| How Baja was.., used
to be... and still...
published in the April, 2000 issue of the Baja Sun
- by William Trent
The East Cape
still retains those elements of freedom and wilderness
that epitomize the Baja image.. To be sure the
prices have gone up everywhere in Baja unless you are
tenting on a remote beach and eating what you catch..
What I am writing about is the service and warm friendliness
of the people and that special "Baja" atmosphere.
I recently had the incredibly great
fortune to spend a couple of days at John Ireland's
Hotel Rancho Leonero, between San Jose del Cabo
(40 miles) and La Paz (80 miles) (turn off at Km 103),
and more precisely midway between Buena Vista and La
Ribera. I drove up from Los Cabos on highway one
to the turnoff on the dirt entry way and felt the hustle
of Cabo slip away with each dusty mile.. I drove through
cattle land, carefully, and dodged my way around some
of the local bovine residents for the twenty minute
(8 Km) trip to the coast.
Rancho Leonero, like most of Baja,
is a work in progress. That should be viewed as
a positive since it clearly indicates that there is
a continued future. The Rancho sits on a point
of the Sea of Cortez and consists of individual and
duplex cabins nearest the water and a motel style set
of rooms toward the back of the property. The
cabins are comfortable, well furnished and blessed with
no TV. They were also refreshingly clean.
The office and "great hall",
where meals are taken are separated by a terrifically
inviting bar and as is the norm in places of age and
legend there are many fotos and memorabilia of fishing
and fishermen.
More and more Rancho Leonero is becoming
a "family" resort and the fittings and furnishings
are ever progressing toward comfort and style..
The days of "male" dominated
and inhabited fishing camps is quietly receding as every
where you go nowadays seems to be following the "Vegas"
mode and going "family". For those who
must have their TV., it is in the office-bar area.
The dining facilities render really
good vittles and even though meals are included in your
stay, there is a variation to the daily menu and all
you have to do is ask.. The dining hours are set
for this pleasant family dining experience.. There
are individual tables and one is not compelled to sit
on benches, but it is common to see newly made acquaintances
sharing a table. It is a place where new friends
and acquaintances are readily made.
Rancho Leonero is a great place to
escape to, relax, and if you have to, fish, as there
is some very good catching to be had.
I accompanied John on a tour of part
of the 300 acre spread where exclusive homes are rising
at a safe distance from the high tide line, where the
dreams of common and some not so common men and women
are coming true.
I must honestly say that Rancho Leonero
is one of the places that has recently most impressed
me with the service, accommodations, and attitude..
I can easily recommend your visit..
Call 1-800-646-2252 in the US and tell them you read
about them in the Baja Sun.
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