One Month in Todos Santos

Posted on March 15, 2026 by buskbob

Sand, water, sunshine and good company are sometimes all you really need. – Anonymous

A year ago, in the midst of a cold, dreary day in February, we thought how nice it might be to spend a month somewhere warm. We envisioned ourselves in Hawaii, going to beaches and eating tropical fruit, sipping Mai Tais. We contemplated places like Palm Springs or spots in Arizona where the sun seems to shine all the time. Florida, the Caribbean, Costa Rica or Belize. All nice warm spots….but we settled on Todos Santos, our favortie spot in Mexico and somewhere we know so well.

Now to decide on a place to call home. We looked at apartments, hotels, and private homes. And by chance, we came across a beautiful home a short distance from the beach, killer views from the top balcony, a heated pool, and available for rent the entire month of February. We read the reviews, all sterling. We debated the pros and cons….we couldn’t find many cons. We talked to the owners, asked a lot of questions, and ultimately decided to rent the house. We booked our flights, reserved a car, and started up a packing list. Now all we had to do was wait for February!!!

February 1 we get a ride to the Wenatchee airport, and for the first time in a long, long time, we actually checked a bag….we were staying a month so we thought we might need a few more items. Quick flight to Seattle, grab a bite to eat and then board the plane to Cabo. Normally in Cabo we zip through customs with our carryon bags, but we had that checked bag to collect. The conveyor starts up after about 20 minutes and bag after bag come rolling by….but not ours. Conveyor stops. Another 15 minutes or so and more bag begin appearing. And second to last ours arrives!!!!! Yeah!!! Next stop to collect our rental car and the 90 minute drive to Todos Santos and our “home” for the next 28 days.

Casa Mila was the perfect home for us. Two bedrooms inside, each with their own bathroom, the larger with an outdoor shower. A fully stocked kitchen and a little bodega off the side with an extra refrigerator and a washer and dryer. The dining room and living room occupied the same large space and all along the front was a covered deck looking out to the ocean. At one end of the indoor courtyard stood the spiral staircase that leads you to the rooftop sitting area. Down below was a heated pool and a separate, private casita with a kitchen, bathroom and a king bed. The parking was inside the gate, across the road from us was a boutique hotel and restaurant located right on the fresh water lagoon. (We had access to the kayaks)

We pretty much had the place to ourselves. One week we had our daughter come and stay….she loved having the casita all to herself. We had invited some friends down, but sometimes life gets in the way and they all had to cancel. So there we were with all that room and mostly just the two of us….it was heaven. Every night, and I mean every night, we made out way up the spiral staircase to the rooftop siting area…usually with a glass each of red wine, and we watched the sun set and the sky turn color. With binoculars we gazed at whales surfacing just off shore. And although by the end of February, the whale sightings began to wane, when Jamie was there we were entertained one night by some juvenile whales surfacing and slapping their fins at the surface of the ocean….just offshore and it went on for close to thirty minutes. Remarkable!!!!

We had only one goal for ourselves this trip…and that was to just relax. And that is pretty much all we did. We went into town every now and then to eat out, to grocery shop, to grab a drink, or to shop at the many shops. We had to go to the Todos Santos Brewery to watch the Seahawks Super Bowl game against New England. That was fun…hanging out with a raucous pro-Seahawk crowd, and I do believe the Bad Bunny Fan Club was in attendance. One evening we went for dinner at the Todos Santos Caffe and were entertained by a local musician, Chris Paulson. We found the Tropic of Cancer Monument and ate at all our favorite spots. Almost everyday we made our way to the beach and took long, long walks.

At breakfast I suddenly felt a warm weight on my leg…looked down and saw this cutie looking up at me….yep, he got some bacon!!!!

We had so much fun that we have already reserved the home for next year!!! We cannot wait!!!!

And Again, Todos Santos

Posted on January 9, 2025 by buskbob

“There is nothing more beautiful than the way the ocean refuses to stop kissing the shoreline, no matter how many times it gets sent away”

Growing up I had friends who every year, every summer, went on the same vacation, to the very same spot they went the year before, and the year before that, and the year before that. And I naively thought, “How silly….this big, wide world and you return again and again to the same spot….Don’t you get tired of that? What is the allure?”

