Valle de Guadalupe: A Relaxed Travel Guide from LA

Valle de Guadalupe is a region of Mexico in Baja California known for its many wineries and its inventive food scene. We have visited twice now, each time for three nights, which I think is a great length of trip since it’s a relatively quick drive from LA and all of Southern California. Valle is the perfect destination if you’re looking for a peaceful countryside retreat with top-tier food options. 

Where to Stay

Entrevalle Hotel Boutique: Standalone bungalows on a vineyard. We stayed here on our first trip to Valle. Several small jacuzzis you can reserve to use individually and one pool. An on-site restaurant that can deliver your food jacuzzi- or pool-side. Very peaceful and beautiful, would definitely stay here again.

Boskenvid Hotel Boutique: Very unique treehouse-style rooms. We stayed here on our most recent trip. There is a pool at the very top of the hill, outside of a larger house that is also available to rent. They have a charming on-site outdoor restaurant, which we did not eat at, but I believe you can choose to have breakfast included with your stay and we saw people enjoying a morning meal there every day. The rooms are very shady, since they are in the trees, and the pool and jacuzzi area is a little odd, since it’s right outside of a house.

Where to Eat

Finca Altozano: Such a beautiful place. This restaurant is part of a larger compound, with multiple restaurants, a coffeeshop, and casitas you can stay in. The focus here is on country-style cooking, with lots of different types of grilled meats and sides, along with seafood options. The seating is all outdoors, on a covered patio, and there are lots of dogs roaming around that live on the farm. Don’t worry, they are all very well-behaved! 

Boules Restaurante (Ensenada): We stumbled upon this restaurant when looking for somewhere to get dinner after a day in Ensenada. It truly seems like a locals’ place and we had such a magical experience here. The outdoor dining area is lovely and the food was all delicious. We were not too hungry, unfortunately, but enjoyed some inventive cocktails and great bites. They also have pétanque courts (hence the name Boules) that people were playing on, which I thought was cool to see. 

Animalon: We went to Animalon on our first trip in 2022. At that time, they still had an a la carte menu you could order off of and we tried a few different things, all of which we loved. Since then, they have been awarded a Michelin star and switched to a tasting menu set up. As of this writing, the menu costs about $140 USD, which we did not feel like trying on our last trip (I think I would only spend that much on a meal for a very special occasoin). The indoor/outdoor dining space was gorgeous and the service was perfect, which is something we’ve noticed across every fine-dining restaurant in Valle, so I would definitely recommend Animalon if the tasting menu sparks your fancy.

Huevo Republic Restaurant: A brunch restaurant focusing on chilaquiles and omelets. The first time we went to this restaurant, it was in a little building on the side of the road. Since then, it has moved to be on-site at the Maglen Resort, which is a large complex of 60 hotel rooms and various restaurants.

El Nuevo Jalisciense (fish tacos): A little off the beaten path but oh my god these are good. We went twice during our last trip. And each taco costs around $1 to boot. The fish tacos are a must, obviously, but the shrimp taco is delicious as well. My favorite thing about these types of taco places is the serve yourself toppings. I am a (recovering) picky eater and is great to not have to say “no pico de gallo” or whatever other weird modifications I want. 

Where to Drink

Das Cortez Valle de Guadalupe: This is a cute coffeeshop in a barrel on the grounds of Finca Altozano. Go here if you want to enjoy the beautiful vineyard views while sipping your coffee. There are also several locations in Tijuana & Rosarito if you happen to pass one on the way up or down!

Electric Coffee: A local roaster, also from Tijuana, with an outpost in Valle de Guadalupe. The coffee was delicious, the service was super friendly, and the prices were very affordable (more in line with what you would find in Tijuana rather than VdG’s elevated prices).

Aromas: This is at the Maglen Resort, where Huevo Republic is also located. You can grab some coffee here and find a quiet spot on the grounds to chitchat and enjoy the peace. I will say that prices were similar to LA coffeeshops- about $7 for an iced latte with whole milk. I would recommend going here only if you’re wanting to spend a while unwinding outside. There are lots of cute spots to hang out and enjoy the peace and quiet.

