For SwissMyst: How was Todos Santos?

[ironin]

Thought your reviews on the Crystal board, and comparisons to HAL and VOD were nicely done. Saw your mention of Todos Santos but am hoping to hear more, as we're thinking of doing it while in Cabo on our upcoming Panama Canal cruise.

 

I am really interested in what you thought f the place (and what restaurant you found instead of the dubious Hotel California - Don Henley recently denied that this "Hotel California" is the Hotel California referred to in his song.). What I have found looking around the internet isn't encouraging, although pix of the beach look great. But was the trip really worth it to you?

 

I have to laugh when I think of the 30(!) shore excursion offerings for Cabo. On the whole, reminds me of having 200+ channels available on TV and finding nothing worth watching :D. We were just there in December, and had great fun sailing on the America's Cup Challenge, but once was enough for that. (Truth be known, once was enough for Cabo IMO.)

 

Your thoughts appreciated. Or those of anyone else who has been to Todos Santos. Thanks.

[SwissMyst]

Thanks for asking. You want more details, well here we go. :rolleyes:

 

Agree, once is enough for Cabo for us too except we had already been there several times before so having these two days there was a bit of disappointment in lieu of a stop in Mazatlan, which we had looked forward to.

 

We did find the "Glass Factory" up on a Cabo main street and did buy some lovely Mexican glassware, so if one wants to shop for authentic local products in lieu of cheap souvenirs, this does make the Cabo stop of some value.

 

Our own Brand XZY cruise itinerary had to switch things around at the last minute due to eliminating Mazaltan, so they shortened the time in La Paz and added more time in Loreto, which we found low-key and interesting - very first mission here was a wow for us. We had some great food here too at a very casual palapa and lived to tell about it.

 

Usually the Todos Santos trip was offered at the La Paz stop, but at the last minute this was now offered for the extended Cabo stop, so not sure if other cruise lines offer this Todos Santos choice when stopping at Cabo or not. Particularly if they only stop one day.

 

I would say for a day trip, it is a take it or leave it excursion because ultimately it was not that interesting but in relation to another day in Cabo it was a welcome alternative.

 

Long but interesting bus ride - 90 minutes but the buses were very comfortable along with some chatter from the guide about history and local lore.

 

She herself a retired teacher kept repeating "'if you don't work in Mexico, you don't eat" which certainly puts an interesting perspective on the difference between our bordering nations.

 

We had very large swells in the Cabo anchorage that delayed our early moring departure for this trip until early afternoon. We had already eaten lunch on ship by then and were surprised the tour was still going to include a lunch stop.

 

Since this was a premium cruise line known for its cuisine (Brand XYZ), we were surprised when we found out the lunch was to be at the Hotel California, which I had already researched on Chowhound to be a "never go there under any circumstances" dining choice. This was later confirmed in another passengers trip report on CC who politely described it as "disappointing".

 

So we opted out of our "free lunch" and wandered the small town while I desperately tried to remember some of the other Chowhound recommendations which I had not brought with me since they had shortened the La Paz stop and I did not think we would be going to Todos Santos afterall.

 

I remembered something about "Los Adobes" only to come home to find it was also on the not recommended list because it too was a tour bus stop like Hotel California, but luckily it at least had a beautiful outdoor setting with an overhanging patio, historic builiding and sweeping succulent gardens for views.

 

Good choice for location, but uninteresting for food but this was not primary in our needs because we had just recently had lunch onboard ship before we left. So we ordered just some appetizers and beer and enjoyed the setting and the quiet. (a one note cerviche and melted cheese/chorizo with tortillas - small snack you say? - made us miss dinner that night because we were just too full)

 

There is one main street with historic buildings which has some charm. The mission has historic importance so we always enjoy seeing those and the Casa De Cultura was worth a visit to get more background on the local history of the town that opened our eyes up a bit more to what we were seeing in what was left of some of the original buildings.

 

There is the usual collection of tourist shops and some local art galleries which gives it a bit more distinction, but felt San Jose del Cabo (also a Cabo excursion worth taking) was far superior for both these attractions.

