Costa Baja Resort
Costa Baja Resort. It's the nicest place in La Paz, Mexico. Safe, new, friendly, and full of amenities: dive operation in private marina onsite, 5-6 restaurants in resort, three pools, beach club, world class golf, tennis, hotel or condos, concierges that are super helpful, gym. The grounds feel safe enough to let your kids wander around at night. It's separated from La Paz by only a 5-10 minute drive on a single road, but it definitely feels secluded. Rooms are new and very nice; they have safes. It feels almost like a 5 start resort. Book early for very low rates, under $100/night. Rooms are best shared by couples. The showers aren't super private. There is a free shuttle into La Paz from Costa Baja. It's very easy to take.
Dining: Breakfast is only available at Mozaics inside the hotel, but the buffet is excellent. Try to get it thrown in as part of a package deal. Lunch is also available there when not on a dive boat. Steinbeck's inside the hotel building is open for dinners and is upscale. We ate there once per trip. The marina has 3 or 4 places, including Italian and sushi. My favorite is Azul Marina with its contemporary Mexican cuisine; it's excellent. The golf clubhouse on the top of the hill has spectacular views and is nice for breakfast. A free resort shuttle will get you there in a couple of minutes. There are countless places in La Paz to explore in the evenings, and it's an easy shuttle away.
Dive operation: Fun Baja is inside the resort's private marina, so it's super convenient. Resort staff will gladly drive you to it, or you can simply walk. It's about a 3 minute walk. Fun Baja is probably the best operation in La Paz. All boats are in top shape. There are plenty of experienced staff. The owner Enrique "gets" it. Tanks and weights are included. Nitrox and rental gear is available. Fun Baja routinely organizes trips for international travelers, so they can coordinate everything for you from the moment you step off the plane if you like, including the resort room. A guide will lead all dives, but it's casual. Ask for a photo bucket before leaving the dock. Boats have heads. No compressors on boats, so all tanks are brought. Lunches are good. Plenty of snacks/drinks.
Dive sites are 1-2 hours from the marina. There is a camping option on a secluded island beach (Espiritu Santo) that I plan to do in Oct 2014. We stopped there for lunch last Oct. The setup was nice: tents, kitchen, restrooms, showers, fully staffed. It gets you much closer to the dive sites between days and offers a night dive with mobulas, kayaks, hiking, and snorkeling. The staff will handle all of the cooking and your gear, washing/storing it between days. Fun Baja also has a very large live aboard that splits its time between the Socorros and Baja.
Dive spots: There is good diversity... playful sea lions at Los Islotes, plus a keyhole there, hammerheads at El Bajo, several cleaned and uncleaned wrecks, walls, a nice reef with a huge wreck next to it. Whaleshark snorkeling is available, but the jury is still out on that one. Pelagics vary with the season. Because of the distances to dive spots, a 3-tank day will take most of the day. Expect to return to the resort around 3 PM or so.
