By Paul Lebowitz

The moment the driver from East Cape Transport turned his airport van off Mexico Highway 1 and left the pavement behind I suspected that what I’d heard about Hotel Punta Colorada’s middle-of-nowhere location must be true.

When the van bumped to the top of a cactus covered hill, the breath-taking view confirmed it. Down there a green oasis perched on the shore, surrounded by starkly beautiful and empty desert on three sides. On the fourth, the azure Sea of Cortez sparkled.

Apart from all other East Cape resorts, Hotel Punta Colorada owes its remote location to fish-concentrating submarine topography. Blue water fed by a zone of rich upwelling waits just offshore. In this case location, location, location usually means a shorter ride to where the big ones are biting. 

We crossed a final mile of brown sand and reached the hotel. Minutes later I was checked in, my baggage whisked away to the cool refuge of a simple and comfortable (and air conditioned!) room.

I didn’t stay there long. It was off to the scenic oceanfront terrace and outdoor bar where, as I’d passed, I’d seen groups of anglers clustered around tables holding cold drinks and laughing as they relived the day’s fishing.

Fish Stories
The people who visit Hotel Punta Colorada have a lot of fish stories to tell. Depending on the season, the stars (they are always the fish) could be the local royalty: striped, blue or black marlin. Other times the tales are centered around sailfish, dorado, wahoo, or yellowfin tuna.

Or the magnificent fish proudly featured on the hotel’s logo, the reclusive rooster with its distinctive comb. These are just the mainstays. Supporting players include jacks such as yellowtail, amberjack, and jack crevalle, and bottom dwellers such as cabrilla, pargo, grouper and snapper. The reefs close to shore harbor some oddballs, like triggerfish and cornetfish, and the despised needlefish.

On this hot July day (the fishing reputedly gets better as the temperature soars) the talk at the bar was of striped marlin and yellowfin tuna. I took a seat with one happy group (“Come on over and join your new friends,” went the invitation). These jolly folks from Michigan were roasting their buddy, first time saltwater angler Bill Borowy.

He was still flush with the excitement of catching his first marlin, and judging by his dramatic gestures as he retold the story for probably the tenth time that afternoon, the fight was getting tougher and the fish bigger with every rendition. His indulgent friends, who’d been making an annual trip to fish at Hotel Punta Colorada for maybe decades, didn’t seem to mind. It could be Borowy was taking them back in time, to the day they’d made their first big catches. Like his friends, the odds are former landlubber Borowy will be back too.

A Trip to an Earlier Time
Hotel Punta Colorada is operated by Baja Fishing and Resorts. According to Wes Pumphrey, who works for Baja Fishing and Resorts as a travel consultant, a lot of the hotel’s customers have been coming back year after year. “They like the hometown feel of the hotel. It’s laid back and remote,” said Pumphrey. 

The photos and fish mounts that line the walls of Punta Colorada’s dining room, reception lobby, and cool interior bar tell the story of the hotel’s history. I whiled away a couple of hours looking at the fascinating time capsules that document the trophy catches through the year.

Except for the dates on the photos, it looks like not much has changed since the hotel opened in 1963. Pumphrey says regular visitors like it that way. “Our repeat visitors are comfortable going back, knowing that it will always be the same,” he said. Year after year, they get the same room, same boat, and same captain.

No one is a better model for the longevity of the hotel than Alejandro, the boat manager. Alejandro is in his 38th year at the resort. He’s the man to see to arrange a ride in one of the hotel’s workhorse cruisers or pangas for the next morning’s fishing, and if you’ve forgotten a critical piece of terminal tackle, he may have it for sale. Judging by the crowds that linger in his office each evening, he’s a popular guy.

Morning Buzz
Mornings at Punta Colorada are electric with anticipation. In the stillness of first light, anglers shuffle into the dining room, fill plates with eggs, bacon, potatoes and pancakes, and slurp it all down with mugs of bitter hot coffee.

Breakfast conversation is muted, but the current of excitement picks up as the anglers gather their rods and reels and march down to the beach and clamber onto the hotel’s small pier.

Boats come and go quickly, whisking their passengers off to a day of angling adventure. What shape will the day take? Will it be marlin, tuna, dorado, or roosters? Whatever the preference, Punta Colorada’s Mexican captains have the necessary water wisdom to maximize your chances.

Amidst the organized chaos of the morning boat shuffle, you might glimpse an unfamiliar sight. Kayakers launching small boats from the hotel’s sandy beaches, fishing rods standing at a jaunty angle in rod holders mounted behind the paddlers.

If they paddle up to a panga, climb in, and tow the kayaks down to Punta Arena or out to blue water, chances are they belong to one of La Jolla Kayak Fishing’s groups.

As guide Jim Sammons will tell you, kayak anglers aren’t on their paddlecraft to spare their wallets. They are simply anglers thrilled with the joy of catching big fish on small boats.

Punta Colorada is one of the best places in the world to pursue that goal, and kayaks ideally suited for one particular East Cape fish. The unassuming lighthouse at Punta Arena is legendary as the roosterfish capital of the world.

The silent kayaks don’t spook the skittish roosters. Don’t get me wrong, boats get the major share of the hard-fighting jacks, although it might take more time per hook-up.

