We enjoyed our stay so much we wish we could have stayed longer. The beach was clean and uncrowded and the restaurant food was good. Check-in was easy and our room was attractive and clean and the beds comfy. I heard there was wi-fi available although we didn't use it. I wish I had snorkeled at Napolo rock right off the beach. Two different couples we met at the Inn reported seeing octopi and eels and lots of tropical fish. We were there to see the Villages at Loreto Bay development (which we found very impressive) and they kept us busy but we went into town twice and it was a very short taxi ride. We plan to go back when the golf course opens the first David Duvall redesigned 9 holes scheduled for December 2007. Hopefully the next 9 holes will be completed quickly too. We heard the Inn had new management and was much improved, but we did not find anything to criticize!

This is a visually beautiful hotel on a lovely beach. That is where the charm ends. Our second day, the door to our room had to be removed at breakfast because the lock broke. The first day I went briefly into the bay and saw one sting ray (not a manta ray, but a dangerous aquatic creature which readily stings, much like a yellow jacket). The second day, I swam with my daughter for about 20 minutes and we encountered 8 sting rays. The water is very shallow, only about 1m deep so escaping their barbs was very difficult. We felt lucky not to have had a second "Crocodile Hunter" incident. While the room menu had prices which were correctly posted the first evening, since then they have risen 400%. A $5 burger has become a $20 item. This was done without any message to us until the food and bill arrived. BEWARE OF THIS HOTEL! WHAT YOU SEE IS NOT AT ALL WHAT YOU GET!

On July 29th, Day 1, we were met by Esmeralda from C&C Transportation and Tours and were driven to the Inn at Loreto Bay in a comfortable air conditioned van. We arrived at the Inn at Loreto Bay and checked in at the front desk. It went very well. We were given room keys (Rm 211) and our luggage was brought up by a bellman. We entered the room and found that the room had one king size bed with a beautiful view. Unfortunately, I wasn't there for a romantic week, I had come to relax and fish with my 19 year old son, so we were redirected back to the front desk where we were reassigned Room 131 with two double beds. We still ended up having a view of the southerly most portion of the property and bay, so we were very happy.
Throughout the trip, some of the staff seemed to be a bit confused in regards to Room 131 versus Room 211, but I think they finally figured out that there was a room reassignment. (Maybe this information will serve it's purpose at the end of this writing.) We ate at the snack shack and had a great burger, yes a burger. Accompanied with French fries sprinkled with course sea salt, pretty darn good. We called it a night pretty early because we had to get up around 5:30 a.m. to catch meet our captain/panga operator at 6:00 am.
Everything was very enjoyable on Day 2; July 30, we went fishing, our captain showed up at 6:45 am, unlike the other's that left for the fishing grounds at 6:15, but hey "it's Mexico." He did turn out to be a hard worker,very enjoyable and we got along GREAT! Juvencio from Arturo's fleet. Good guy !!! After fishing, we ate at the snack shack and hung out at the pool. Then had a light snack in the late evening. Again very good. Fish tacos; highly recommended.
On Day 3, July 31st, we did pretty much the same thing, up early, fish and relax. We needed to rest after battling the ocean for almost 2 hours returning in EXTREMELY choppy waters. I can still hear the theme song from Gilligan's Island playing in my head, had fun though... We ate at the snack shack by the pool, imagine that... The food was very good. Tuna salad sandwich on multi-grain bread and shrimp quessadillas.
On Day 4, our third day fishing; Juvenico was the first pangero on the beach at 6:15 am. He does respond very well to tipping. We stayed "circa" or close in for some bottom fish and did quite well. A couple of bass, pargo, a mess of trigger fish and some squid. Fishing was fun. Throughout the day I was able to capture beautiful pictures of the islands and seascape, as well as video of dolphins within 10 feet of the boat. My son and I took turns taking pictures and videoing eachother while we landed our catch. We returned to the beach and asked Juvencio to take to our ice chest to the fish cleaning location, said our good bye's and parted friends for life I'm sure.
We rested again and left for dinner at approximatley 8:30 p.m. I opened the door to our room and noticed that the sun was presenting a great photo opportunity, so I told my son Chris that I wanted to get a couple of pictures of him in the courtyard in front of our room. I didn't have my camera with me, so I went back into the room to retrieved it and took a couple of pictures of him standing on a small raised platfrom just outside the room.
