Loreto, Baja California Sur (BCS), Mexico

CitiGroup partners with Loreto Bay

The site "Commercial Property News" (www.cpn.com) reports that CitiGroup is now an investor in the Loreto Bay project:

Citigroup Enters Joint Venture with Developer
of $3B Green Residential Project in Mexico
January 25, 2007, By Barbra Murray, Contributing Editor, Link

Citigroup Property Investors is getting involved in the development of The Villages of Loreto Bay--an environmentally-friendly residential development in Baja California Sur, Mexico--by entering a 50/50 joint venture with project developer Loreto Bay Co. The project will cost an estimated $3 billion to fully complete.

New York-headquartered Citigroup's role in the joint venture involves the providing of growth capital for Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Loreto Bay Co.'s business plan. The global investment manager put in its share of the project's Inn at Loreto Bay, amounting to $16 million, and contributed $34 million in cash to buy into Loreto Bay Co. "It is fabulous having the strength and credibility Citigroup brings to the project," Jim Grogan, Loreto Bay Co. president & CEO, told CPN. "Given the project's depth, breadth and scope, it requires significant capital, and having them as a partner is a significant boost to the development."

Situated about 700 miles from San Diego, Calif., on 8,000 acres with 3.5 miles of beachfront along the Sea of Cortes, The Villages (pictured) is currently underway and will take an estimated 12 years to reach full completion. The destination is being billed as the biggest sustainable resort community in North America, with a series of villages containing 6,000 single-family and condominium residences in a pedestrian-oriented environment. The Villages will also feature 5,000 acres of natural preserve, and organic farming and orchard sites.

The development is being built in phases; the first phase, which also includes 70,000 square feet of retail, is already finished and the second and third phases are currently underway. Loreto Bay Co. reported in November that it had already achieved $300 million in home sales.

Here's more information on CitiGroup from Wikipedia:

Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C) is a major American financial services company based in New York City. According to Forbes Global 2000, it is the world's largest company and the most profitable financial services firm. Its formation was announced on April 7, 1998 through a merger of Citicorp and Travelers Group.

It was the first US company to combine banking with insurance underwriting since the Great Depression. The company has just under 300,000 employees and over 200 million customer accounts in more than 100 countries, with total assets of nearly 1.9 trillion USD. It is a primary dealer in U.S. Treasury securities and its stock is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

For more info, click here. I guess it's a good sign if a big bank is getting involved, but who knows? I am a customer of Citibank, where I host my main checking account; do you think they'll give me a piece of Loreto Bay? Probably not, but who cares - we have our lot. :-)

Loreto Mission: "head and mother" of all the Spanish missions in the Californias

As I mentioned in a previous article, Loreto was the capital of both Californias about 240 years ago (the current Mexican State of Baja California and the current U.S. State of California).

Loreto was also the location where one of the first Spanish missions was built. Here's more info:

The current church of Loreto where it all started and where the first Spanish mission was built

Mission Loreto was founded on October 25, 1697 at the Monqui settlement of Conchó in the present city of Loreto, Baja California Sur, Mexico. Established by the Jesuit missionary Juan María de Salvatierra, this earliest successful mission in Baja California is sometimes considered "head and mother of all the Spanish missions in Upper and Lower California".

[...] On October 19, 1697, Salvatierra, with a small group of soldiers, disembarked from the galley "Santa Elvira" in the Bay of San Dionisio at 26° N latitude. In the first days after their arrival, the missionary erected a modest structure that served as a chapel, to the front of which they affixed a wooden cross. On October 25 they carried the image of the Virgin of Our Lady of Loreto in a solemn procession, a ritual of faith that claimed the area as Spanish territory. Thus began the mission.

Loreto served as the base for further expansion of the Jesuit mission system, first in south-central Baja California and then to more remote portions of the peninsula both to the north and to the south. The mission's stone church, which still stands, was begun in 1740. Loreto continued to be the headquarters even after the Jesuits were expelled from Baja California and replaced, first by the Franciscans in 1768 and then by the Dominicans in 1773.

The mission came to an end in 1829, by which time the native Indian neophyte population throughout Baja California Sur had become extinct.

You can visit the current church in downtown Loreto and there's even a small museum. This is pretty amazing: this building is over 300 years old and the place where it all started for both Californias.

I copy more information on the "Misión de Nuestra Señora de Loreto" below.

Misión de Nuestra Señora de Loreto Conchó
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, Link

Mission Loreto was founded on October 25, 1697 at the Monqui settlement of Conchó in the present city of Loreto, Baja California Sur, Mexico. Established by the Jesuit missionary Juan María de Salvatierra, this earliest successful mission in Baja California is sometimes considered "head and mother of all the Spanish missions in Upper and Lower California."

After Hernán Cortés' initial failed 1535 attempt to found a colony in the Bay of Santa Cruz (today's La Paz, Baja California Sur), the next 150 years were marked with further unsuccessful efforts to colonize Baja California. The most nearly successful of these attempts was the 1683-1685 outpost at San Bruno, only about 20 kilometers north of Loreto, among the Cochimí. This failure by Admiral Isidro de Atondo y Antillón and the Jesuit missionary Eusebio Francisco Kino led directly to the success at Loreto 12 years later.

After many unsuccessful ventures in Baja California, the government of New Spain and the Spanish crown were reluctant to finance any further attempts. However, Kino's enthusiasm for this potential mission field was persistent. He ultimately persuaded some of his colleagues, including Salvatierra, and the authorities in New Spain to allow the Jesuits to return to the peninsula, but this time on their own responsibility and largely at their own expense.

By the start of 1697 everything was ready for the journey's start at the mouth of the Río Yaqui River in Sonora. Kino was unable to participate, because an Indian rebellion in Sonora required his presence on the mainland. Salvatierra would soon be joined at Loreto by Francisco María Piccolo, and they were supported from the mainland by the procurador for the mission, Juan de Ugarte.

On October 19, 1697, Salvatierra, with a small group of soldiers, disembarked from the galley "Santa Elvira" in the Bay of San Dionisio at 26° N latitude. In the first days after their arrival, the missionary erected a modest structure that served as a chapel, to the front of which they affixed a wooden cross. On October 25 they carried the image of the Virgin of Our Lady of Loreto in a solemn procession, a ritual of faith that claimed the area as Spanish territory. Thus began the mission.

Loreto served as the base for further expansion of the Jesuit mission system, first in south-central Baja California and then to more remote portions of the peninsula both to the north and to the south. The mission's stone church, which still stands, was begun in 1740. Loreto continued to be the headquarters even after the Jesuits were expelled from Baja California and replaced, first by the Franciscans in 1768 and then by the Dominicans in 1773.