 

So we did not do this town much justice in our very limited exposure both in depth and in time we had to explore. Because we chose to dine elsewhere, we missed whatever other sites the tour was offering after the Hotel California lunch, but it appeared to be more time in the Hotel California junky souvenir shop as well as the Casa de Cultura stop which was easy enough to do on one's own.

 

We did not see the beaches or anything the ex-pat community finds so very appealing about this area, so most likely we vastly under-appreciated what this city is all about during our very short visit.

 

One can arrange (but not easily) a bus trip on their own with the local long distance bus company that goes to Todos Santos, but it is quite a way out of town to get to the bus station nor did it look passenger friendly to just drop in at this bus stop for information.

 

Certainly, it is worth the trip to see this compared to being in Cabo itself if none of the other activities appeal or staying onboard the ship and just enjoying the water and the views from this angle which are considerable. I would however check out the restaurant recommendations on Chowhound from those who do know this area better from their own longer experiences there.

 

I do think the excursion to San Jose del Cabo is more interesting than Todos Santos, but you don't get the wild stretches of scenery that this trip to Todos Santos also offers.

 

Todos Santos is worthy of consideration because it is a well-known destination with a legion of fans, so I am glad we got the opportunity to go after all. Once certainly would be enough for me. And I apologize to all who can claim we only barely scratched the surface of this town. That would be a very correct assessment.

[SwissMyst]

PS: Notice how this HAL vs Crystal thread morphed into another "butter" thread! http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1393058 HAL wins this one feature hands down. :p

[kazu]

PS: Notice how this HAL vs Crystal thread morphed into another "butter" thread! http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1393058 HAL wins this one feature hands down. :p

 

Actually, I very much enjoyed your comparison to the two lines. You did a very nice job :)

[ironin]

PS: Notice how this HAL vs Crystal thread morphed into another "butter" thread! http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1393058 HAL wins this one feature hands down. :p

 

*LOL* I saw that! Who knew butter could be such a hot topic? :eek: Thank you so much for the detailed reply. We might just plan on sticking around Cabo and hitting Gordo Lele's taco stand instead. And maybe check out the "glass factory" you mentioned.

 

BTW, like you, we thought Loreto a delightful port.

 

Thanks so much for the detailed and really helpful response. Apologies for the delay in acknowledging it - has been "eventful" around her, to put it mildly. Can't wait to get on the ship.

[SwissMyst]

*LOL* I saw that! Who knew butter could be such a hot topic? :eek: Thank you so much for the detailed reply. We might just plan on sticking around Cabo and hitting Gordo Lele's taco stand instead. And maybe check out the "glass factory" you mentioned.

 

BTW, like you, we thought Loreto a delightful port.

 

Thanks so much for the detailed and really helpful response. Apologies for the delay in acknowledging it - has been "eventful" around her, to put it mildly. Can't wait to get on the ship.

 

You might want to also check out Chowhound Mexico forum because it sounds like there are some very worthy dining choices in Cabo to explore. They maintain Cabo taco stand wars on Chowhound with as much fervor as we do our butter wars here. :p

 

The Glass Factory in Cabo (if you don't already know where this is) was on that main street several blocks away from the waterfront. They pack items very carefully so they get home intact -- though carrying them back to the ship was heavy - we bought a lot ... and we had driven to the embarkation port so we did not have to worry about carrying these back on the plane.

 

Yes, Loreto was a delight with our one regret not getting up to the San Xavier Mission out of town. Certainly one of the better gift shops we encountered on this entire trip was the one next to the very charming Loreto Mission called "El Alacran" (The Scorpion) on Salvatierra 47. The hole in the wall restaurant we enjoyed so much in Loreto was called "Pangalapa" on Hidalgo near Colegio - great cerviche.

[CowPrincess]

I missed your comments on Loreto -- are they on this board or on Crystal?

 

Sounds like you enjoyed your Sea of Cortez cruise, SwissMyst. Despite the "butter" thing :D

[SwissMyst]

I missed your comments on Loreto -- are they on this board or on Crystal?