Sammons offers guided kayak fishing trips at Hotel Punta Colorada about six weeks out of the year. The rest of the time the hotel’s kayaks are available for rent. Sample the growing sport of kayak fishing for yourself, or just take a leisurely paddle along the East Cape’s glorious beaches.

More than Fishing
Not everyone who visits Punta Colorada comes to fish. There are beaches to stroll, reefs to dive (Mexico’s Cabo Pulmo National Marine Preserve, site of North America’s most northerly coral reef, is a short drive to the south), and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) to ride.

The rental four-wheelers are fun to take on a spin through the desert, and a great way to get up and down the beach for some shore-casting. Just take care not bump over any turtles or their nests in the sand.   

Allene Sammons and the two Sammons youngsters don’t fish much but never tire of life at the resort. While Jim Sammons is leading his kayakers, his wife and kids spend hours snorkeling over the black-rock finger reefs, splashing in the modest wind waves, or soaking in the hotel’s uncrowded pool.

Allene Sammons explains. “We love Punta Colorada. The kids can run around and I don’t have to worry about them. We feel so safe down here, so at home, the people are so welcoming. My daughter is already planning her wedding down here,” finished Allene Sammons with a laugh.

Talk about a catch of a lifetime for the avid fisherman! Settle down for a long wait gents, the charming Sammons daughter is only fourteen. I’d bet that when the times comes, the only thing that will have changed at the hotel will be the age of the future bride.

Each Day Like the Last
Each afternoon the fishing boats return one by one. A raft of flags flying signals a good day on the water, a situation that takes place more often than not. The happy, hot and tired anglers return to the hotel to clean up their gear and themselves, then sit quietly or disappear for a restorative siesta. The calm only lasts a couple of hours. As dinner approaches more and more hotel guests gather on the waterfront terrace, munching on the hotel’s tasty and complementary ceviche.

As the sun drops low on the western horizon a hearty dinner is served. Once the dessert dishes have been cleared away the diehards settle down to tell more fish stories. Others drift away to bed, ready for another day in a tropical fishing paradise. And each day as wonderful in its way as the next.

So I came to understand the old salt I’d met on way flight south to Cabo. He too was on his way to Hotel Punta Colorada. When I asked him if this first-time visitor would like it there, he flatly replied, “No.”

Then he smiled and admitted he’d been making an annual pilgrimage for years. It was his way of warning me that the charms of Punta Colorada are not for everyone. I get it.  

A stay at Punta Colorada is like a trip back to an earlier time. The blessed absence of televisions (the only set is in the bar), email, and the incessant chirping of cell phones (the hotel is out of range for all but satellite phones) forces visitors to slow down. You won’t find a glamorous shopping district next door, just seemingly endless miles of desert.

There is no bar-hopping, disco fever nightlife, just an inviting bar that faces the ever-fascinating ocean. For me, the resort’s world-class fishing, miles of pristine white sand beaches and the sparkling blue water of the Sea of Cortez, excellent diving on the coral reefs of Cabo Pulmo, the quiet and sublime opportunity to simply do nothing and not feel the first stab of guilt about it, and the company of friends both new and old is entertainment enough.

BIG DORADO – The fertile waters of the East Cape are known for producing magnum-sized dorado like this beautiful jumper. And the hotter the weather, the hotter the action. PHOTO COURTESY VAN WORMER RESORTS

MARLIN IN FLIGHT – If you fish the East Cape, the chances are good you’ll witness a marlin take flight. Striped, blue, and black marlin are all possibilities. PHOTO COURTESY VAN WORMER RESORTS

CATCH AND RELEASE – Hotel Punta Colorada supports catch and release to preserve the excellent East Cape billfish fishery. For those who’d like to take tuna or dorado home, freezing, filleting, and fish smoking are available. PHOTO COURTESY VAN WORMER RESORTS

EXPLORE BY ATV – The fishing is great, but it isn’t the only draw. Hotel guests can opt to explore the scenic desert or miles of sandy beaches by ATV. PHOTO COURTESY VAN WORMER RESORTS

PUNTA COLORADA CRUSIERS – Hotel Punta Colorada’s fleet of fiberglass cruisers and supercruisers are comfortable fishing platforms with all the range needed to find the fish. PHOTO COURTESY VAN WORMER RESORTS

KAYAKERO ROOSTER RELEASE – Kayak angler Niel Hoglen releases another big Punta Arena roosterfish. Hoglen was fishing with Jim Sammons of La Jolla Kayak Fishing, who guides several trips to Punta Colorada each year. PHOTO COURTESY JIM SAMMONS KAYAK4FISH.COM

FISHING KAYAK FLEET – Sample the growing sport of kayak fishing at Hotel Punta Colorada. The resort’s fleet of Ocean Kayak sit-on-top boats are great for sneaking up on in-shore fish, and just as good for a leisurely scenic paddle.

BACK AT THE DOCK – A successful cruiser returns to the hotel dock, fish flags flying. The dock makes for easy access to your boat of the day.

FOOD, FRIENDS, AND FISH STORIES – A day at Hotel Punta Colorada wouldn’t be complete without cold drinks and a tasty snack shared with friends on the hotel’s oceanfront terrace. The topic of choice? Fish stories of course