June 12 - 25, 20124

MEXICO... MEXICO... MEXICO...

BABY, everything is alright, uptight, clean out of sight... Or so Stevie Wonder was singing from the pool-side speakers at

the CostaBaja Resort and Spa in La Paz when I arrived. And you know what? I had to agree with him.Flying from Vancouver to La Paz via LA may not seem like the most convenient choice for your clients, but the set-up at LA means that the connection only takes around 40 minutes, which is a small price to pay to be able to explore a less-discovered corner of the coast - an oasis that is hidden away from the high rises and the sombrero-wearing spring break crowd. And the word on the malecon is that one of Canada’s most popular carriers is considering kicking off a Calgary-Vancouver-La Paz route next year, which would be sure to place La Paz at the top of your clients’ wish-lists. The Baja Peninsula is an arid landscape, pink and golden and freckled with shrubs, where majestic coral-coloured rock formations toss themselves into a sparkling turquoise sea. It’s as if like little bits of the Grand Canyon are throwing themselves willingly into a heavenly blue mirror, reflecting shades of pink into an abundant pearl-filled ocean that Jacques

Cousteau referred to as ‘the world’s aquarium’. Cacti stretch into an unfathomably blue sky and the spirit of a cigar-chewing Clint Eastwood lurks around every corner. Retired playboys recline on their shiny white yachts and whales shamelessly wiggle their tails in the shimmering bay, for all the world to see.In the heart of this playground lies the chic five star CostaBaja Resort and Spa, a property that surpasses its reputation as La Paz’s only five star property. Forget the all-inclusive buffet and second-rate evening entertainment; CostaBaja is a class above the rest. This is the kind of a place where celebrities – desperate to shun the world’s cameras – go to get married. It’s the kind of place where you’ll see the occasional yacht in the marina boasting its own helicopter. It’s the kind of place where, when you ask them where the ATM is, they pop you onto a golf cart and whizz you there in

speed and style. In short, CostaBaja Resort and Spa is where the other half go on vacation. Just ask Vancouver actress Mercedes McNab (who played Harmony Kendall Buffy the Vampire Slayer). She got married at CostaBaja just a week before I arrived.They come to park their yachts in the world class marina facilities, to dine in the stylish Steinbeck’s Restaurant, to swim in the infinity pool at the resort’s exclusive beach club, to play golf at the Gary Player signature golf course and to soak up holistic remedies at the sooth-ing spa. Your clients will love it.Off-resort, the town of La Paz has managed to maintain its Mexican mystique. This is a quiet town where the locals gather in the square for a game of bingo after dinner. Families trot along the substantial malecon, kids play pig-gyback on the beach and a particularly quirky statue of Jacques Cousteau smiles out at the Sea of Cortez. The freshest seafood is served up without pointless pomp and ceremony at the at-mospheric Bismark Cito sea front restaurant and the church bell chimes in the pink, sun-kissed tower of the cathedral. And nobody tries to sell you a sombrero or a painted plate.

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Baby, everything is alright...in LA PAZ

Cacti stretch into an unfathom-ably blue sky and the spirit of a cigar-chewing Clint Eastwood

lurks around every corner...

Baja, bingo and Buffy... GSA Travel Magazine's Vickie Sam Paget checks out a more unique side to Mexico