Loreto, Mexico is a lesser-known town on the Baja Peninsula. But sometimes lesser-known is exactly what you need when you’re looking for peaceful relaxation and a little bliss.

When most people from Southern California visit Mexico (and more specifically, the Baja Peninsula), they visit Cabo. It’s close, it’s easy and hotels and resorts are in abundance.

But recently I had the opportunity to visit Loreto, Mexico. A town I’d never heard of. And mind you, in my early 20’s I drove with friends from Orange County down through the Baja Peninsula to La Paz for some dune buggy racing. So I thought I knew many of the smaller towns. And yet, when Loreto was mentioned, I had to scratch my head. In hindsight, we likely drove right by it.

Loreto is small town on the Baja Peninsula that’s about 4 hours north of La Paz and 7 hours north of Cabo. But because it’s further north, that also means it’s a shorter flight from Los Angeles. A flight from Los Angeles to Cabo takes about two and a half hours, whereas a flight to Loreto only takes two hours. Both are easy, but heck, I’ll take a shorter flight to a beautiful Mexican destination any day of the week.

Loreto also has a few other wonderful things going for it. Namely, it lacks (thankfully) the craziness of Cabo. Translation: you won’t get the rowdy spring break crowds and bachelor parties. And that was perfect for me, who was looking for relaxation and serenity over pool parties and beer bongs.

When Villa del Palmar at the Islands of Loreto reached out to me and asked if I’d like to visit during their wellness week, I was thrilled. But I’ll also be honest. While my body wanted to jump at the opportunity, my brain knew that I was inundated with work and project deadlines. So I almost said no.

Thankfully, some girlfriends knocked some sense into me and reminded me that because I was so busy, I needed a rejuvenating and relaxing trip more than ever. I mean, how could I promote the need for wellness and self-care if I wasn’t even taking care of myself. Ah, point taken.

So after a week at Villa del Palmar (pretty much in a constant state of bliss), I think I’ve found a new getaway spot. In fact, because it’s so close to SoCal, it could almost be considered a stay-cation, don’t you think?

In one week, I relaxed by the pool, I slept in, I got several massages, I did sunrise yoga on the beach (I even did paddleboard yoga), I snorkeled amazing coral reefs, I wandered the historic town of Loreto, I pretended to golf (I mean, that golfcourse, wow), I learned about tequila making and I enjoyed amazing Mexican food (always gluten-free) from Villa del Palmar’s restaurants. It was the most peaceful, unstructured week I’d had in a long time.

The beauty of it all is that there are many things to do in Loreto, Mexico. Or nothing at all. And sometimes the latter is what you really need.

Very special thanks to Villa del Palmar at the Island of Loreto for inviting me to their wellness week and sponsoring my travel. I greatly appreciated their hospitality and the extra effort to ensure all my food was gluten-free. All thoughts and opinions are my own.