La Paz, Day 9
Trip Start
Mar 18, 2009
1
9
Trip End
Mar 28, 2009
La Paz, Mexico
Saturday, March 28, 2009
It seems fitting at this point to offer an overall review of the vacation from the resort and diving perspectives. As I've said, I had a very, very good time. I will admit though that we were really the only group in the resort. It's the off-season, and apparently the resort sees most of its business from August to November and a bit into December. Water temperature is warmer as is visibility for diving, and the air temperature is also warmer. Still, coming from the land of low viz, I'll take 30 feet any time. I'm sure being the only ones there did influence the quality of our stay.
I'll start with Club Cantamar itself. In trying to decide if I wanted to make the trip, I researched the heck out of it probably to the point of being an annoyance to anyone who would listen! I was really on the fence due to several negative reviews that I found. Ultimately, I was swayed by the resort's reply to Jill and Dan, our trip organizers, that if only all those with positive reviews would take the time to post to the internet. That definitely struck me as likely being very true so I thought; why not give it a shot. I'd at least be amongst friends. Am I ever glad I did! Club Cantamar sits on the Bay of La Paz, adjacent to the Baja Ferries terminal, and is about 4 miles north of the actual town of La Paz. The location isolates it from town, but they are always willing to shuttle people in if you so desire. That would make it tough if you wanted to always eat in town, but I saw no reason to do so. The ferry terminal serves Mazatlan and Topolobampo, on the Mexican mainland. My understanding is that it's roughly a 6-hour crossing. The primary patrons of the ferries are commercial in nature with many, many semi tractor/trailers coming and going all day long. With the resort being so close, you can't help but hear the passing trucks as they honk or oh-so-lovingly apply their Jake brakes. Not familiar with a Jake brake? I'm sure you've heard them but just didn't know what they were called. It's that loud, stuttering, ram-rod sound as engine braking begins to slow the rig. They can be pretty loud and obnoxious, particularly in any residential area. But here's the good thing! The ferries don't operate in the evenings and when they do start up in the morning, you're usually up by then and ready to start your day any way. So, it really wasn't that big of a deal. Trying to sleep in could be another story.
The resort is very nicely laid out with the office and main lobby located right at the entry gate. There's computer use/internet access in the office for a small fee, or you can bring your own laptop and use their cable connection for free. Internet service was spotty at times, but I wasn't able to tell if it was a service issue or an infrastructure problem. Either way, it could be a little frustrating. There were a few times where there was a waiting line to use the internet, which could also be frustrating. An easy and fairly inexpensive fix would be if they would simply install a few wireless access points so you could use your computer in your room. The buildings there are certainly high enough. I did hear that they have that thought in mind. To me it was a minor inconvenience, although I did look forward to being able to send out this blog nightly. Claudia often worked the front desk while we were there. She's German but spoke fluent English and Spanish. Alejandra was also frequently at the desk. Both were incredibly helpful and we had no problems getting our questions answered or issues resolved during the day time. Night time could be a different story. The night staff typically spoke little if any English, but if you tried hard enough and made even just a slight attempt at learning some Spanish, you could usually get business taken care of if it was really necessary. And, hello!! You're in Mexico! You should at least try to learn some Spanish. It's amazing how often arrogant Americans think everyone should just speak English.
The resort is situated with a very nice little inner bay that is home to the marina and dive shop, which was still in the heart of the resort. Cantamar owns an impressive fleet of boats, and all were moored in the marina. The diving area is where all of the gear is stored, as well as where all tanks are filled and stored. Nitrox was also available for use. Large lockers were free to use, and you could use either your own lock or one purchased from the office for a buck. I just used my TSA luggage lock. There seemed to be tons of lockers so I don't think locker space would be maxed out even during high season, but the resort was capable of holding quite a few people, so I could be wrong.
The boats themselves were very large and accommodated the occasional high seas very well. All were very spacious and had large heads below deck, as well as a galley for preparing their very delicious lunches. Water and soda was always provided on board. With only one day's exception, our group went out on the Siempre Si and there was ample room for all of us. That being said though, in the high season, that boat will accommodate up to 24 divers. Chucho did say that they do typically fill the boat as well as the others. We only had 12 on board, which I thought was perfect. It must get pretty nuts for bodies, gear, and folks coming and going from above and below deck, as well as in and out of the water when there are 24 divers. I know full well that I much preferred being there in the off-season!
Cantamar has three main residential areas. Most of our group was housed in building 2, which had three floors with I think four rooms on each floor. I didn't get a look at all of the rooms, but ours was on the third floor and had two twin beds with plenty of room to spread out. A desk was provided, as was a large armoire that had a small red tool box inside that was bolted to the bottom and acted as the room safe. You did need another lock. Not the best security, but we were also free to use the office safe if desired. Bottled water is provided right outside your door, so there's no reason to potentially taint your body with the local tap water. The sink and shower were a part of the main room, and the toilet area was separate. That always makes it easier to share a room, as you can use the toilet without tying up the entire bathroom. The shower worked fine but I did notice that for the first several seconds, the water had a slightly blackish tint to it. The shower head could use replacing as it was pretty choked down by rust, but I was able to clean it out a bit so it was really no big deal. The beds were a single mattress set on a wooden platform. I don't know if it was the diving and/or the cerveza, but I slept just fine every night! Our room faced the marina and pretty much every night, we had a nice breeze blowing through the patio door. The patio/balcony was great for relaxing while writing these blogs at the end of the day. Housekeeping was really excellent. Our room was neat and clean every day and always had new towels. I guess I don't really know about the sheets, but they always seemed fresh.
