La Ventana lodging - again!

kitebug · Since 27 Apr 2015 40 Posts Hood River

There probably are posts explaining lodging in La Ventana, but either it's the search on here or me... I can't really find much on the main places to stay. Never been there, headed down in early December. Just want to stay at one place for about 2 weeks. Looking for the best beach access, place to store gear near kiting, breakfast close by and easy, close walking distance to restaurants, don't really want to cook much, room for two people.

Here's the only choices we came up with:
1) Baja joes - looks good for our checklist, but how are the rooms? Is it clean? Is it loud with the bar right there? Is the store adequate to grab breakfast?
2) Vista something or other - just north of the campground, owned by Dean. Looks like the rooms are clean but very small, no restaurant so is it close to restaurants? Is north of the campground good for launching? Or is there a lot of coral and rocks?
3) Casa Verde - no pictures of casitas - are they decent? Not really into thatched roofs.
Is there a place to store gear? Restaurant onsite?
4) Kite paradise - looks like nice rooms but online reviews are bad say it's always under construction. Not sure if it's a good launch area or if hauling gear up the hill is necessary or if it can be stowed near the beach?

I put the list in the order we are considering. Is there any of those that anyone thinks "no don't do it!" Or "yes that place is the best"?

Thanks for any info!

ldhr · Since 21 Jul 2009 1490 Posts Hood River XTreme Poster

Here's my favorites in order.
1. Palapas Ventana. Private casitas. Great location and beach a 1/2 mile north of the main 'south beach'. quiet and less crowded.
They have a great restaurant/bar onsite. No kitchen facilities. You can launch from their beach. they have sups ands kayaks for guests. It's also a snorkel and dive center.

2. Casa Verde. Mostly families and older crowd.
They have shared kitchens which are great. Restaurants and cantinas close by.
Location is busiest spot in the bay.
You can store your gear in front of your room.
The rooms have normal roof construction.... only the patios and outdoor rooms are thatch covered.

3. Baja Joes is fine - it's typically a younger crowd. Coffee shop/bar is great. Good beach launch. Center of the action, can get crowded. Shared kitchen.

Freeride Kiter · Tue Oct 13, 15 7:43 am

I usually stay at the The Downwinder Inn. They are Portland folks who open up in November and stay open in to April.

Sasquatch · Since 09 Mar 2005 2103 Posts PNW Bigfoot

Call New Winds kite school in Hood River. Jim Bison (sp?) owns and runs a compound there right on the water. As for places to eat, yes, there are restaurants down there so don't worry. After kiting all day, have some beers, clean up and either drive to the bordering town (el Sargento if I recall correctly). There are also some right on the beach, walking distance from Bison's compound. Google la Ventana or el Sargento and you will come up with info too on accommodations.

The search function on this website works, just got to put some effort into it.

kitebug · Since 27 Apr 2015 40 Posts Hood River

Thanks for the help! We ended up going with Casa Verde - good central location for food and kiting access. It seems a lot of websites down there are not updated. Apparently they have closed their restaurant, even though the website still shows it active. We found out because even thought they say they won't charge your card to reserve the room, only a small deposit... they actually charge the whole stay upfront! To be expected though.

We ended up flying to Los Cabos airport and using Eco Baja Tours to get a bus to and from La Paz, and then we'll catch a cab to and from La Paz to La Ventana.

https://www.ecobajatours.com/index.php

You do have to reserve (and pay for) the bus ahead of time as they are small buses. It adds 3 hours onto the trip but it's still faster than flying to La Paz with the lay overs. And we did want to check out La Paz for a day too.

Ok, off to La Ventana for the first time this December!