Beta on La Ventana in January

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I plan to head to LV for a week or two in mid-January next year and looking for some advice, particularly on where to stay, and proximity launch options for an intermediate wing foiler. I hope to be able to bring my own gear (that is really up in the air right now).

My wife and I have been to southern baja a few times, and the flights are much better for us to fly into SJDC from Salt Lake and rent a vehicle and drive up. Not sure why flights to La Paz are way more expensive, but that is what I find…

She is foil curious but barely a beginner and may not even try at all, and will likely hike and mtn bike or look for some snorkeling (not a sit on the beach type).

I’d like to get a place that is fairly peaceful if possible, but reasonably close to food and launches. Not looking for a big party scene. Would be great if I didn’t need a vehicle for winging most days, so she can use it. We can spend some money, but can’t afford super fancy, and generally lean toward airbnb’s.

A foil lesson or two is definitely of interest while I’m there. I’m comfortable foiling both ways, and getting more so in heavy chop and swell. Pumping and jibing are works in progress.

Any and all recommendations appreciated…

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I was there last winter and hope to go back again this winter. Flew into Cabo and drove from there. Get groceries on that drive since its slim pickings in LV.

There isn’t much of a party scene anywhere, so that shouldn’t really impact your choice on where to stay. The town can feel borderline deserted until the wind comes up then everyone is out.

My suggestion is to stay at the southern end of town near Baja Grill. Its generally pretty quiet and the hiking or mountain biking in the cactus forest is awesome. We rented a house in the area through AirBnB and there are plenty of options. You could also stay at ChiloChill, which is a glamping spot on the beach that looked pretty cool, but maybe not as peaceful. There are a couple places you can walk to for dinner from that area as well (although more options in town which is a short drive). You can launch right in front of Baja Grill, ChiloChill or anywhere on the beach down in that area and its pretty beginner friendly. There is a very small reef in front of ChiloChill, but its very easy to see and avoid (although the waves tempted me too much and I wound up on it more than once!).

The most beginner spot is in front of Playa Central as it is a little calmer and shallower in there, but gets super crowded - I tend to avoid this area and go way offshore to stay out of the scrum. The north end of LV towards El Sargento (La Tuna) is better for riding swell. Maybe a slightly more advanced spot, but there are still plenty of beginners up there too. Wind at most of these spots is cross-shore, gets a little more cross-on at the south end of town.

You can park and play at any of the spots in LV, so shuttles aren’t mandatory, but If your skills are up for it I highly recommend doing a long downwinder from Aguas Calientes down to La Bufadora (or taking out at Baja Grill). Its a very manageable and relatively safe run, but you may get pretty far offshore in spots if you are chasing the swell. The run gets more technical around Bufadora (reef, steeper waves, more consequence), but most people take out before that anyways. Black Urchin is a shuttle company that I used a few times to run me up there. Downwinders Service — Black Urchin Services

Ando Flores from Saladita Kite School is a great guy and I’m sure his lessons would be top notch for you or your wife.

Another good activity for a non-kiter (or for a light wind day) is to get a boat to take you over to Isla Ceralvo. Very cool to explore the island, see dolphins, rays, seals, etc… You can snorkel around there, but there really wasn’t much interesting snorkeling that I saw around LV.

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Conditions that time of year are great. Could have a few days in a row of calm winds, but once it spools up its really great all afternoon.

I think Chillo-chill is the furthest end of the beach. Conditions are side-on there and in my opinion not beginner friendly. If you can’t stay upwind there is a lot lot lot of walking up the beach.

All the way other side of town would be better in many ways. More side shore, close to shore is very beginner friendly, just a little further out the swell is great.

Boat trips for fishing or visiting the island are cheap, but conditions can be rough for the uninitiated.

Not much to do all day if you aren’t into wind-sports or mountain biking.

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I’ll put in my vote for the North end. Playa Central was within a short walk from our Air B&B & conditions were great for intermediate & ok for beginners as long as it wasn’t too windy. Playa Central offers lessons & a beach shuttle for students who drift down wind. I was there January 2023 & we had great Wind!.. back then you could also store your gear at the Playa Central facility for a small fee if your lodging was further out. There are some awesome snorkeling trips about 45min drive or shuttle from La Ventana out of La Paz to the Espiritu Santo islands or Playa Balandra on the point near La Paz.

It is a pretty cool place despite the Gringo vibe. Have fun!

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Reviving this for more beta…(made the mistake of asking where to stay on the LV Kite facebook page and just got bombarded by people pitching there rentals).

Anyway…How feasible it is to do a week in LV without a car, and using a shuttle from SJD airport, and any advice on making that work well?

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Very feasible once you are there. Just make sure your housing is an easy walk to the beach and food (almost everything is). There are shuttle services you can use for downwinders if you want (Black Urchin, WhatsApp +52 612 318 1474). Everyone is super friendly so you could probably just hitchhike upwind with other riders too.

Sorry, I don’t have experience with shuttle service from the airport but I know it exists. There is also a local online newsletter called Ventana View where people often organize rides (Travel Board – The Ventana View)

Alaska Air also just launched service from LA to La Paz which is closer than Cabo.

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Feasible for you but I’d consider renting a bike for your wife in that case, especially if she might want to tool around on the trails anyway! I’d go pretty stir-crazy if I were in LV, not on the water, and without a vehicle.

I’ll second the recommendation to go north, near Rasta or La Tuna. The cross shore conditions will be easier for you to launch in. But there isn’t as much housing up there that is right on the beach, since it’s cliffier.

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Here now in La Ventana wing foiling. Usually I stay 3 to 4 weeks. Without a car this time. In the past I’ve rented a car, but found that I really don’t use it that much. Of course this depends on where you stay. I like to stay close to Playa Central, plenty of airbnb’s are close by. Eating options and small markets are within easy walking distance. However, really nice to have access to a bike for the better markets and awesome riding trails. Some of the casita’s have beater bikes, but usually I rent from one of the instructors at Playa Central.

I launch from Playa Central, which can be a challenge on big El Norte days and can get busy, just go upwind where theres plenty of space. In general La Tuna is more mellow and as mentioned you can use the downwind service.

To get to and from SJD, I like to use Samual turissaven@hotmail.com. Price if there’s other people in the van $60. Other shuttle options are here:https://www.theventanaview.com/directory-business/categories/transportation/

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Hey SpokeyDoke, I’m headed to LV in Jan as well, and plan to hire a van service from San Jose to LV, then use local shuttle service for DW runs once there…

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Just got back from a SUP DW foil trip to La Ventana…I must say, the conditions were pretty great. I was there for 16 days, and all but 3 off this days had ample wind swell. Things I learned:

If you’re sup foiling, you can usually get out before all the kiters start up, for your first run. This is nice, because the sup DW lines run parallel to the beach, and the kiters are generally going fast perpendicular to the beach. I really had to pay attention to avoid collisions twhen the kiting crew were out in force.

I thought the best bumps were in the deeper, blue water, which is 1/4-1/2 mile offshore. This is also nice because the kites tend to stay in closer, for the most part.

There were not a whole lot of fellow foilers using a paddle–I’d say I saw 6 people sup foiling which I was there, and only 3 others while on the water.

I typically would hitch my way back up to near Rasta Beach after my run. Took my foil plane off for 50% of my rides. Hitching was doable, but rides were not super easy to catch–esp with the long-ish DW board. That said, I always felt confident that I would eventually get a ride.

On a future trip, I’ll plan it with a few friends and probably rent a truck so that we can sort our shuttle better…maybe team up with seasonal riders who also have a vehicle there.

I’m definitely looking forward to doing it again next winter!

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