Stunning panoramic view from the rooftop of Hotel Blue. With a restaurant and bar, there’s no need to go anywhere else!
Swimming with the whale sharks in the Sea of Cortez has been on my bucket list for a very long time, so when the fam was planning a get-away over Dia de los Muertos, the time of year when they are there, I piped up. We’d never been in that part of Mexico before, so it was decided, we would rent a car and stay in La Paz for four days before driving back over the peninsula to a resort we had booked in Cabo San Lucas. I’m so glad we did. It turned out that despite the various covid restrictions and closures, which we hadn’t fully anticipated, it was a great experience for all.
The Blue is an artsy little boutique hotel a few blocks from the beach. One of the tallest buildings in La Paz, the capital city of Baja California Sur, it has a commanding view of the surrounding area. We spent a lot of time up there on the roof…. eating breakfast while watching and listening to the city wake up, watching the sunset with drinks, gazing at the stars and city lights…. ahh, the good life! And did I mention the reasonable prices?
And despite the beach closure due to covid, there were plenty of shops, restaurants, and food stalls to visit, so just wandering around town was still good…. the Malecon at the waters edge is a good place to stroll, dotted with cool sculptures on one side, shopping and eating on the other.
the only whale shark I saw 
I found my people, the Laurels!
So How’s the Scuba Diving?
In a word, the diving was fantastic. We were disappointed to learn that the whale shark sanctuary was closed for tourists due to covid (which did strike me as somewhat strange,) but we were allowed to book other dives. We went with Dive In La Paz, the staff was friendly and helpful, the short boat ride was beautifully calm, the water warm and clear. The first tank took us to play with the sea lions at Los Islotes. Wow! It was so cool to be in the midst of these wild animals as they frolicked in our bubbles and playfully nipped at our fingers, fins, and hoses. These puppy-like youngsters even tossed around a starfish for a while! The second dive was to swim through the wreck of the Ming Fang, a 54 meter, multi-storied ship. It was sunk in 1999 and now teems with marine life, including some giant turtles that hang out on deck.
So, a few weeks after we left La Paz, the Mexican government opened up the whale shark sanctuary again, ARGH! Well, I will definitely be going back!