BUENA VISTA BEACH RESORT
EAST CAPE, BAJA SUR
Fish With Me was a mere dream when I first fished the East Cape at this hotel, formerly known as Spa Buena Vista. Nevertheless, this time (May 2011), I did feel the same sense of excitement as I had felt on that very first trip. When the van pulled into the front, and I saw the sculptures of two marlin jumping from the fountain, I felt it. It was like coming home to the site where I caught my very first Marlin thirty-one years ago.
Needless to say, the hotel, which has grown from 9 rooms to the current 60+ rooms, has dramatically changed, as you will see in the photos. Now, it is spectacular in its beauty and comfortable accommodations.
We were greeted by Elizabeth at reception, and she showed us to our rooms and instructed us about all of the amenities, including the fishing possibilities and the American meal plan (three meals each day from the regular menu). At the first meal we found there was a choice of indoor or outdoor seating. We were handed a bilingual menu containing many pages, offering fish, chicken, beef, pork, and vegetarian choices as main courses. They also offered several appetizers, a daily soup, and various salads. The presentation and quality of the meals was 5 star.
Tim Barker of Portland, Oregon, caught his first Marlin and won Top Angler honors.
Stanley Green from Turlock, CA, took the Top Non-Bill money with his Snapper. We were able to fish on the twin screw Phoenix cruisers and they proved to be very nice boats.
Forty-five poker players (hailing from the U.S., Cabo, and La Paz) took part in the Texas Hold-Em tournament Saturday evening, which started at 5:30 p.m and lasted until 4:00 a.m.! Hotel manager, Felipe Valdez, son of the owner, Chuy Valdez, hosted the event, which was held in the large, air-conditioned and comfortable conference room. The event was well-organized, and, throughout the night, we were served an array of hors d’oeuvres which were prepared by the excellent kitchen staff. The camaraderie amongst the players was outstanding as virtually every player won a round of applause when eliminated from play. The competition intensified as we neared the final table, which drew at least 25 observers. Felipe took photos of the final table, including several of the winning hands.
I remember every detail of catching my first Marlin in 1979 at this hotel and this same feeling of accomplishment and the thrill of victory surfaced once again as I was able to win the final hand and claim winner of the tournament after approximately 10 hours of play.
We are working on 2012 dates (tentatively May 17-21, 2012) and look forward to another marvelous experience at the jewel of the East Cape, Buena Vista Beach Resort. I would like to extend special thanks to Felipe, Elizabeth, Hortencia and all of the wonderful staff of the resort.