The mission came to an end in 1829, by which time the native Indian neophyte population throughout Baja California Sur had become extinct.

See also:

Spanish missions in California
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_missions_in_California

Spanish colonization of the Americas
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_colonization_of_the_Americas

Making the house handicap accessible

Janelle has been working hard on a new design for the house. One of the ideas she had was to make sure that the house will be accessible to handicapped folks.

Making sure folks with wheelchairs can use our bathrooms

Here are a couple of things to keep in mind when designing a bathroom:

Clear Floor Space at Toilet. When the toilet is located in the corner of a 60-inch x 60-inch clear floor space additional open space to the side of the toilet is available. This facilitates a wide variety of independent transfers, and especially the side transfer, critical for many users of mobility devices. The space also provides room for an assistant when needed.

Shower Stall Size. A 36-inch deep or deeper stall better contains water and minimizes uneven warped surfaces so all four wheels of a person’s shower wheelchair stay in contact with the floor. Thus, the user is better able to maintain traction and control when maneuvering into and out of the shower.

Since I'm a greedy bastard, I can't help to think that if our house accomodates these specs it will be a lot more valuable to some baby boomers and their parents.

Here are two documents Janelle found that we are using as reference:

A PDF reader is required in order to view these documents. If you do not have any, click here to download Foxit 2.0, a free PDF reader. You could also download the well known Adobe Acrobat reader, but it's a lot bulkier and slower.

First draft of house, in 3D, and in Loreto!

A couple of days ago we published the first draft of the house we wish to build. Click here to see how we did it using Google Sketchup.

We now went one step further and placed the 3D model directly on our lot integrating with Google Earth. This allows us to see what the house would look like exactly in its place, in Loreto. I created a small video (30 seconds) that shows what you can do with the model once you have it loaded in Google Earth:

If you would like to see the house in 3D on the lot, it's easy - follow these steps:

1) Download and install Google Earth. If you'd like to learn more, click here for information on Google Earth.

2) Dowload this file: Loreto-House-3D-David-Version-1.0.zip (right click on the file and choose "Save As..."). Then extract all files and double click on the file named doc.kml - it should open up and show the 3D model of the house place on our lot in Loreto, Mexico.

This is version 1.0 of our house design; Janelle has been busy working on alternatives, so soon we'll publish other ideas.

First draft of house - in 3D!

A few months ago we worked with our architect, David Kesler (www.davidkesler.com), to define what house we will build. Eventually we hope to have sections and elevations which we'll deliver to our contractor in Loreto. David delivered a first draft of the floor plans; unfortunately we temporarily stopped working with David since we need to take care of a couple of things before we continue.

First draft of our house in Loreto in three dimensions

Google has released a new version of its "Google Sketchup" software. This software allows you to easily create 3D models - here's the full description from their site:

Google SketchUp 6 is a 3D modeling software tool that's easy to learn, simple to use, and lets you place your models in Google Earth. Are you remodeling a kitchen, landscaping your back yard or adding a deck to your home? Google SketchUp makes it faster, easier and a lot more fun. From simple to complex, from conceptual to realistic, Google SketchUp helps you see your vision before you build it.

Janelle took David's first draft and created a Google Sketchup drawing of it. For reference, you can see the neighbor's house (in brown) to the left of our house (in blue). If you'd like to see the first draft of the house in 3D, you need to:

1. Download and install "Google Sketchup" from http://sketchup.google.com/
2. Click on this link and our house should open up in Google Sketchup.

Our next step will be to place this 3D model within Google Earth - this will give us an exact idea of what the house will look like in its exact location (our lot). If you have trouble figuring out how to move around the house in 3D, check out these Google Sketchup tutorials: http://sketchup.google.com/tutorials.html

Holland America Cruise Ships stop in Loreto

I found a press release from Holland America (http://www.hollandamerica.com/) announcing an increase in Sea of Cortez sailings, with stops in Loreto:

Janelle with Holland America's ms Oosterdam
in the background. Nassau, Bahamas, 12/2004.

Holland America Line highlights Mexico's Sea of Cortez in 2008 by increasing to 15 the number of 10-day cruises it offers aboard the ms Ryndam through this spectacular area -- four more than in 2007. These cruises combine exceptional wildlife viewing and pristine natural beauty with the opportunity for shore excursions to such scenic treasures as Mexico's famed Copper Canyon.

The Ryndam also will sail three Mexican Riviera cruises of varying lengths in 2008, while the ms Oosterdam will continue its popular, seven-day Mexican Riviera cruises, sailing a total of 28 in 2008. Total, Holland America Line will offer 46 Mexico cruises sailing roundtrip from the convenient homeport of San Diego in 2008.

"We provide our guests with an incomparable Mexico cruise experience," said Richard D, Meadows, CTC, executive vice president, marketing, sales and guest programs. "Whether guests choose sailing the Mexican Riviera with its exciting ports or 10 days exploring the Sea of Cortez and Baja California, they will enjoy an enriching vacation filled with new experiences and discoveries. Holland America Line offers an extraordinary number of shore excursions, sporting adventures and eco-tours so that guests can truly experience Mexico."

In December 2004 Janelle and I took a trip to the Bahamas on one of Holland America's boats, the ms Oosterdam. It is a strange coincidence that the Oosterdam is now used in the Sea of Cortez and Baja.

This is also a great deal for Loreto Bay. As the cruise ships stop in Loreto many will go on shore and learn about Loreto Bay. Once a few shops are built, it wouldn't surprise me if a specific excursion was a visit to the "Villages of Loreto Bay". I wouldn't be surprised if a few folks then purchased condos and houses.

Click here to see pictures of Janelle and I on the Oosterdam in Ft. Lauderdale, St. Martin, Nassau and Tortola. Note: you will need a username and password to access the pictures. If you are a friend or family, you should already have it. If you don't, shoot me an email.

I copy the full press release below.

Holland America Line Increases Sea of Cortez Sailings
Features 46 Total Mexico Cruises in 2008
December 2006, Link

SEATTLE, Dec. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Holland America Line highlights Mexico's Sea of Cortez in 2008 by increasing to 15 the number of 10-day cruises it offers aboard the ms Ryndam through this spectacular area -- four more than in 2007. These cruises combine exceptional wildlife viewing and pristine natural beauty with the opportunity for shore excursions to such scenic treasures as Mexico's famed Copper Canyon.

