La Ventana/Los Barilles travel questions

[mv_fisherman]

My girlfriend and I are traveling to La Ventana and Los Barilles over Christmas and looking for some helpful hints.

Do we need to rent an SUV/4WD or will an economy car work? We are also traveling to Todos Santos at the end of the trip. We will have a board bag with surf/kite gear.

My girlfriend is looking to take lessons from a female instructor at both LV/LB, any recommendations? We haven't booked a place to stay yet but have narrowed it to a couple spots.

Wondering which we should go to first, LV or LB? Best for lesson progression? I'm a solid intermediate 1st year rider and will be looking to practice on a directional as much as possible.

Is it overkill to bring a 13m/9m/7m, or just rent the 7m if its nuking and save on baggage weight/fees.

Thanks in advance!
Just moved here from New England, glad to be a new member of the Bay Area kiting community.
-Andrew

[Kyle]

Hey Andrew, welcome. We just got back from there (see travel section) and can offer some advice.

The first rule of fight club, bring all your kites. The second rule, bring all your kites:) We had two kites in the board bag and each had a kite on our backs flying down. That's 4. if you don't use the 7, your gf will. Especially if you want to ride a surfboard. If you don't bring it, it will nuke your whole trip and you will be forced to rent or not be able to kite because all the 7s will be in use:)

I suggest LB before LV, simply because it's closer to the airport and depending on your flight, you may even be able to kite the day you arrive. La Ventana is 1:15 north of there, and from LV you can head over to the Pacfic side. LB does have a bit more forgiving beach, with easier/longer down winders at your disposal.

Exotikite has great instructors. There weren't any female instructors while we were there, but they are staffing up for the season. My fiance learned from male instructors. I can sort of understand being biased to female instructors but she had her best experience with a male instructor. I'm staying out of this one! If you contact them they can let you know the exact instructor situation and you can also see if they have any of their studios on the beach available during your visit. They can also line up airport transportation if you want to avoid rental cars.

Palapas Ventana in LV does have female instructors. Contact Tim and he'll put you in touch with Dante. There's also a SF kite instructor down there teaching, John with Kite The Bay, and it may be worth using him because if she plans more lessons back here, she'll have a connection.

Mexican car rental is a little hairy. Some companies quote base price no insurance included (Dollar/budget) and others include the mandatory liability insurance in their online quote (hertz). We have seen people absolutely lose their s%!t when they learn this the hard way while they're picking up their car. I have rented from hertz the last two trips and have not opted for the additional collision insurance, which again doubles the price. But they put a hold on your credit card for like $2k if you don't get any additional insurance. If you don't plan on driving on the beach (unnecessary anyway, but fun nonetheless) the economy car is fine. No SUV needed. We rented a car for 10 days $270.

Have fun!

[victor]

depending on how much gear you're taking a compact vehicle could do. the roads where you're going aren't too bad. if you take everything you own you might consider a larger vehicle or a pickup.

kite size is very hard to predict, but good rentals are available in both places. last january i could have gotten by with just a 10. a couple days were lighter but my 12 still wasn't enough. never unpacked the 8. no telling what it will be when you're there. so far this season is looking better.

check your bag weights and limits with your airline or you may be in for an expensive surprise. virgin is the most boardsport friendly.

lv might be a better place for a beginner. flatter water. better beaches. wind starts a little earlier and doesn't always make it down to lb. hot springs is an awesome launch.

i personally prefer lb. much more of a real town and closer to the airport. plenty of non kiter activities. snorkle cabo pulmo and get one (or more) of tony's margueritas at the hotel buena vista on the way back.

in lb: exotikite might have some female instructors. happenin' place to hang out.

i can recommend dante's (mentioned in last post) kiteboarding baja. he's an hombre but he's reportedly the best in town. he has setups in both places. he's a local, speaks english, teaches up north during the summer.

[seashell]

Hi Andrew,

I've taken lessons from Marie Leclerc in La Ventana, and she's great. She is at Baja Joe's.