Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico
Oh Look, It’s Wine O’clock…
I’ve wanted to stay at Campera Hotel, located in stunning Valle de Guadalupe, for some time. I was finally able to make a reservation for one night. During summer, this popular venue is a hot spot for both stargazers and romantics, so booking in advance is highly recommended. It is definitely a once in a lifetime experience and I am thrilled to share my trip highlights with you.
There are many ways to get to Valle de Guadalupe from Tijuana. If renting a car is not an option for you, you can take a bus from Tijuana to Ensenada. The bus costs approximately $6 per person and you can then taxi directly to your destination.
It took an hour to reach our first destination: Cuatro Cuatros. Cuatro Cuatros is a hotel and restaurant that offers jaw-dropping views of the Pacific Ocean. When you first enter the property, you will quickly notice that it is not an ordinary hotel (or at least not like any of the standard hotels that I have visited around the world). Instead, it is a vast safari-style bonanza with decorated cabanas surrounding the winery. Each cabana serves as a cozy guest room.
The focal point of Cuatro Cuatros is a giant boat-bar in the middle that you simply can’t miss! If you want to quench your thirst with fine spirits or simply a cold ‘Cervezas,’ I definitely recommend spending some time at the impressive bar. Not surprisingly, the people watching at the bar is also a highlight.
The Bura Bar Restaurant and Bar is located a quarter of a mile uphill from the center of the winery; it offers direct views of the Pacific Ocean. We fell in love with Bura Bar, not only because of its spectacular views, but also because of its amazing tapas selection. Yum is all that I can say!
After enjoying the breathtaking ocean views and our delicious food and wine, we headed off to another winery, Vena Cava. The winery’s red blend, accompanied by delicious fresh Baja oysters, topped off by down-to-earth owners and a professional staff makes us feel at home each time we visit.
Corazon de Tierra a restaurant that is part of Vena Cava, boasts a farm-to-table concept, and when I say farm-to-table I mean it literally. Unlike most other restaurants, this restaurant is located inside a working farm. Whatever is available that day will be on that evening’s menu. This means that you never see the exact same menu twice. We were thrilled to be offered a fixed six course meal. It actually was more like eight courses, since they didn’t count the first plate or the plate between the main course and dessert (which was definitely a highlight of the meal)!
We were thoroughly delighted by each plate that was placed in front of us. I kept thinking to myself that it could not get better … yet each plate dazzled my taste buds even more than the previous one! After we finished dinner, we headed off to our hotel.
After we finished dinner, we headed off to our hotel. The hotel is small. There are only 10 bubbles/rooms available, and it is adults only (no pets are allowed). The bubbles are designed so that when you lay down in your bed you can watch the stars from the comfort of your room. We were so lucky that it was a clear night with amazing visibility. It was definitely a different stargazing experience than I had ever had. I also spent time outside the bubble, strolling the grounds. It was so peaceful, sitting outside, gazing up at the stars. It made me reflect on how small we truly are compared with the universe.
The next day we unfortunately had to say goodbye to this amazing and unforgettable experience. We checked out at 11 am, grabbed an Uber, and headed to Ensenada for tacos at La Guerrerense.
This taco stand is one of Mexico’s most famous taco places. It has even been featured on Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown. Every topping is already made, so you just have to indicate what you want and it will be added to your taco. You eat as much as you want, and then finally, when you finish up, you pay. If you end up going there, I highly recommend the shrimp taco. It was my absolute favorite and is the stand’s most popular taco. But, all of the options are amazing – it just comes down to personal preferences.
I have to admit that I have a sweet tooth and I have a particular weakness for churros. So, I turned to one of my favorite ways to find a new place to visit … Instagram. My Instagram search led me to a churro place, Un tercio, in Ensenada. After we finished our tacos, we headed off to the churro place. It was a comfortable 20 minute walk and gave us an opportunity to burn some calories after our filling taco meal. Untercio is not located in a touristy area. It definitely is more local. In fact, the employees were surprised that we were tourists and that we had heard about their churro bar.
After cooling down with some ice cream, coffee, and churros, we got an Uber and headed back to Tijuana to cross the border. On our way back, we decided to eat an early dinner before crossing the border. We made a reservation for 5 pm at Caesar’s Restaurant, which is famous for their caesar salad. Not only do I love great food, but I also love the history of food … and I could not miss an opportunity to have caesar salad at the place that invented it. It seems that caesar salad was a serendipitous creation – the chef was running out of ingredients and simply threw together what he had available. The caesar salad at Caesar’s most definitely did not disappoint. It was creamy and fresh and there was just the right amount of tang from the anchovies.
All in all, the trip was an amazing experience, filled with great food, stunning views, and a unique hotel that gave me a new perspective (literally and figuratively) on the world around me.
