#BajaBabes Part Two ~ Rancho Las Cruces

If you read this past blog post, then you read that I recently took a fab 5 day trip to Mexico with my two favorite GF’s to travel with, Shauna from Chic Over 50 and Sheree from She She Show. As I mentioned in that post, we did so much in such a short period of time  that there really was no way to cover it all in one post, so … today’s post is Part Two of three separate posts.

After leaving Todos Santos Mexico we drove to the beach resort of Rancho Las Cruces. FRIENDS ~  Rancho Las Cruces is 7 miles of private coast line and 10,000 acres of secure, pristine desert ranch located on the Sea of Cortzez and it is AMAZING!  It is essentially a 3 hour drive from SJD Cabo airport and roughly 1.5 hours from Todos Santos.  Once you drive by the city of La Paz, you then take about a 20 minute drive down a dirt road in the middle of nowhere and beyond.

There are actually multiple ways to get to RLC.  By land, by boat or by charter hopper plane.  If you fly in, this is what you see. 

Since we drove, once we got through the miles of dirt road suddenly THIS appeared on the left. 

Anyhoo, upon arrival (and seeing as we were only at RLC for a day and a half) we went to our private home, quickly unpacked and then got our yoga on. 

Then we also quickly got our pineapple on. 

After that, we headed to the main part of the resort to learn more about where exactly we were staying. 

First ~ a little history:  Hernán Cortés, the Spanish conquistador, was told about a great Island filled with gold and pearls of wonderful size and color. Determined to find the source of such impressive riches and to claim the fabled island of pearls for the Spanish crown, Cortés sent various expeditions. On one of these expeditions,  Cortés himself set forth and landed on May 3rd, 1535 on what was thought to be an island. In commemoration of his landing he placed three crosses on the land he baptized as Santa Cruz. Stone replicas of these crosses remain in the site where Rancho Las Cruces now stands. Part of the land known as Santa Cruz by the early Explorers would later be named Las Cruces. Although he found no gold, Cortés did find pearls of astonishing beauty.

Standing where Cortés once stood more than 400 years earlier, Abelardo L. Rodriguez Montijo watched the rising sun cast its array of magnificent color on the tranquil sea. He saw the remains of thatched huts, water wells and aqueducts that once irrigated beautiful tropical orchards and native palms. He realized then, that although depleted of pearls, Las Cruces could still provide treasure. He believed that the enchantment of ten thousand acres with more than seven miles of private sea coast would be gratifying to those who must face maddening crowds and churn through congested traffic. In 1948 he and his beautiful bride, Lucille Bremer decided to turn Las Cruces into a small luxury resort. 

And so WHY I’m telling you all this is because Rancho Las Cruces is a family thing. The family still owns and operates the resort. It is also a VIP thing and a well-kept secret of high level hospitality with a glimpse of traditional lifestyle.  What I thought was quite interesting is that they have kept every register book since the day the resort opened and it’s fascinating to see who all has stayed here.

We also met the staff, many of whom have worked there for YEARS  and some have also contributed their personal family favorite Mexican dishes to the RLC cookbook. 

As the day quickly turned to night, we had a yummy meal and craft cocktails in the outside dining area.  The food and service were simply top notch! 

We wrapped up our evening with a fab bonfire on the beach.  It was seriously pretty awesome.  See what other activities you can do at RLC here. All activities are easily arranged by the concierge, Amanda Rodriquez, and she planned a very special day for us the next day. 

We arose early and had a quick munch of fresh fruit …

before taking a magical horseback ride on the beach. 

I asked for the easy horse. ^^^ 

Then off we went … heading towards the The Crosses ~ Las Cruces.

Lead by Cuervo, we knew we were in good hands. 

I LOVED my easy horse, whatever his sweet name was, but by then I was ready for a full on major breakfast.

We were then able to relax, enjoy the privacy of the beach and take a ride to see some of the many Villas where one can stay.  CHECK THEM OUT HERE!  Most were occupied so we did drive bys. We did, however, get to go inside of Abelardo L. Rodriguez Montijo’s actual home and below is just a small sampling of the beauty that was around us. 

So there you go ~ Part Two of a really fabulous trip!  Both Todos Santos and Rancho Las Cruces were truly memorable.  Book YOUR memorable experience HERE.  Until we meet again, Rancho Las Cruces!

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***  Thank you to Nina Ornstein of the Paradise Story and Rancho Las Cruces for sponsoring this portion of our trip.  Images via: Liliana Salgado and top image of post via Rancho Las Cruces website.