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Friends and Family
Summer Newsletter
Among the uncertainties of life
is Old Man Weather, who can deliver hot days,
cold days and everything in-between in a week.
Following what was a perfect beginning to
Spring, it turned chilly again with temperatures
in the low 60s. Of course, temperatures are all
relative: Our friends who visit us each year
from Alaska thought that 60 degrees was balmy;
while the locals were looking for winter coats.
Early May offers great promise
with longer, warmer days. More important,
roosterfish up to 50-pounders are in a hungry
mood and driving schools of baitfish right up
onto the beach where they’ll grab a fly, a lure
or whatever you toss at them. If you have yet
to catch a rooster, you have a treat awaiting
you. It’s like hanging on to a runaway bull.
Our boat crews are seeing breezing tuna, marlin,
a few sails and even wahoo on the prowl. It
looks like a good, long fishing season!
Our reservations began picking up
in late March and April, a sure sign of an
improving economy, for which we are all
thankful.
And lastly, I must proudly tell
all our guests and friends – both new and old –
that our little corner of Mexico is the safest
of anywhere in the country. Yes, there
continues to be troubles along the border . . .
but the border is nearly a thousand miles
away! It’s as if you decide not to go to New
York because there’s a fire in Chicago. Please
don’t be frightened by hysterical newspaper and
television reports. Come and see for yourself!
Winter
Meant Cooler Weather, Hotter Fishing
Winter fishing was amazing with
inshore action from in front of the lighthouse
to the resort, and all the way to Las Arenas;
offshore fishing out of Puerto Los Cabos, was as
good as it gets, check my picture of a very nice
wahoo; and of course having to fish and host the
National Big Game Tourney, to select the teams
to represent our country at the International
level added to the fun. We tried to stay busy,
and since it was slower in terms of guests, we
invented things to do: boats, tackle, rooms,
restaurant, front desk maintenance and more.
Now we know
what cold is all about
Our lengthy winter fishing,
outdoor and recreation show schedule took us all
over the U.S. Hortencia, Felipe and I did all
the shows. I started by going to Denver. I
always enjoyed my visits to Denver until this
year, when the temperature dropped to -10 F.
Ohhh my God! How can people get out and work at
this temperature?
Then I remembered when summertime
guests said the same thing about the East Cape
when it’s at 105 F and about the same humidity
level and we are running around doing our jobs.
I am sure glad I saw all of that snow and ice
from the window of my warm room otherwise no one
would be able to drag me out. Felipe and
Claudia went to Sacramento, and I thought they
were going to have it easier, but then he called
me pretty upset – the show producer put our
booth right in front of the door of the hall and
they were freezing the whole time.
And then Hortencia went up to
shows in the Pacific Northwest. She almost
kissed the runway when she got home. She said
that in the 21 days she never saw the sun! Can
that really happen? She was sure happy when I
told her that that was going to be her last
trip.
Freddy’s
Kitchen, better than ever, (well maybe not as
good as my grandmother)
Chef Freddy Medel
continues to transform our food service and
impress diners. Since he took the reins in the
kitchen, the reviews have been nothing short of
outstanding. Take this past Thanksgiving
Dinner: longtime friends and past guests Buzz
and Mary Fedorka from Telluride, Colo.
complemented Freddy on what they called “the
best Thanksgiving dinner they had ever had at
the resort;” and they had had many over the
years. For Christmas and New Year dinners he
had a nice duck platter, plus fish of course,
and both were greatly complemented by our
guests. And to put a cherry on the cake, Sr.
Togo Hazard, congratulated Felipe on the
improvements in the restaurant. That was
something very special, as we thought that would
never happen. Freddy continues to improve the
dinner menu, which as you know, is included in
your meal plan. The lunch menu has improved
too, but not as much as our box lunches. You
will sure enjoy the new presentation and flavors
– classics, only a little better.
Click here to see the new menus
My visit to
the IGFA ‘cathedral’ of Sport Fishing
If you are a big baseball fan, a
trip to Cooperstown is almost mandatory; if you
are a musician, you’ve got to go to the Rock and
Roll Hall of fame; and if you are fisherman, a
trip to IGFA Headquarters and Fishing Hall of
Fame & Museum in Florida has to be on your
agenda. I spent two days working at a fishing
expo and one night at the World Records Award
Ceremony. But I sneaked away from my booth every
chance I had to go around and get to know the
building. I felt like what I have come to
discover (yes, discover because I didn’t know
the magnitude of the collection) was only the
tip of a huge iceberg, so much that I am making
a point to go back before the end of the year.