 

Sounds like you enjoyed your Sea of Cortez cruise, SwissMyst. Despite the "butter" thing :D

 

While DH and I missed HAL breads (and butter!) the most on this Crystal trip, we drowned our sorrows in plenty of salsa and chips shoreside. Yes, we did like the Sea of Cortez a lot and wished we had even more stops there so another HAL trip into this area is probably on the horizon to see the other port stops Crystal did not visit. And hopefully back to Loreto so we can get up to that historic mission in San Xavier -- and more of that delicious cerviche at Pangalapa.

 

So here is hoping HAL does not stop doing Mexican Riviera trips totally in the near future. And we hope they can get back to Mazatlan as well. One can create an excellent Mexican cuisine trip out of any HAL trip into this area with restaurants that truly are worth a journey in their own rights.

 

So add this growing collection of unique shoreside dining options to the far more low key charms of these historic towns off the main beaten tourism path, along with some true Mexican crafts shopping in some of these towns too and there is a lot of appeal to keep going back to this part of Mexico.

[CowPrincess]

HAL isn't showing the Sea of Cortez itin as being available. Sigh.... I keep checking and hoping. Those ports on the S of C are wonderful, and we'd go back in an instant. I too hope they decide to offer it again.

 

I think that Carnival offers an itin that includes Loreto.

[SwissMyst]

HAL isn't showing the Sea of Cortez itin as being available. Sigh.... I keep checking and hoping. Those ports on the S of C are wonderful, and we'd go back in an instant. I too hope they decide to offer it again.

 

I think that Carnival offers an itin that includes Loreto.

 

Since Crystal had to fire-sale their Sea of Cortez trip this last time to get a full ship, I doubt if they are going back there either. Thank you CowPrincess, for setting the stage for us to know we had many things to look forward to on this trip - we'd do it again too ........ but not sure I am game yet to do it on a Carnival ship. Unless you can guarantee me that I will get sweet butter. :p

 

Seeing the tender lines for the Carnival ships in Cabo made us feel it was probably not going to be a good "fit" for us. :rolleyes: Yet, if they become the only option we could be game because getting back to the Sea of Cortez and being able to drive to the embarkation port remains a very big plus for us. Travel is all about new things and new adventures, right? Party on.

[casavaha]

We were just in Cabo on the Sapphire Princess. We rented a car in Cabo and drove

up to La Paz via Todos Santos. Much of the road is 4 lane and many areas, bridges are

being built over the arroyos. Todos Santos is a Santa Fe light. Many galleries, very

interesting buildings.

 

We were very disappointed in La Paz. We ate at Bismarks on the bay, good seafood.

 

The next time we are back in Cabo we will go to San Jose, beautiful little town. Totally

different than Cabo.

 

Greg

[SwissMyst]

We were just in Cabo on the Sapphire Princess. We rented a car in Cabo and drove

up to La Paz via Todos Santos. Much of the road is 4 lane and many areas, bridges are

being built over the arroyos. Todos Santos is a Santa Fe light. Many galleries, very

interesting buildings.

 

We were very disappointed in La Paz. We ate at Bismarks on the bay, good seafood.

 

The next time we are back in Cabo we will go to San Jose, beautiful little town. Totally

different than Cabo.

 

Greg

 

Agree about San Jose del Cabo. A good day trip from Cabo.

 

We did the Paradise Cove kayaking shore excursion in La Paz which was fun, but took some serious paddling to get back across the wind-whipped water. One couple came back with the support boat, but the rest of us made it and were quite exhilarated by the experience, but it wasn't quite as interesting as expected - little wildlife viewing and we missed going into the mangrove forest. Two ibuprofens that night and no screaming paddling muscles the next day, but we were concerned.

 

The city itself has little interest other than it is there and is the Baja Sur capitol. Glad we saw it because it always has been an important name on the map. And it did have that great "paleta" (frozen fruit bars) store near the main square, with every flavor you could think of - all homemade with real flavors.

 

I think most of the scenic wonders of this area are underwater here. So a scuba or snorkeling tour would do it more justice - when the waters are warm enough. It was okay for kayaking because we did get wet, but not sure it was balmy snorkeling water temp at that time - (April).