La Poza Lagoon

La Poza is a fresh water lagoon on the west side of town and one of the most beautiful places in Todos Santos. The lagoon fills with fresh water from under ground aquifers while the high tide from the Pacific constantly builds and erodes the sand dune. It's a continuous cycle and the landscape is constantly changing with the turn of the tide. La Poza is one of the town's most valued resources and an ideal place to observe wildlife habitats of the area.

Migratory birds will gather along the shoreline. Migrating whales also like to congregate at the mouth of the lagoon and feed on the plankton. You'll also see lovers walking hand in hand, families enjoying the sunset and a few individuals fishing from the surf and catching fresh water shrimp from the lagoon. Be mindful, however. The waters in the La Poza area are unpredictable due to strong under currents between the lagoon and mighty Pacific. It's definitely not a swimming beach, but an ideal place to enjoy wide open space and pristine beauty of a unique eco-system.

Todos Santos Weddings

When it comes to planning a Todos Santos wedding, the obvious choice for the rehearsal dinner or reception is the Hotel California. The average wedding of 50-100 guests will fill up the majority of rooms in the downtown area. This would include The Todos Santos Inn, Hacienda de Todos Los Santos, Casa Bentley, Jardin del Pilar, Posada El Molino, Motel Guluarte, and Alegria (currently under construction). El Hotelito is also within close proximity and Posada La Poza is about a ten minute drive and Flora del Mar and Serendipity Ventures are not too much further. Rather than have an event limited to a single resort location, why not consider filling up downtown Todos Santos and utilizing the town's resources such as art galleries, restaurants, shopping, and recreational activities for guests? The Hotel California and The Todos Santos Inn would make ideal home bases and most of the town's services are within four square blocks. For additional accommodations there are numerous vacation rentals and casitas with ocean views to select from.

For weddings The Hotel California's Chef Dany Lamote and staff serves up some the tastiest regional specialties. For the rehearsal dinner

consider a taco and salsa bar ($25 per person, plus, bar, tax & gratuity). Chef grills the meat to order so guests will be able to enjoy their meal at their leisure whenever they check-in. It's good to keep the rehearsal dinner flexible and informal, and provide a relaxed atmosphere so guests can

have a place to settle in while in anticipation for the big event. The pool area is the ideal location for a cocktail reception or informal rehearsal dinner. For the reception, Chef Lamote suggests a sit down dinner in the hotel's dining room served family style ($55 per person, plus bar, wine, tax & gratuity usd). The menu could include a plated first course such as Caprese Salad, followed by family style platters of grilled yellowtail with salsa verde, arrachera with chipotle mushroom cream sauce, chicken or pork with citrus jamaica honey sauce, seved with roasted seasonal vegetables, pinto beans and cilantro rice. The menu also includes a series of appetizers for the cocktail hour. Chef Lamote also bakes gorgeous wedding cakes and the most popular are flourless chocolate torte with butter cream frosting and white sponge cake with wild passionfruit filling.

Over the next few weeks, I'll be featuring weddings I've coordinated at the Todos Santos Inn, Flora del Mar, Punta Lobos, Casa Bentley, La Alianza (Pescadero), Café Santa Fe and a few others. Styling, flowers and décor by Pueblo Magico Weddings. . . . Todos Santos Weddings

Hacienda Encantada Sale is Closed

Congratulations to my associate Lisa Welsch of Encanto Real Estate on the sale and closing of Hacienda Encantada. Encanto Real Estate had the listing for approximately for 1.5 years-- started at $499K, reduced to $399, and closed in the low $300K's. The buyers got a good deal on a great house in one of the best neighborhoods, and it came fully furnished. Lisa also managed to find the new owners a puppy to enjoy in their new home . . . way to go Lisa! And Congratulations and Welcome to Dennis & Nancy Naigle.