As a jumping off point to Baja adventures or a place to find your perfect hidden beach, Costa Baja Resort is a comfortable base next to the marina and a fine golf course.
The Baja Sur city of La Paz is dwarfed in every way by its more famous Mexican resort region to the south: Los Cabos. While that corridor along the ocean gets direct flights from a couple dozen markets, La Paz only gets one flight a week from the USA. It’s only a two-hour drive between the two though, on a fine new highway that cuts through the cacti-filled landscape.
CostaBaja resort is part of a planned community that combines the hotel and its two restaurants with homes, condos, a spa, and the place for boats to dock after beng sailed down the coast or across the world. So this is a bastion of foreign visitors and residents in a city of a quarter million that doesn’t get all that many of them.
An attractive lobby looks out at boats and a few holes of the golf course, those being splashes of bright green against a landscape of brown. The view from the other side, that scene at the top of this post, is over the gorgeous pool and out to the bay. The sunsets from here can be spectacular, facing directly west. You also get that view from the third-floor rooms facing this direction, making them to most desirable for sure. All rooms here have a balcony or terrace with two chairs, but these top-floor westward ones get used the most. Suite options are limited to a few slightly larger junior suites and none have a tub.
Rooms are a little unorthodox in their layouts, with most of them having a giant glass-enclosed shower stall in the middle, frosted glass around the waist area offering a modicum of privacy. The sink is next to that, loaded up with a good array of fine toiletries, then the WC at least is in a room with a door. A closet contains good hangers, a robe, and an iron. Several drawers are next to a mini refrigerator (you can stock up at the marina store) and a pod coffee maker for a morning shot of caffeine.
Comfortable beds have good reading lights and alarm clocks, but no music players. Large flat-screen satellite TVs on the walls have HDMI connections though and the Wi-Fi is complimentary. It works well in most rooms, but not at the pool.
A casual restaurant serves a breakfast buffet each morning with indoor and outdoor seating. A more formal one, Steinbeck’s, has portraits of the famous author mixed with period photos and what may be the peninsula’s greatest collection of tequila bottles, from strange novelty ones to current premium choices. Naturally there’s an emphasis on very fresh seafood—here the “catch of the day” really is of the day—but there’s plenty to please all palates.
- Search for Great Tours HERE
- Buy Travel Insurance
- Get a Car Rental
There’s a spa offering a variety of massages and body treatments. Two swimming pools are on site. One is a lap pool in a covered area next to the gym. The other is the sunny one surrounded by lounge chairs between the rooms and the sea. There’s a kids pool off to the side and a bar that was never staffed during my visit. 
The housekeeping staff also wasn’t too on the ball when my group was there: management knew our group was out all day from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., but they decided 4:15 was a great time to start knocking on doors and cleaning rooms. They did a good job after showing up though and the resort is very well maintained.
Overall, Costa Baja is an excellent option in La Paz, a self-contained, reasonably sustainable resort that caters well to foreign golfers, boaters, and adventure seekers. Rates are reasonable, at $185 to $275 per night in high season with free nights thrown in sometimes for longer stays. See more at the Costa Baja Resort website and you can also book online at Hotels.com.
Review and photos by Tim Leffel, who was a guest of the resort while on an exploratory trip with Visit Baja Sur and the Adventure Travel Trade Association.
