LA VENTANA, MX
La Ventana, or 'The Window' in Spanish, is an amazing little town on the eastern side of the southern part of the Baja Peninsula. It was pretty much our last stop in Baja, and it was a place that I wish I could have spent more time in. Located right on the Sea of Cortez, this place is a kite-surfing hotspot. The beach is full of kitesurfers, kite surf school, kite bums living out of their vans for the season, etc. The vibe of the town due to this is pretty cool. Just a bunch of active people chasing wind and living down here. It's like a surf town, but just for kiting. The year-round winds here have attracted a lot of people, which has allowed the town to grow a bit due to the travelers that live here for months at a time. But this place isn't really touristy. It's the sweet spot of a place where the people who are there have helped to make the place better rather than corrupted by the tourism. There are cool restaurants, some bars, a semblance of a nightlife, and a nice community feel. There's also some cool things to see here outside of just going kite surfing. The beaches are beautiful and won't be all that crowded. There's also a hostel here that's really lovely. I really recommend this place. Located within an hour of La Paz, it's an easy place to get to. Just south a bit. It's certainly worth it for anyone who is in Baja — no matter what you like to do, you will have fun here.
La Ventana is located only 50 km's from La Paz — one of the biggest cities in the entire State, and its capital. It's relatively easy to get to. There is a long and straight paved highway that comes down from the mountains outside of La Paz, and leads you right in the direction of La Ventana.
You get off the paved highway 286, and take a left down another paved road with signs to La Ventana on it. This road, called 'Corredor Isla Cerralvo', is paved all the way through the town of La Ventana until the road ends, turns to dirt, and continues. If you reach the dirt part you are nearing the end of town and have gone too far. But there is still more to explore past where the pavement ends.
The road eventually does stop though, and you can't drive much farther after that. There's some hot springs and stuff I will get into later near the end of the dirt road.
Outside of the main road through town practically nothing will be paved. But that's a good thing if you ask me. The paved road itself is probably relatively new.
The beach to the north part of town will be referred to as 'Sargento'.
The close proximity to La Paz is extremely convenient, and as a result there will be some wealthier gringos who are here with big houses. But I wouldn't say that is a bad thing here. La Ventana is a beautiful place, with really nice and cool people. — A distinct culture surrounding kite-boarding, and a great place to spend some time.
HOSTELS, CAMPING, AND HOTELS (IF ANY)
The La Ventana hostel was probably the best hostel I stayed at in Baja. That's not saying a lot, since I was living in my car most of the time but still. It stacks up pretty well compared to about anywhere. It's a stunning spot, a few blocks up from the ocean. Newly designed, with an upper deck and a couch overlooking the water. It's extremely relaxing, there's cool people there, a full kitchen, wifi, showers etc. A great spot. Not cheap though, up to $25 per night for a dorm.
There aren't a lot of accommodation options here from my experience. You have a lot of van-lifing kite-surfers down here living in their rigs, and you can pretty much camp anywhere that you want. So there's that from an accommodation perspective.
There are also a lot of vacation homes around, so I am sure that you could find yourself a really nice Airbnb if that's what you were looking for. Certainly some cool boutique hotel options as well. I'm not aware of that whole world here though.
There are a few hostels actually. The one that we stayed at was awesome. I loved it. A little info on that one is below. In my opinion, you don't need to look any further than the La Ventana Hostel.
Not sure if this is a name anyone has ever used for the road or not so maybe I will coin it. By 'North Road camping', I mean camping beyond the pave. Up where the dirt begins. There are beaches out there, and if you drive far enough, you will be out where there are no more people and no more houses. There are some great places to wild camp, and even a few palapas if you look in the right place.
EATS
There is some really, really nice eating here in La Ventana. The local food is great, cheap, there's a lot of different options, and it's usually filled with a good mix of tourists and locals, which is a great sign. But there are also some really nice international options that have come as a result of the town getting popular with the kite-surfing community. People are starting to lay roots, and with that, bringing their food with them. Like I have said before, this little town is in a sweet spot right now with the tourism and local communities playing off each other in a really nice way. Let's hope it stays that way.
Restaurants
The must of musts here in La Ventana. Best local tacos in town. Those brightly colored plastic plates. The sign. This place has an excellent environment, with beer and awesome tacos.
This is a little spot on the corner that has coffee and sandwiches. A nice little cafe to stop into, and grab a bite. Also a bakery above it so they have the best bread and pastries in town.
This is a pretty fancy spot right on the beach over by the kite-surfing school. The food is really expensive, but it's in a nice location.
NIGHTLIFE
I went here one night for Karaoke night. It was fun, and it seemed like most of the town was there that night. It was relaxed and fun night of drinking. They had a full bar — some of the local expats were running the karaoke night, and everyone was friendly. It was a good time. I would go back.
I actually found La Ventana to be pretty fun. The nightlife scene isn't wild by and stretch of the word. Well, I guess it can be if you are with the right people for sure. But there is a large expat crowd and large kitesurfer community that like to get after it for sure.
We were only here for a few nights but managed to find something to get into every night. If you go looking for it, ask around, and make some friends who have spent time there, you will find it too. Maybe it's a party on the beach, maybe you make the party on the beach. Maybe it's Karaoke night at Bensons. Who knows.
This is a tiki bar or beach bar kind of thing right on the sand. It's a good place to go at sunset for some drinks where you will probably run into a cool crowd in La Ventana. They will also have dj sets at sunset on the sand, and I wouldn't be surprised if they threw a late night party or two here.
SIGHTS
LEARN TO KITESURF
One of the best things that you could do here probably, if you don't already do it, is to learn how to kite-surf. I have heard it is one of those utterly addicting sports that you will never want to let go of. I have too many hobbies and couldn't pick, nor did I want to pick one up at the time. So I did not learn. It's also extremely expensive to learn. Nearly $100 an hour. But if you have the desire and the budget, there are tons of kite schools here, and it's an excellent place to learn.
There's hardly anything to do here outside of going kite-surfing, hanging out at the beach, or just generally chilling. I have heard people say you can go on bike rides, or renting kayaks. Stuff like that. I didn't do any of that. But I am sure that it's out there somewhere, and if you feel so inclined, you can too.
Okay, so this is one of the craziest things I think I saw in Mexico. Past the northern part of town, out by the Northern beach called Playa Sargento, and even past that, is a place called Playa Agua Caliente. I hope I don't have to translate that for anyone but I will anyways — it's 'hot water beach'. If you go out to this beach, you will see that people have built little makeshift pools out of rocks. Dig down in the sand and you will start to feel extremely hot water. Right at the edge of the ocean. It's truly unbelievable that there is a hot spring so close to the ocean. It's amazing. Dig a hole, and soak in some hot water, while the waves lap against your feet at the same time.
SURFING
Nothing here. Sea of Cortez. Flat.