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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 experience: The friendliness of the Mexican people

    GW Chertsey Jun 2026
  • Our experience of travel in Mexico with Journey Latin America has been excellent

    SB Harrow Dec 2015
  • Most memorable experience? “It's impossible to pick any individual aspect; but a number of experiences stood out: the visit to the "voodoo" church at St Juan Chamula (extraordinary and unexpected),…

    AR, Gospel Oak Apr 2012
  • "Most memorable aspects were all the archaeological sites, which we enjoyed immensely. On the whole, we found local people very kind and helpful."

    DC, Nottingham Jun 2013
  • Visiting the Mayan villages outside San Christobal de las Casas. 

    CM, Kingston upon thames Mar 2017
  • Most Memorable Moment?: So many! Maybe the balloon ride? 

    KFD, London Aug 2018
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Our Expert's Opinion

Charlotte
Charlotte Daubeney - Travel Expert

Charlotte's fascination with Latin America began with a family holiday to Belize. She went on to study Spanish in school and at university before spending a year living in Santiago, Chile.

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Bartolome, Galápagos

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  • 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.

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    Lina Fuller - Travel Expert

    Lina's passion for the continent where she was born really took off when she moved to Córdoba (Argentina) to study, spending the holidays travelling between Argentina and her native Colombia.

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    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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    Kathryn backpacked across Argentina, Chile, Bolivia and Peru before joining us. She has a degree in Philosophy and French and is a keen netball player.

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    Hannah Waterhouse - Travel Expert

    Hannah had an early introduction to Latin America when her family moved to Ecuador and she returned to study in Buenos Aires for a year before backpacking across the continent.

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    Finn Clennett - Travel Expert

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