Escape from rain city

November 17, 2009 6:43 PM

We want to go somewhere sunny and warm in February. We're in Vancouver BC and don't want to fly too far; cost is an issue. We would really like to bring our touring bicycles and do a mini-tour at a relaxed pace - maybe 250 miles over two weeks. So far we're looking at South Baja. Good idea? Other ideas?

I have all kinds of questions about South Baja if anyone has been there. Specifically we were thinking of flying to Cabo San Lucas (looks like around $600 round trip plus baggage fees), then biking to La Paz and back in a loop, and we need to know about road conditions, traffic, availability of services, typical price of a hotel, etc etc.

But I'm also interested if any other destination comes to mind. The bike tour is not a requirement but something we would really enjoy. Touristy mega-resorts are not really our thing but we would appreciate a little bit of comfort on this trip I think. Beaches would be nice. Sunny and warm in February is the key.

posted by PercussivePaul to Travel & Transportation (4 answers total)

Best answer: I spent a month on the southern Baja, mostly at a ranch about halfway between Cabo and La Paz with a couple of trips to La Paz, Cabo, and Todos Santos. This was in February about four years ago. I did a bit of cycling, mainly to get to the nearest town. The roads are in pretty good shape mostly (decent pavement), although washed out in places (especially Arroyos) due to the huge amount of water that goes through in hurricane season. The roads have little to nothing in the way of shoulders though, and there is a fair amount of RV traffic (but not nearly as bad as the northern Baja, I'm told). There are quite a few small towns along the way, but I wouldn't count on always being able to find accommodation and food when you need it, so plan to camp and carry food (luckily it's never a problem to find a spot to camp because it's so empty there, and there are spectacular spots at beaches and hot springs). Hotel prices really depend on what you're looking for; I tend to stay in fairly simple places and found 150-250 pesos (US$15-25) to be normal. If you're going for more resorty things the prices of course will be higher. It is sunny and warm during the day, but really cools off at night (this is desert, not the tropics) so bring warm clothes and good sleeping bags.

I would highly recommend hiking into the Sierra De La Laguna (part of the mountain range in the middle of the peninsula). It's amazing to start in desert and as a day of hiking goes by and your altitude increases go through an environment that is not dissimilar to mountains on the Gulf Islands (complete with Arbutus/Madrone trees) and then end up in a valley that's a bit like you find in the Okanagan. If there's anything I would do more of on the southern Baja, it would be hiking in the mountains. Well, that and hot springs.
posted by Emanuel at 7:12 PM on November 17, 2009 [1 favorite]

If I were from Canada I'd go to Cuba.
posted by DMelanogaster at 4:49 AM on November 18, 2009

I expect it is not what you're looking for, but Austin, TX might be nice.

I'm not a biker myself, but it's a huge bike city. It's a nice city, there is a lot of nice hill country around, some nice state parks (not as numerous as Canada though). There are no real beaches to speak of, but the city and area has a lot of attractions.

I am only posting because if you're looking for cheap, driving down to Seattle or Portland and getting a direct flight to Austin is probably really cheap, not including the luggage fees for your bikes. Wiki sez the average temperatures for Feburary range from 44 low to 65 high - my idea of perfect weather.

Maybe it's a bad idea *shrug* but there would be more than enough info from bike fanatics around here on the internet I'm sure.
posted by BurnMage at 11:08 AM on November 18, 2009

Response by poster: Thanks Emanual, that was very helpful. I'll come back if I have other questions.
posted by PercussivePaul at 10:02 PM on November 18, 2009