Bahia Candeleros



On the Way to Candeleros - Someone Loves Isolation!

After cruising a short distance south of Puerto Escondido, we decided to stop at Bahia Candeleros to visit the new resort of Villa del Palmar which recently opened in 2012.  We anchored in the bay and took the dinghy ashore to have lunch at the hotel. 


Bahia Candeleros and Hotel Resort

We were pleasantly surprised to find a luxury resort at this small, remote looking cove all beautifully landscaped with native plantings, a cactus garden, and manicured lawns.  Boaters visiting the bay can stop in for lunch or dinner and make use of the swimming pools or spa. 



Beautiful Setting at Villa del Palmar

We opted to have lunch by the pool-side cabana, sipping lemonade and devouring some delicious ham/provolone sandwiches. Villa del Palmar was developed by the Villa Group, a leading private resort and real estate corporation which plans to add a Rees Jones golf course at Bahia Candeleros.  The first 9-holes are expected to be open by 2014.  

Casual Elegance at Villa del Palmar

Timeshares and ownerships are also envisioned for the future.  The Villa Group owns 3600 acres of land at Bahia Candeleros so there’s plenty of room to expand.  A benefit for guests of the hotel is the free shuttle bus service to the town of Loreto.  After spending a full afternoon touring the resort, we decided to stay at anchor for an early morning departure.  That evening the winds picked up to over 20 knots and we slept to the serenade of chain, anchor, and bridle clanking through the night.  In the morning we discovered our safety line (a bridle configuration attached to the anchor chain) was badly frayed.  After removing the frayed section and using the remaining length of line, it was good as new.  

Pool-side Dining - Villa del Palmar

As we were about to depart, we noticed a strange looking object in the water making its way along side our boat.  We walked to the stern and saw what looked like a long string of human DNA.  It moved along the surface of the water and then started to descend.  “What on earth was that?!”  After some research we decided it was a string of “salps.”  Salps are barrel-shaped, jelly-like organisms or tunicates with openings at each end of the tunic through which water is pumped.  

Multiple Pools at Palmar Resort

The pumping of water allows the salp to move and feed at the same time, straining water through internal feeding filters.  Salps can live alone or live as a community.  These small creatures are the fastest-growing multi-cellular animals and are capable of explosive, asexual reproduction, cloning themselves and creating chains of dozens of individuals.  The group of salps communicates by electrical signals, synchronizing their movement through the sea.  Although similar in texture to jellyfish, salps are actually more closely related to vertebrates.  Scientists speculate that the tiny groups of nerves in salps are one of the first instances of the primitive nervous system which eventually evolved into the more complex central nervous systems of vertebrates.  They are indeed a fascinating sight to behold.



Pretty Grounds at Palmar Resort



The Cactus Garden

A String of Salps