Side Trip Tips: Five Places to Visit in La Paz
Visitors looking to add a little excitement to their Los Cabos sojourn should consider that most reliable of vacation activities: the road trip. Short shopping and sightseeing jaunts to charming towns like Todos Santos and Los Barriles are appealing options, but for a more memorable excursion, spend a few days in La Paz. Not only does Baja California Sur’s capital city boast easy access to stunningly beautiful beaches and world-class water sports but it also offers a more traditional Mexican atmosphere than that found in cape cities Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo.
Spend an evening on the malecón, the city’s seaside promenade, and watch the locals bike, jog, saunter, and socialize as cars clog the main boulevard, Alvaro Obregón. Visit a centuries-old cathedral, a family pottery workshop, or the state’s seat of government. There are plenty of great restaurants and nightclubs, a surfeit of downtown shopping options, and attractions and activities that range from art galleries and museums to kayak trips to Isla Espíritu Santo.
Playa Balandra is one of many beautiful beaches in La Paz.
Here are five favorites to get you started:
Playa El Tecolote/Palapa Azul Restaurant
La Paz is known for its gorgeous beaches, and although Playa Balandra may be the best in terms of sheer natural beauty, Playa El Tecolote takes top honors when it comes to food, drinks and tranquilo seaside vibes. Palapa Azul is the hangout of choice for discerning visitors, with a palapa-shaded bar, tables in the sand, and a kitchen housed in a hollowed-out boat. The food is the perfect complement to the spectacular views of Isla Espiritu Santo, with an array of excellent seafood dishes that include ceviche de pescado, chocolate clams, and marlin en escabeche. Pair the platters with a bucket of ice cold cervezas, and life suddenly seems hard to improve upon. Getting there is easy. Follow the malecón out of town, and keep going until you dead end at km 25. Open daily 8 a.m.–9 p.m. Call (612) 120-2089 for additional information.
Hotel Arte Museo Yeneka
This downtown lodging suffers no shortage of curiosities, whether it’s the Trojan horse out front or the stuffed monkey in the front seat of the Model T the original owners drove down from San Antonio. In fact, the entire courtyard is festooned with virtually every object imaginable, from bicycles and whale bones to wagon wheels and old tools. The four generations of family heirlooms and found objects are the “art museum” aspect of the operation. The hotel includes 13 rooms on two levels, with each room individually decorated in delightful ways. In some, framed paintings are extended across walls. In others, beds are accessorized with car rims. It’s a bohemian rhapsody, but also a great budget-friendly option that’s located only two blocks from the malecón. Room rates are negotiable, but guests can expect to pay about $40 to $50 per night. Prices include continental breakfasts and two complimentary shots of tequila each evening of your stay. The hotel is located on Calle Madero, between Independencia and 16 de Septiembre. Call (612) 125-4688 or visit www.hotelyeneka.com for more information.
The malecón is the center of the social scene in La Paz, and many of the city’s best hotels, as well as restaurants like Bismark-cito, look out across it towards the bay.
Bismark-cito
Bismark now has three locations in La Paz, with the original at Calles Degollado and Altamirano, and the newest conveniently situated on the highway out of the city. Bismark-cito was second in terms of origin but is now first in the hearts of long-time visitors, due to its beautiful setting and value oriented taco menu. Lobster and steak are staples at all three locations, but Bismark-cito is the only location to offer tasty seafood-style tacos. Try some tacos de pulpo (octopus tacos) and watch the world go by on the malecón. Don’t forget to order a round of micheladas. Bismark-cito makes the best in the city. The official address is Alvaro Obregón (which parallels the malecón), between Constitución and Miguel Hidalgo. It’s open daily from 8 a.m.–11 p.m. Call (612) 128-9900 for additional information.
El Serpentario de La Paz
Want to impress the kids? The whale museum, Museo de la Ballena y Ciencia del Mar, is in the process of moving to the malecón, so in the meantime take the little ones to the local serpentarium. This privately owned attraction opened in 2000, and it is now home to more than 100 species of reptiles and amphibians, including turtles, lizards, an enormous rhinoceros iguana, and a wide variety of snakes indigenous to Baja California Sur. For an additional $30 pesos (about $2.50 U.S.), you can have your picture taken with a python or baby crocodile. Don’t worry. They hardly ever bite anyone. The serpentarium is located at Brecha California between Nueva Reforma and Guaycura. It’s open Tues.–Sun. 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Admission is $80 pesos for adults, $40 for children. For more information, call (612) 122-5611.
Bandido’s Grill
The grill is the conversation starter at Bandido’s. It’s wedged under the hood of a bisected pick-up truck, and the smoke coming off the burgers and barbecued ribs make it seem, from a distance, as if the truck broke down by the side of the road. When the restaurant opened eight years ago with the truck-grill and three plastic tables, it actually was little more than a roadside pit stop. Nowadays, it has a pretty location near the water, with red and white checkered tablecoths scattered between lantern strung palm trees. Bandido’s is popular with locals, but tourists are more than welcome to stop by and enjoy the old-school rock-‘n’-roll and tasty selection of burgers, most of which seem to be garnished with multiple slices of bacon (or egg). The restaurant is located on the corner of Calles Navarro and Topete, and it is open nightly 5 p.m.–midnight. Call (612) 128-8338 for additional information.