The wonderful staff of the Inn at Loreto Bay provided us a much needed relaxing but fun-filled vacation and we weren't even staying in the Inn! Our party of five was staying in a friend's villa in the adjacent development, but we spent most of our time using the Inn's amenities or on day trips with, or arranged by, Carlos the concierge who treated us like VIPs throughout our visit. We can say the same of all of the staff including Carlos, the food services manager who created new drinks for us upon request and Antonio the security guard who made certain my nephew and I made it up a steep climb on a day trip to San Javier on his day off. By the time we left, we felt like family friends.

I can't comment on the rooms, which we didn't see, but the Inn's grounds and amenities were top-notch. For a nominal cost, we rented kayaks and snorkel gear and wandered the cove and estuary and viewed the wide range of sea life. We played golf at the course that wraps around the Inn which had several holes on the back nine with spectacular views of the Sea of Cortez and Carmen Island. We also took advantage of cooking and cocktail classes they offered. The ceviche was excellent and I hope we can find fish as fresh at home to try making it on our own. There are several pools, the largest of which has bar seating. They were a bit chilly for our late November visit and were too shallow for swimming but great for lounging.

The Inn has three restaurants: a pasta/pizza place with open air seating; an outdoor snack bar open for lunches; and a more formal indoor/outdoor restaurant open for breakfast and dinner. We tried all three and enjoyed all our meals, but found ourselves heading into Loreto for greater variety most evenings. The restaurant also prepared a great fish dinner for our party one afternoon using fresh fish we had made arrangements to purchase from a tour guide on our day trip to Coronado Island.

The Inn is located about 20 minutes south of the airport and the town of Loreto and getting there seems odd and misleading. The access road along Highway 1 with signage to the Inn passes through a housing development under construction and the partially built remnants of the previous development which went bankrupt. A more direct and shorter access road is not marked for the Inn. You arrive at what appears to be the back of a large building that doesn't give you the impression of the first class resort that it is. You don't see the grandeur of the beach until you park and walk through a large, stark atrium area into the courtyard with the front desk and a view of the beach.

But those are minor inconveniences. The draw of the Inn at Loreto Bay is the spectacular setting on cove with a sandy beach that slopes gradually to a large rocky point ringed with coral and a staff that went out of their way to ensure our comfort and satisfaction. The Inn had relatively few guests when we were there, so it may be difficult from them to provide such personal service at more busier times. However, with the commitment and pride they showed during our stay, I wouldn't have expected anything different if the Inn had been full.