Nicest Home in gated Playa de Oro: Beach, Pools, Views! in San Felipe

Enjoy the warmth and luxury of this exclusive resort community!

San Felipe is a small, quiet fishing village located on the west shore of the Sea of Cortez in Baja, California. It is a short, easy, SAFE drive from the states, being only two hours south of the quiet border crossing at El Centro, California.

Our home is located in the gated seaside community of Playa de Oro a few minutes north of San Felipe. It is a custom-built, Spanish-style house with over 3,000 square feet of indoor/outdoor living space. It features a spacious, open floor plan with a formal living room, a beautifully-built kitchen opening onto a large dining room and family room, two side-by-side master bedrooms upstairs and an additional bedroom downstairs, three full baths, an ocean-view balcony, front and back tiled patio areas, a tiled and walled rooftop patio, and an oversized subterranean garage. This comfortable, fully-furnished home has ceiling fans in every room, individual air conditioning units in each room, two televisions with dvd/video players, and free wi-fi access at the restaurant/pool.

This home sleeps six adults and as many kids as you can fit! Our kids sometimes like to sleep "open-air" on the rooftop patio.

Many people have concerns about whether it's safe to travel in Mexico. As parents, we do too, and that's what we like about San Felipe. When we hear about problems at the border, they focus on cities like El Paso and San Diego. Our border crossing is at El Centro, nowhere near either of those major cities. The road to San Felipe, Mexican Highway 5, doesn't go anywhere else besides San Felipe (it ends south of the village). San Felipe itself is a small, quiet fishing village which welcomes tourism. In the years we've been traveling there, we've seen vast improvements in the infrastructure—roads are much better and commerce seems to be booming. We have never had a single problem driving with our children to San Felipe. Because of its out-of-the-way location, we think it's a great place to travel.

The gated resort community of Playa de Oro is one of the best in San Felipe. With an oceanside location, it features 24-hour security, an excellent restaurant with a bar (they make GREAT margaritas!)and nightly entertainment, two pools and a spa (with poolside service), a well-stocked market, a deli, a bakery that produces fresh bread and pastries every morning, a gym, a pizza restaurant, and much more.

The residents and staff of Playa de Oro are friendly and welcoming. Many of our neighbors live part of the year in Playa de Oro, and retreat further north for the hot summer season. Workers are mostly  local, so plan on learning a little Spanish while you're there!

It is a short walk from your front door to Playa de Oro's beautiful, golden beach. Explore the many miles of this beach on foot or in your dune buggy or ATV. The water is warm and gentle—a safe place for kids to swim and play. Private access helps keep this beach quiet and peaceful.

Only a minute from Playa de Oro is the multi-thousand-acre development of El Dorado Ranch. Though  it's a bit vast for our taste, it does offer access to a golf course and world-class beach-side restaurant.

If you prefer to go casual for an evening, check out nearby Pete's Camp for a fun (and possibly rowdy) dinner with drinks and entertainment. There are several other restaurants close by, many with delicious and inexpensive local food.

The town of San Felipe is a ten-minute drive from Playa de Oro. It is a small fishing village with mostly local businesses. In San Felipe you can shop for souvenirs (don't forget to gently negotiate the price!), eat in one of the many local restaurants, buy from streetside vendors, or just stroll the "Malecon" (boardwalk) along the beach. On a weekend night, be prepared for a Mariachi serenade!  Because San Felipe is a fishing village, the seafood here is unbeatable! During the fall/winter shrimp season, you can buy fresh shrimp very inexpensively. One of our favorite memories from San Felipe took place one night just off the Malecon. The tide was way out, and as usual, the small "pongas" (fishing boats) were pulled up on the sand with their day's catch. We walked out to a boat where the fishermen were weighing out their shrimp under a bright spotlight and bought two kilos (about four pounds) of just-caught shrimp. They were delicious!

As you can probably tell, we love our San Felipe getaway. It's a great place to vacation! You can bring your whole family—the kids will love the pool and the beach—or just come for a quiet grown-up retreat. Either way, we feel sure you will enjoy your stay.

$150 per night with two-night minimum
$175 per night holidays with longer minimum stays
weekly rate: seventh night free
deposit required; full payment in advance required