August 2005

July was our 2^nd busiest month of the year so far. Early in the month we hosted the Fifth Annual Los Chinos Catch and Release Fishing Tournament, from the 8^th to the 11^th.  Greg and Rick Howland, a father and son team from Huntington Beach, CA won the overall prize with five stripers in a single day. Rick always fishes with his buddy David Manser, their great friend and a pillar on this team. Sometimes he brings his son and sometimes his daughter. Four years ago, when Greg was only 13, he won second place in the entire tournament. This family loves to fish! They fished on the Dusty B III with Vicente. Second place went to Louis Masushige’s team, with five billfish, but one was a sailfish, so they only came in second. His group fished with Felipe on the Yanet. Mr. and Mrs. Greg Davies of Gardnerville, NV caught a 49-pound dorado for first place in that category. Buena Vista local, Rod Albright and his buddy Bob Breaux won with 10.5-pound tuna to win that category. Luis Masushige’s team caught a bigger tuna, but forgot to weight it … so it didn’t count! Anglers, always remember to weight your fish! Starting in 2006, we are going to combine this tournament with the Big Game Blowout so that there is only one major tournament in July and we can make it that much bigger and better. More details to come on this…. 

The Fish Sniffer, the popular northern California fishing publication, hosted their first annual fishing trip from the 13^th to the 17^th.  The staff came down ahead of time to organize the trip and they were all super enthused about the great fishing. They have already committed to host the second annual trip next year about the same time, with even more prizes and fun! Read more about this story on this month’s in the news article.

Dan Hernandez Twelfth Annual Fishing Trip was held July 28 to August 1^st. Fifty anglers attended, and segments of his famous fishing TV show were filmed while they were all here. These segments just aired recently. The entry fee for this tournament is to bring an ice chest down full of used clothes which are donated to the church. Dan will be hosting his second event this year from October 28 to 31^st. To sign up, please call 800-887-6360.

Some of our friends who came this month were Mrs. Calderwood who celebrated her 60^th birthday with 20 of her closest friends and family. Mrs. Debbie Meschkat, wife of the infamous Bodo, brought her family down this month. Usually it’s Bodo’s family who comes, but this time Debbie’s came instead. They all loved it here. Mr. and Mrs. Shore also visited us, and Mr. Rice and Mr. Delapp the Samuels came together. It was great to see our friend Robert Schutt too. Mr. Art Morton and amigos were here, along with Mrs. Theodore and Sandra Wierzbanowski. Of course we can’t forget Mr. Norm Jacobson from Lanc Campers, who brought his brother down, and Togo Hazard, our most frequent guest (at 11 weeks a year!). Last but not least, John Bretza of Okuma Tackle came down with a group from their factory in China and several of their US sales reps. They were trying out the new 2006 reels.

As always, we greet you with open arms and wide smiles and look forward to your next visit to the

Jewel of the East Cape. And of course, we appreciate your continued patronage over the years, and hope to see you very soon!

The Valdez Family

Special Deals and Events You Won't Want to Miss!

September's Special:

2x1

Two stay for the price of one.

Book Now and Save

Join us for our traditional

9th Annual

CHUY'S 

Catch and Release Tournament

Many teams already signed up, don't be left out call us.  Lot's prices, fishing, but most important a lot's of fun and camaraderie.

OCT 7th- 10th

Join Lynn Rose Tours' on their

2005 EAST CAPE CLASSIC

This fun-filled fishing event is held each year to benefit the underprivileged children of Los Barilles. We are proud to join long time friend and partner Lynn Rose to help raise money for such important cause. Call her or us for details or if you are already booked ask us about it and we will be happy to help

OCT 12th-16th

Join DAN HERNANDEZ on his

Day of the Dead

Fishing Tournament

WINTER IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER HERE ARE SOME OF THE  SPECIALS THAT WE WILL BE HAVING, EVEN THROUGHOUT THE HOLIDAYS!!!

WINTER SPECIALS:

Stay 3 Nights and get the 4th free! Or

Stay 5 Nights and get the 6th and 7th nights free.

Book Now and Save Big!

November and December

You can see this specials and more in our 2005 calendar of events and promotions click here to visit

Little known tidbits of Hotel Buena Vista's History

Did you know?

The question for last month’s contest was:  The resort’s two major bartenders, Ricardo and Ramiro, have been with the hotel for a long time. What is unique about their relationship and how long has each of them been with us? Andy Marcum got this one right, but the only reason he “won” was because he read the newsletter when he was at the resort and promptly went to ask the bartenders in question. So officially, he didn’t win an evening with open bar tab for two, but we are giving him a consolation prize of an hour of free Margaritas.

And the answer is … they are brothers. Ricardo has been with the hotel 22 years, since 1983 and Ramiro has been with us 20 years, since 1985. Ricardo is married to Olga, daughter of Melesio, the hotel’s oldest employee and Ramiro is married to Narda, who worked as a waitress with us for many years before retiring to become a mom. She now owns the Hook Up, a fishing and t-shirt shop in Los Barriles.

Contest of the Month!

