I am writing this from a chaise lounge at the Tropicana Inn.

Let me be more specific. I am on a chaise lounge in the stippled, rustling shade of some palms, after a late Sunday brunch in the Tropicana’s sumptious restaurant and after a good night’s sleep.

This, all of this, is a very, very good thing.

The itinerary is officially over. Josh Lurie, Bill Esperaza and Krista Simmons have gone back to L.A. and I now know that I will never ever be a food blogger. Ever.

Please don’t get me wrong. It was fantastic to experience all the great food and to learn about Baja cuisine with its emphasis on fresh and locally-sourced ingredients and the historical Asian influence that creates such fresh and sharply-nuanced tastes.

Plus, I truly believe that you cannot know a place until you eat whatever is regional. I’ve been taking food pictures and writing about food as a key travel component for years. But these guys are hard-core; going out for wood-fired pizza after a seven or eight (?) course dinner is beyond my abilities.

Even though I drew the line at the pizza, I’m not the best at saying no to whatever is presented and this body can no longer keep up to that kind of excess. This too, is probably a good thing. Kind of like that poor ol’ canary in the gold mine…

I’ll come back to some of those great meals in another post because what’s on my mind now is relaxation. In this last week I have stayed at six different hotels, inns, resorts; call them whatever you like. For one or two nights each, they have been my home away from home. This kind of trip is very informative, but not particularly relaxing. But here is what I learned so that next time I’m here, I’ll know (and now you’ll know) exactly where to stay.

Some, like Rancho Pescadero have been absolutely dramatic indulgences. I loved that Crusoe-inspired room with the sliding doors to my huge outdoor covered deck. They win the prize for their standard morning coffee and fruit delivery to the room. Piping hot coffee delivered in a basket with real cream wins my heart every time. I don’t want to make the usual tepid stuff in my room and stir in little packets of tired chemical whitener.

Hotel Casa Natalia wins a different prize for their unexpected touches; a stick of incense, matches and holder on the covered deck table next to my very own private hammock allowed me a few minutes to suspend all time and thought. The step-down in to the tiled shower alcove was a smart way to control the inevitable slippery wet tile of most other bathroom layouts. Plus, I loved falling asleep to the sound of the pool’s waterfall.

Like Hotel Casa Natalia, the Tropicana Inn doesn’t throw itself in your face. It is a slow dawning discovery to go down the path behind the street-side restaurant to find a tropical oasis with a splashing fountain, poolside sculptures and a jungle around the pool. In fact, all I hear right this minute is tropical birds and trickling water…and a woman, who just a few minutes ago, walked in to the pool area and said, “Is this the hotel?”

Someone I couldn’t see answered, “Yes.”

“Wow,” she said, and immediately started taking photos. I rest my case on the oasis theory.

The Tropicana has kind of a retro-motel feel with two-and three-stories of rooms opening toward the pool. My room is on the ground floor and I loved taking only a few steps to be poolside this morning. It’s nice to not to have to be lobby-presentable to just be at the pool, feels more homey this way.

This is a fine way to spend my last day on the Baja.

Tomorrow I fly out of here, so please excuse me while I go for a little siesta…