Travel changes you. As you move through this life and this world you change things slightly, you leave marks behind, however small. And in return, life – and travel – leaves marks on you. Most of the time, those marks – on your body or on your heart – are beautiful. — Anthony Bourdain

Todos Santos, Baja California, Mexico

On a dark desert highway
Cool wind in my hair
Warm smell of colitas
Rising up through the air
Up ahead in the distance
I saw a shimmering light
My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim
I had to stop for the night
There she stood in the doorway
I heard the mission bell….

The lyrics from the Eagles’ song, Hotel California, definitely conjure up scenes of Todos Santos.We arrived in Todos Santos Christmas evening on a dark desert highway and there was indeed a cool wind blowing. Up in the distance, we saw the shimmering lights of Todos Santos and there, smack downtown is a Hotel California. We didn’t smell any colitas but we heard the mission bells toll.

The Eagles disavow any association with the Hotel California in Todos Santos, in fact they went as far as suing them for using the name and claiming reference to the song. They settled out of court, the hotel kept its name but no longer plays Eagles music or makes claim to the song or the group.

Whether the Eagles had slept here or not didn’t matter to us….we were here to escape a dreary winter and grab some sun, gorge ourselves on delicious Mexican food, and sip our fair share of margaritas. And like Anthony Bourdain said, we were here to have beautiful marks left on our bodies and hearts.

This was actually our second time to Todos Santos. The first time, two years ago, we drove up from Cabo just for the day….and we fell in love with the peacefulness of this village located smack dab on the Tropic of Cancer. Todos Santos started as a Jesuit Mission back in the 1700’s and the area was known for growing sugar cane. The industry flourished until the 1950’s when a great drought devastated the crops and dried up the water table. In the 1970’s the town was “re-discovered” by artisans and others looking for a tranquil lifestyle. In 1984, the road from Cabo to Todos Santos was finally paved, and little by little this quiet Mexican village has been growing. Right now you can still find miles and miles of beaches completely to yourself. We walked one day on the beach about 4 miles and never saw another person. If you are not a surfer or a really good swimmer, it is best not to enter the water around here for the undertow and the currents are rather fierce.

We stayed at this amazing boutique hotel, right on the beach, called Villa Santa Cruz. The owner, Heather, and her husband bought the property about 20 years ago and built their dream Villa in 2006. After living in it a few years, they decided to turn it into a hotel, a luxury boutique hotel with only four rooms. Just recently, they added four small casitas or bungalows…places with a little more room and space for a small family. They also completely renovated the salt-water pool and added a crow’s nest on the dune for relaxing and ocean gazing. Put it all together and you have an experience that is unscheduled, unhurried and in close connection with the natural beauty and rhythm of Baja. Truly heavenly.

Food is something that is always on our mind when we travel….what local cuisine can we try? In our ten days here we sampled so many local Mexican eateries.

One of our favorite restaurants was called The Green Room. (surfing lingo for being inside the barrel that is produced by the wave) It is a little difficult to find…kind of like a speakeasy….you have to know what to look for. You drive along the ocean on this dusty, sometimes washboard dirt road.

Keep your eyes peeled for a “Green Light”.

Easier to find when it is dark but pretty darn impossible when the sun is out. The first time we drove right by it and after four more miles on the dirt road, we surmised we had missed it. When you do locate the green light, you turn into the dirt driveway and find what looks like a farming plot. This is where you park and then you look for the little “Green Room” signs.

Wander along a sandy path until it comes to the dune in front of the ocean….the path here turns into a wooden walkway….at the top is the restaurant.

We came for dinner here three times and each time we got the primo table…seating for two, toes in the sand with an unobstructed view to the ocean and the setting sun. While we ate, we watched whales spout and breach as the sun settled over the Pacific. Quite the romantic setting.

For breakfast, La Esquina was by far our favorite. Fresh brewed coffee, pecan muffins, egg burritos to die for, and cookies!!!!! You sit in this courtyard garden underneath shady palm trees…great way to start the day.

One morning we made our way to a luxury resort south of Todos Santos called Hotel San Cristobal. A little pricey (about $500.00 a night),but what a beautiful setting. We went for their breakfast at the Restaurant Benno. We started with their specialty mimosas and for the main course…banana pancakes to die for!!! We’ve had some pretty good banana pancakes in our lives, but these were the best, hands down.

A little further south is the town of Cerritos. Great surfing here….sandy bottom and perfect for beginners.

The town Todos Santos is a joy to walk about….old building housing eateries, galleries, and shops populate the downtown. Many of the buildings date back to the sugar cane hey days…when money was plenty. You just take your time wandering about this town, up and down the cobblestone streets. Slip into a gallery, meander through a local surf shop, try on locally made fashions and hats, smell the leather goods, and ogle at the tile and clay works. And we got to try out our limited Spanish, of which we got a lot of smiles. (perhaps they were chuckling about my pronunciations or how I would butcher a verb tense…..they never let on and were most appreciative that we would even try.)

One task we had this trip was to find “the perfect Margarita”. We must have tried at least 20 or more margaritas and finally settled on the ones served at Tequila Sunrise, a bar across the street from The Hotel California. They make theirs with tequila and the juice from key limes, but also with a shot of Contreau and a locally made liqueur called Damiana. Damiana is made from the Damiana plant and has long been know as an aphrodisiac….hmmmmm, perhaps that is why we liked it so much!!!

Todos Santos….Our kind of place.