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Vela Baja....
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Amazing place, amazing staff. Thanks to Lynn, Rebecca and all the staff at Vela & Playa del Sol for going above and beyond the usual to make our sailing, biking & yoga experience fun and effortless. See you next year!
Muchas gracias,
Miguel y Juanita
Canada
Hello Vela Team,
Thanks to the entire staff at Vela Baja for the great hospitality. My trip
was completely last minute, and special thanks to Karl who helped out in
Reservations to make it all happen. I was particularly happy to survive the
bus ride and was appreciative of the ride to the hotel from Doug MacAdam.
As a former windsurfing dealer here in Vancouver (Pacific Boarder), I've
recommended many customers to Vela Baja over the years, but had never
actually made the trip myself. (I really didn't sail all that much once kids
came along and the shop started selling tons of snowboards.)
It was easy to recommend Vela, since customers would always be happy with
the gear and service, and my trip was proof of both great equipment and
customer service. Lynn and Rebecca run a smooth operation, and seem to be
able to keep customers smiling even when the wind shuts down. I would like
to thank Rebecca for chasing down a Canadian (Mike Roche) to deliver my Vela
Baja hat to Vancouver. I feel honoured to have a hat from the first run of
the black color way, and will wear it proudly while teaching windsurfing
this summer. Here is a link to the school I work with: Windsure Windsurfing
Thanks also to Angela for a great orientation and general pleasant
demeanour. Randy's advise for the perfect heli-tack did not fall on deaf
ears and I will practice religiously. Now if only Macrae hadn't forced us to
heli-tack in the super-cross race then maybe...I would have beaten Helmut.:)
I'm not sure if I'll attempt a loop though since Randy's verbal lesson was
after way too many Margaritas.
Hope to see you next year,
Tim Quarles
We had an absolutely wonderful windsurfing vacation in Baja. 7 out 8 days sailing, 3 very strong days and I also took some kitesurfing lessons. The Hotel was good, beach great, the people very friendly and I want to particularly point out that the Vela Staff, Rebecca, Lynne, Randy, Pedro, and McCray (?) and several others were exceptionally helpful and outstanding in the way they serviced their guests. They prepared us well for the local conditions and made the whole experience as good as it gets. I can only say Vela Baja was one of my best windsurfing experience I has (I have been windsurfing for a while). We’ll be back!
Martin
Even though it's been almost
3 months since Don and I were in Baja, I cannot
stop thinking about the great time we had there
in December 2003. We sailed 8 out of 9 days, including
one epic session in fantastic swell. I still have
dreams about sailing down those huge wave faces.
The mountain biking was fantastic, too. One of these
years we'll bring our wives with us and stay for
Xmas. Until then, I think the boys trip works out
perfectly. See you in December 2004.
Rick from Calgary
I want to thank the staff at the Baja vela windsurf
center for a great windsurf experience. I have spend
a great thanksgiving week windsurfing and learning
new things. Ben, Lu, and Lynn are the best instructors
I have ever had. This center is awesome, the equipment
is brand new and right on the beach. Changing your
equipment is a piece of cake. The wind is great,
the water is warm and the area is nice. I am going
back asap.
Hasta luego!
Nicolas
San Diego
We had a great vacation in because of the exceptional
Los Barriles Vela staff. Thanks to Lu for teaching
me new habits to replace my bad ones, to Ben for
sorting out my stance; to Rebecca for getting me
jazzed up to sail every day; to Pablo for setting
a laid-back ambience with music and humour; to Lynn
for her expert advice and generosity; to Bill and
Dean for schlepping our gear to and fro and to all
for attending to everything else needed to make
our experience in Baja wonderful. We’ll be back.
Juana (y Miguel) Canada
Pablo and Lysta are fantastic
hosts. My husband and I have just returned from
Baja and we had an outstanding time. My husband
had a great time windsurfing. I prefer to mtn bike
and I couldn't believe how first rate the single
track is in Baja. And what made it even better is
the top notch condition the bikes were in. Pablo
and Lysta do a first rate job of keeping their gear
in working order. What a treat!
Diane Conway
Hola Amigos! Just returned from 6 days in Baja and
my first all inclusive windsurfing trip ever. (I
tap out this message with very sore hands) I can't
say enough good things about Pablo & Lyn, Rebecca,
Ben, Lu, Bill and the rest of the awesome Vela staff.
There is no doubt i'll be back next year for another
dose of El Norte! (and be better prepared for 'Big
Hair Day')
Just returned from the best week in Baja. I was
a little concerned about my ability to handle the
conditions but Pablo and crew gave me the confidence
to tackle conditions bigger than anything I have
ever sailed. It was a total blast. I urge anyone
with a desire for a new playground to try Vela Baja.
The wind was just what I wanted, a slow build up
to the wild stuff to finish my week ramped up and
screaming. Even more memorable was the welcoming
and inclusive attitude of the entire staff. You
all made me feel like part of the family and easily
handled all my special requests. I can also endorse
the conclusion that Pablo wins the" off the wall
and stoked " award . I think you all fill the light
wind time with the coolest stuff. Thank you all
for the best time . I will be back. Dave Moomaw
from Buffalo.
Ola from the S.B. guys,
We have been going to Los Barrilles for the last
2 years. We go the 1st week in Feb. and so far had
epic conditions. We sailed every day and loved all
the killer El Norte power as well as the Margaritias!!
Last year there was even a little wave sailing to
be had...it was fun. Will see guys again in 2003....same
time...and we will bring the wind with us!!