The Ryndam also will sail three Mexican Riviera cruises of varying lengths in 2008, while the ms Oosterdam will continue its popular, seven-day Mexican Riviera cruises, sailing a total of 28 in 2008. Total, Holland America Line will offer 46 Mexico cruises sailing roundtrip from the convenient homeport of San Diego in 2008.

"We provide our guests with an incomparable Mexico cruise experience," said Richard D, Meadows, CTC, executive vice president, marketing, sales and guest programs. "Whether guests choose sailing the Mexican Riviera with its exciting ports or 10 days exploring the Sea of Cortez and Baja California, they will enjoy an enriching vacation filled with new experiences and discoveries. Holland America Line offers an extraordinary number of shore excursions, sporting adventures and eco-tours so that guests can truly experience Mexico."

Meadows also notes that the San Diego departure pier is just minutes from the city's airport and close to the downtown shopping and old town areas, allowing guests to explore the city on embarkation day or chose one of Holland America Line's pre- or post-cruise hotel options.

10-day Sea of Cortez Cruises

The 1,258-guest Ryndam features 10-day itineraries to the Sea of Cortez in both spring and fall 2008, when the best wildlife-watching opportunities occur. The ship sails eight cruises from February 5 to April 15 and seven cruises October 12 to December 11. Guests visit the ports of Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, Topolobampo, Loreto, La Paz and Cabo San Lucas.

Holland America Line continues to be the only premium cruise line sailing the Sea of Cortez and the only line visiting Loreto and Topolobampo. Loreto features the historic San Javier Mission, founded in 1697 as Mexico's first Jesuit mission, and Topolobampo offers an exclusive, full-day excursion to Mexico's magnificent Copper Canyon. Only accessible by train, Copper Canyon's scenic rail journey is considered by many to be one of the most spectacular in the world and climbs from the sea to 7,200 feet above sea level and includes lunch at the Posada Barrancas.

Other intriguing shore excursions range from snorkeling at Los Islotes (home to a sea lion colony) near La Paz to sport-fishing for tuna, marlin and billfish in Cabo San Lucas. Cruise fares start at US$999 per person, double occupancy.

Seven-day Mexican Riviera Sailings

In 2008 the 1,848-guest Oosterdam offers seven-day Mexican Riviera cruises departing Saturdays January 5 through April 19 and October 4 through December 27, including two holiday sailings. Guests have a full day in each port of call: Cabo San Lucas with its sea kayaking, whale-watching and snorkeling/diving opportunities; Mazatlan, famed for its beautiful beaches and resort flair; and Puerto Vallarta, where bustling markets and fine shops complement colonial charm.

Guests also enjoy three relaxing days at sea when they can pamper themselves at the Oosterdam's Greenhouse Spa and Salon and laze in the sun around the ship's two outdoor swimming pools. The ship accommodates families well with its comprehensive Youth Program including Club HAL for kids ages 3 to 12 and The Loft, a teens-only lounge. Cruise fares start at US$649 per person, double occupancy.

More Mexican Riviera Sailings

In addition, the Ryndam sails three Mexican Riviera cruises. The ship features a 12-day sailing April 25, 2008 from San Diego to Vancouver, BC, which calls at Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, La Paz and Cabo San Lucas before cruising up the West Coast. Cruise fares start at US$1,299 per person, double occupancy.

On September 24, the Ryndam sails the reverse itinerary from Vancouver to San Diego on an 11-day Mexican Riviera cruise, calling at the same ports except La Paz. Cruise fares start at US$1,099 per person, double occupancy.

The Ryndam then offers one seven-day day Mexican Riviera cruise on Oct. 5, 2008, which highlights Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan and Cabo San Lucas, before beginning its 10-day, fall Sea of Cortez sailings. Cruise fares start at US$749 per person, double occupancy.

For the holidays, the Ryndam will sail a 14-day cruise Dec. 21, 2008 and visits Manzanillo, Acapulco, Santa Cruz (Huatulco), Puerto Chiapas, Zihuatanejo, Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, Loreto, and Cabo San Lucas

For more information, consult a travel agent, call 1-877-SAIL-HAL (877-724-5425) or visit www.hollandamerica.com.

- www.hollandamerica.com -

About Holland America Line [a division of Carnival Corporation and plc (NYSE: CCL - News and CUK - News)]

Holland America Line's fleet of 13 ships offers nearly 500 cruises to more than 320 ports. Two- to 108-day itineraries visit all seven continents, including Antarctica, South America, Australia/New Zealand and Asia voyages; a Grand World Voyage; and popular sailings to ports in the Caribbean, Alaska, Mexico, Canada/New England, Europe and Panama Canal.

In the 2006 Portrait of Affluent Travelers survey by Yesawich, Pepperdine, Brown and Russell, Holland America Line topped the list of cruise lines sought after by affluent leisure travelers. Its recently completed $225 million fleetwide Signature of Excellence enhancements added features such as the Culinary Arts Center presented by Food & Wine magazine -- a state-of-the-art onboard show kitchen where more than 60 celebrated guest chefs and culinary experts provide cooking demonstrations and classes -- Explorations Cafe powered by The New York Times, teens-only activity areas and all new stateroom amenities highlighted by flat-panel TVs and plush Euro-top Mariner's Dream Beds.

World's Leading Cruise Lines

The highest-rated premium cruise line in the world, Holland America Line is a member of the exclusive World's Leading Cruise Lines alliance, which also includes Carnival Cruise Lines, Princess Cruises, Cunard Line, Seabourn Cruise Line, Costa Cruises and Windstar Cruises. Sharing a passion to please each guest and a commitment to quality and value, these lines appeal to a wide range of lifestyles and budgets. The World's Leading Cruise Lines offer exciting and enriching cruise vacations to the world's most desirable destinations.

Contact: Rose Abello

Phone: 206/301-5318;
206-313-7673 cell phone
Fax: 206/262-5934
E-mail: pr@hollandamerica.com

Watching Whales in Loreto

I just saw a press release from the Mexico Tourism Board with great information on Whale Watching in Baja and Loreto:

Picture of tourists touching a Gray Whale
off the Baja California coast in Mexico

Gray whales are 52 feet long and weigh 36 tons, yet are gentle enough to touch… and Baja California's Pacific coast is the perfect place to experience the thrill!

Every year in November, more than 10 thousand gray whales trade the freezing waters of Alaska's Bering Sea for the warmth of Mexico's Baja California Peninsula. Traveling along the Pacific coastline at top speeds of five mph and with pregnant females in the lead, the whales take about four months to make the 10 thousand miles roundtrip.

