Blog Post 14 – Bahia de San Quintin, the Old Mill and Don Eddie’s Motel and Restaurant

October 6, 2015

31:51.26N  116.37.31W

Last week we took a road trip to Bahia de San Quintin. It is a beautiful bay about 200 miles south of the border. We had been there before, about 15 years ago, and loved it. On that trip we had found this fabulous restaurant at the end of a dirt road and proceeded to have one of the best fresh lobster dinners we had ever had. We were determined to find that restaurant again even though we could not remember the name of it or exactly where it was. We headed south around mid-day and were hoping to make it there for dinner. As we recalled, there was a small motel next to the restaurant and we were planning to spend the night there. That is, if the place still existed, and we could find it. Nico thought we were crazy, but Jirig and I were confident that we could find it again.

The town of San Quintin is easy enough to find. It is right on highway 1, the trans-peninsular highway that goes from Tijuana to Cabo San Lucas. Bahia San Quintin is a very interesting place and it has a tumultuous and violent geological history. The entire Bay is surrounded by dormant volcanoes, called cinder cones. There are 11 of them that are still visible. These volcanoes were formed 90,000-125,000 years ago. The bay does not have sand along the edges but crushed volcanic rock. It is a very unique place and very peaceful. You would never know by looking at it that it had such a violent beginning. There is a volcanic park nearby where you can view the remnants of the volcanoes and cinder cones. Today San Quintin is a sport fishing paradise. People come down from all over to fish for Marlin, Dorado, Halibut, Yellowtail, Tuna and Sea Bass. There are numerous outfits around the bay that offer pangas (small local fishing boats) with local captains to take you out to fish. The younger crowd is interested in eco-tourism as there is flora and fauna that abound. Kayaking is becoming very popular as well.

As part of our home school curriculum this year, Nico and I studying the history of Baja, how it was formed, who lived here, the indigenous people and of course the Spanish explorers who discovered it and brutally colonized it. So a road trip to San Quintin fit perfectly into our studies.

Another interesting fact about the area is that in 1887 a group of about 100 English immigrants came and settled here. They were farmers and wanted to grow wheat in the area. They even brought the grinding machinery for the wheat with them and remnants of it are still visible today. There is even an old cemetery where the early settlers were buried. There is also an old water tower they used to store water. Due to water scarcity issues that colony eventually went bankrupt and most of the settlers left. There are 3 old houses that they built that are still standing today.

It is a beautiful drive from Ensenada to San Quintin. The road goes through rolling hills and agricultural farmland. Once we got to the town, we started asking the locals  about the restaurant near the old mill on the bay as we remembered it. They told us to take a right at the power plant and go  3 miles down the dirt road (it had no name or sign) and that the restaurant and motel were at the end of it. We had no trouble finding it. The Old Mill Restaurant and Hotel that we had visited before were closed as we were there mid-week, but Don Eddies Motel, Restaurant and Sport fishing were open. We checked in to the little motel and then went out exploring. That night we had an excellent dinner, of fresh crab claws, shrimp, octopus and white fish for dinner. As usual, Nico ordered a hamburger. We keep waiting for him to expand his culinary horizons but it has yet to happen. Pretty soon he will have no other choice.

Tony is the proprietor of Don Eddies and what a character he is! We invited him to sit with us. There was only one other couple in the restaurant. He inherited the business from his father, Don Eddie who ran the place for 18 years and was somewhat of a local legend. He lives in Tijuana with his wife and 2 kids. He left the corporate world to run the businesses when his father abruptly passed away last year. Initially he tried to manage it remotely using managers but they ripped him off blind.  Finally he quit his job and moved there. He travels back and forth between TJ and San Quintin. He has big plans for the place but it is hard work. It is an incredible piece of property. We wish him the best of luck.

The next morning we had breakfast with Tony and feasted on fresh crab and shrimp omelets before we got on the road to San Pedro de Martrir National Park. But that story is for another blog post…….

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