Well now I know. For the last six years we have been coming to Todos Santos, every December, to escape the dreariness of our Wenatchee winter. And over the past six years, I have learned to appreciate coming to the same spot. You find it’s familiar, it feels like home. You know every road, the location of each and every speed bump. where to find the most delicious chiliquiles, the most aromatic coffee, the secluded beach. People recognize you, treat you like friends, welcome you. Even though you have been here a ton, you learn to find the new in the familiar….the boutique you always walked past, the brass doorknob shaped like a gecko, the saguaro cactus that looks exactly like it is waving hello. There is no question as to what to pack…we know the weather and what to expect, we can consolidate down to one carry on, we know to bring the binoculars for whale spotting and salt for the rims of the margarita glasses. We are open to uncovering new adventures and experiences, undiscovered corners, new restaurants, new beaches. Anxiety is reduced for you know all the ins-and-outs of immigration and custom control, how to avoid the rash of requests for taxis and time-shares, where to pick up your car rental, how many pesos you need at the toll booth, what stores are open on Christmas Day….you have it all locked down!!!! There is a lot of comfort in coming to the same spot year after year.

This year we were not going for adventure, or dancing or drinking….we came to Todos Santos for one thing only, to relax!!! And that we did. Everyday to the beach, to lie upon the golden sand shaded only by our little umbrella, marvel at the whales spouting and breaching, and reading all the novels we haven’t had the time to read until now.

And when you are in Todos Santos, there is never a lack of good food everywhere. We actually tried a few new places. Miguels, in Todos Santos for the past 24 years. We had their world famous chile rellenos stuffed with lobster and had a chance to talk with Miguel about all the changes he has seen. And we went to a little hole-in-the-wall spot, Tacos El Poblano, where they make the tortillas by hand and the tacos el pastor and tacos asada were out-of-this-world. We ordered chips and guac and I swear there was close to a gallon of guacamole!!!! So good. And this year we had to try a new pizza spot, Buone Pizza, take out only cooked in a brick oven….we had the pepperoni and the Italiana. Brought them home and ate them on the deck with homemade margaritas. And of course, we had to go to some of our favorites…The Green Room, La Esquina, Docecuarenta, Na Há at La Poza and Heirbabuena in El Pescadero.

Coffee at Docecuarenta….our favorite morning spot

Lobster filled Chile Rellenos at Miguels

Something new this year was the meeting up with some friends, totally unplanned. First we met up with Elke and her fiance Rob. We met Elke at Burrowing Owl Winery in Oliver, BC. She was our server in the tasting room and we just hit it off and during our conversation we both found out we were going to be in Todos Santos at the same time (they in El Pescadero) So we met up for dinner at Heirbabuena and had a wonderful dinner. But there is more….Heidi has been working with Janel Keating Hambly at work. Janel is a nationally known speaker and author for Solution Tree….a real expert on Professional Learning Communities. Janel, and her husband Jay, had planned a trip to Cabo and then a few days in Todos Santos. They wanted to stay at the same spot that Heidi and I stay at, Villas La Mar, but unfortunately it was full, so they booked a room a La Poza, the sister property just down the road. Turns out Janel was the principal at my son’s elementary school, and Jay was the Superintendent at the district. Such a small world. We had dinner with them twice…once at Na Há (La Poza) and then again on New Year’s Day at the Todos Santos Brewery (the Rose Bowl was playing…let’s not mention the score) Such fun meeting with them and learning about all the connections we have. Such amazing people.

Visiting with Elke and Rob from Oliver BC

Dinner at Todos Santos Brewery with Janel and Jay

We definitely completed our goal of relaxation. (It did help that we had a 90 minute couple massage) We returned as usual with deep, dark tans and relaxed body and mind….until we got to the airport in Seattle. Our evening flight to Wenatchee was cancelled, of course only after we flew to Wenatchee and couldn’t land. Spent one uncomfortable night in the airport as we couldn’t find a hotel at 2:30 am in the morning. We were booked for the 12:30 pm flight only to find it was delayed 2 hours. Coming into Wenatchee it appeared we were landing only to have the pilot abort the landing at the last minute saying the runway just wasn’t visible. But he was going to try another approach, from the other end. Nail biting time as we descended, nothing but thick fog out the windows and then, with only seconds before touchdown, we see land below and a huge cheer erupts as the wheels touched down in Wenatchee!!!! An exciting ending to a most wonderful trip. Until next year….yes, we are one of those people now!!!

Kauai Family Time

Posted on December 20, 2024 by buskbob

The best part of travel is who you share it with.

Kauai 2024. This trip had its start Christmas 2023. With the kids we decided we needed a family trip and what better place than to the Hawaiian Island of Kauai. We were all in agreement and now we needed to let the grandkids know. We planned a big “reveal” on Christmas Eve Day, but we weren’t just going to tell them….they would have to work to find out. First they had to complete a number of challenges….the search for the missing reindeer, collecting snowballs with reindeer hooves on, puzzles, trivia….and with each completed challenge, clues were given and finally the last clue opened the page letting then know we were heading to Hawaii this coming July.