This month’s question is brought to you by our long time amigo, David Siegle of McCall, Idaho. (He does not know the exact answer, by the way.)

At one time in the hotel’s history, before the swim-up bar and pool were built at their present location, there was a palapa bar in the original hotel. Then, a few years later there was another bar with a wooden roof. Where was each of the bars located? 

Answer this one and you will receive a free seafood dinner for two. Also, if you have any questions to submit for our monthly contest, you won’t win anything but you will get to see your name in print right here! Email your answers (and questions) to:  webmaster@hotelbuenavista.com

We are not writing a fish story nor an adventure story this month, but a story we thought we had to tell you about.

On July 9^th, we hosted a spectacular wedding for Heather Kelly and Zach Stephens. Heather’s grandparents, Mark and Doris Kelly, have been coming to the resort since almost the beginning. They brought their kids here, and later the grandkids as well. Hortencia remembers Heather as a 10-year old girl telling her that when she got married, it was going to be in Buena Vista because it was her favorite place in the world! Fifteen years later Heather’s wish came true when she walked down the “aisle” with Zach on a perfect July evening. Her parents, Doug and Pam were very proud of their beautiful bride, and Zach’s parents, Mark and Jeannie were beaming as well.

The local priest, Padre Salvador from Los Barriles performed the ceremony in front of 30 of their family and close friends. Guests came mostly from the Pacific Northwest, from the Boise, Idaho and Seattle, Washington areas and thoroughly enjoyed our beaches, warm water, fishing, water volleyball and the swim-up bar. While the Kellys have been fishing here forever, there were several first time anglers in the Stephens family, but they loved catching their first big game fish!

Hortencia Fisher is the official Wedding Planner for Hotel Buena Vista Beach Resort. She personally manages everything from the initial reservations to all the paperwork, menu, music, decorations and flowers, ensuring that your special day is perfect and memorable in every way!

Click Here for July 2005 Total Fishing Count

La Cocina

 Chilaquiles—a Favorite Mexican Breakfast

I am not a big egg eater, so whenever I find Chilaquiles on a breakfast menu, that’s what I order. My first experience trying them was at the El Dorado Restaurant in Puerto Vallarta when I was a kid. We sat in yellow and green chairs right on the sand and ate at low tables in our wet bathing suits. It was Christmas of 1967. We had just ordered a late breakfast. My parents were discussing the concept of the empty nest. I could tell that my dad was worried about my mom being lonely as he anticipated Nina’s and my eventual departure for college. Suddenly he stood up. My eyes followed his until I spotted the cutest little black and white puppy I had ever set eyes on. It was under the pier, on a frayed rope held by one of two little Mexican girls. Within two minutes my dad had bought that dog for $4.00 USD, plus a few pesos to buy ice cream for the crying little girls. We named her Victoria, and she was my mother's shadow for the next 16 years.

Meanwhile, back on the beach, Victoria fell asleep in Nina’s lap. Our food arrived and we dug in. A beach vendor selling silver earrings, necklaces and rings diverted Nina’s attention. When she looked back down at her plate, her chilaquiles were gone. Little Victoria, barely six weeks old, had scarfed the entire meal!

Chilaquiles were, and still are, a favorite of mine. They’re served all over Baja and the ones offered at the hotel are awesome Oh, and by the way — Victoria flew home with us on Francisco Muñoz' Baja Airlines. Unlike a pet on an American airliner, she wasn't treated like a piece of luggage and relegated to the baggage department. Instead, she napped on the seat next to me and chased my dad up and down the aisle, barking gleefully as he helped hand out sack lunches. This recipe serves six and it will transport you south in a heartbeat! 

3 poblano chiles, roasted and cut in strips or 1 - 7 ounce can green chiles, cut in strip 1½ pounds

12 corn tortillas

½ cup corn oil

2 cups enchilada sauce (canned is OK)

1 cup crema media ácida or 1 cup sour cream

1½ lb boneless chicken breasts, cooked and cut in chunks

4 cups Chihuahua or jack cheese, grated

½ cup media crema mixed with 1 tbsp water to thin out

If you have a gas stove, lay the chiles over the open flame and char skins well, turning with tongs frequently until they’re uniformly blackened and stop snapping. The more charred they are, the easier it is to remove the skins. If you have an electric stove, place chiles in a large skillet on high heat. Turn frequently as above. Remove chiles to plastic bag, close it and let stand for 10 minutes. Remove from bag, place in ice-cold water and remove the stems, skins, veins and seeds. Cut into strips.

Cut tortillas into one-inch strips and fry in oil until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Combine enchilada sauce with sour cream in saucepan. Heat thoroughly.

In a 9 x 13 pan layer the tortilla strips, chicken, chile strips, cheese and enchilada sauce. Repeat. Top with a layer of tortilla strips, sauce and lots of cheese. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes, or until cheese is melted and chilaquiles are bubbling. Drizzle thinned media crema over each serving.

This recipe will be featured in Ann Hazard’s new cookbook: COOKING WITH BAJA MAGIC DOS.   Look for it in late September! It will contain 80 new recipes, eight years’ worth of new Baja adventures and all new art! Visit Ann online at http://bajamagic.com.