Three in our group stayed in the condo building, and their room was very spacious. It had a king bed in the master bedroom and two twin beds in the other bedroom. One of the couches also was basically a day bed. The condo had a full kitchen and dining room as well. I noted another building on the premises that appeared to have been a four story set of rooms. It seemed to have about 14 rooms. Not sure what they looked like, as I never went over and checked them out. There was a small building in the center of the resort that appeared to have possibly been a sales office. It was always locked, but I could see a model layout of the resort and it appears that they are planning another larger building that could possibly be a time share. The rooms I saw were all quite adequate for your typical dive vacation. They aren't five star, but Cantamar never billed themselves as that either. If that's what you want, I saw a new resort going up in La Paz that will be happy to take about three times the money from you! Cantamar's buildings are all finished in a warm, pinkish rose colored stucco finish and were all in very good condition. The grounds were meticulously kept and were beautifully planted with all varieties of cactus and flowering trees and shrubs.
Cantamar has a really nice pool! It was great to sit around and take an occasional dip. I say occasional because it's not heated, and it was a bit chilly this time of the year. No biggie. I got my swimming fix by going diving. The pool has a nice swim-up bar for enjoying drinks while never leaving the pool. With full-on sunshine, I found that quite pleasant. The bar is attached to the restaurant, which all of us found to be simply outstanding. Each morning, we were graciously served by Alandra and her mother. They were both very attentive and pretty much knew everyone's little extras (side dishes, special tea, coffee, type of juice, etc.) within the first couple of days. Service was always prompt and with a smile. Each evening, we all always looked forward to seeing out good amigo Lucas tending bar and also serving as our waiter. He was absolutely awesome. I loved trying to learn a little Spanish from him, and he was always so helpful and friendly. He really took care of us and seemed very fond of the group. They didn't know much English and we didn't know much Spanish, but that never dulled their enthusiasm or friendliness. I thought the staff really made the place. The food itself was more than adequate and was excellent. We had several items to choose from for breakfast, and dinner each night consisted of soup or salad, and a choice between two main courses. We never repeated a soup (except the tortilla soup, which everyone thought was incredible) or evening meal. To my knowledge, no one ever had issues with the food. Cantamar also has a beautiful white sand beach that was about 150 yards long and had several palapas (the palm frond "umbrellas" you lounge under) for getting your mix of sun and shade. The beach was covered with shells and was a beachcomber's paradise. The turquoise water and sandy bottom was quite inviting, although a wetsuit was best for this time of year. It was also always easy to grab a drink or two to take down to the beach. It was great sitting there taking in the sun and warm breeze while enjoying the ocean's beauty and listening as the waves gently lapped at the shore. I could stare at that scene for hours. And both sunset and stargazing were perfect!
Scuba diving out of Cantamar was run by Baja Diving & Service. It's one and the same as Cantamar really, but many people do show up for diving and snorkeling that have not stayed at the resort. I suppose that's why it's identified as a separate entity. Our guide and Divemaster, Chucho, was really great. He was perfectly fluent in English and really knew his dive sites. He was also a very good diver and very attentive to those who needed anything at all. The ladies in our group also did not find him difficult to look at. This was probably a slightly different group for him in that we had two instructors, three divemasters, one divemaster nearing completion of training, three rescue divers and only two somewhat new divers. I think that probably made it kinda easy for him. Still, he was very professional when necessary and a lot of fun all of the time. Captain Jorge could probably find a six foot rock in the middle of the Sea of Cortez if it was a designated dive site. He was that good at knowing his dive sites and triangulating to find them. Our other captain seemed more in training, but he's getting there. They were equally professional and incredibly nice. Marylou and I made 18 dives over the course of the trip, and I think we only repeated Los Islotes. Even then, it was the completely opposite side that we dove on visit #2. There was no lack of dive sites, and each had their own unique things to offer whether it was the sea life or the structure encountered. Visibility ranged from 10-15 feet at the worst to probably 100+ at El Bajo. It seemed that 30 feet was more the average. The water temperature was pretty consistently in the high 60's and was pretty comfortable for those in a 5-7mm wetsuit. 3mm was definitely out! I brought my drysuit and just used lighter undergarments. There was abundant sea life and great photography subjects at every dive. I was really happy with my photography. My only wish was that I could have gotten more shots of the sea lions. They really were fun to watch and interact with. They do kind of spook you at first what with how curious and agile they are, but you easily get used to it. Do dive with them if you ever get the chance!
I know this has been long-winded. Sorry about that! I just want to get the word out that I think Cantamar was great and definitely deserving of looking past the negative reviews. I think I can safely say that there are now 11 very positive reviews that should be considered! Of course I can't speak to conditions at other times of the year, but I'd happily go back in the off-season. If you do ever go, please say hi to Lucas and the staff from his new friends in the ESDC. This was a trip I will remember with great fondness for a very long time. I spent a lot of time reflecting as well as celebrating life with friends. I needed that and feel a good sense of restoration. Now quit reading this blabber and go out, travel, love and laugh with friends & family, and enjoy the world!! Thanks again for reading.
Andy