We moved towards the front of the building approximatley 75-100 feet away, took a couple more pictures and returned to the room. I entered the room alone while Chris waited in the courtyard. I placed the camera on my bed, which was the one closest to the sliding glass door and furthest from the entry door. I didn't place the camera back into its' case, because we were in a hurry to get to dinner. I closed the door behind me and Chris and I began to walk into the courtyard. As we began to leave from mid-courtyard, we heard a male voice make a comment to two female housekkeeping employees that were walking toward the front of the hotel. They were approximately 50 feet away and they turned as they heard the comment. They ignored whomever made the comment and continued walking. I didn't clearly see who made the comment, but I could tell the comment( in spanish) was made by a male voice from within the courtyard, possibly from another story.
We left for dinner not giving any thought to anyone being in the courtyard. Afterall, our room is locked and we are at a very nice hotel. We had dinner at the buffet...it was really good. In fact, I sent my compliments to the chef via one of the wait staff.
While I was seated at dinner, I noticed the chafing trays at the buffet table had sterno cans without any lids to regulate or shield the flames. As a professional firefighter, I wondered if there were appropriate extinguisher types in the area in case a fire were to occur, not just while I was vacationing, but in general. I had a brief conversation with a american girl from Vermont that was on assignment at the hotel programming computers/systems. She introduced me to the hotel manager after I asked her if she knew if there was a carbon dioxide extinguisher in the area.
I had a brief conversation with manager and informed him that my inquiry about the extinguisher was positive in nature. I informed him that if staff were to use a dry chemical extinguisher in the area of the food, all of the product would be lost and he would not be prosperous. I also mentioned the dry chemical extinguisher powder would become airborne and get into computers and damage them as well, not to mention the hotel guests potentially being affected by the dry chemical agent if such an event was to happen. My recommendation was to obtain carbon dioxide extinguishers in the area of food handling to limit product loss and protect the hotels bottom line if a fire should occur. The hotel manager asked me if I owned a business performing fire protection surveys. I responded by telling him that I was a firefighter with 26 years experience and just wanted to offer my opinion that would hopefully provide benefits to the hotel's success and prevent or minimize interruptions of service.
During my travels on the property I noticed several areas that I could share with him that would enhance the fire protection/prevention activities that were curently in place but absent of a few minor details. He looked for a business card to offer me and didn't have any. I offered to email the hotel and they could forward it to him and he said that would be fine.
We ended our conversation and left the snack shack patio. Chris and I walked around the grounds taking mental notes of areas that needed attention and then returned to the beach where the Wednesday evening movie was coming to an end; approximately 10:40 p.m. We sat down while the staff dissassembled the screen and projector system. At approximately 11:00 pm we decided we would return to the room. As we entered the hallway to our building we checked a fire extinguisher at the westerly end at the foot of a stairwell. While I looked at the extinguisher, I heard someone coming down the stairs. I looked to see whom it was and it was an male employee, later determined to be "Moises," the chief of security. Chris and I walked to our room, placed the key into the slot and opened the door.
A few minutes later as we were unwinding, I thought I would review the day's footage on the camera only to find it missing. I searched the room entirely and was unable to locate it. The carrying case was in the same place I had left it when I earlier placed the camera next to it before leaving for dinner. After searching the room in disbelief, I called the front desk and reported my camera stolen. The young man, "Rodrigo" said he would be come to my room. I waited in front of the room in the hallway for his arrival. Two members of the hotel staff approached me, one was carrying a small black box with a cord attached, it was Moises, the chief of security, the other was Rodrigo whom I spoke with to report the theft. I shook Rodrigo's hand introducing myself and had no concerns. I then offered my a handshake to Moises and noticed his hand was a wet as if he just dipped it in a bucket of water. It made me very suspicious. Moreover, I did see him earlier walking down the stairwell. Remembering we were originally assigned on the second floor, Room 211. Even more suspicion grew. Moises plugged the end of the cord of the black box he was carrying into the lockset to check the entries to our room. Rodrigo was the spokesperson while Moises remained silent. Rodrigo told me that he would call me with their findings. He later phoned our room to tell me that only our keys had accessed the room, the last time being 11:08 pm. I told him I didn't care what his report indicated, all I was certain of is that the room didn't have indications of forced entry and someone had gained access to our room somehow and stole my camera. He try to reassure me that noone else had accessed the room according to their findings on the blackbox and that a report would be available in the morning. I voiced my concerns to him about the security and safety while we slept in our room knowing that someone had gained access and stole the camera and he said we had nothing to worry about " we have security." I think he missed the entire point of his presence. I did call the front desk and asked Rodrigo if the adjoining room, Room 132 was occupied. He sad it wasn't. I waited 'til morning in hopes of viewing "the report" unable to find Rodrigo at the front desk. Later that morning, Moises showed up to perform a check with his black box on Room 132. I found it funny how pacifying his actions were, I was certain he wouldn't find anything. He said he would let me know what "the report" said. I packed all of our belongings and searched the room one last time. I couldn't believe this had happened.
