why run out? There is a gas station in Bahía de Los Ángeles, but not presently in Cataviña. Fill up before Cataviña.
This is not a luxury area. If that's what you want, go to Cabo San Lucas or Ensenada.
Written November 6, 2006
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ventura3056@yahoo.com
Ventura, CA35 contributions
Just returned from a trip from Bahia de Los Angeles during July '05. We never heard of the place until about a month ago and since we were planning a trip to Baja we thought why not get away from the old standards (San Felipe, Ensenda, etc.) I'll start with road conditions; they were excellent. Of course it's two lane but no major bad spots. You still have to pay attention for some pot holes but i think I-5 through L.A. is worse. We stayed at the Los Vientos Spa & Resort and were booked from 7/17 to 7/21. The hotel is really beautiful and well maintained. It has a pool which needed some shock but we had the ocean and the grounds were pretty. All the rooms have A/C and there is power 24 hrs a day. Staff was very friendly and accomodating. Here's the ONE bad thing to say. The restuarant at the hotel was nice, right by the water, with a nice baja feel, but it did not open at all while we were there. That is the major reason we left after two nights. The road to town is dirt and rutty for about 3 miles, very slow going w/o a 4x4. It would have been perfect just to lay around the beach and not have to worry about going to town to eat. If not for that major reason we would have stayed the whole week. Guillermo's in town was our spot for eating (decent food/reasonable). We'll probably go back an give Los Vientos another try during the winter. The bay is great and take a boat to La Unica on one of the islands. This place is what Baja used to be so enjoy it for what it is, AWAY FROM IT ALL!
Written July 27, 2005
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Myke C
Los Angeles, CA136 contributions
Nov 2015
Scenic, welcoming, and a whole heck of a lot safer than the internet makes it out to be, Baja is all its cracked up to be. Peaceful oceans and bays with occasional sea turtles and whale sharks-- you might mistake it for a rockier desert version of the Caribbean at times. Bay of LA is no exception. This sleepy little spot is a great place to pick a plot of beach and camp the night away. Yes-- you are legally allowed to camp and drink on the beach here, as opposed to most places in the states where this would be illegal. As is advisable anywhere, travel in groups and if you don't know the roads, drive by day. There is occasional tight bends and hidden cattle in the middle of the road, and some serious pot holes that would execute a small compact car. Get Mexican car insurance, trade some cash into pesos-- and go eat some delicious tacos in one of the friendliest places on earth.
Written March 31, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
i_Amato
Palm Springs, CA22 contributions
Aug 2015
I originally booked at another hotel and they said that because I had not paid for my reservation that they could not honor my booking. (Some hotels in baja are not set up to take payments over the phone or internet) No problem, we moved on and asked a local for a good dog friendly hotel. We stumbled upon Guillermos on the Beach. Hotel is clean and the rooms accommodate a large family. Our room had three (yes three) full size beds and a twin. There was plenty of room for everyone including our dog. There was a fridge in the room and a television that we never turned on. They offered Wifi that did not really work but with a view of the bay to die for.
The hotel has a gift shop that sells beer, liquor and souvenirs, a shop that sells art and a restaurant. Food is good, the drinks are decent but the view is spectacular. It is not a posh hotel but it wont break the bank either. This hotel is popular for fishing excursions which you can quickly book when you check in. There was a tour guide that went above and beyond when we went out on the boat to see the whale-sharks. He took us to see the different islands and to see the dolphins and seals. He made our trip extra special and because of him we will return. He had so much knowledge of the islands it made us feel like we took with us a history lesson while enjoying everything the bahia had to offer. His name is Sergio.
The hotel has a gift shop that sells beer, liquor and souvenirs, a shop that sells art and a restaurant. Food is good, the drinks are decent but the view is spectacular. It is not a posh hotel but it wont break the bank either. This hotel is popular for fishing excursions which you can quickly book when you check in. There was a tour guide that went above and beyond when we went out on the boat to see the whale-sharks. He took us to see the different islands and to see the dolphins and seals. He made our trip extra special and because of him we will return. He had so much knowledge of the islands it made us feel like we took with us a history lesson while enjoying everything the bahia had to offer. His name is Sergio.
Written September 13, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Driving from SanDiego? Is it a safe drive? It has been a dream of mine to come and swim with Whale Sharks but can not afford ecolodge trip! But have always heard driving in Baja is not suggested? Thoughts on this for a party of 2? Caravans avail? Other means of transportation? Thanks!
