In picking a path through Mexico this winter, the northbound option had an extra plus in the pro vs con analysis…getting to visit with my friends Contessa and Colin. I’ve been a follower of Contessa’s blog for years. She is yet another example of how my life has been enriched by meeting people through blogging. We first met when I visited the Isla back in 2013, and have kept in touch regularly since, even meeting up in the desert on their way back to Canada.
Contessa not only arranged for me to rent a small studio just one block from the beach, but she also stocked it with two highly sought possessions of any traveler….a supply of Sauvignon Blanc complete with chilled wine glass in the fridge, and a roll of high quality toilet paper. You’re probably not surprised to know which of these is the more precious in Mexico. 😉
Colin and Contessa and their two adorable doxies Carmeh and Caeli travel from BC, Canada each year to winter at the Tres Amigos RV Park on Isla de la Piedra, or “Stone Island.” (Unlike in English, with the Spanish pronunciation of “Isla” the “s” is not silent.) Isla de la Piedra is in close proximity to Old Town Mazatlan, just about a 10 minute “panga” (small boat) ride across the shipping channel. But while they are close in proximity, that’s where the similarities end. Mazatlan is a bustling port filled with traffic, honking horns, and cruise ship crowds. But step onto the panga, and instantly you leave the noise, crowds, and frenetic energy behind.
It takes a while to slow down to match the pace of Life on the Isla. For this reason, I opt to stay a week, thinking I can use some down time from my typical maniacal pace. I figure this will be a good chance to get caught up on the blog, read the yet unopened book that I’ve been carrying around in my backpack for a month, and just chill on the beach.
The Isla is a sleepy little stretch of beach backed by a tiny village where remarkably, you can get just about anything you need. There’s a market that will sell you as little as one egg, or ham by the slice. There’s an old fashioned hardware store with heavily laden shelves of a hodge-podge of dusty parts. A meat and cheese market sells by the kilo. A string of local “feet-in-the-sand” restaurants line the waters edge. And a local woman sells fire roasted chicken and Spanish rice from a 50 gallon drum fire pit on the weekends. Sleepy, yet sustainable.
For the past four winters, Contessa has held an “International Bloggers Conference.” I have been honored to be an attendee at two out of four of the conferences Timing and schedules netted a smaller group this year, with participation from Canada and the US. Let’s just say we had more bottles of wine than we had attendees. 😉 Maria is another Mazatlan friend and blogger from Canada who doesn’t write often, but when she does, it’s from the heart…an intimate look at life in a place she’s called her winter home for almost 10 years. Thanks, Contessa and Colin for your wonderful hospitality in sponsoring the conference! 😉
I quickly learn for such a laid back location as the Isla , I don’t get as much down time as I anticipated. The daily life, as slow as it is, provides endless entertainment. The long, flat, deserted beach offers hours of solitude and beachcombing opportunities. There are friends to visit. A botanical garden to admire. And boat trips back to Mazatlan. There’s kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding to nearby islands, and Las Chivas beach and El Faro to explore. And for those who might not know, stay tuned for the translation of “El Faro…”
My kid-brother has a sticks-n-bricks in Mazatlan, he is there now for Carnaval! Too much excitement for me 🙂 I like ‘aaahhh’ of your beach front accommodations at Stone Island better. Your photos are perfect and tell the story of your visit.
Am wondering how one gets an RV to the isla? So happy you were able to spend a week and share your photos of such a beautiful place!
Kat
Thanks for sharing your adventures! Your photos capture the beauty and serenity perfectly. I too wonder how the RV’s get there!
Been reading your Mexico posts and feeling a bit overwhelmed. All so fabulous and wonderful, really. Then along comes this one, and your links to Contessa and Maria, and I finally slipped into quiet mode, reading mode, feeling the beach and the sand and the food mode. Thanks Suzanne.
Mazatlan– fun ride on the train for the first time folks to mexico!.?.
thx for the 1000 words photos, as always.
Us kids would get “cultural” on school holidays from San Diego. One of us (the smartest( came back 3 weeks late.
We swam the channel to the Isla – nothing there back then. But definitely the deserted palm beach island.
What a quiet and laid back location. We would love to visit someplace like that at some point. I thought it was very interesting how the fisherman laid out his net and then swam out to set it, very cool!
Do they cut the heads off on the fish burgers?
Not really a fan of fish tacos so I’ll pass. Maybe it’s an “acquired” taste… like warm beer, cheap cigars, and (gag) Rocky Mountain Oysters…
Mark
It really looks lovely there. We may have to follow you to Mexico next winter!
Hmmmmm, this string of posts about Mexico gives me a hankering for international travel.
Thanks, everyone for the nice comments and questions.
The “Isla” is really more like a very long peninsula with the village at the end where it dead-ends into the shipping channel. There is a road that goes there. Contessa has written in the past about the conditions, as it was always quite a rough dirt road filled with potholes until recently, when all but one small section has been paved. If you put Mazatlan as your starting point in Google Maps with a destination of Tres Amigos RV Park, you will see the road in…
It does look like the perfect place for some R&R. I look forward to hear more about “El Faro”.
You have once again woven your special magic and created a wonderful post about the Isla, my special paradise. It was so special having you here for a full week.
The road to the Isla is just off the road to the Mazatlan Airport. Follow the directions to Estrella del Mar, a golf resort. The road continues from there with the first 1/2 mile being unpaved. I hear that that portion is to be paved this month but then this is Mexico. I do expect it to be complete by next fall. Not only is there the RV park here but a few hotels as well and some private rentals to be had.
One word. Paradise