Everyone needs a hobby. Ours is taking people up on their invitations to visit timeshares. We've done it in New Orleans, Falmouth, Newport, Playa del Carmen, and once before in Cabo. We've picked up hotel vacations, free dinner and drinks, digital cameras, and other assorted stuff. When we picked up our car at the airport this time, the kid who put us into the car asked me if I'd like $120 off the rental. He handed me an invitation to visit the Fiesta Americana Grand Vacation Club Timeshares, just down the road from our hotel. Well, you can't spend the whole vacation on the beach, so Thursday morning, we drove over. The timeshares are integrated into the hotel, which is a first-rate upscale hotel on the beach.

As always, we were upfront with the agent. "We never buy, Al, we only come for the gifts. You can have as much of our time as you want. You can have an hour and a half. Or you can spare yourself getting mad and frustrated." Al was like all the rest. "They all come for the gifts," he smiled, his bad black toupée sliding forward a bit as he did, "But once they see the place and hear about the value, they all buy."

An hour later, Al was still trying, but getting desperate. He signaled to his associate, who came over and offered drinks. I asked for a piña colada, which was delicious. Al was getting edgy: "You're slurping your drink!" He informed me. I suggested that if he ordered me another, my resistance might weaken, but he surrendered. "I'm not even going to make you see the place," he told us, "Just sign here and I'll take you to the desk for your prize." At the desk, somewhat to our amazement, the woman handed us $120 in cash.

We hopped in the car and drove the 50 miles to Todos Santos, a village on the west coast known for its art colony. We couldn't find the colony and settled for a few more tchatchkes at good prices, but we did find a wonderful tiny restaurant, Los Adobes de Todos Santos, where we had the best food we've ever had in Baja California at very low prices: superb ceviche in a tomato puree with avocados, Ensalada César with lobster meat, their equivalent of mozzarella in carozza, and a delicious soup of squash blossoms (flor de calabasa), tomato, chicken, and peppers.

Outside the restaurant, they had a Christmas tree decorated with garlic and red peppers, with a Star of Bethlehem made of corn stalks. I guess that was the art in Todos Santos.

We got back to the hotel just in time to see the moon rise over the horizon in the east, as the sun set behind us in the west.

For dinner, we drove into San José del Cabo, just 10 minutes north, to Mi Cocina, the restaurant in Casa Natalia, a tiny boutique hotel, just 16 rooms, right on the village square. San José del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas are night and day. The former is tiny, intimate, quiet, restful--everything Cabo San Lucas used to be. Now, Cabo San Lucas is loud, boisterous, totally lacking in class and good taste. Casa Natalia is owned and run by a European couple--Natalie is from Luxembourg and Luic is from France--who have built the hotel and restaurant themselves with exquisite taste and intelligence. The hotel forms an intimate stuccoed courtyard, with tile floors, a stream running through it which expands to become a pool. Dramatic bowls of sand have propane gas seeping up from there to form torches. It is quiet and private. A shuttle runs to a private beach club during the day. Spa service is offered in the rooms. Right now, rooms are going for $240, and a suite with private outdoor jacuzzi goes for $320. This is a good deal in these parts. They will be going up on Expedia.com very soon, and then they will be a great bargain. Putnois and Barylicks--this one's for you. Cabo Pulmo, with some of the world's great diving, is 30 minutes north.

As to the food, it was French-Mexican fusion, beautifully conceived, prepared, and presented. We had fancy martinis--Carol's was with Blue Curaçao, Cointreau, rum, and coconut; mine was tomato juice, vodka, olive juice, and lots of tabasco. Jonathan, this one's for you. We had a forschpeis of Italian tuna with tomatos and peppers, with a variety of wonderful breads and crackers. wilted romaine Caesar, fabulous gravlax with onion marmalade and a minty chipotle sauce, mahi-mahi, and huge shrimp with risotto, all fabulous. No dessert. No mas.

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