We arrived in San Felipe at the end of our second week in Baja California. Our van life friends, Lisa and Chris at Rove & Swig, had already made their way to this small town. Given that this would be our first sight of the Sea of Cortez, we were hopeful that we’d meet up with our friends and enjoy some blue skies and warm sand.
There are lots of places to camp in San Felipe, many of which are along the beach. Some are better known for accommodating large RVs, and some for the social scene. We were pleasantly surprised to find a nice, chill campground that was perfect for small RVs and vans – Las Palapa RV Camp.
The Campground
Known for being quieter than its neighboring campgrounds, La Palapa RV Camp is a small, compact campground with 12 spaces. Six of these sites are facing the beach, however each site comes with its own two-story palapa. For those camping in tents, it was the perfect spot to set up camp. Under each palapa is a picnic table, which had a light above it. There are electrical outlets at each site as well.
At first, Steven and I thought that we wouldn’t stay long because some of the campsites are so confined next to one another. But that thought didn’t last long, as we met some wonderful and kind travelers at La Palapa! Levi got to see inside his first pop-top Westie, and got to return the favor by giving a tour of our van. (Let it be said that Levi was very particular about how clean our van needed to be, and put in a lot of work preparing for his guests!)
While the manager running the campground is very quiet and kept to himself, it was evident that he took pride in this place. It was very clean, as every day he was always working on keeping it so.
Amenities
As I mentioned earlier, each campsite comes with its own two-story palapa. This was a nice feature for the kiddos, who took it over and made their own fort. Steven and the boys even conducted wildschool up there, as it was quieter and offered fewer distractions.
The bathrooms are simple, albeit a bit confusing at first. The toilet paper is located outside of the stalls, so you have to grab it before you “go.” There are showers on the other side of the restrooms. I’ll be honest – the showers leave a bit to be desired. There are hooks for towels and clothing items, but no benches or shelves like some other campgrounds offer. Even though the showers are old and could probably use some maintenance, the water was hot. When in Baja, this is a major plus because hot water can be promised but is never guaranteed!
Although the campground offers WiFi, the connection is not very good – even when you’re camped out in front of the office, where it’s located. But in Baja, we’ve noticed that this is par for the course.
Cost
One night at La Palapa RV Camp runs $15 in U.S. dollars. I do believe that the beachfront campsites run $20-25 per night.
If you’re looking for a quiet and inexpensive stay close to the beach and the malecón, La Palapa is a great choice!
