Not far south of the border, along that pencil-thin strip of
desert called Baja California, is one of the finest stretches of beach
on the West Coast, Playa de Rosarito. Americans nicknamed it Rosarito Beach
back in the 1920s when southern Californians seeking sun and fun
without the restrictions of prohibition made it their favorite seaside
playground.
Back in the glory days of Hollywood, Rosarito Beach drew such stars
as Orson Welles, Lana Turner, Rita Hayworth and other screen legends who
came to enjoy the hospitality of the Barbachano family at their lavish
Rosarito Beach Hotel. Today it’s not uncommon to find such celebrities
as Britney Spears trying to dodge the paparazzi or other actors in town
filming at the nearby Baja Studios.
The Rosarito Beach Hotel is the granddame of the city. The hotel has been in continual operation by the same family since it first opened in 1926. Walking into the main resort lobby is a step back to old Mexico with its Spanish colonial architecture and murals depicting the history of the region. Great care has been taken through the years to maintain the original ceramic tile that decorates many of the interior sections, most notably in the bar of the hotel’s renowned Chabert’s Restaurant.
The Rosarito Hotel opened a brand-new 17-story condo/hotel tower in 2008. The Pacifico Tower offers full ownership of condos, as well as upscale hotel accommodations. Other guestroom options include the 8-story oceanfront Coronado Tower and the 3-story oceanfront Playas Tower.
The current owner of the hotel, Hugo Torres Chabert, spent three terms as mayor of Rosarito Beach. While in office, Torres focused on developing new ways to make the city safe for tourists, including a clean sweep through the city police force. Since leaving office Torres has traveled throughout the U.S. promoting the beauty, the friendliness and the security of Rosarito Beach.
Accommodations in and about Rosarito can be had for just about every budget and lifestyle. Festival Plaza is one of the most popular party hotels, while down the road several kilometers is Las Rocas, a full-service resort and spa with traditional Spanish themes and a fabulous Baja breakfast of chorizo and eggs.
Rosarito is popular for its nightlife, particularly among American young people between the ages of 18 and 20 who flock down on weekends to enjoy the lower drinking age (18 years old). Popular watering holes include Papas & Beer and Senor Frogs. Watch out for spring break in Rosarito if crowds of young people are not your idea of a relaxing getaway.
Camping is safe and popular down here as well, with sites as humble as dry camps on the beach and on to well-equipped RV and trailer resorts with showers, pools, jet-ski rentals and other amenities that make beach camping so much fun.
Along Benito Juarez Blvd. you’ll find curio shops, taco stands, restaurants and bars. Signage is in English and prices are quoted in dollars and pesos. Street vendors line the boulevard offering their wares at prices that go down the farther away you get from the vendor. Yes, Mexican vendors still expect to haggle over the prices and seldom turn down a respectable offer.
A few blocks north of the Rosarito Beach Hotel, is the mercado, a traditional Mexican marketplace with dozens of booths. Want a silver chain to take home to your house-sitter? You’ll find it at the marketplace, along with hand-tooled leather, silver jewelry, embroidered linens and hand-painted pottery and hundreds of other handcrafted items.
Rosarito Beach may be a bargain-hunter’s haven, but it’s also home to several of Mexico’s finest artists. Be sure to stop at the Visitor’s Center to pick up one of the brochures that maps all of the galleries on the Rosarito Art Route. In addition to the galleries, many of the artists open their studios for private tours.
After exploring the galleries in a southerly tour along the free road that runs through Rosarito, head south to Puerto Langosta. The Baja spiny lobster is plentiful off the rocky coastline and becomes the catch of the day for most of the local fishermen. This little lobster haven grew up around the kitchens of a few local women who cooked for the tourists who fished from the coast here. Mexican style lobster isn’t steamed, but cut down the center and deep-fried. The resulting taste is both crunchy and creamy. Whole lobsters run about $20 each and include enormous homemade flour tortillas, along with the Mexican standards of rice, beans and salsa.
Those who prefer not to drive into Mexico will appreciate MexiCoach or the numerous trolleys that run from San Diego directly into Rosarito. You can get back and forth from San Diego to Rosarito for about $25 per person. If you drive your own vehicle, be sure to buy the appropriate Mexican auto insurance.
Rosarito Beach languishes in between Tijuana to the north and Ensenada to the south. Easily accessible by the scenic Tijuana-Ensenada toll road, the drive from the border crossing at Tijuana/San Ysidro takes less than a half hour. If you miss the toll road entrance—which comes at you almost immediately after crossing the border—the drive through Tijuana can take you nearly an hour and is not nearly as scenic.