Hussong’s (Ensenada): The only spot in this section that is not coffee! According to local legend, the margarita was invented at Hussong’s. While I’m not sure about how accurate that is, this is still a fun spot to visit while in Ensenada. Hussong’s was established in 1892, by a German immigrant named John Hussong who was enticed to move down south after the discovery of gold in the region. Nowadays, it’s a lively dive bar with a mariachi band and peanut shells littering the floor.

What to Do

• Horseback riding 
• Wine tasting
• Visit Ensenada
• Go to Hussong’s
• Visit the beach (Playa La Mision)
• Chill at the pool
• Massages at Quinta Monasterio

Our itinerary

Day 1

9:00 am: Departure from LA

We left LA and stopped in San Diego for brunch at Shorehouse Kitchen in La Jolla Shores. From this point, it was about two hours to Valle. Getting across the border into Mexico was quick and easy, with little to no wait. 

2:00 pm: First wine tasting at Vena Cava

Our first stop was a winery called Vena Cava, where we had a 2 pm reservation for a wine tasting. This winery is very distinctive because it’s in an upside-down boat! We’re actually not huge wine aficionados and only really like white wine, but we still enjoyed trying all the different varietals they had us taste. This was more of a hands-off tasting; they poured the wines into little glasses, explained what they were, and then left us to it. At some point, they brought us a plate of bread and cheese, which was greatly appreciated because the pours were very generous and we were definitely feeling it.

4:00 pm: Check in at Entrevalle Boutique Hotel

 We stayed at the Entrevalle Boutique Hotel. This hotel consists of individual bungalow/cabin-type rooms, which is very common in this region. We chose this hotel because it has a nice pool, several hot tubs, and a well-regarded restaurant. When we visited, you had to request via WhatsApp that the hot tub be turned on for the time you wanted, which was not the most ideal set-up but it worked out fine. The first afternoon, we had requested that the hot tub be on when we arrived and we enjoyed some drinks and food from the restaurant in between soaking. Once we had been cooked to perfection, we headed back to the room to shower and get ready for dinner.

7:00 pm: Dinner at Animalon

Animalon is a restaurant located on a farm with several other eateries including Finca (same chef/owner) and Das Cortez. The farm also has hotel rooms you can stay in. The menu at Animalon is now a set menu, where you pay a fixed price for a coursed meal. This was not the case when we went and it is rather pricy now, but the food was delicious and the restaurant space was very cool. It is an outdoor restuarant, as all the ones we visited were, and the service was efficient and friendly. There were also a number of dogs that roam around the farm but they were all very sweet. Definitely make a reservation if you want to try this place. 

Day 2

10:00 am: Brunch at Huevo Republic Restaurante

We were craving some chilaquiles and found this place on Yelp. It’s a very cute roadside restaurant with an extensive breakfast menu with different types of omelettes and chilaquiles, as well as a variety of other dishes. We ordered the chilaquiles rojos and crema de chipotle, and also enjoyed some café de olla (a traditional Mexican coffee beverage with spices). Everything was delectable! The server didn’t speak much English but there was no issue with ordering. There was also a cute but scary cat that ended up scratching my leg, necessitating a trip to the pharmacy to pick up some antibacterial spray. [UPDATE: Huevo Republic is now located at Maglen Resort and has a much more refined atmosphere but still solid food. It is a large restaurant but may need reservations at peak times.]

1:00 pm: Second wine tasting at Adobe Guadalupe

Adobe Guadalupe is a vineyard, hotel, and restaurant that also offers horseback rides. This tasting was very intimate; it was just us and the employee, who poured each glass individually after explaining the flavors and variety of the wine. You can do either a tasting in the store (no reservations needed), which is what we did, or they also have an option to do a tasting in their cellar (reservations needed). There was a unique backstory behind the wines and the employee did a great job explaining what made each one unique. We also enjoyed looking around the grounds; they have a lot going on there!

