Playa Santispac

We loved the site as we where tent camping we got lucky and got a palapa. Most of the bigger rigs where further up the beach as there is no palapas. There are two restaurants in the cove to choose from if you don’t want to cook or want to get adult drinks. The place is kept clean. The only two things that I would complain about is the common bathrooms and the noise of the highway at night. The highway noise you’ll get used to after the first night, the bathrooms is something shameful. My wife was talking to one of the persons that cleans the place and he said that most North American tourist that come are respectful of the place, they clean after themselves but they have problem with the national tourist that don’t take care of things. So keep up what everyone is doing. Will be back but with our own potty.

This beach is one of several on the Bahia Concepción, a beautiful bay on the Sea of Cortez. It (and I believe the others) is an ejido, owned and operated by a community. In the case of Playa Santispac, there are about 140 people that own it.

The campground has the easiest in and out access of all of the beaches and it is the largest beach (we drove our tow car to all of them to check them out). Vendors come by offering cheap water fills for your tanks and there is a dump on site. There are also toilets and two restaurants. Which is why many people choose to stay there. Including snowbirds from the U.S. and Canada who camp here for months in the winter. A number of sailboats anchor here as well. There is some noise from the road, especially when truckers navigate a nearby hill. The first restaurant as you enter, Armando's, plays music some days and some evenings. You might want to get away from them if you're an early to bed person.

It's a really wide beach so you have plenty of space in front of your site. The palapas, which is where we camped, give you your own space as well. There are also a couple of wide open areas with no palapa where you might find a spot further from the others and per a previous review those may be a bit cheaper. The rate apparently doubled not too long ago and some people chose to go elsewhere but there is also a monthly rate that discounts one day per each week of the month. But the rate hike worked in our favor, as the beach was not as full as it might have been.

SO, for $10 what do you get? A gorgeous beach with several tiny islands nearby for exploration by kayak, stand-up paddle boards or whatever. Lots of little fishes, sea stars and sting rays swimming around in the water. Tons of birds on the islands. Beautiful, beautiful.

Food vendors come by every morning offering great fresh fish, shrimp, tamales, empanadas, shrimp cocktail and ceviche, produce and who knows what else that we missed. This means you can do most of your grocery shopping without leaving your rig. Some vendors sell blankets, jewelry etc. which we didn't buy. The restaurants' food was okay, but we preferred to cook the yummy food from the vendors.

We don't have a doggie right now, but this is a great place for dogs. They can run on the wide beach without being near the campsites and for those that love to swim it is heaven!

There is no cell signal whatsoever, one restaurant offers "free wi-fi" which didn't work at all for us. The other charges about $1.80 per hour per person for a rural wi-fi that worked on and off for us. We wound up going to town to Magos, a bakery/restaurant that offers free wi-fi if you eat there, their baked goods are yummy. You can also drive towards town and will get cell at one of the hills before reaching town, nearby there is a convenient pullout. Or you can continue to the gas station to park and use your phone.

The town of Mulegé is definitely worth visiting in its setting between palm trees and mountains and by a beautiful river. The old mission by the river is lovely.

So overall we thought camping at this gorgeous beach was a great deal for $10 a night, with people bringing fresh food for cheap prices, fabulous kayaking, and beautiful views (the stars!).

Tip: If you're staying here in winter and want to paddle, plan several days as some days the winds blow hard and you might not want to be on the water.

Only stayed here a single day and night, and the experience was great. The beach, although can get crowded with RVs, was easy enough to find a slot to park and enjoy. It is clear that many people spend months upon months parked at this beach alone. Our neighbor said he had been there for over 3 years... full time.

A staff member appeared at our door within a few minutes of arriving to collect the 100 peso (150 if you want a palapa) for the night's camping.

The water is waist deep for many yards out and clear. Great spot for the kids if you must drag them along. Anne's restaurant is mediocre and the paid-wifi there does nothing worth the $1 per hour to use, so don't bother unless you just have email to check/send. And to answer the next question, there is no cell signal at all so you have to stay offline while here. The other bar at the beach has some mean margaritas that will knock your socks off then having you hugging your toilet if you attempt more than one. Beware that marg!

The only real downside (other than the crowds) was the local vendors started knocking at our door at 7am. A tad irritating to have to try to convince them I do not want a blanket or hat when I have not even put on my underwear yet!

Oh, so many stars... be sure to go outside at night.