Passports are required for travel in and out Mexico, but a visa will not be required. Many restaurants and shops offer visitors a discount when they show their passports.
Getting back into the U.S. at the Tijuana/San Ysidro border crossing is a snap when you have a Fast Pass. This new pass can be obtained free when you spend $70 or more at select hotels and merchants in Baja.
The Rosarito Beach Hotel is the granddame of the city. The hotel has been in continual operation by the same family since it first opened in 1926. Walking into the main resort lobby is a step back to old Mexico with its Spanish colonial architecture and murals depicting the history of the region. Great care has been taken through the years to maintain the original ceramic tile that decorates many of the interior sections, most notably in the bar of the hotel’s renowned Chabert’s Restaurant.
The Rosarito Hotel opened a brand-new 17-story condo/hotel tower in 2008. The Pacifico Tower offers full ownership of condos, as well as upscale hotel accommodations. Other guestroom options include the 8-story oceanfront Coronado Tower and the 3-story oceanfront Playas Tower.
The current owner of the hotel, Hugo Torres Chabert, spent three terms as mayor of Rosarito Beach. While in office, Torres focused on developing new ways to make the city safe for tourists, including a clean sweep through the city police force. Since leaving office Torres has traveled throughout the U.S. promoting the beauty, the friendliness and the security of Rosarito Beach.
Accommodations in and about Rosarito can be had for just about every budget and lifestyle. Festival Plaza is one of the most popular party hotels, while down the road several kilometers is Las Rocas, a full-service resort and spa with traditional Spanish themes and a fabulous Baja breakfast of chorizo and eggs.
Rosarito is popular for its nightlife, particularly among American young people between the ages of 18 and 20 who flock down on weekends to enjoy the lower drinking age (18 years old). Popular watering holes include Papas & Beer and Senor Frogs. Watch out for spring break in Rosarito if crowds of young people are not your idea of a relaxing getaway.
Camping is safe and popular down here as well, with sites as humble as dry camps on the beach and on to well-equipped RV and trailer resorts with showers, pools, jet-ski rentals and other amenities that make beach camping so much fun.
Along Benito Juarez Blvd. you’ll find curio shops, taco stands, restaurants and bars. Signage is in English and prices are quoted in dollars and pesos. Street vendors line the boulevard offering their wares at prices that go down the farther away you get from the vendor. Yes, Mexican vendors still expect to haggle over the prices and seldom turn down a respectable offer.
A few blocks north of the Rosarito Beach Hotel, is the mercado, a traditional Mexican marketplace with dozens of booths. Want a silver chain to take home to your house-sitter? You’ll find it at the marketplace, along with hand-tooled leather, silver jewelry, embroidered linens and hand-painted pottery and hundreds of other handcrafted items.
Rosarito Beach may be a bargain-hunter’s haven, but it’s also home to several of Mexico’s finest artists. Be sure to stop at the Visitor’s Center to pick up one of the brochures that maps all of the galleries on the Rosarito Art Route. In addition to the galleries, many of the artists open their studios for private tours.
After exploring the galleries in a southerly tour along the free road that runs through Rosarito, head south to Puerto Langosta. The Baja spiny lobster is plentiful off the rocky coastline and becomes the catch of the day for most of the local fishermen. This little lobster haven grew up around the kitchens of a few local women who cooked for the tourists who fished from the coast here. Mexican style lobster isn’t steamed, but cut down the center and deep-fried. The resulting taste is both crunchy and creamy. Whole lobsters run about $20 each and include enormous homemade flour tortillas, along with the Mexican standards of rice, beans and salsa.
Those who prefer not to drive into Mexico will appreciate MexiCoach or the numerous trolleys that run from San Diego directly into Rosarito. You can get back and forth from San Diego to Rosarito for about $25 per person. If you drive your own vehicle, be sure to buy the appropriate Mexican auto insurance.
Rosarito Beach languishes in between Tijuana to the north and Ensenada to the south. Easily accessible by the scenic Tijuana-Ensenada toll road, the drive from the border crossing at Tijuana/San Ysidro takes less than a half hour. If you miss the toll road entrance—which comes at you almost immediately after crossing the border—the drive through Tijuana can take you nearly an hour and is not nearly as scenic.
Passports are required for travel in and out Mexico, but a visa will not be required. Many restaurants and shops offer visitors a discount when they show their passports.
Getting back into the U.S. at the Tijuana/San Ysidro border crossing is a snap when you have a Fast Pass. This new pass can be obtained free when you spend $70 or more at select hotels and merchants in Baja.
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