If you are in Loreto be sure to contact the Dolphin Dive Center:

http://www.dolphindivebaja.com/

They have many services, including Scuba diving, boat trips to the neighboring islands and whale watching tours (January through March). We know Bruce, the owner, so if you see him tell him Emmanuel and Janelle say hi.

I copy the rest of the press release below, which contains more information on the whales and where to find them.

(OPENPRESS) December 13, 2006 -- Gray whales are 52 feet long and weigh 36 tons, yet are gentle enough to touch… and Baja California’s Pacific coast is the perfect place to experience the thrill!

Every year in November, more than 10 thousand gray whales trade the freezing waters of Alaska’s Bering Sea for the warmth of Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula. Traveling along the Pacific coastline at top speeds of five mph and with pregnant females in the lead, the whales take about four months to make the 10 thousand miles roundtrip.

Once the whales reach the Mexican coast, they mate, bask in soothing lagoons and give birth, making January through early April the peak time to whale watch. During these months, boat excursions are available all along Baja California, giving tourists the chance to observe these magnificent creatures in their natural environment, see the newborn calves and enjoy the blowhole water shows.

Gray whales are so friendly that on many occasions they swim right up to the boats and even allow human contact. In early spring, the calves and their mothers are the last to head back up north, and without the presence of the males, mothers are less protective, often allowing their young to approach tour boats more freely.

Where to watch
Although a small percentage of whales, particularly those that are not giving birth, make it as far south as Cabo San Lucas and the East Cape on the southern tip of the Baja, most whale-watching takes place in three major lagoons all the coastline of the Baja Peninsula.

Laguna Ojo de Liebre:
Also known as Scammon’s Lagoon, this body of water is located half-way down the peninsula on the Pacific side in Guerrero Negro, about 440 miles south of the border. It was the principal hunting lagoon used by commercial whale hunters in the 19th century. Today tourists arrive to the lagoon by car, but a national airport is also available for tourists flying in from other destinations in Mexico.

Laguna San Ignacio:
Located 100 miles south of Laguna Ojo de Liebre, access to this site is mostly through charter air service from international airports such as San Diego and Tijuana.

Bahia Magdalena (Magdalena Bay):
This bay in becoming increasingly popular for whale-watching due to its proximity to the La Paz and Loreto International airports.

How to get there
Tourists can arrive by charter plane and/or ground to the lagoons. Loreto’s International airport is the closest international airport to the lagoons, with limited service provided by Aeromexico and Aero California. Baja California’s capital, La Paz, is located approximately halfway between Loreto and Cabo and its larger airport offers more flight options.

Whale-watching options
Gray whale excursions comprise half-day or day trips, packages based out of whale-watching camps, and cruise programs that allow tourists to sleep onboard ships. There are various tour operators that specialize in whale-watching, including some major ones below.

Baja Expeditions:
Based in La Paz and one of the oldest and largest whale-watching outfitters, Baja Expeditions service both the Magdalena Bay and San Ignacio lagoons. It offers charter flights directly from San Diego to San Ignacio and five-day, all-inclusive packages, including accommodations at the camps. It also offers seven-day combined kayaking and whale-watching programs to Magdalena Bay, meeting at the La Paz International Airport. Programs run from February to end of March.

Baja Discovery Tours:
Boasting more than 20 years experience, Baja Discovery Tours it offers all-inclusive service from the San Diego International airport, including ground service to Tijuana, charter service to San Ignacio and accommodations at the San Ignacio camp. Five-day programs run from February to end of March.

Lindblad’s Special Expeditions:
This provider offers nine-day cruises featuring whale-watching at Magdalena Bay along with other destinations and activities. Groups meet in Los Cabos.

Miramar Adventures:
Offers three-day excursions to the Ojo de Liebre lagoon. Tourists arrive by car.

For those not interested in signing up for a whale-watching package, Puerto Lopez Mateos or Puerto San Carlos at Magdalena Bay are quaint sleepy villages where boats can be rented for US$50 a day, skipper included, and are located two hours by car from the Loreto International Airport.

Gray whales aren’t the only species to see while in Baja. Sea Kayak Adventures: also offers kayaking/camping adventures out of Loreto on the Sea of Cortez, located on the eastern side of the Baja Peninsula. Tourists can watch finback and blue whales, along with dolphins, sea lions and exotic fish. Apart from paddling among islands, additional activities include snorkeling and hiking up scenic canyons offering breathtaking panoramas.

Erick Laseca
Mexico Tourism Board
312-228-0517
erick.laseca@bm.com

###
Professional Free Press Release News Wire

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Contact Info
Mexico Tourism Board

Phone: 312-228-0517 x14

Web site: http://www.visitmexico.com

225 N. Michigan Ave, Suite 1850
Chicago, IL 60601

Release Information
Industry: Travel & Tourism, More Press Releases from Travel & Tourism

Country: United States, More Press Releases from United States

MSA (Metropolitan Statistical Area): Chicago, IL, More Press Releases from Chicago, IL

Company: Mexico Tourism Board

Loreto Bay Construction: using Adobe blocks

While we stayed at the Inn at Loreto Bay in Loreto, Mexico, in September 2006, there was a video playing on the hotel's internal system describing how Loreto Bay is using Adobe blocks for building its houses and condos.

This promotional video for Loreto Bay (www.loretobay.com) runs for about 7 minutes. It's interesting to see how potential buyers are involved in understanding what are Adobe blocks and how they are more sustainable than cement. Also, click here for a detailed article that discusses how sustainable Loreto Bay can be.

I apologize for the quality of the video, but the only way I could get it recorded was by manually using a hand-held camera. The sound came out ok.

Article on Loreto published in the Vancouver Sun

The Vancouver Sun (http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/) has published an article on Loreto with a lot of good information:

Phase 1 of the Villages of Loreto Bay, a new community fronting the Sea of Cortes, is underway. The developer, the Loreto Bay Co., claims it's the largest North American resort under construction that's committed to sustainable development. They promise economic, social and ecological benefits for local residents and the environment.

The resort is the vision of B.C. resident David Butterfield, chairman of the Loreto Bay Co. and president of the Canadian non-profit Trust for Sustainable Development, the company's parent.

The development is being built in partnership with Fonatur. Worth $3.4 billion, the 6,000-home, pedestrian-friendly town will be built over 1,200 hectares in nine phases. Another 2,000 hectares will be set aside as a nature preserve.

I copy the full article below.

