Cathryn and I left Melaque, Jalisco, Mexico last year in search of a new winter home where it’s sunny and warm every day. We have lots of good memories from the Costalegre but it was time to move on. Our journey took us up the Pacific coast through Puerto Vallarta to Mazatlan. From there we drove another four hours north and took a ferry across to La Paz, on the Baja peninsula.

Looking for our next winter home, we explored Baja California Sur (south), spending three days in each of the towns, San Jose Del Cabo (where we visited Todo Santos), La Paz and Loreto. We really liked La Paz but found it a bit too big, busy and more expensive than we liked. We only spent a short time in Loreto but liked the vibe and decided it would be our next winter nest.

Fast-forward to January this year and we’ve now been in Loreto for about ten days. We like small town Mexico and with about 20,000 inhabitants plus some expats and seasonal tourists, Loreto fits the bill. It’s a very walkable town with no giant resorts, brand name restaurants or fast food chains. The town sits on the Sea of Cortez/Gulf of California, which includes a national marine park with whales, sea lions, dolphins and world class sport fishing.

We opted for an Airbnb for three months. The beautiful 3 bedroom casa offers a sea view and is only a stone’s throw from the beach. The sun shines every day, with temperatures between 60 and 77 degrees fahrenheit – a tad warmer than or weather back home right now. We had a few drops of rain one day but not enough to wet the ground. The Baja is mostly desert so there is no humidity here (yeah).

It’s always a challenge settling in to a new town, when it comes to buying groceries or dining out. There are no Costcos or Walmarts here but my personal shopper has managed to bring home the goods and we’re not going hungry by any means. We’ve also found great seafood at a nearby restaurant and scored the best burrito ever, last night at a little hole-in-the wall place where they cook on a mesquite grill right in the restaurant. The super burrito was the size of my forearm.

Many have described Loreto as a hidden gem, a Mexican location that will no doubt keep growing inpopularity among tourists and snowbirds. Giant cruise ships have recently discovered the town and come in about once a week during high season. But for the most part, we’ve found Loreto to be a pretty sleepy town with no reservations required or lineups to get in anywhere.

The people are friendly and take pride in keeping their town clean – unlike many other places in Mexico. There is plenty of culture, with many historical landmarks that include 300 year old Spanish missions. There are miles of beach that are walkable and easy to access. Prices on everything from accomodation, to food and booze are about 30 percent cheaper than home.

The jury is still out on whether or not we will return to Loreto next year, but so far we are thoroughly enjoying our time here.