Marina Puerto Escondido
On April 15 we left the Puerto Escondido Marina after having stayed there for a week. This is the second marina we have visited in Baja California after Costa Baja.
Marina access and check-in
The entrance to the channel leading to the marina is located at point 25°48.448’N 111°18.259’W. Access being relatively narrow, it is best to communicate with the marina on channel 16 to announce your arrival. All booking and registration procedures are done by email with the marina. Once the contract is signed, you will be allocated a slip. Please note that in the case of a national zarpe, all the paperwork for check-out is managed directly at the office, which avoids having to go to the harbor master’s office.
You can consult the official website of the marina: www.marinapuertoescondido.com
The installations
The marina has around a hundred dock spaces as well as anchor buoys in the bay. Water and electricity are available at each location and are billed on consumption.
Slip prices vary depending on the season and length of stay. As an indication, for a monohull up to 50′ the daily rate is 2.80USD per foot for a duration of less than 7 days, 1.44USD up to 30 days and 1.00USD beyond. For anchoring at the buoy, the daily rate is 1.10USD per foot for a duration of less than 7 days, 0.63USD up to 30 days and 0.44USD beyond. Please note that Panama Posse members benefit from a 15% discount on the daily rate only. WiFi access is available free of charge from the docks and marina facilities.
The marina has a swimming pool (unfortunately closed during our stay), a mini market with basic products, a chandlery. The sanitary facilities are impeccably clean and there has never been a shortage of hot water.
The La Brisa restaurant is located on the first floor of the main building, its huge terrace overlooks the quays and offers a magnificent view. The food is of excellent quality, particularly the wood-fired pizzas. The prices are very reasonable for a marina, between 150 and 300 MX depending on the dishes.
The marina has a pickleboard court, rackets and balls are loaned free of charge at the mini market. It was a first for us and the kids loved it.
I really like the weather station at the marina:
Transportation
The marina is about twenty kilometers from Loreto. To get there, the marina offers a paid shuttle service, we did not use it so we do not have details, however, the marina also offers a car rental service with Alamo, the procedures are are done on site and the vehicle is delivered to you directly in the marina parking lot. As an indication, we rented a 7-passenger minivan for 4 days for 400USD, all insurance included, which was very practical for making a few return trips to Loreto for refueling. We haven’t tried Didi, we don’t know if the service is available. It should be noted that 3G coverage around the marina is very weak.
The stores
The only grocery stores available near the marina are in Loreto, where you can find most of the basic products, fruits and vegetables, meat. Some days it is possible to buy seafood from street vendors set up in the supermarket parking lot, the shrimp we bought were a success (around 15USD per kg for large shrimp). A liquor store is located near the seaside and offers an excellent selection of products.
Our opinion
Overall we really liked the marina, the setting is magnificent, the view of the mountains bordering the bay is magnificent. We really liked the restaurant and the pickleboard court. Access to the fuel dock is very easy. There is no problem walking with the dog on the marina site. The rates are quite reasonable for a marina in Baja California.