British Columbian helps to develop resort on Mexico's Sea of Cortes
Theresa Storm, CanWest News Service, Tuesday, December 12, 2006, Link

LORETO, Mexico -- I felt like I was entering a scene from a John Wayne movie. As the jet descended for landing, I saw giant cordon cacti lining the runway, like don't-mess-with-me sentinels of the desert.

Landing in Loreto, midway along the east coast of Mexico's Baja California peninsula, I half-expected Wayne and his cowboy cohorts to come galloping by.

But modernity has arrived in historic Loreto, the 309-year-old first capital of the Californias originally inhabited by a tribe of Cochimi Indians.

The desert stretches 1,771 km south from the United States border to the tip of the Baja peninsula. Leaving the one-luggage-belt airport, heading south away from the colonial town of 10,000, I took a deep breath of arid, unpolluted air. This nearly undiscovered natural playground would surely bring rejuvenation.

If things had gone as planned, Loreto wouldn't be such a gem far off most travelers' radar. More than 30 years ago, Fonatur, Mexico's tourism development agency, identified Loreto as one of five sites with prime tourism potential. Unlike the others -- Cancun, Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo, Huatulco and nearby Los Cabos -- Loreto escaped the development craze that transformed those fishing villages into mega-resorts.

Although work began in Nopolo, about 11 km south of Loreto, construction stalled after a few dozen homes, two hotels, an 18-hole golf course and a tennis centre were built. While other Mexican resorts forged ahead, Loreto now has the luxury of hindsight to do things right.

Pulling off the dusty, two-lane highway 10 minutes later, we were welcomed by the palm-lined boulevard into Nopolo.

The drone of power tools from a cluster of adobe courtyard casitas meant construction is no longer halted. Phase 1 of the Villages of Loreto Bay, a new community fronting the Sea of Cortes, is underway. The developer, the Loreto Bay Co., claims it's the largest North American resort under construction that's committed to sustainable development. They promise economic, social and ecological benefits for local residents and the environment.

The resort is the vision of B.C. resident David Butterfield, chairman of the Loreto Bay Co. and president of the Canadian non-profit Trust for Sustainable Development, the company's parent.

The development is being built in partnership with Fonatur. Worth $3.4 billion, the 6,000-home, pedestrian-friendly town will be built over 1,200 hectares in nine phases. Another 2,000 hectares will be set aside as a nature preserve.

It will be 12 to 15 years before the development is complete. With only 100 homes turned over to owners so far, it's still peaceful in this near-untouched slice of Baja.

After checking in at the Inn at Loreto Bay, a 155-room beachside resort at the development's south end, I headed past the courtyard pool straight for the water's edge.

Mirror-calm, it was hard to believe the Sea of Cortes is a sea at all. Yet the clear, deep blue waters -- proclaimed "the world's aquarium" by Jacques Cousteau -- stretch 120 km to mainland Mexico. A single landmass 60 million years ago, the Baja Peninsula was split away by the San Andreas Fault.

An 18-hole golf course and the inn are tucked between the mountains and the sea.

Looking eastward, the stark basalt cliffs of Isla Carmen, the largest of five islands in Loreto Bay National Marine Park, rise out of the sea. To the south, barely visible, is Isla Danzante.

The next morning, we boarded El Don, a 21-metre yacht, for a snorkeling expedition to Isla Coronados.

The Sea of Cortes supports the world's largest and most varied population of whales, including humpback, sperm, minke and other species, but the thousands of grey whales that migrate each winter from Alaska's Bering Sea to Baja's Pacific coast are the main event. To see this, we go 97 km west to the port of Adolfo Lopez Mateos in Magdalena Bay.

Over the next two hours, we delightedly observed scores of grEy whales.

IF YOU GO. . .

- Getting there: Alaska Airlines offers four weekly non-stop flights to Loreto from L.A. Delta will launch daily non-stop service beginning Dec. 16 from L.A. AeroMexico flies from San Diego.

- Where to stay: The Inn at Loreto Bay was recently acquired by Loreto Bay. Rates start at $142 per night, including buffet breakfast. Several new land-only packages are available, including a Humboldt squid-diving adventure. Call 1-877-865-6738 or visit http://innatloretobay.com.

- Tours and activities: January through early April is the peak time for grey whale watching.

C & C Ground Services & Tours: Cecilia Haugen offers sightseeing and active tours. The full-day grey-whale watching tour to Magdalena Bay is $172, including lunch. E-mail candclto@prodigy.com.mx or call 1-310-227-6522 or 011-52-613-135-0525.

Cormorant Dive Centre: Contact Juve Orozco for diving, kayaking, whale watching and other tours. Call 011-52-613-135-2140 or visit http://www.loretours.com

- For more on the Villages of Loreto Bay, visit http://www.loretobay.com.

- For the Mexico Tourism Board, visit http://www.visitmexico.com.

House Foundation in Loreto

Currently in Loreto, construction is not only active at Loreto Bay. From our last trip in September 2006, I have footage of at least a dozen homes being built in Nopolo (Nopolo is the neighborhood south of Loreto where Loreto Bay is being built). In this clip we can see the foundation of a house being built in Nopolo.

From what we've seen almost all houses are built the same way: you can see a ditch 5 or 6 feet deep, which is then filled with concrete. From this foundation, long and thick metal wires help define the walls and rooms. This clip is a bit over one minute; there's a friendly dog bugging Janelle, but I thought that was funny so I left it in.

Article on Loreto in the Los Angeles Times

The Los Angeles Times (http://www.latimes.com/) published a great article on Loreto. Ann Brenoff, the writer, describes what made her and her family fall in love with Loreto:

We swam in the placid sea; we moved to the poolside chaise lounges for lunches; we lumbered back to the shade palapas on the sand for siestas. We waited by the fishing shack to see who brought in the biggest catch of the day; the sport fishermen, who flock here from Southern California, rose each day for a 6 a.m. boat departure and returned by mid-morning having met their daily quota of two Dorado.

We walked along the shoreline, building up an impressive collection of seashells. We floated lazily on our rafts in the calm sea, disturbed only when a school of fish jumped out of the water next to us. We watched the pelicans divebomb for their dinners and the seagulls pick up the remains. We read. We snorkeled. We played Old Maid.

We woke up eight days later and couldn't remember a week that ever flew by faster.

I copy the full article below.

Loreto: A relaxed fit
By Ann Brenoff, Times Staff Writer, November 12, 2006, Link

The city is a deep-tissue massage for the soul. Clean white sand and calm blue sea lull visitors into a hypnotic state.

IT'S been said that Cabo feeds the flesh and Loreto feeds the spirit.

