We had a large family vacation including 3 young kids and chose to rent the Hoppe Hacienda in December 2017. It was a very short walk to the beach, and a short drive to the town of Los Barriles. We are so happy that we decided to stay in Los Barriles - the area is beautiful and peaceful, and the locals are very nice. One of the best parts of the home was the heated pool and jacuzzi, and the very spacious rooms and large beds. The kitchen was very well-stocked and easy to cook for large groups. We used the cook that the owner recommended and it was delicious and economical. There was plenty of everything that we needed at the home.
We rented cars from one of the airport car rental places but wish that we had been able to use the person that the homeowner recommended. Unfortunately, by the time the owner told us about his contact, the person no longer had anything available. I think it was about a 45 minute drive to this home from the airport.
We rented ATV's from a company in Los Barriles and had a blast driving them all the way to Punta Paradiso, where we found amazing shells and did a little snorkeling. We also had some good snorkeling when the waves were small enough right at the beach by the house (Kids and I wore wetsuit jackets because although water was OK for some w/out wetsuits, I was much more comfortable getting in and staying in the water). We took another day trip up to Cabo Pulmo and had a great time snorkeling with one of the tour companies there. Swam with sea lions, saw a few sea turtles, and tons of different fish. That was worth the day trip. The kids also enjoyed walking 10 minutes down the beach to a hotel where you could use their heated pool and jacuzzi and the swim up bar. The kids regularly ordered virgin pina coladas and fries and loved it. It's kind of a dilapidated hotel, but it was still nice for us to be able to use the facility free of charge (as long as we ordered from them). It's not very busy in December, at least when we were there. The men in our group did some local fishing I think through a guide that the homeowner recommended, (if memory serves), and brought home a feast to eat as sashimi, poke, and grilled fish. In town there are great restaurants, and plenty of groceries. Overall, this was our kind of vacation. We aren't the types that like the all inclusive hotel deals where you rarely get off the property and explore.. we would stay at hacienda hoppe again.. thank you for a wonderful vacation.