3:00 pm: Massages at Quinta Monasterio

We felt like some relaxation during our trip and looked into booking a couples massage in the area. We found this place, which is also a winery, and the wonderful front desk at our hotel was able to help us book it, since it didn’t seem like anyone who spoke English was currently working when we called. The massage facility was the nicest I have been to (I usually go to no-nonsense Thai massage parlors though so I am easily impressed) and included time in the sauna beforehand and a glass of wine afterward. We absolutely loved this experience and would definitely do this again on future visits. It was very private and serene and a great way to spend the afternoon. 

6:00 pm: Dinner at Finca Altozano

Finca Altozano’s menu focuses on seafood and steak. We ordered some fantastic tacos and had an amazing lavender panna cotta with a honeycomb-shaped piece of chocolate for dessert. We arrived in time to watch the sunset from the outdoor dining area,which was the perfect way to spend the day. Service, as with every restaurant we went to in Valle, was fantastic.

Day 3

9:00 am: Coffee & Bagel @ ESCAMA Gastro Cafe

We started off the morning with lattes and a lox bagel from this amazing spot just 15 minutes away near the sea. We were surprised to find such a hip coffeeshop in what was a very industrial-looking area, but that is the magic of this region. The lattes were just the right strength and the bagel was fresh and delicious. The menu was extensive for both food and drinks.

10:30 am: Horseback Ride @ Horses By Jose

I have only ridden a horse once before (a trail ride in Colorado) but Axel has been a few times and he really wanted to do this while we were in Mexico. We had a private ride with Horses by Jose in La Mision and had a lovely private experience. There were two guides, one of whom took photos and videos throughout the ride. We rode down the Guadalupe River to the beach, where the horses started to gallop. I was pretty nervous so I really didn’t want to go that quickly, but Axel was living out his Lone Ranger dreams. This was such a memorable, unique activity to do just a 30 minute drive from Valle or Ensenada!

Afternoon in Ensenada:

Ensenada is a port city that is a popular stop on many cruises coming out of California. Here, we stepped into Hussong’s, grabbed some fish tacos at El Nuevo Jalisciense , and enjoyed wandering the Malecon (waterfront area). We ended with a delicious dinner at Boules before heading back to the hot tub.

Day 4

Check out

Our long weekend had come to an end. We grabbed a quick latte at Electric Coffee on our way out. On our first trip, we made the mistake of not having Global Entry and were trapped in the border crossing line for three hours when trying to return. This time, we skipped basically the entire line and it took about 20 minutes total. I was actually a little sad to miss the whole line, since it’s pretty fun to see all the crazy things that the merchants are selling along the way (any kind of souvenir you could think of, food and drink, even live animals (not good)). BUT given the choice between crawling through the street at one mile an hour or zipping past the line, I’ll take the latter. 

Side note: Global Entry has been 1000% worth it! It replaces TSA Pre-Check (which has been a lifesaver in itself) but also works when you’re coming back into the US from international road and air travel. Axel and I both applied for it last year and found the interview process very smooth and pretty quick, compared to some of the horror stories I had heard online. Prior to applying for Global Entry, I got a Chase United MileagePlus credit card, which offers reimbursement for the fee as a benefit. My referral link for the card is here if you are interested in exploring! The bonus miles change from time to time, but they almost always have a decent promotion.

Further reading

I highly recommend David Castro Hussong’s cookbook, The Baja California Cookbook. Hussong owns a restaurant called Fauna in Valle (which we’ve been to, and didn’t love, honestly) and has deep family roots to his region. His grandfather was John Hussong, who founded the bar Hussong’s in Enseneda. His cookbook has delicious-sounding recipes, but also has some beautiful writing on the region and Hussong’s life growing up there. Reading it gave me a deeper understanding of the way that food is made there, as well as just more about industry in Baja California.

Overall, Valle de Guadalupe is my favorite long weekend destination from LA. The natural beauty, delicious food and wine, and welcoming hospitality leaves me dreaming of our next trip.