The two Mexican Baja cities are separated by 250 miles and several light-years — although that may not be the case for long. Thirty years ago, the Mexican government designated five areas for tourism development — Cabo San Lucas, Cancún, Huatulco, Ixtapa and Loreto in Baja California Sur. The first four have flourished as tourist destinations. Development in Loreto is still in its infancy — but hurry, because as we know, babies grow up fast.

Loreto is different, friends who had been here before insisted. Loreto is magic, they said. Loreto has no McDonald's, came the convincing coup de grâce.

My friends, they tell no lies. Loreto, with its calm waters on the Gulf of California, pristine white sand and friendly locals, is the Greek islands the way they used to be — but without the 15-hour plane ride to Athens. There are nonstop 90-minute flights three times a week from Los Angeles, and the flight schedule is expected to increase this winter.

Striving for a non-Cabo experience, Loreto has banned beach-side trinket peddlers and time-share hustlers from the airport. In fact, there's a dearth of time shares. For now.

So it was with a sense of urgency — to show my own "babies" (ages 8 and 5) that Mexico was more than five-star, all-inclusive resorts where everyone spoke English — that I decided to bring the family along on an assignment to Loreto for The Times' Real Estate section (unlike with most travel reviews, the hotel was aware I was a reporter).

What we found on a visit in late August delighted us. And what it did for us, restoratively, was nothing short of magic.

We booked a week's stay at the Inn at Loreto Bay, owned by the Loreto Bay Development Co., whose project I was touring. The hotel is just a five-minute drive from the airport and the center of town.

My daughter was the first to fall under Loreto's spell. Upon locating our room at the end of the horseshoe-shaped complex with its dead-on view of the clear, blue Gulf of California — all 155 rooms at the three-story hotel face the sea — Sophie, 8, immediately proclaimed this "our best family vacation ever!"

My husband, Vic, and son, Simon, soon hopped on her bandwagon. A vacation where swim trunks and T-shirts were all he needed suited my "I-don't-own-a-tie" husband just fine. My son, at 5, loved that he could see hundreds of little fish while he stood ankle deep in the sea — and a virtual aquarium if he ventured in to his knees.

I was a bit harder to sway. Persistent ants in the bathroom, a door-less shower that resulted in a daily flooding of the tile floor (attracting yet more ants), a balcony rail that registered unsafe on my Mommy-o-Meter. But even those concerns melted away by the end of the first day.

It wasn't that things were perfect. It's that there is something about Loreto that makes you not care about the imperfection. And most of the imperfection we found was with the hotel — a wait staff that tried to please but a kitchen that disappointed; a pool kept clean but with missing and loose tiles from deferred maintenance; a pool bar as the only non-buffet option for dinner — and the only option for lunch.

But who cared? Not us. We love the place and are planning to return.

We had chosen the all-inclusive rate of $800 a person, which combined our round-trip airfare on Alaska Airlines, seven nights at the hotel, all meals, Mexican alcoholic beverages, soft drinks, bottled water and unlimited use of non-motorized water-sports equipment — snorkeling gear and kayaks. We rented a car with manual transmission for about $350 for the week, figuring our restless natures would make us want to explore the Baja Peninsula.

But that's before we succumbed to Loreto's spell. We barely budged, except to go into town for a few dinners away from the hotel and to poke around.

We swam in the placid sea; we moved to the poolside chaise longues for lunches; we lumbered back to the shade palapas on the sand for siestas. We waited by the fishing shack to see who brought in the biggest catch of the day; the sport fishermen, who flock here from Southern California, rose each day for a 6 a.m. boat departure and returned by mid-morning having met their daily quota of two Dorado.

We walked along the shoreline, building up an impressive collection of seashells. We floated lazily on our rafts in the calm sea, disturbed only when a school of fish jumped out of the water next to us. We watched the pelicans divebomb for their dinners and the seagulls pick up the remains. We read. We snorkeled. We played Old Maid.

We woke up eight days later and couldn't remember a week that ever flew by faster.

It took the helpful concierge to shame us into taking an actual excursion; she said it would be unconscionable to come to Loreto and miss seeing Coronado Island. I resisted at first. A beach is a beach is a beach, right?

Wrong. Coronado is simply magnificent. It, and the other small islands around it, are part of Loreto Bay National Marine Park, accessible only by small private boats known as pangas.

Whale season isn't until winter and early spring, but Loreto Bay is home to 29 marine mammal species — said to be the most in all of Mexico. There are 15 species of whales, 17 species of marine birds and five species of turtles that frequent the area.

To the children's delight, our speedboat captain, Ramon, circled the island and brought us close to baby sea lions sunning themselves on the rocks before he deposited us on a breath-stealing pristine white sandy beach in a little alcove. The water was turquoise green and crystal clear. Snorkeling from the beach was a cinch, with each step yielding bigger and more colorful sea life. But "step" was the operative word as Sophie, preferring to swim unencumbered by fins, narrowly missed stepping on a large crab.

While we played, Ramon napped under a palapa, joined by two other captains. Other than their passengers — a family from Italy and honeymooning New Zealanders — the beach was all ours.

The advantage of having our own captain was we could decide when we wanted to leave, and after about four hours, we had all had enough. The kids were so exhausted, they both fell asleep sitting up on the wave-bumping ride home, oblivious to the dousing they were getting from the sea spray.

We booked our island excursion through the hotel, paying about $50 a person, including for the children. (The concierge said children were generally charged half-price if the boat had four full-paying passengers.) Ramon supplied the lunch — ham-and-cheese sandwiches, cold drinks and bags of snacks. We chose the convenience of having the boat come to us instead of driving into town and shopping for our own food, but had we been less lazy, there were captains at the Loreto marina willing to take the four of us for about $100.

Again spurred by the concierge, we booked another "must-do" family activity: an hourlong horseback ride on the beach for $30 a person. But on the morning of the ride, the concierge called our room apologetically to say the stable had canceled without explanation. Perhaps the horses had succumbed to Loreto's magic as well.

*

Among the artifacts

THE city of Loreto is an interesting place to explore on foot. In the central plaza is El Museo de las Misiones (the Missions Museum), a small spot that, for the $3 admission, is a fine place to meander for half an hour or so. It details the history of Baja California's development, with much credit going to the Jesuits. Signs are in Spanish and English.

And while the kids enjoyed the artifacts — especially the weaponry — their appreciation of the museum was not as great as their appreciation of the Thrifty ice cream at the store across the street, which offered the best air conditioner we found in Loreto.