Written August 17, 2023
Driving from SanDiego? Is it a safe drive? It has been a dream of mine to come and swim with Whale Sharks but can not afford ecolodge trip! But have always heard driving in Baja is not suggested? Thoughts on this for a party of 2? Caravans avail? Other means of transportation? Thanks!
Written August 17, 2023
Hi BAJA Lovers- we are planning our 1st trip to Bahia De Los Angeles; two of the college kids in our party will need internet (for remote school) while the adults play. Is there an internet cafe in Bahia De Los Angeles or a restaurant with WIFI one can pay to have internet access? We are unsure where we are staying yet (some places seem to offer wifi and others not). Thx in advance
Written August 10, 2020
Freedom288579
South Salt Lake, Utah
Guillermo’s Hotel in town on the water has a wifi connection. There is also great food, especially seafood. They do have hamburgers, which is rare for Bahia de Los Angeles. They have open air seating facing the bay. They also have great fishing boats and guides.
I do not know of an Internet cafe in Bahia de Los Angeles.
Costa del Sol Hotel also has WiFi, mainly in their restaurant, but it is a weak signal in the rooms.
Written September 21, 2020
Hola, quisiera saber cuánto cuesta por persona el paseo en bote y nadar en el mar y si hay renta de esnorquel o hay que llevar el propio. Gracias.
Written July 19, 2019
A group of us are planning a trip to visit the whale sharks in August. My question is, will a class C motorhome be able to travel along the dirt road? (we will be coming down through San Felipe). We have travelled other dirt roads, just need to know if you think it is passable. Thank you for any advice in advance!
Written May 28, 2019
Yes, I went here as a kid every summer and we went with a convoy of motorhomes and campers etc. We were always able to get through right to the beach. Slow rolling though, like snail's pace. Lol. It was always the longest part of the trip. The "we're almost there" yet so far away. I swam with whale sharks myself but before there was tourism. It was one of the coolest experiences of my life! Hope you enjoy it!
Written September 15, 2019
en noviembre como es el clima se puede meter uno al agua la pesca kayak. una playa donde se puede acampar o un hotel q tenga esas opciones hospedarse o acampar?
Written February 11, 2019
Ciao a tutti dobbiamo fare un viaggio in Febbraio e mi chiedevo se vale la pena fare una deviazione di 300km per vedere questa Baia..... se pero' Voi mi dite di si!!!! Vi chiedo dove prenotare l'escursione e dove mi consigliate di alloggiare. Grazie mille!!!
Written September 17, 2018
The boojums (cirio cactus) start as the main highway south of El Rosario crosses the desert. It’s kind of a bumpy pothole filled road for the next few hundreds miles. You will now be in be in boojum country, in an area known as Valle de los Cirios. The whole area is a protected reserve. The cactus forests are spectacular. Turn off the transpeninsular highway to Bahia de Los Angeles. That’s 300 miles and don’t drive too fast because the pot holes can be pretty nasty!
Written May 2, 2018
Can you charter a flight from san diego or Calexico to the bay of los angeles
Written April 3, 2018
Hi Gary, you want to talk to Kevin Warren of Baja Airventures +1 800-221-9283 he can likely set you up!
Written April 3, 2018
Queremos ir de vacaciones en la primera semana de abril, (3 o 4 días) no estamos seguros si ir a bahía de San Luis gonzaga o Bahía de Los Ángeles, cuál recomiendan?
Iríamos aproximadamente 10 personas, niños y adultos y tmb un perro, alguno de los dos tiene estancias pet friendly?
Las familias quieren baños y camas para dormir pero nosotros q somos una pareja y llevamos nuestra mascota también podríamos acampar, cuál tiene mejor lugar para acampar?
Saben si permiten o prohíben que las mascotas entren a la playa y al mar?
Muchas gracias!!
Written February 22, 2018
Buenas
Yo solo te puedo hablar de bahía de Los Ángeles que es lo que conozco. Para mí es una zona maravillosa y hay muchas actividades que hacer. En campo archelon no hay problema por las mascotas y tienen varias casas para poder dormir tendrías que preguntar si tienen sitio.
Espero que te sirva mi respuesta.
Written February 22, 2018
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