At approximately 11:15 a.m., I called for a bellman to come for our luggage since we were to have it to the front desk by 11:45 a.m. We sat in the open air lobby waiting for our fish to arrive from the freezer. While we were waiting I asked to speak with Moises, the chief of security, so I could give him my business card and contact information should my camera be located. A woman at the front desk dialed his extension and told him I was there to see him. They conversed briefly then she hung and advised me that there was nothing more was to report. I gave my business card to the woman and asked her to give it to Moises, the chief of security.
I was insulted that the chief of security / staff member would not meet with me in person and speak to me via a front desk receptionist. Maybe he has something to hide....
The second scenario I ponder with motive is the hotel manager thought I may have photographs showing deficiencies on the property that may expose him as incompetent. As a result of his concern, he sent someone to our room to check for evidence of such an exposure and took our camera. The few items I noted were easy fixes and of little expense, but would offer life safety and fire protection value, as well as reducing product loss should an event occur.
Was it just a coincidence that the chief of security was in the stairwell and our camera was stolen? What about his excessively perspiring hands? Was he nervous about his previous activities that evening? Did he just come back from checking Room 211?
Thirdly, Did any of the three housekeeping staff that saw us leave our room take an opportunity to enter a room that they just saw guest leave?
At approximately 12:45 a.m. I was standing outside of the room leaning against the wall in a very well lighted area analyzing the chronology of the evening. During that time, a male member of the staff walked through the hallway across the courtyard and didn't even look my way. In fact, his gait seemed to be produced and not once did he make any gesture or effort to acknowledge me to see if there was something wrong or I needed any assistance. I found this suspicious as well. Everyone throughout our stay gave some form of salutation when we crossed their path whether it be, buena dias, buenas tardes or buenas noches. This employee didn't offer as much as a head nod or hand wave. Maybe he was part of security?
Beyond a shadow of a doubt, I know that someone with motive or knowledge of our absence from the room entered and stole the camera. But why? One must question why else outside of the scenarios I present would the camera be taken without the rest of the room and property being disturbed.
I had actually hoped that we both had forgotten that we actually took the camera with us to dinner and left it on the table. Not so unfortunately....
We left the hotel that day without a camera, but did leave with memories that I will share with everyone I know

After reading the many negative reviews on the Inn at Loreto Bay, and having just returned from 6 days at the Inn, I HAVE to make this report. I had a fantastic, enjoyable week there.
There HAS been a lot of staff turnover, possibly due to the previous negative reviews. Our checkin was swift, courteous and orderly, done by Rodrigo, the Front Desk Supervisor. We got a room directly on the beach with a view of the entire Nopolo Bay area. This hotel must be the only one with its own private beach, and it is a beauty. As our room opened onto the beach, we wiped the sand off our feet every time we came in (one negative review complained about SAND in the rooms!). There are showers at the beach area to wash your feet off. There is a refrigerator in each room, a personal safe you program with your own number (put your cameras in HERE, guys, along with all valuables).
There are two heated pools, actually too warm. We used a very cool air conditioned exercise room every day with brand new exercise equipment and sports channel. Every room has cable TV so we could watch the USC-Idaho football game.
There are signs at the beach, "Caution - Sting Rays - drag your feet to avoid contact". The hotel didn't put the sting rays there! There is an activity center for small children, and there was a movie on the beach every night.
There is a new chef, Emanuel, who is trying to improve the food - the one complain the staff agrees with. However, the evening buffet, all you can eat, was delightful every night, not Gormet, but above average. We WILL come back!