Down the street from the museum is El Caballo Blanco (the White Horse), a used-books store run by Beto and Janine Perez, an American couple who retired to Loreto 18 months ago. The shop is a gathering spot for a growing expat community. Americans, said Janine — a retired teacher, mom to eight and former Fulbright scholar — come from the end of October through mid-May, when the temperatures are milder. The Americans who do venture here in the summer are the fishermen, who "buy beer, not books," Janine said.

Janine also offered excellent restaurant suggestions. She directed us to Mediterraneo, a high-end seaside dinner spot that serves a killer paella. Listed on the menu as "$42 for two," it amply fed three of us. Simon had pizza with fresh tomatoes and some piping-hot homemade minestrone soup — my version of getting him to eat vegetables. Non-Baja wines are pricey, and the one we ordered pushed our bill to $85, but eating outdoors under ceiling fans and watching the full moon reflect on the ocean made it worth the price.

Another of Janine's suggestions brought us to lunch at Santa Lucia, where we enjoyed grilled chicken on freshly baked baguettes. They were a bargain at $6, made even more so when we followed our waiter's advice and shared one among all four of us; yes, they were that large.

But the August heat trumped the best efforts of the sea breezes and ceiling fans. The children became restless and eager to return to our hotel pool and beach.

When we got back to the hotel, we found that the Thursday plane had replaced the quiet fishermen with a group of much rowdier ones. More interested in the all-inclusive open bar and wearing T-shirts that made me glad my son doesn't yet read, these guys were loud, crude and obnoxious.

A complaint to management yielded profuse apologies but little improvement. The manager insisted that loud, drunken guests were atypical and unwelcome. I believed him, but that may just have been Loreto talking.

Baja city by the bay

GETTING THERE:

From LAX, Alaska offers nonstop service to Loreto. Aero Mexico, operated by Aerolitoral, offers connecting service (change of planes). Restricted round-trip fares begin at $348.

WHERE TO STAY:

The Inn at Loreto Bay, Misión de Loreto Boulevard; 011-52-613-133-0010, http://www.innatloretobay.com . Family-friendly resort offers 155 rooms and golf, tennis and horseback riding. Doubles from $125.

Posada de las Flores, Madero Col. Centro; (619) 378-0103, http://www.posadadelasflores.com . In-town location with 15 beautiful rooms. Doubles from $150.

WHERE TO EAT:

Restaurant Mediterraneo, Lopez Mateos Boulevard. Probably the fanciest restaurant in town. Paella for two (or more), $42.

Cafe Ole, 14 Madero Ave. Inexpensive and popular for breakfast, lunch; less than $5 per person.

TO LEARN MORE

Mexico Tourism Board, (800) 446-3942 or (310) 282-9112, http://www.visitmexico.com.

Loreto Golf Course

Here are some pictures of the Loreto Golf course, from a December 2005 trip.

Joe gets ready to hit the ball
Notice the La Giganta mountains

Joe did most of the playing while I took pictures. I played a bit at the beginning, but I get tired fast. The front 9 are ok, but the back 9 are amazing, with view of the La Giganta mountains and the Sea of Cortez. When Joe and I played, we passed right by our lot on hole no. 5; we saw some houses, but we had no idea that we would end up buying a lot right there! For pictures of the golf course, click here:

http://pictures.ehuna.org/v/public/golf/

Note: the pictures above are public. But you will need a username and password to access many other albums. If you are a friend or family and you'd like to see other albums on http://pictures.ehuna.org shoot me an email (you might find yourself in one or more of these password protected pictures)..

Email Subscription: get notified when the site is updated

A couple of folks have asked me to update them when there's new content on the site.

I just spent a few minutes hooking up an email subscription form: just enter your email address and you'll be notified when this site is updated! This is SPAM free, so don't worry; and you can always un-subscribe later if you get tired of information on Loreto or our project.

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Enter your Email


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Note: the videos don't properly show up sometimes through email. When you get notified by email, if you don't see the video, just come directly to this site and the video will show up properly.

More Technical details - read this only if you'd like to know how I hooked this up in literally 15 minutes. Using the Movable Type templates, I had already created an RSS 2.0 feed for the site, which you can see here. If you are using an RSS client, such as the free Google Reader, just subscribe to the feed. But many folks do not yet use RSS, so I used the Feedblitz service to allow for email subscriptions using my RSS feed. Sweet stuff.

Beach view, Inn at Loreto Bay

I filmed this 30 second clip at the Inn at Loreto Bay's outdoors restaurant. While we stayed there in September 2006, there was a great breakfast being served, right by the beach.

A few remarks:

• In the clip, you can see the beautiful Janelle, my wife. Ok, technically we are not married, but it gets complicated explaining the "fiancee" thing, so we call each other "husband" and "wife". I love her like my wife. J
• David, our architect, see his website at http://www.davidkesler.com/
• I believe the big rock is called "La Punta", or "the point", "the tip".
• Check out how calm the water is in the Sea of Cortez. On a previous trip we took in December of 2005 the water was a lot more choppy, but as you can see in the video, it looked and felt like a swimming pool this time.
• This beach is ok; don't expect white sand, but it looks good. It's one of the better beaches of Loreto.

Below I copy a few pictures that show the exact location of the rock, "La Punta", in Loreto and in relation to our lot.

Additional pictures

Here's a view of the Inn at Loreto Bay, and the Founders' neighborhood. Notice La Punta at the bottom and our lot in the distance:

Joe, Janelle and Sandy pose in front of our lot. Notice that we can see La Punta, right over the golf course.

In this picture you can see La Punta from the air, right at the tip of the Inn at Loreto Bay beach.

This is a picture taken from our lot, right by the golf course. You can see La Punta right over the golf cart:

Loreto Bay Co., Sustainable or Greenwashing?

Baja Life Magazine (www.bajalifemag.com) has published a great article on the sustainability of the Loreto Bay Project. You can download the PDF file here:

Loreto Bay Co., Sustainable or Greenwashing?
Click here for PDF File (1.28 MB), original file here.
You will need the free Adobe Acrobat reader to view the PDF document. If you don't have it, click here to download it.

Ever since I heard that Loreto Bay wanted to be a "sustainable development", I always asked myself what that means exactly. I knew that from a marketing perspective it's a great way to approach environmentally conscious folks from the United States and Canada. But I'm a software engineer, and I have learned that great ideas from marketing and business folks can't always be translated to something real.

The beautiful Sea of Cortez
The PDF article contains great pictures of the area

I have to say this article cleared up my doubts. There are many tough questions to the Loreto Bay owners and they answer well enough. There was something funny from one of the nay-Sayers who criticized Loreto Bay. At one point, the following is mentioned:

Linda Kinninger is able to obtain eco-friendly
products by flying them in with her own private
airplane, but most people do not have this luxury.