Ola from
the S.B. guys,
We have been going to Los Barrilles for the last
2 years. We go the 1st week in Feb. and so far had
epic conditions. We sailed every day and loved all
the killer El Norte power as well as the Margaritias!!
Last year there was even a little wave sailing to
be had...it was fun. Will see guys again in 2003....same
time...and we will bring the wind with us!!
Paul,
It is great to see the first"wind report"
from Baja. How exciting. Stu and family said it
has been blowing and now I know it is true. See
you next Wednesday. Let's hope it continues for
another week or two. Jim and Laura Lambert of Eugene,
Or (jlambert01@aol.com)PS the reservation staff
at Vela have been great. It works really well----I
send money and they send coupons. Just like it is
supposed to be.
I just returned from a great 10 days (including
4 with wind!), but I neglected to get Paul's email
address. I want to send him the URL of some photos
I am posting (biking photos not windsurfing). As
usual the staff was great .. Kiran and Alex are
fine additions... and I met some other great people
from around the world (including Rick who happened
to be there the same days we were). Please do give
me Paul's email, or forward this to him. Bill Oldham
Now we know where to be at Christmas. In Baja! This
was truly one of the best places we've been. We
would like to thank all the Vela staff for their
warm reception and great hospitality. Until next
year,--- Marc and Kirsten from Santa Barbara (marc@biopac.com)
My wife and I have have now visited all your Vela
resorts, and yesterday returned from Baja + were
most pleasantly surprised !! Of all the resorts
we enjoyed Baja the best - by far most friendly
+ hospitable staff Paul, Lynn, Kiran, Alex, + rest
were great, + made us feel right at home upon arrival.
And secondly THAT F2 TANDOM BOARD IS A BLAST ! Strongly
reccommend getting more !!! Keep up the good work.----
Lisa + Gordon Clute
Great weather report pablo you should let lista
make more poetic interludes...happy christmas and
merry new year. ---Love Martin & Tania from
Montreal (Mspiec2556@aol.com)
I just returned from Los
Barriles yesterday. I had a great vacation at the
Vela Center, staying at Palmas de Cortez. I spent
8 days, which unfortunately coincided with a lull
cycle. However, with epic days at the beginning
and end of my stay, who's complaining. I want to
bring a few things to your attention.First, I'll
talk about the Vela staff at Los Barriles. They
were mostly new faces since my previous visit, in
1994. Because there were so few Vela guests during
my stay, I got to know the staff members pretty
well. Let's just say that I'm totally impressed.
Paul and Lynn have great leadership abilities, as
well as being helpful to the guests. When I had
a minor equipment failure 400 yards offshore, Lynn
appeared from nowhere. Between three of us, we got
my rig threaded back together in the pitching swells.
Aside from the managers, I got to know Dean, Alex,
Kirin, Matt, and Scott. They all made me feel right
at home, as well as putting up with my abusive ad-libs.
On my sign-up sheet, I had set some goals of sailing
manouvers to learn. I also made it obvious, that
because it costs so much to get there, I was too
cheap to take a private lesson. Despite that, Matt
took me aside and gave me a great primer on the
duck-jibe, on dry land. I should also mention Kirin's
excellent rescue effort on Dec. 9th. A hapless sailor
broke a mast, and had to swim in. Lynn and Alex
used semaphore from "the wall" to help
Kirin navigate, and she managed to tow the "swimmer"
to shore via sail power. When I quizzed here about
the effort, she replied: "It really wasn't
bad, I've had to do rescues like that in Maui."Second,
I'll talk about the equipment. I enjoyed the hot
gear on the days that I could use it. I came up
with an attitude to cop, which I wish I would have
shared with Paul. That attitude is this: If you
develop fear of footstraps (catapult), "safety-up"
and head back to shore... it's time to rig down.
After getting catapulted a few times, I realized
that this gear is supposed to last all season. So
I tried to discipline myself to limp back to shore
immediately, before something disintegrates. I wish
I would have shared that "attitude" with
Paul, so that he could relay it to the guests. As
it was, Paul did a good job of explaining the new
gear, as well as emphasizing that the equipment
has to last. Anyway, I was glad not to have broken
any gear.My final feedback is on East Cape Transfers.
The driver (Armando) was there to pick me up on
my airport arrival, which was great. When he dropped
me at Palmas, I paid him for a round trip, and gave
him a sheet telling him when I needed to return
to the airport. When it was time to return, a different
cab company was there to give me a ride. When I
told the driver that I paid Armando for the round
trip, he wasn't too happy. He treated me well, but
we ended up stopping at Armando's house, on the
way to the airport. Armando lives right on the way,
and my driver wanted to get the story. They haggled
a bit, but must have worked it out amoungst themselves.
(No Problemo!) I was not inconvenienced, nor did
I have to pay more money. You might instruct guests
to pay ONE WAY at a time, as I had no idea how to
pay for a round trip.On the no-wind days, hiking,
biking, running kayaking, and snorkeling adequately
filled the bill. My goal was to get so tired, I
would start dozing and drooling at dinner. Mission
accomplised! So much for Baja, December, 1997. Sincerely,
Randy Spotts, AKA "Road-Kill" , erspotts@televar.com,
http://ncw.net/~erspotts/
My hands hurt! 5 days in
a row, couldn't ask for anything better. Cold as
HELL at home. But my dog loves me. Jack divorced
me on the flight home. Hope you got to sail today.
Looking forward to more windy days soon. --- Steve
from Marin County - CA
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