Gonzaga Bay (more properly Bahia San Luis Gonzaga), is about two hours east and four hours south of San Diego, about a quarter of the way down the Sea of Cortez coast of Baja California. And several weeks ago, my girlfriend and I enjoyed a great Memorial Day weekend here.
Where Did We Stay?
We stayed at a hotel right on the beach called Alfonsinas, but this wasn’t always the plan. Our initial plan was to camp. We had all of our gear packed and coolers stocked - but as it turned out, every single camping spot was booked. Two of our friends reached Gonzaga Bay before us, early that morning, and were able to scope out the different campgrounds. They said they were all full and wound up finding Alfonsinas (which is a nice hotel on the beach) and getting us the last two rooms available. Alfonsinas was awesome (and not just for the running water and showers). It’s a little hotel right on the water and the end of a strip of about 40 to 50 houses on the bay.
It’s in such a remote location, allowing you to feel completely disconnected, but has just the right amount of civilization and access to comforts, if needed. There is a restaurant at the hotel and a Pemex down the dirt road/landing strip that leads to the highway.
What did we do?
As for what you can do in Gonzaga Bay, if you're the active, outdoors type, the list is sort of endless: snorkel, swim, boat, fish, off-road, hike – there’s no shortage of things to do. And even if you’re not the active type, grab a margarita or a Modelo and just bask in Gonzaga Bay’s beauty. It is truly picturesque.
We spent a lot of our time in and on the water. I brought a blow-up boat that I took out to fish every morning. We all chartered a boat and the boys went spearfishing. We lit fires, sunbathed and just relaxed. There was no cell service at the hotel, nor anywhere close to it, but they did offer WiFi for 10 USD. It felt good being completely off-the-grid for an entire weekend and in a setting like Gonzaga Bay, surrounded by great people, it definitely goes down as a weekend to remember.
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