Of the many random encounters I’ve had on my many voyages, few were as good fortune as running into the proprietor of Palapas Ventana during one of my visits to La Paz, the largest city in southern Baja. He was going out some place that I was going in, and we happened to get to chatting about whale shark viewing. It didn’t take long for me to realize this guy was a wealth of local insider knowledge and someone I’d been lucky to connect with.
“If you get the chance,” he said, “come stay in La Ventana. It’s a spectacular spot. You love it.”
A few weeks later I had my chance, and couldn’t have been luckier to enjoy the hospitality. Tim and his mother, Karen, ran the place, a small arroyo-side B&B with charming casitas. It would later expand to both sides of the arroyo, and Tim would become one of the regions leaders in all kinds of things: raising money for education, building and excavations, and even delving into politics.
If Leonardo Da Vinci were to have lived in the current time and been a tourist outfitter rather than an artist, he might indeed be very much like Tim: A jack of all trades and master of many. I went snorkeling with him and his family several times, went surfing, Tim even — and I don’t think this is hyperbole — saved my life, when I got sucked into an impact zone and was getting pounded. As if that wasn’t enough, he’s also just a great, kind, good-natured, all around good guy.
I couldn’t have been happier to reconnect at Palapas Ventanas recently. They’ve done such incredible things with the place. The food is delicious, the view is unbeatable, the cozy bungalows are immaculate, and at night it’s absolutely quiet, not even a cricket dares disturb the silence. For sunbathers, they’ve put in a small infinity pool that seems to blend right into the Sea of Cortez behind it. Chef’s kiss.