And here is a little video of the reveal:

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/JLQFlMGsa4M

Now this is a really BIG deal, for one, this will be the first time all of us will be going on a trip together that requires an airplane to get to the destination, and secondly, for Cody and Bradley, they had never been on a jet plane across the ocean. They both have life threatening allergies and being trapped on a plane would be a scary proposition should either of them have a reaction. But all precautions will be made and as scary as it is, mom and dad decide it is time.

So all year we wait and prepare for the trip. Plane tickets are purchased, rental cars rented, bags packed, possible itineraries sketched out. And Jamie found a way to get a few days off of work and will be flying out to join us a few days after we arrive. In total, 11 of us….in Hawaii !!!!

July arrives and we all convened at our our departure gate at SeaTac…excitement is in the air. Alaska Airlines was amazing to work with. They allowed the boys to board early and for Amanda to wipe down the seats and area with disinfectant wipes. They announced over the intercom that there were people on-board with severe nut allergies and to reframe from eating nuts or seeds, and when we landed in Lihue, the boys received flying wings! Nice touch.

Touch down right on time in Lihue. It is always fun to get off the plane in Hawaii. You are immediately greeted with warm, tropical air. It feels good, and smells good. You know you have arrived!!!!

We make our way to pick up the rental cars….one for each family.

We found the perfect rental that comfortably held all 11 of us. It is a double-condo, situated on the cliffs above Kalapaki Beach, by Nawiliwili Bay. Originally these were two separate condos, a mirror image of each other. But the owners opened a wall between the two living rooms making it one large condo. We had two decks, two living rooms, two kitchens, four bedrooms, four bathrooms plus pull-out couches in each living room. Space for all of us to be together, and also to have some privacy. There was ample parking and best of all, the view over Kalapaki Beach. And this beach was perfect for activities….safe and gentle, lots of sand, surfing lessons, stand up paddle boards and outriggers to rent. Good for swimming and splashing in the surf. And several restaurants (Dukes, Italian, Pizza) and a high-end resort are located just beyond the sand….and the biggest hit of all, an ABC store right next door.

One of Heidi’s Famous Coffee Cup Pictures…..our view from the deck.

It was time to explore and enjoy the island…..and we decided early on that there would be times where we would all do things together and there would be times when we would go our separate ways.

One of the group activities we really enjoyed, was the Inner Tube excursion down the old sugar cane canals. Soooo much fun. We all drove to Kauai Backcountry Adventure headquarters, just out of Lihue, checked in, grabbed our gear (helmets and headlamps and gloves) and loaded onto a bus…and away we went…up towards Mt. Waialeale and the start of the irrigation ditches.

When we got there, we had a quick safety talk and then sat our butts down into inner-tubes and away we went…floating, twirling, sometimes crashing into each other. You go through three or four tunnels…all dug by hand and some over a quarter mile long. This is where your headlamp comes into play, and your gloves to push yourself off the walls.

Ready to get our gear….crocs and one flip-flop

At the end we were treated to a picnic lunch, then back into the bus for the return to headquarters. At the end of our time in Kauai, almost everyone agreed that this adventure was the most fun.

Each day was a new adventure and everybody found something they loved to do. Some took surfing lessons, others rented Stand-Up Paddleboards, or rode the waves on an outrigger canoe. Trips were made to waterfalls, to put-put golf, and to beaches.

As a group we went to Anini Beach on the North Shore and found some epic snorkeling….eels, huge turtles, trigger fish, parrot fish, damselfish, boxer fish, unicorn fish, urchins, massive sea cucumbers, brain coral….so much more. The water was so clear and the beach is protected by a long reef just offshore. The beach itself is pretty narrow, but lots of shade. Such a fun day of snorkeling!!!!

One day, Heidi, Jamie, and I went to a real secluded beach and found seals, crabs, and of course, chickens.

and of course when you finish a hard day in the sun….you need refreshments and food!!!

And in the evening….game night!!!!!!

And whenever we are on Kauai, we always find time to meet with our long-time, really good friend, Rachel Furutani. We have known Rachel and her family for over 20 years and it is always a joy to meet and catch up on all the happenings. And Rachel treated us to a HULA PIE…decadent, delicious and oh so filling!!!!

When all the kids and grandkids went home, Heidi and I stayed on the South Shore for a few more days. And mostly we just sat at the beach and shared memories of the past week with family. Definitely a trip to remember!!!!!

Our Adventures

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.”

Tag Archives: vacation

One Month in Todos Santos

And Again, Todos Santos

Kauai Family Time