Ah, the Negro Modelo flows freely at the Old Mill Hotel. But I’m getting ahead of myself. I’ll start by simply saying if I’m going to spend the night in Bahia San Quintin, it’s a sure thing it will be at the Old Mill Hotel, another one of my all-time favorite Baja hotels. In fact, as I write this, I’m thinking it’s worth a Baja ride just to stay at the Old Mill in Bahia San Quintin. I usually take a full day to get down there, even though the map says you can do it in a little over four hours. I’ve done that, but then the question is: Why? I think it’s best to take things at a more relaxed pace and enjoy the ride south as you enter through either Tiajuana or Tecate (Tecate is a much nicer town and the ride to Ensenada from there is a much nicer ride).
San Quintin is a good 200 miles south of the border, near the southern end of the agricultural fields that put much of our produce on the table. Susie and I once got got in a farm worker labor riot in San Quintin, but that was an isolated incident and all’s cool now.
Bahia San Quintin is the bay on the Pacific Ocean west of the Transpeninsular Highway (that’s Mexico Highway 1, which runs the length of the Baja peninsula). To get to the Old Mill Hotel, watch for the sign on Highway 1 (it’s the one you see in the big photo above), and turn west toward the Pacific.
Once you turn off the Transpeninsular Highway, it’s about a four-mile ride to get to the hotel, and it’s a much better ride than it used to be. I don’t mind telling you that I used to be completely intimidated by that road (it was a dirt road that was either powder-like soft sand or a mud bath, depending on the weather, and it was hell on a motorcycle), but the road is paved now and it’s a pleasant ride to the bay.
As you approach the end of the road, you’ll see another sign on your left for the Old Mill Hotel. Make a right turn, ride a hundred yards, and then a left will put you there. The hotel is sort of shaped like a U, with comfortable rooms on either side of a parking lot that is frequently filled with motorcycles. As you might guess, the Old Mill is located on the site of what used to be an old mill, and there’s still milling equipment left around the area. It’s a pretty interesting place.
The office is on your left as soon as you enter the hotel area, and they are nice folks. They usually offer a complimentary beer when you check in (and if they forget to offer, just ask), which usually leads to quite a few more. It’s a great way to start your visit to a great place.
If you walk west just past the hotel parking lot, you’ll be standing on the edge of Bahia San Quintin. It’s a cool area.
Motorcycle travel through Baja is not without its risks, the principal one being that you’ll weigh more when you get home than you did when you left. Nowhere is this more true than in Bahia San Quintin. When you stay at the Old Mill Hotel, there are three outstanding restaurants just a few feet from your door. The first is a relatively new one, the Eucalipto, headed by Javier, a world class chef from Mexico City. The Eucalipto is part of the Old Mill Hotel (it shares a wall with the hotel office). I’d say it’s one of best in Baja, and it’s open for dinner and for breakfast (handy when you are leaving the next morning).
The Molino Viejo (the Old Mill) is a larger restaurant next to the Old Mill Hotel. It’s has a bar and live entertainment, and widescreen televisions for sports and other events. The food is outstanding. Just turn left on the boardwalk at the end of the hotel parking lot. I’ve had many a fine meal here.
Don Eddie’s is a third dining option. Turn to your right when you walk to the bay, and it’s right there. It’s not as hopping as the Eucalipto or the Molin0 Viejo, but the food is absolutely outstanding.
Once when I was leading one of the CSC Motorcycles tours and we stayed at the Old Mill, Don Eddie himself told me that if we wanted breakfast there, just let him know how many and he’d have a buffet set up for us the next morning. I think there were about 15 of us on that ride. I took the suggestion and it was beyond amazing, with a variety of Mexican breakfast delights and quantities that were astounding. When it came time to settle up, Don Eddie gave me a number that was embarassingly low. I doubled it, divided it by the number of guys in our group, and it was still cheap.
The last time I stayed at the Old Mill Hotel I recall it was about $40 for a room. You can see more at their website (HotelOldMill.com) and the email address is Oldmillbaja@gmail.com
They are reachable by phone at 01 (616) 165-6030, and they have a US number 185-5690-9272.
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