What? Maybe I'm missing something, but using a personal airplane and burning thousands of gallons of fuel is probably not very friendly to the environment. Using a couple of bio-degradable soaps won't make up for the damage you're causing Mrs. Kinninger. Thanks to this Future Loreto Bay owner, that's where I found the link to the article.

Where in the world is Loreto?

I have created a series of satellite pictures describing where Loreto is located and where you can find our lot in Loreto.

The rest of the pictures and maps are found below. I used Google Earth to generate the screenshots, see this article for more information.

Where in the world is Loreto?

Loreto is located in the Mexican State of "Baja California", south of San Diego, just a couple of hours (by plane) from Los Angeles:

If we zoom in a bit more, we can see Loreto is located on the southern part of Baja, or in spanish "Baja California Sur" (BCS). Baja has the Pacific ocean on its left and the Sea of Cortez on its right. "

Los Cabos", the town where all of the Hollywood stars go hang out is located at the southern tip of BCS (Note: "Los Cabos" is actually made up of two towns, "Cabos San Lucas" and "San Jose del Cabos"):

If we zoom in a bit more, we can see that the city of Loreto is surrounded by three island: Isla Coronados, Isla Carmen, and Isla Danzante. This makes for great Scuba Diving and fishing, but keep in mind that the whole area is a protected marine area (click here for more details):

One of the main attractions for us purchasing a lot in Loreto and trying to build a house is the fact that the town has an International aiport. Every time we go to Todos Santos we have to travel to either La Paz or Cabos for 3-4 hours and then drive 1-2 hours on a dangerous two lane highway. When flying to Loreto, it takes less than 2 hours from Los Angeles and then it's a 10 minute drive to downtown, a hotel or our lot:

Here's a closer shot of the Loreto International airport. Notice that it's just south of downtown Loreto:

As you drive south from the airport, make a left and you end up in Nopolo, the Loreto neighborhood where our lot is located. In the picture below you can see existing homes in the Nopolo neighborhood, the town's tennis center, the golf course (front 9) and at the bottom of the picture the location of our lot:

Here's another shot that shows the Sea of Cortez, the golf course (front and back 9), the Inn at Loreto Bay, the Loreto Bay Founder's neighborhood and at the top, the location of our lot:

In this shot we can see how close we will be to the "Agua Viva" neighborhood of Loreto Bay once it's completed (click here for more details). As I write this, the Whales Inn hotel (click here for pictures) was recently purchased and is being renovated

If we zoom in at the street level, you can see our lot is the 6th lot in the "Retorno Mission San Javier" street. We are right on hole no. 5 in the golf course and so far no one has built to our right or behind us, which gives us a great view of the mountains.

Someday I hope to update this article with satellite pictures of our house on the lot. :-)

Sea Kayaking Tours in Loreto

Every time we've been in Loreto I've seen sea kayakers moving along on the Sea of Cortez. I heard it's fun, but haven't yet it tried it. Here's a company that organizes Sea Kayaking trips:

Sea Kayaking Tours
http://www.tofino.com/baja_sea_kayaking_tours.htm

Check out the pages above, you'll see the different options and a few pictures of the Sea kayaking tours.

Why we love Loreto

Janelle and I stumbled upon Loreto when we drove along Baja five years ago. Along the way, we stopped in many towns, as we enjoyed the Scuba diving and more.

Joe and Sandy enjoy breakfast at "Cafe Ole" in downtown Loreto

We started in San Francisco and stopped in San Diego, Ensenada (we avoided Tijuana), Guerero Negro, Muleje, Loreto and Laz Paz. It took us over a week to arrive in Todos Santos, where Janelle has a house.

We arrived in Loreto, a week after the hotel "Camino Real" first opened. Caminor Real was recently purchased by the Loreto Bay company and renamed "Inn at Loreto Bay" (http://innatloretobay.com/hotel/). We loved the hotel and the town - after many hours behind the wheel in the hot temperatures of Baja, it was like finding an oasis in a desert!

Just Google "Loreto, Mexico" and you'll find many sites describing Loreto. Here's one site: www.Loreto.com and here's what they have in their "Activities" page:

Loreto boasts nearly 250 km of coastline, 750 square km. of sea and 14 islands. The Sierra La Giganta mountain range, one of the tallest and most spectacular in Baja, overlooks the town of Loreto and creates breathtaking panoramic vistas. The surrounding desert is rich with unique plant and animal life and the water teems with aquatic life, creating unlimited eco-touristic opportunities. The weather of Loreto is generally warm with more than 300 sunny days and a year round temperature averaging in the 80's.

Possessing tremendous diversity, Loreto has much to offer for the entire family. In addition to its legendary sportfishing, you can enjoy numerous outdoor activities such as swimming, snorkeling, scuba diving, golf, beachcombing, horseback riding, tennis, kayaking and sailing.

Or soothe your palate with Loreto's delicious traditional cuisine in the quaint, small town ambiance. On a trip to the nearby islands, you can marvel at the marine life that includes sea lions, exotic birds, playful dolphins and whales.

In town and in the mountains at San Javier, you can explore ancient missions and captivate your mind with the local history. Awaiting you at the Nopolo Sports Center is a seaside golf course with 18 challenging holes and a tennis center containing nine lighted courts, a stadium and a swimming pool. And for those wishing to do nothing at all, try tanning while relaxing with a margarita in the tranquil ambiance of the indigo hued Sea of Cortez.

With both Delta and Alaska now having direct flights from Los Angeles that take less than 2 hours, Loreto is a sweet spot in this crazy world.

A drive through the Nopolo Neighborhood in Loreto, Mexico (September 2006)

A couple of months ago, in September 2006, we were in Loreto, Mexico. This video is a 7 minute trip from the hotel "Inn at Loreto Bay" to a lot we purchased on the Loreto golf course.

You can see all of the construction work going on at the founders neighborhood of Loreto Bay as we drive through the Nopolo neighborhood. Notice how amazing and close the mountains are to the Sea of Cortez, with our lot right in the middle of it.

Below I also publish a map that shows the exact route we took.

Future Loreto Bay Owner

Found a site created by a future Loteto Bay owner:

Our Future Home at Loreto Bay
http://www.mwenda.com/basket/construct.htm

They are building the house right now and it's interesting to see all of the issues they are going through. We are in a similar situation, except that we have way less money and a lot more worries! :-) The site has links to a bunch of other sites related to Loreto, Baja, and Loreto Bay.