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Desert Inn

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A simple hotel with pool catering well for visitors to the whale watching town San Ignacio in Baja California. 

The Desert Inn is a five minute walk from San Ignacio’s pretty tree-shaded plaza which hosts the little town’s ornate and imposing Jesuit mission church. The economy here is dedicated to whale-watching but there’s also a palm-defined green lagoon with good bird spotting opportunities.

The mission-style accommodation is mostly on one level with rooms connected by an arched terrace, and is set beside lawns in extensive grounds studded with a fountain and dazzling bougainvillea among other tropical foliage.  Most of the guest rooms face a decent-sized, lounger-fringed swimming pool , good for splashing around in rather than swimming. The fairly basic rooms are spacious and airy and although the décor is unremarkable the hotel serves its purpose as a comfortable, friendly option in a good location. Some guest rooms are intentionally dark to keep them cool, a respite in the fierce Baja heat. There’s also a large restaurant on site.

Bartolome, Galápagos

What our clients say

  • Most memorable aspect: “The view from Monte Alban across Oaxaca and the valleys around. Eating in Cafe Tacuba in Mexico City with a troop of troubadours playing would come a…

    JB, Dublin Jul 2026
  • Highlights: Boat trip to Yaxchilan - jungle and ruins were great.  Gardens and pool at Hacienda Chichen were lovely. Cuernavaca was a lovely town and we enjoyed Robert Brady museum….San…

    CW, London Jul 2026
  • Most memorable aspect: “All the visits to temples and pyramids. With very knowledgeable and extremely pleasant guides

    JB Wandsworth Dec 2012
  • Our experience of travel in Mexico with Journey Latin America has been excellent

    SB Harrow Dec 2015
  • Highlights?: Too many! Probably seeing Uxmal, the Tiger Egret, swimming in Cenotes (various), Chichen-Itza at dawn and visiting Frida Kahlo's house.

    AA, Newport Jun 2018
  • The visit to Calakmul which was hard work but the reward of climbing the pyramids and seeing the jungle stretching in all directions will stay in the memory.  This was…

    PH, Westcliff-on-sea Dec 2016
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Our Expert's Opinion

Ben
Ben Line - Travel Expert

Ben fell in love with Latin America on a six month backpacking trip from Colombia to Mexico in 1995. Since then he has explored most of South America, including living in Peru for a year. He is now Head of Sales.

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Bartolome, Galápagos

Meet our team

Real Latin american experts

  • Finn Clennett
    Finn Clennett - Travel Expert

  • Sallly
    Sally Watkins - Travel Expert

    A former Journey Latin America tour leader, Sally spent 7 years working, travelling and living throughout Latin America before returning to the UK to help people arrange their own adventures to this wonderful destination.

  • Alex
    Alex Walker - Travel Expert

    A globetrotter since her childhood, Alex spent a year studying abroad in Guadalajara and has returned to Latin America countless times since then.

  • Maggie
    Maggie Wilson - Travel Expert

    Maggie visited Latin America on her first backpacking trip when she was 19. Since then, she has taken every opportunity to travel, and has managed to explore a lot of the region in subsequent trips.

  • Heloise
    Heloise Buxton - Travel Expert

    Heloise started her Latin American journey as an exchange student in Santiago, Chile. With extended summer holidays this was the perfect opportunity to backpack through Bolivia, Peru, Argentina and Brazil.

  • Sophie
    Sophie Barber - Travel Expert

    Sophie lived in Chile before joining us and has travelled extensively across Latin America, from Mexico to the furthest tip of Patagonia and beyond to Antarctica.

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