You definitely need to devote at
least a whole day to see most of the history of
our sport. It is just amazing to walk in the
door and look right to the corner and see Mr.
Alfred Glassell’s 1,530 lbs black marlin hanging
from the roof. Anyone who has fished for black
marlin can’t help but wonder what it took to
accomplish his feat in 1953! Across the hall is
the exact replica of a miniature Pilar,
Ernest Hemingway’s boat, the one he fished on
off Cuba and where he probably got the
inspiration for his book, The Old Man and the
Sea. Then go to the second floor library.
That’s just a whole another day by itself, as
you will see pictures, documents, and videos of
rare catches (and releases now, too) that you
would never thought existed. The “cathedral” was
also just part of the experience for me, as I
got to know some of their cardinals as well. I
was lucky to meet fishing legends, that up to
then, I had only read about in books or seen
videos. I had to introduce myself (sorry,
sometimes you just have to be nosy or have the
soul of a groupie; I learned this from my wife),
it was very nice to meet Stu Apte and
Mark Sosin. It was also an honor to have
met IGFA’s president Mr. Rob Kramer, and it was
even nicer when he talked highly of my dad and
his new position.
When you visit, you have to meet
the whole staff; ask for Mike, Denise, Lesley
and Joselin, they are so nice and they want you
to get the most out of your visit. If you
consider yourself a true fisherman, a visit to
the Cathedral of Sport Fishing is definitely a
visit you must do in your lifetime.
Jesus
“Chuy” Valdez appointed President of the
National Sport fishing Federation
By unanimous vote my dad became
President of the National Sport Fishing
Federation in February. This Federation consists
of 22 states. Mexico has 31 states and one
Federal District (which is Mexico City,
something like what Washington D.C. is to the
USA). Every state is represented by the state
elected president. The federation is the only
one with national recognition, therefore is the
one entity in charge of representing the Sport
Fishing as a sport in our country.
It is a big job with many issues
on the table with great pressure from the
commercial fishing industry. But we are sure
our dad will accomplish a lot for our sport and
for the wellbeing of the various species. He is
heading this effort now, but nothing new to our
dad, who throughout his career has been involved
in the safeguard of the sport-fishing species
and our ocean.
Why not
Golf too?
For those undecided persons who
like fishing as much as golfing, or vice versa,
Hotel Buena Vista Beach Resort has close working
relationships with the major golf clubs in Cabo.
We can now offer preferred rates to almost all
of the courses. Or, if you want something
unique, we will to take you to Bahía de los
Sueños, now listed in the Top 10 best new
courses to play in 2010, according to Links
Magazine. This modern miracle course
features golfing “in the middle of nowhere” with
beautiful ocean scenery and a feeling you own
the course. It is definitely worth the hour
drive.
Thank you.
We want to thank everyone who
took time to see us at the various sports and
fishing shows last Winter; it is always very
nice for us to see friends. Also, I would like
to thank those guests that have written reviews
on the Trip Advisor website, it is very helpful
for us.
Also, our sincere thanks and
appreciation from the entire Valdez Family to
all who sent treasured Holiday wishes.
I will make it my point to
produce our next newsletter a little shorter.
Stay tuned and we hope to see you South of the
Border Down Mexico Way this year.
Did You Know?
Little known tidbits of
Hotel Buena Vista's History, Surroundings, and
things of interest.
The last newsletter
question had to do with San Jose, since we
expanded our season by offering fishing out of
the new Pto. Los Cabos Marina. We partnered with
Toño Guluarte, his dad and family and are now
offering the service either at the East Cape or
San Jose. If is too windy at the East Cape we
will drive you to San Jose to fish the famous
Iman and Gordo banks, both great fishing
locations.
Now to the winner.
The correct answer came from a very old friend,
not that he is old, but goes way back . . . so
long, that I still remember when I was a kid
that he and Carol would come vacationing and all
hell broke loose. I was just a kid and I still
remember. After a few years, they bought a house
nearby on the beach, but even if he was not
staying at the resort, we would visit almost
daily. The winner is Bruce Rifking.
Hope to see you and
your family down at the resort this Summer.
I am
leaving the link to the oar fish website as I
think is very interesting.
click here to see the link
We ask that the winner please print out a copy
of this newsletter and bring it to us on your
next visit to receive your prize.
Our
last question was:
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