I recently returned from a media trip to Villa del Palmar at the Islands of Loreto, in Baja California Sur, Mexico with 11 other journalists, travel bloggers and travel writers. Today’s interview is with 9 of the writers from the trip. This is my first podcast on location.
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Just returned from a media trip to Villa del Palmar at the Islands of Loreto, in Baja California Sur, Mexico with 11 other journalists, travel bloggers and travel writers.
Today’s interview is with 9 of the writers from the trip. It’s a lot of fun so, stay tuned to hear their advice for breaking into travel writing and their favorite experience on the trip.
First, I thought I’d share an overview of our time in Loreto and Villa del Palmar and my journey to Baja.
The flight was on the early side and in Los Angeles, so Roland and I decided to take Amtrak from San Diego to Union Station in LA the day before our flight to start our trip. I love taking the train – it always reminds me of my Europe trips after college. The trip from San Diego to LA is also really pretty – it passes many seaside towns and makes for an easy, traffic free experience. Once we arrived at Union Station we took the FlyAway bus to LAX where we picked up a shuttle to our hotel – The Concourse Hotel at LAX – which is a Hyatt affiliate and currently under a massive renovation. Roland and I got a sneak peak at the new room design – which is a bit retro and very sleek. All new rooms will come with a 55” flat screen TV. They offer a shuttle to Manhattan Beach
Through March of 2016 the hotel is experiencing a total transformation of both guest rooms and public space. All rooms should be renovated by November and the full renovation is slated for spring of 2016.
After the renovations, the hotel will then be a Hyatt Regency. This is the closest hotel to the LAX airport—it’s less than a block from the airport and a quick 5 min shuttle or you can even easily walk to the hotel if you desire.
The highlight of our visit to the hotel was dinner. Executive Chef Charles Fusco was recently brought on the team He has over 12 years of Hyatt experience giving him the perfect background to transition the restaurant and catering menus. Roland and I dined in the Palmira restaurant. Our server was Juan, who has been with the hotel for 15 years. He new the menu inside and out and was great with suggestions and working with Roland and me with our food allergies. There are many gluten free dishes on the menu which was great for me! The menu also offers many free range, grass fed and sustainable meats and fish options. The seafood is brought in daily and everything on the menu is homemade. Roland enjoyed a brand farm flat iron steak basted in salsa verde and house cut fries. I started dinner with a tomato soup with shaved fennel and for my main course a Brown Sugar Dill Crusted Skuna Bay Salmon with Mustard Infused Beluga Lentils.
If this is the beginning of the transformation, I can’t wait to see what the final menu will feature!
The next morning, we flew to Loreto on Alaska Airlines. When I say we, I mean all 12 of us flew on the same flight. The flight from LA is non-stop and because the destination is becoming more popular, Alaska airlines is launching an additional weekly service on WestJet between Calgary, Canada and the Islands with non stop flights on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Alaska Airlines is also expected to up-gauge its flights from Los Angeles to Loreto, increasing seats by about 50 percent. Beginning November 1, flights from Los Angeles to the Islands of Loreto will be operated Thursday through Sunday using Boeing 737 jets rather than Bombardier Q400 aircraft. Side note—that is going to be really nice, cause I don’t love propeller planes.
Then, a quick 30 minute drive to the luxury destination resort, Villa Del Palmar. We were greeted by about 15 staff members for a quick introduction, a debriefing on our stay and learned that Villa del Palmar at The Islands of Loreto resort is located on the Sea of Cortez, off the eastern coast of the Baja peninsula overlooking Danzante Island (one of five in the region) with the rugged Sierra de la Giganta range behind the resort
The resort features 181 Deluxe Ocean View, one, two and three bedroom Suites, three restaurants offering gourmet dining, five swimming pools, a 39,000 square-foot Sabila Spa and Wellness Center, two tennis courts, a private beachfront, and a 7,400-yard Rees Jones-designed Danzante Bay golf course.
The resort is currently named the 16th best resort in Mexico by Trip Advisor and a nominee for “Mexico’s Leading Beach Resort” in the 2015 World Travel Awards.
During our introductions to the staff they also had a masseuse from the spa offering mini massages. Great way to start the day!
We were given keys to our suites – which were beautiful. Living room, kitchen, washing machine which was also a dryer. Hadn’t tried one before. Very cool amenity. Large bedroom with Jacuzzi tub and separate shower. Balcony that spanned room – doors from both living room and bedroom and there was second bathroom with shower. Beautiful!
Loreto has 100 miles of coastline, 300 sunny days a year and year-round and surface temperatures averaging in the 80s. It was hotter than this during our visit, as July–Sept are the hotter months.
SPA 39,000 square feet of pampering at the resort’s award-winning Sabila Spa and Wellness Center.
Villa del Palmar at the Islands of Loreto is offering a special rate specifically for your audience of $119 USD per night in a Deluxe Studio suite, plus taxes and gratuities. The rate for this time normally is $184 USD per night, plus taxes. Guests can book now until December 11, 2015, for travel until December 17, 2015. Terms and conditions apply.
Guests can reference the code FAMJUL15 when they book a reservation through reservaciones.vdpl@vgloreto.com.
And now to the show…. Which was recorded in the airport the day of our departure as well as on the plane. There is some background noise – so hopefully the content is interesting enough for you to tune out the noise especially my talk with Tanya on the plane which has some extra plane noise – since it was a propeller plane!
The resort offers a full slate of adventure, including stand-up paddle boarding, glass-bottom kayaking, hiking and PADI-certified SCUBA diving lessons in the indigo waters that explorer Jacques Cousteau once dubbed the “Aquarium of the World.” The resort offers world-class sport fishing aboard the resort’s Mad Dash tournament boat, and tours of the nearby Coronado, Danzante and Del Carmen Islands atop an APEX boat.
They have a glamping suite – which is a luxury beachfront Danzante Bungalow with private Jacuzzi.
For resort reservations or additional information, please contact the resort at reservaciones.vdpl(at)vgloreto(dot)com or call 800.790.4187. To learn more about Villa del Palmar, visit www.villadelpalmarloreto.com
About Villa del Palmar at the Islands of Loreto: Baja’s First Million Star Resort
There is world-class fishing aboard the “Mad Dash” tournament boat, paddle boarding, kayaking, whale watching and mountain biking.
With complimentary shuttle service, guests can explore the historic town at the Islands of Loreto and visit the 1697 mission that made the town famous. The area is also known for its wildlife, including the 900 species of fish off the coast and in an area that has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the second largest National Marine Park. Hotel perks include a spa and fitness center, massages, salsa dance lessons and movie nights for children. Travelers can take a short flight from LAX on Alaska Airlines or from Calgary, Canada aboard WestJet, Canada’s most-preferred airline, to the Islands of Loreto.
Villa del Palmar at the Islands of Loreto is offering a special rate specifically for your audience of $119 USD per night in a Deluxe Studio suite, plus taxes and gratuities. The rate for this time normally is $184 USD per night, plus taxes. Guests can book now until December 11, 2015, for travel until December 17, 2015. Terms and conditions apply.
Guests can reference the code FAMJUL15 when they book a reservation through reservaciones.vdpl@vgloreto.com. If you are interested in a media trip to Loreto please connect directly with me.
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